June 2014 - Living Sacrifice

June 2014
MAGAZINE &
DEVOTIONAL
28
Spiritual Warfare Set and
Sword of the Spirit Set
30
Turning Point Radio
and Television
31
There’s an App for That!
s The battle for your mind is unrelenting—
but it is winnable! Learn more beginning on
page 6.
4
Seek and You Will Find
5
Just Ahead
6
Your Life Is Not a Game
8
Mind Field—The Battle
for Your Mind
12
Time Bandits—The Battle
for Your Time
16
Heart Attack—The Battle
for Your Heart
20
Faith Force—The Battle
for Your Faith
24
Battle Cry
26
Turning Point Resource
Answers to Questions About
Spiritual Warfare
32
June Devotionals
This month’s devotionals discuss the important subject of
spiritual warfare and correlate with the
current radio series by Dr. Jeremiah on
this topic.
The weekend devotionals offer words of
wisdom from God’s Word in June Bugs.
46
The Jeremiah Study Bible
47
Turning Points of Interest
As a young student of the Bible, I had a basic knowledge of spiritual warfare. But
I really learned about the importance of spiritual warfare the first time I preached a
major sermon series on the subject. The response was overwhelming! Members of
my own church, and others who heard the broadcasts of those sermons, responded
like they had never responded before.
They weren’t applauding my preaching, mind you. They were responding
because they learned, many for the first time, that they were warriors in a spiritual
battle. Many people wrote to say they now understood their wounds and battle scars
in spiritual terms. They learned that Satan has strategies and powers but that every
Christian has defensive armor and standing in Christ to protect themselves from the
devil’s attacks.
I have never forgotten that experience and have made spiritual warfare a consistent part of my teaching ministry ever since. We have no reason to think that Satan
has given up on his opposition to God and God’s people, so we should not rest from
our responsibility to stand firm and victorious against him.
As part of that ongoing effort, this month’s radio programs and this issue of
Turning Points are devoted to the spiritual battles we face in four areas: our mind,
time, heart, and faith. I trust you will be encouraged and equipped by what you
read.
In this issue you will also read about a new Turning Point resource that will
further equip you as a warrior for Christ in being victorious in every spiritual battle.
Victoriously yours,
David Jeremiah
s
Do you have questions about the conflict
waging in your life? Turning Point has a new
hardback book from Dr. Jeremiah answering
more than 70 questions about the battle that
confronts believers. See back cover for more
information.
Issue Date: June 2014. Volume Sixteen, Issue Six.
2
Dear Fellow Warrior,
COPYRIGHT 2000—2014 DR. DAVID JEREMIAH | TURNING POINT FOR GOD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
TURNING POINTS MAGAZINE & DEVOTIONAL
President/Publisher
Dr. David Jeremiah
Editor-in-Chief
Paul Joiner
Managing Editor
Myrna Davis
Art & Design
Katie Michaelson
Writing Staff
Weston Albert
Cherie Fritz
William Kruidenier
Robert Morgan
Lois Spain
Dianne Stark
3
Seek and You Will Find
There are no respawns in this life.
(See page 6)
Virtual battle.
Real dollars.
(See page 8)
JUST AHEAD
There’s an unseen
battle for your soul.
(See page 7)
IT’S DANGEROUS
TO GO ALONE!
TAKE THIS.
The mind is the
most critical part of
spiritual warfare!
(See page 10)
If our lives are meaningless, our
time is purposeless. If our lives
have purpose, our time is
meaningful.
(See page 15)
( See page 20)
We must learn to safeguard the source
of our spiritual and emotional life.
(See page 19)
The ultimate
Strategy Guide.
(See page 12)
PROTECT
( See page 16)
4
(See page 24)
If you are joining us this
month as a new reader,
you will notice our Read-Throughthe-Bible-in-a-Year icon and reading
plan at the end of each devotional.
Join the worldwide Turning Point
family as we strive to read the Bible,
cover-to-cover, in one year.
There’s a battle for your faith going on right now.
(See page 21)
It is more than possible to be
victorious in spiritual warfare.
(See page 25)
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by david jeremiah
I
n case you missed it earlier this year, the universe erupted in
the largest galactic battle ever fought. It was virtual reality—a
massive, international, multiplayer video game. The crisis began
when a player failed to pay rent on the space station housing
his fleet. When another party swooped in to capture the spot,
thousands of players around the world stopped in their tracks
and engaged in the battle. People skipped work and classes,
computer servers were strained, and the ensuing twelve-hour
war was ruthless. Seventy-five giant ships were destroyed, each
costing $5,000 in real money. Losing participants forfeited
$300,000 in the value of their virtual fleets. The event shocked
the world of online video gaming because it showed how
global, costly, and mesmerizing the industry has become.
Welcome to the new universe of massive multiplayer roleplaying video games. Imagine a game played by thousands of
people simultaneously at their Sony PlayStation 4 or Microsoft
Xbox One devices. The images are realistic and graphic, the
battles are virtual life and death, and the players stretch across
national boundaries.
Online video gaming is now a dominant form of entertainment, especially for young adults; and it’s a major economic
factor in entertainment. On average, a popular online video
game costs $42 million to develop. Last year, U.S. sales for
these games reached
$25 billion. The best
WE INTUITIVELY
seller, Grand Theft
KNOW THAT
Auto V, brought in
CONFLICT RAGES
over a billion dollars.
ALL AROUND US.
The real cost may
be higher. The most
popular games are violent, including those where players injure,
maim, kill, or decapitate a human character. Studies warn that
teens spending three hours daily at a screen are more morally
immature and unable to empathize or clearly distinguish
values.1 Almost every mass shooter in recent history has been
addicted to violent video games. At the very least, report
multiple studies, people who engage in several hours of violent
1
“Violent Video Games Leave Teenagers ‘Morally Immature,’ Claims Study” at
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2553213/Violent-video-gamesleave-teenagers-morally-immature-claims-study.html.
6
gaming treat people more rudely after
they leave their screens. Online video
gaming creates an alternate reality,
which lingers in the mind.
The industry even has its own
language, a lexicon of slang. If a
character represents you in a game,
that’s your gamertag. An avatar is
an icon representing an interactive
character who responds to your mouse
or keyboard. If your online persona is
fragged (killed), you can respawn, or
come back to life.
I’m not saying everything
about video games is dark or evil.
Some psychologists see benefits in
non-violent games, like developing
collaboration skills, spatial navigation,
and hand-and-eye coordination.
Educators use video games to teach
science, geography, history, and almost
every other subject. Used wisely,
games can enhance a youngster’s
problem-solving and quick-thinking
skills. As some researchers point out,
games simulating stressful events are
useful in preparing the brain to make
quick decisions. They can also teach
keyboarding habits. Additionally,
all of us need relaxation and, used
with discretion, perhaps online video
gaming can provide a good break.
But what most interests me about
these games is the prevalence of the
theme of fighting. For the most part,
the world of online video games is one
of armies, weapons, and warfare. Most
games consist of forces battling each
other for dominion and land, people
and power and possessions. Perhaps
THERE’S AN
UNSEEN BATTLE
FOR YOUR SOUL.
we’re drawn to this because we intuitively
know that conflict rages all around us,
even in the unseen world. According to
Ephesians 6, we don’t wrestle against human forces but “against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of
the darkness of this age, against
spiritual hosts of wickedness in
the heavenly places.”
There’s an unseen battle
for your soul. Unlike video
gaming, you cannot respawn
when defeated, so it’s vital to be
well-armed for victory.
This month in Turning Points
we’re using the theme of virtual warfare
to teach the reality of spiritual warfare.
In correlation with our radio series about
Spiritual Warfare, this month’s magazine
centers on the unseen forces around us.
Based on the Bible, we’ll see how to
prepare for the fight and claim the
victory.
Life is not a game. We’re given only
one life to live on earth, and we cannot
respawn like a character on a screen. The
battle for our minds, our time, our hearts,
and our faith is real, and God intends
us to be more than conquerors through
Him who loves us. Whether you’ve played
online video games or not, I hope you’ll
find this issue informative and helpful
as we fight the good fight and claim our
victory in Jesus. Life is not a game; it’s a
battle—but the victory is ours.
From This Point Forward: For more information about how our conversion
changes everything, visit our website at www.DavidJeremiah.org/June and
click on From This Point Forward to read “Renewal Program: A
Transformation Process,” by Dr. Jeremiah.
7
T
by david jeremiah
he original video games that appeared in the seventies and eighties
weren’t rocket science. They required
some hand-eye skills, yes. But intellectually speaking, they were marketed
to young people, not Ph.D.s (though
plenty of Ph.D.s played them at night
after their children were in bed!).
Pong (1971) was a black-andwhite game of v-e-r-y slow ping-pong.
Space Invaders (1978) was a shooting
game—destroying never-ending waves
of digital invaders. Frogger (1981) had
a hapless frog trying to cross a ten-lane
freeway. But Pac-Man (1980) was a step
up: Pac-Man chomped his way through
a maze, eating pac-dots while avoiding
four enemies. Victory took the player to
a new level requiring him to watch for
appearing and disappearing game aids.
Finally, Mario Brothers (1983) required
a whole different mental level. There
were so many hidden features that the
player’s mind became involved as much
as his or her hands and eyes.
THE MIND IS
CRITICAL. THERE
IS SO MUCH
TO LEARN AND
REMEMBER!
Now, compare the simplicity of
those early games with the unbelievable
complexity of a game called EVE Online
(2003)—an international, multiplayer,
role-playing Star Wars-type game. A recent session, the Battle of B-R5RB, lasted 22 hours and involved 7,548 people
around the world, and cost $300,000
dollars in real money—money spent by
players to purchase positions and armaments. There are 5,431 known galaxies,
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2,498 “uncharted wormhole systems,”
six major coalitions of players controlled
by “fleet commanders,” the largest of
which has 36,432 players scattered
across the globe. Warships take weeks or
months to build.1
Reading about the Battle of
B-R5RB is enough to give me a headache. It makes the Allied landing at
Normandy seem small by comparison. I
know—these are games, not real events.
But the intellectual horsepower needed
to conceive, build, and then play these
complex games is no less impressive than
other major intellectual accomplishments in life.
Even though nothing in a warfare
video game is real, they serve as an apt
metaphor: The mind is critical. There is
so much to learn and remember! That’s
why many games like EVE Online have
no ultimate win-lose feature; the games
go on indefinitely and require constant
mental attention and progress.
In the same way, the mind is the
most critical part of spiritual warfare.
Without the active engagement of the
mind—learning, thinking, discerning, understanding, deciding,
committing—we are doomed
to spiritual defeat by Satan.
That is why the Bible speaks
of the mind and thinking so
often (nearly 150 times).
Struggling for the Mind
As the great teacher and writer
Oswald Chambers wrote, “Your mind is
the greatest gift God has given you and
it ought to be devoted entirely to Him.
You should seek to be ‘bringing every
thought into captivity to the obedience
of Christ …’ (2 Corinthians 10:5). This
will be one of the greatest assets of your
faith when a time of trial comes, because
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then your faith and the Spirit of God
will work together.”2
Whether the mind is the greatest
gift of God or one of God’s greatest gifts
doesn’t matter—Chambers’ point is well
made: Whatever is greatly valued by God
is going to be greatly contested by Satan.
We can go so far as to say that the
human mind is the ultimate battlefield
for spiritual warfare. Satan is more
concerned about what we think and
believe than about anything else.
THE MIND IS
THE MOST
CRITICAL PART
OF SPIRITUAL
WARFARE.
Jesus called Satan “the father of
lies” (John 8:44, NIV). Why? Because
his chief strategy is to deny, confuse,
misrepresent, or counterfeit whatever
God has said. God’s native language is
truth (John 17:17) and Satan’s native
language is lies (John 8:44). The
domain in which we decide what is
true and what is false is the mind. As
Oswald Chambers pointed out, Paul
told the Corinthians they needed to
“[bring] every thought into captivity to
the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians
10:5).
When it comes to the struggle
over your mind, it is imperative that
we remember the truth of 1 John 5:19:
“… the whole world lies under the
sway of the wicked one.” Satan doesn’t
own this world, but he has access to it.
His influence is found everywhere—in
government, education, entertainment,
business, the family, ecclesiastical realms
… everywhere! The mind that knows
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no better will receive what the world
dispenses and believe that’s all there is.
That’s why the apostle Paul told the
Romans, “And do not be conformed to
this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind.” That is the
only way to “prove what is that good
and acceptable and perfect will of God”
(Romans 12:2). And it is also why Jesus
said we must love God with all our
heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37).
Just as going deeper and deeper
into new levels of a massive video game
requires dedicating your mind to learning new information and strategies,
so going deeper and deeper into the
knowledge of God means loving Him
with all our mind. God is infinite, and
the human mind may as well be: It is
estimated that a mouse brain contains
70 million neurons, and a human brain
contains 1,000 times that many neurons
(70 billion). Neuroscientists who are
creating 3-D images of a mouse brain’s
neurons have so far re-created a segment about the size of a grain of salt.
The data contained in that tiny segment
is about 100 terabytes—the equivalent
of 25,000 high definition movies.3
Imagine the amount of data held in the
entire mouse’s brain—and then in the
human brain!
Such mind-boggling capacity has
many implications. First, we have more
than a lifetime’s worth of renewing to
do. Second, there is a lot of mental capacity for us to safeguard against the
lies of Satan.
Safeguarding the Mind
Whether it’s a battle as simple as
returning a white digital ball in Pong,
or as complex as conquering an endless universe in EVE Online, the mind
is critical. How much more critical is
it, then, to safeguard the mind in our
struggle against the schemes of one as
powerful and tricky as Satan? Make
sure you are following these Safeguard
Strategies for your mind:
1. Protection begins with salvation.
The “helmet of salvation” (Ephesians
6:17a) means your mind can be protected from the lies and influence of Satan.
Not being saved means not having “the
mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).
2. Prayer is the path to peace of
mind (Philippians 4:6–7). When we
submit every worry or matter of spiritual confusion to God in prayer, we are
able to rest in His protection. Our heart
and mind is guarded by “the peace of
God” (verse 7).
3. Preparation is an action word.
Peter says we are to “gird up the loins
of [our] mind” (1 Peter 1:13)—a reference to ancient military readiness. We
prepare our mind for spiritual battle by
renewing it daily through the study and
consideration of Scripture.
4. Primacy of mind means, “Set
your mind on things above, not on
things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2;
also Philippians 3:19). Yes, we have to
SATAN IS MORE
CONCERNED
ABOUT WHAT
WE THINK AND
BELIEVE THAN
ABOUT ANYTHING
ELSE.
give thought to life on earth. But we do
not set our mind on earthly things as a
source of values, fulfillment, or truth.
5. Position means “place of
mind”—the permanent focus for our
mind: “You will keep him in perfect
peace, whose mind is stayed on You,
because He trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3).
Everybody trusts in something, but only
the mind positioned toward God has
perfect peace.
THE MIND GAMES
SATAN PLAYS
WITH YOU AND
ME ARE DEADLY
SERIOUS.
6. Process refers to being “clear
minded” (1 Peter 4:7, NIV 1984). We
must have a biblical grid through which
we process and evaluate everything we
take in from every source. We allow
nothing to find a permanent place in
our mind that does not square with
God’s Word in terms of purity, importance, truth, and edification.
You may be like me—not a
big consumer of video games. But I
appreciate what we can learn from
them. They are “mind games” for
entertainment, but the mind games
Satan plays with you and me are deadly
serious. Take a moment and dedicate
your mind to God for His glory—and
use the six strategies above to safeguard
it daily.
1
“Inside the Epic Online Space Battle That Cost Gamers $300,000.” Bo Moore, February 8, 2014.
Wired online. http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2014/02/eve-online-battle-of-b-r/?cid=18334834
(accessed 2/10/14).
2
Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest. February 11 reading. http://utmost.org/is-your-mindstayed-on-god/ (accessed 2/10/14).
3
Carl Zimmer, “Secrets of the Brain.” National Geographic, February 2014, 39, 43.
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O
by david jeremiah
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nline video gaming can occupy
What Jesus Said About Time
big chunks of time. Earlier this
Jesus paid careful attention to how
year researchers from Brock University
He
walked,
and He made the most of
reported that 88 percent of teenagers
His
time.
He
once implied there’s a
play video games, and most play every
vast
difference
between how godly and
day. But it’s hard to determine how
ungodly
people
view time. When His
much time they—or we—spend on leiunconverted
brothers
tried to goad Him
sure-based electronic pursuits. Just think
to
go
to
Jerusalem
and
make Himself
of how many hours we all invest every
famous
during
the
Feast
of Tabernacles,
day with our screens, whether watching
Jesus
replied,
“My
time
has
not yet
movies or television, or on computers,
come,
but
your
time
is
always
ready”
tablets, or phones. Some of the time is
(John
7:6).
In
other
words,
“My
life
well spent, but much of it isn’t.
and
My
time
are
preordained.
But
since
Many parents feel pangs of concern
your
lives
have
little
purpose,
it
matters
when they see their children so absorbed
little how you use your time.”
in texting or gaming that they’re seemTime is the zone in which we
ingly oblivious to their environments.
accomplish
God’s will for us. But if
One survey found that children and
we’re
not
interested
in accomplishing
teens spent more than seven hours a day
God’s
will, time has
in media use.
less
value.
In that
I wonder how
sense,
Christians
live
WE MUST
the Lord feels when
in
a
different
time
He looks down and
BE VIGILANT
zone than anyone else.
observes how His
AGAINST TIME
We have a different
children are using
BANDITS.
clock ticking for
the time He’s given
us. Unbelievers can
them. In seeking to
come and go as they
gain victory in every
please
and
use
their
time however they’d
aspect of spiritual warfare, we must be
like.
But
we’re
to
follow
our Lord’s
vigilant against time bandits—those
example.
Jesus
chose
to
live
a schedule
activities and influences that rob us
predetermined
by
His
Father,
and it was
of our greatest resource, the moments
important
for
Him
to
stay
on
task.
and minutes that fly past us in swift
If
you’ve
studied
the
life
succession.
of the Lord Jesus, you’ve dis“Pick my left pocket of its silver
covered how carefully He
dime,” said Oliver Wendell Holmes
invested His days, months,
“but spare the right—it holds my
and years, few though
golden time.”
they were. He was born on
That reminds me of the Bible’s
schedule, He was baptized by
golden rule about time, Ephesians
John on schedule, He entered
5:15–16 (HCSB): “Pay careful attenJerusalem on Palm Sunday, He
tion, then, to how you walk—not as
died on Good Friday, and He rose on
unwise people but as wise—making
Resurrection Day—right on schedule.
the most of the time, because the
days are evil.”
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Ten times in John’s Gospel we’re reminded that Jesus was watching the
clock, for He often said things like,
“My hour is not yet come” or “The
hour is here.”
Our Lord lived out the aforementioned advice from Ephesians 5: “Pay
careful attention, then, to how you
walk—not as unwise people but as
wise—making the most of the time,
because the days are evil.”
is in exact proportion to the collapse
of our personal sense of significance.
I’m not saying all entertainment is bad.
I’m saying our world is drowning in
entertainment of all kinds—including
online video games—because it needs
to be distracted from the despair of
a life without God. Christians need
periodic refreshment and occasional
entertainment too, but we don’t need
to drown in it. We have better things
to do.
What Time Says About Us
If our lives are meaningless, our
time is purposeless. If our lives have
If I’d been alive in Christ’s day, I’d
purpose, our time is meaningful. The
rather have spent time with Him than
with His brothers. His life had purpose, value of our time cannot exceed the
meaning of
and He lived
our lives.
on a schedule
IF YOU’VE STUDIED
God’s true
that reflected
THE LIFE OF THE
people—those
the Father’s
LORD JESUS, YOU’VE
sold out to
agenda. His
Jesus Christ—
brothers
DISCOVERED HOW
are blessed
had no such
CAREFULLY HE
on earth; our
purpose or
INVESTED HIS DAYS.
lives have
agenda or
meaning. We
schedule—
have purpose. There’s a preordained
just like lots of people today. Without
agenda for us, and each day is a new
a driving purpose in life, we have
opportunity to serve Him. “Pay careful
no compelling reason to make the
attention, then, to how you walk—not
moments count. Without the hope
as unwise people but as wise—making
of eternal life, we’re left with a
the most of the time, because the days
mindlessness that renders our moments
are evil.”
insignificant.
Our culture has a million ways of
How to Capitalize on Time
distracting itself from the implications
of its own rejection of spiritual values.
How do we do that? If we’re in a
Society says there is no God, no Creator, war with time bandits and Satan is seekno ultimate meaning, no essential
ing to rob us of our golden time, we
values. We’re simply random accidents
need some strategies for victory.
destined to perish. Most people cannot
First, give God the best part of
cope with that level of emptiness, so
your day. When He’s in control of your
they need lots of diversions, lots of
schedule, He will always make time
distractions, and lots of entertainment.
for Himself. If one day passes the next
The rise of the entertainment industry
without your Quiet Time or prayer time
14
or Bible study time, it’s a warning. God
leadership is not creating more time
may not be Lord of your hours. On a
in one’s life or packing more activities
notepad or the back of an envelope, take into one’s day, but staying on God’s
a moment to sketch out your schedule
agenda.”1
for today, just as it’s unfolding right
Finally, learn the value of remnants.
now. How could you have adjusted your In earlier days when women typically
time today to have included the Lord?
made the family’s clothing, there were
How can you do so tomorrow?
often scraps and cuttings left on the
floor. These shards of cloth were never
Second, rein in your screen time.
Experts suggest we keep time logs for a
thrown away but tossed into a remnant
few days to help us determine how we’re chest and later converted into beautiful
really spending our moments. For the
quilts. Every day we have shards of time
next few days,
that shouldn’t
conduct an
be thrown
IF OUR LIVES ARE
informal study
away—five
of your use
minutes here,
MEANINGLESS,
of time. Look
ten minutes
OUR TIME IS
at yourself as
there. Good
PURPOSELESS. IF
though an efstewards
OUR LIVES HAVE
ficiency expert
know the
were watching
PURPOSE, OUR TIME value of those
you. Perhaps,
moments—
IS MEANINGFUL.
for example, you
in reading,
legitimately sit
in jotting a
at your computer to check your email
note, in reviewing a memory verse, in
or research a project. But how likely are
meditating on a Bible passage. Learn to
you to become distracted and end up
use the leftover bits of your hours. Time
surfing the Internet for a wasted hour?
bandits will just as soon steal a minute
as a day, so guard every moment.
Third, do the most important
Are you winning or losing in the
things. Satan distracts us from the best
battle for your time? Life is not a game.
things by having us do things that are
We need a battle cry—a helpful strategy
merely good. Perhaps you’re too busy
to guard and regard our hours. Time is
at church or too involved in some ministry. Perhaps you need to say “No” to
a great spoil in spiritual warfare. If the
something so you can regain time for
enemy controls your time, God gets little
your family or for the well-being of your of you. But if God controls your time,
own soul. If we aren’t careful, we’ll end
Satan will have a hard time infiltrating
up living according to somebody else’s
your days. Pay careful attention, then,
schedule instead of the one God ordains to how you walk—not as unwise people
for us. In his book on leadership, Henry but as wise—making the most of the
Blackaby said, “The key to successful
time, because the days are evil.
1
Henry Blackaby, Spiritual Leadership (Nashville: B&H, 2001), 200.
15
G
by david jeremiah
16
malnutrition when her parents spent
ary Haran was so committed to
their free time in an Internet café raising
playing a video game called World
a virtual child in an online game.
of Warcraft (WOW) that he decided
• An American father’s ten-monthhe had to quit in order to reclaim his
old twin sons drowned in a bathtub
life. And he discovered that many of
while he went into another room to
his online friends wanted to do the
continue playing a video game.
same thing but couldn’t tear themselves
We all know the consequences of
away from the game. So he started a
addiction to drugs, alcohol, and tobacwebsite devoted to World of Warcraft
co. But today the news stories associated
“addicts” who needed a place to talk
with addiction are talking about a new
anonymously about their compulsive
threat: online video games.
game playing. When his website went
But let me be clear: This is not an
live, the first day there were about 20
article about the
posts. The second
dangers of any
day there were
THE PASSION OF
video game. It is
400, and the third
THE HEART IS A
an article about
day over 900. By
passion—what we
the time he sold
SERIOUS PASSION
choose to commit
the website there
WITH SERIOUS
ourselves to. I
were 20,000 posts
OUTCOMES.
cite the sobering
daily from WOW
facts above to
players who
highlight a serious truth: The passion of
wanted to talk about their obsessive
the heart is a serious passion with serious
dedication to the video game.1
outcomes.
Don’t think video games can be
That truth cuts two ways.
addictive? The editors of the widely
If we commit our heart to
quoted medical information site,
something negative, the
WebMD.com, would beg to differ.
outcome can be hurtful,
They devote an entire section of the
even deadly. But if we allow
website to the growing problem.2
the passion of the heart to
Video game addiction can have deadly
be directed toward its Godconsequences:3
given source, God Himself, then
• In 2007, a man in China died
after playing video games for two weeks the outcome can be life-giving and
life-saving.
during the Lunar New Year holiday.
Toward which end do you think
Later that same year, another Chinese
Satan wants the passion of the human
man died after playing for three days
heart to be directed?
straight.
• In 2005, a South Korean man
Power of Passion
went into cardiac arrest and died after
playing a video game for 50 straight
Solomon summarized the power
hours.
of the human heart in two lines: “Keep
• In 2009, a three-monthyour heart with all diligence, for out
old South Korean child died from
of it spring the issues of life” (Proverbs
17
Testament principle to the religious
leaders of His day, but using His
own words. I have to wonder if He
had Proverbs 4:23 in mind when He
The “What”
interacted with the Pharisees and
teachers of the law in Mark 7. The
• The Hebrew verb for “keep” is
religious leaders asked Jesus why His
an imperative form—it is a command.
disciples didn’t abide by the religious
Commands in Scripture are not oprules concerning cleanliness—washing
tional; this is not a suggestion!
their hands and
• “Diligence”
utensils thoroughly
translates a Hebrew
THE OBJECT OF
so as not to
word that describes
OUR
PASSION
defile themselves
a guard in a jail.
with the world’s
WILL DETERMINE
“All” diligence
uncleanness. Jesus
suggests a guard
THE DISPLAY OF
replied that nothing
does whatever is
OUR PASSION.
going into a man’s
necessary to keep
stomach can defile
his prisoners from
him.
Rather,
“the
things
which come
escaping. Reverse the image with regard
out
of
him,
those
are
the
things that
to the heart: Instead of keeping somedefile
a
man.
…
For
from
within, out of
thing from escaping, do whatever is
the
heart
of
men,
proceed
evil
thoughts,
necessary to keep anything harmful
adulteries,
fornications,
murders,”
and
from intruding into your emotions
all
manner
of
ungodly
behavior
(Mark
and will (your feelings and decisions).
7:15b–22; italics added).
• Summary: We must take all
It is the heart, Jesus says, that
precautions to protect and keep our
determines
how we express ourselves in
heart safe.
this life. The object of our passion will
The “Why”
determine the display of our passion.
The heart is that powerful.
• We are to guard our heart ruth4:23). There is an entire sermon bound
up in those simple words, but let me
cite just a few truths.
lessly, “For out of it spring the issues of
life.” Or, more literally, “For from [the
heart] flow the springs of life” (NASB).
I also like the translation from The
Message: “Keep vigilant watch over
your heart; that’s where life starts” (italics
added).
The passion of the human heart
is so powerful that it impacts the kind
of life we live—the heart is where life
starts. And, as we have seen, sometimes
it is where life ends. It all depends on
where our passion is directed.
I love to find instances where
it appears Jesus is quoting an Old
18
Process of Passion
Before we talk about protecting
your heart—the seat of your passion—
please notice how we make deposits
in the treasury of our heart over time.
In Luke 6:45, Jesus says that “a good
man out of the good treasure of his
heart brings forth good … For out of
the abundance of the heart his mouth
speaks.” “Treasure” refers to a storehouse—a place where one builds up
a treasure over time. That’s why daily,
consistent meditation on the Word of
God, and fellowship with God through
the Holy Spirit, is so important. We
daily, intimately, and devotedly. And
be in touch with Him moment-byhave to build up “the good treasure
moment throughout every day.
of [the] heart” in order for it to bring
forth good.
2. Be on the alert. Recognize that
We must take Jesus’ words seriSatan wants to steal your affection for
ously. Our life will ultimately reveal the
God (1 Peter 5:8). When Satan tried to
nature of what has been stored up in
divert Jesus’ affection away from God’s
our heart. We are always shocked and
will to things of this world, He sursaddened when a well-known Christian
vived the attempt by remaining true to
leader has a moral failure. Names aren’t
Scripture that filled His heart and mind
important; what
(Matthew 4:1–11).
is at stake in these
WE MUST LEARN
3. Love God
situations is the
with
all your heart.
heart: What has
TO SAFEGUARD
Jesus said giving God
been stored up
THE SOURCE OF
your whole heart is
in the heart over
OUR SPIRITUAL
part of our highest
time? We don’t
AND EMOTIONAL priority (Matthew
stand in judg22:37). This is a very
ment as only God LIFE.
important notion
knows the heart.
in Scripture. The
All of us have had
phrase “all your heart” occurs 21 times
momentary, impulsive failures. But we
in Scripture. A daily choice to give God
must believe that from the heart spring
all your heart will not allow room for
forth the issues of life.
diversions.
If we are to avoid the sadness and
shame of failure in our life, we must
learn to safeguard the source of our
spiritual and emotional life.
Protecting Your Passion
The media is full of “healthy
heart” tips today—diet, exercise, lack of
stress—and we should heed them all as
good stewards of our physical life. But
even more important are efforts we can
make to safeguard the wellspring of our
spiritual life.
1. Don’t leave your first love,
Jesus Christ. The church at Ephesus
was rebuked by Christ for doing just
that (Revelation 2:4). Meet with Christ
4. Do not lose heart. In times of
trouble or distress, Satan will be there
to see if you will “lose heart.” If you do,
he will encourage you to pursue an ungodly path. “And let us not grow weary
while doing good, for in due season
we shall reap if we do not lose heart”
(Galatians 6:9).
Remember: Your heart is the seat
of your emotional and spiritual passion
in life. Do not allow it to be devoted to
anything less than its true object—God
Himself. If your heart remains devoted
to God, you will never lack for faithful
support and provision.
1
http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/video-game-addiction-no-fun (accessed 2/10/14).
http://www.video-game-addiction.org/stories-of-addiction.html (accessed 2/10/14).
3
Examples taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_addiction (accessed 2/10.14).
2
19
A
by david jeremiah
20
re you a believer? If you’re an onleaders among Christian intellectuals.
line video gamer, you must be a
The list of converted atheists and
believer, because gaming requires a large agnostics is a blue ribbon list of grace.
commitment of time and passion. It
Atheism is untenable and agnosticism
isn’t easy to develop the proficiency to
is unsatisfying, and many skeptics
rise from one level to the next without
come to Christ after confronting
faith in yourself and the game. Without evidence for the truthfulness of the
a belief in your mission, you’ll give up
Bible. But sometimes the process works
and be defeated. You have to believe in
in reverse, and we occasionally hear
the quest and in your ability to advance
of those from Christian backgrounds
with increasing success. Too much
whose faith erodes and who collapse
doubt, disillusionment, and discourage- in doubt, disillusionment, and
ment—and you’ll give up.
discouragement.
In real life, lots of people have given
At some level, we’re always
up. They’ve abandoned their faith. For
fighting the battle of faith. There’s a
example, a Christian college in Oregon
battle for your faith going on right
received a lot of media attention last
now. If you’re defeated in this
year when its student body president
battle, Satan receives glory,
announced he had become an atheist.
for your unbelief will affect
The school, which was established as
others. Think of how the ten
a divinity and Bible school more than
spies faltered in their faith and
a hundred years ago, is distinctively
infected the entire nation of
Christian. In fact, the word “Christian”
Israel with fear in Numbers 13.
is in its name. So it came as a surprise to Think of how Peter denied Christ in
many when the student president wrote Mark 14. What if Peter had exercised
a column in the school newspaper anmaximum faith as our Lord stood
nouncing he no longer believed in the
trial for His life? What if Peter had
existence of God. The young man was
proclaimed to the world that Jesus
baptized as a Lutheran and attended
was a Messiah worth living for and
a Methodist church until his parents’
worth dying for? Perhaps the other
divorce when he was a teenager. But in
ten disciples wouldn’t have run away.
the years since,
Your faith can
he has grown
strengthen
THERE’S A BATTLE others, just as
disappointed,
discouraged, and
your unbelief can
FOR YOUR FAITH
disillusioned with
weaken them.
GOING ON RIGHT
biblical faith. “I
Our spirituality,
NOW.
am an atheist,”
or lack thereof, is
he wrote to his
contagious.
classmates. “Yes, you read that correctly,
The book of Jude tells us “to
I am an atheist.”
contend earnestly for the faith which
Now, it’s easy to find testimonies
was once for all delivered to the saints”
of former atheists who have become
(Jude 1:3). We must keep our doctrine
Christians, and some have become
pure, and we must grow in our faith in
21
the minds of many nominal Christians
and church-going young people. It
should teach us all a lesson: When
the media attacks the Bible, don’t
assume the journalists have it right.
When scholars are quoted, bear in
Doubt
mind that the secular press highlights
the skeptical voices while ignoring
Doubt can arise from two sources.
Some people are troubled by intellectual the best scholarship.
The other source of doubt is more
attacks on biblical truth. Earlier this
subjective;
it’s personal. When things
year, for example, newspapers around
don’t
go
as
we’d like, we sometimes
the world reported the story of a Jewish
lose
confidence
in God’s providential
archaeologist who claimed to have discontrol.
This
happened
to the disciples
proved the authenticity of the book of
in
the
storm
on
the
Sea
of
Galilee.
Genesis. He based his claims on carbon
According
to
Matthew
8,
“Suddenly
a
dating of camel bones, which, he said,
great
tempest
arose
on
the
sea,
so
that
proved camels weren’t domesticated in
Bible lands during the days of Abraham. the boat was covered with the waves.
But He was asleep. Then His disciples
The references to camels in the book
came to Him and awoke Him, saying,
of Genesis, he said, were therefore
‘Lord, save us! We are
mistaken, which
perishing!’ But He
demonstrated that
IN OUR BATTLE
said to them, ‘Why
Genesis was a largely
OF
FAITH,
STAY
are you fearful, O
fictional account
you of little faith?’”
written centuries
FOCUSED ON
Jesus arose and
after its traditionally
THE BASICS.
rebuked
the wind
ascribed date.
and
the
waves,
Newspapers
and the sea became calm. The gospel
everywhere, including The New York
stories involving the storms on Galilee
Times, ran headlines like: “Genesis
provide a series of pictures of our own
Disproved” and “Archaeologist
responses during times of fear and
Demonstrates Genesis Fabricated.”
crisis. In the middle of a storm, we’re
But skeptics had made the same claims
prone to panic. Doubt comes naturally.
years ago and had been soundly refuted
It may be momentary questioning.
by other archaeological evidence.
It may be logical fear. But these are
Camels are mentioned in other ancient
human responses that, though natural,
documents, and there are significant
are unworthy of faith. Though they’re
indications that wealthier people used
logical, they are only logical if we forget
camels in the patriarchal age. For some
the power and promise of the Master.
reason, the media only presented one
If we allow these doubts to linger, they
side of the story. Newspapers reported
will grow into disillusionment.
the accusations as if they were factual
while ignoring the refuting evidence.
Disillusionment
It bothers me to know Satan will
use those headlines to plant doubts in
Disillusionment is a terrible state of
the truth. In fighting this battle, it helps
to know our enemy and to recognize
his tactics. He’s a master at using doubt,
disillusionment, and discouragement to
tear down our faith.
22
mind to be avoided at all costs. Just look an unusually hard line against giving
in to discouragement. Perhaps you’re
at the term itself. When we become
discouraged just now as you read this
disillusioned, it implies we once had a
article. Your doubt and disillusionment
great dream or love or passion or goal.
have ripened into discouragement.
Now we’ve decided it was never real to
begin with—it was an illusion. We were It’s normal to feel discouraged, but
it’s unwise to stay that way. We have
tricked or fooled, and we are giving up
to battle back. We have to fight with
on the illusion. We are dis-illusioning
the words of
ourselves. This
Scripture.
often happens
KEEP YOUR EYES
Read these
in a marriage.
words as though
When a couple
FOCUSED ON THE
falls in love, it’s
VICTOR AND YOUR God were
speaking them
a great dream
MIND FILLED WITH
personally to
coming true. It’s
HIS WORD.
you: The Lord
the culmination
is the One who
of a lifetime of
will go before you.
searching for
He will be with you; He will not leave
the “right person.” For a little while
you or forsake you. Do not be afraid or
we’re carried along by the euphoria
discouraged …. Haven’t I commanded
of “being in love.” But as time goes
you? Be strong and courageous. Do not
by, we see one another’s faults. We
be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord
doubt the love we once felt. We
your God is with you wherever you go
become disappointed with the other’s
… Don’t be discouraged, for your work
behavior. How many marriages have
has a reward … So then I ask you not
collapsed because people didn’t know
to be discouraged … (Deuteronomy
how to turn disillusionment into
31:8; Joshua 1:9; 2 Chronicles 15:7;
determination; they turned disillusion
Ephesians 3:13, HCSB).
into discouragement and defeat.
In our battle of faith, stay focused
The same can happen to our
on the basics. Remember your basic
Christian lives. God moves in mysteritraining: “Faith comes by hearing, and
ous ways, and sometimes He doesn’t
hearing by the Word of God” (Romans
respond as we expect. Our prayers
10:17). Keep your eyes focused on the
aren’t answered as we’d planned. The
Victor and your mind filled with His
storms soak us to the skin and we feel
Word. There’s a tremendous force to
we’re sinking without a trace. We befaith, and when Satan pulls out his big
gin doubting our Lord, and the doubt
guns of doubt, disillusionment, and
grows into disillusionment. That leads
discouragement, we can bring out the
to discouragement.
weapons that prevail.
Discouragement
Remember the battle cry of 1 John
5:4
…
Discouragement is the collapse
And this is the victory that has
of our courage, of our faith and
overcome
the world—our faith.
stamina. While everyone goes through
discouraging periods, the Bible takes
23
by david jeremiah
I
f you search in the “Books” section of
Amazon.com using this term—“video
games”—you will be shown thousands
of books covering every conceivable
aspect of the subject: history of video
games, catalogs of games, music in
video games, video game computer
programming, graphic arts, and, most
importantly, “how to” books written
about individual games.
If I had to guess, I would say the
“how to” books are the most popular.
Why? Because we human beings like
to win! We love the thrill of victory
and hate the agony of defeat. We
want to know all the secret strategies
and tricks of our favorite video game
without spending thousands of hours
discovering them ourselves. So we
look for a guide to our favorite game.
Search for a book about your favorite
popular video game and you’ll find
more than one from which to choose.
Even better—every major game has an
online community of rabid fans. Join
the conversation and you’ll learn from
hundreds of players instead of just
the one who authored the beginner’s
guidebook you bought.
The point is this: It is more than
possible to be victorious in the world
of gaming entertainment. And I want
to make the same point to conclude
this issue of Turning Points: It is more
24
than possible to be victorious in spiritual
warfare. To be sure, spiritual warfare
is no game. But the same principles of
victory apply: offense, defense, strategy,
and determination. And all four can be
seen when Paul describes the Christian’s
spiritual armor in Ephesians 6:10–18.
Offense:
Some people think it odd that Paul
mentions only one weapon of offense in
his description of the Christian’s armor—
“the sword of the Spirit, which is the word
of God” (verse 17b). But think about it:
Satan has one primary weapon which is
lies, the distortion of the Word of God
(John 8:44). Therefore, the believer needs
only one weapon to counter Satan’s lies—
the truth of God’s Word. That is the only
weapon Jesus used to defeat Satan in the
wilderness (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10).
Defense:
The rest of the believer’s armor is
defensive: the belt of truth, the breastplate
of righteousness, the Gospel of peace, the
shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation.
We have all five of those realities when we
put on Jesus Christ by faith. Our armor is
Christ Himself (Romans 13:14). Satan’s
“fiery darts” cannot penetrate the armor
that is Christ.
Strategy:
Paul refers to “the wiles of the
devil”—that is, the devil’s schemes
and strategies. Scripture is filled with
examples of the devil in action: lying
(Genesis 3:4–5), masquerading
(2 Corinthians 11:13–15), attacking
(2 Corinthians 12:7), influencing (Acts
5:3), and tempting (Matthew 4:1–11).
Our strategy is to be alert (1 Peter 5:8),
resist the devil (James 4:7), stand strong
and firm (Ephesians 6:10–11), and
take the ways of escape God provides
(1 Corinthians 10:13).
Determination:
Offense, defense, and strategy
are only useful when there is a
determination to be victorious. That
applies to every arena of life and to
spiritual warfare as well. It’s important
to remember that spiritual warfare is
war, and war is not easy. The will to win
is necessary for offensive and defensive
weapons and strategy to be effective.
Revelation 12:11, describing martyrs
for Christ in the Tribulation period,
says those martyrs “overcame [Satan]
by the blood of the Lamb and by the
word of their testimony.” “Overcame”
suggests a battle in which they were the
ultimate victors. They would not recant
“the word of their testimony” under the
IT IS MORE
THAN
POSSIBLE
TO BE
VICTORIOUS
IN SPIRITUAL
WARFARE.
Antichrist’s persecution.
They were determined
to remain faithful and
they were victorious.
Paul says that we who are in Christ
are “more than conquerors” regardless
of what happens to us in this world
(Romans 8:37).
To help you discover more
about the Christian’s offensive and
defensive weapons, strategy, and our
determination to be victorious in
spiritual warfare, look for information
in this month’s Turning Points about
two new resources for your own
spiritual warfare armory: Answers to
Questions About Spiritual Warfare and
the Spiritual Warfare set of my messages
on this important subject. These
resources, based solidly on Scripture,
will help you develop your own
confidence and determination to walk
in the spiritual victory that is yours in
Jesus Christ.
25
New from David Jeremiah
A WEAPON OF
MASS INSTRUCTION!
Dr. Jeremiah answers crucial and
faith-saving questions about spiritual
warfare, Satan, demons, prayer, and
the Armor of the Believer!
Answers to Questions About Spiritual
Warfare will help you …
• find solutions to overcome Satan’s
schemes!
• pray on the full armor of God!
• learn to identify battle strategies of
the unseen world!
• effectively use the Sword of the Spirit!
• develop strategies for victory in
spiritual battles!
Features:
• Spiritual Warfare and Prayer
Scripture Reference Guide, and
The Warrior’s Prayer
• Easy-to-read format, 4.25” x 6.25”
hardback book, contains 224 pages
God has given every Christian
promises and power to win our
daily spiritual battles!
Learn more and
Receive your Resource
CLICK HERE
26
Or Call 1-877-998-3555
From his years on teaching on the subject, David Jeremiah has selected answers
to 73 pertinent questions concerning victory in the spiritual realm, including …
• Are demons real?
• What protection does the shield of
faith provide?
• How can I defend myself in a hostile
world?
• How do I “put on” Christ?
• Why is it important to understand
the enemy?
• What do we know about Satan’s
origin?
• What caused Lucifer to fall from
heaven?
• How could a perfect, holy being fall?
• Against whom are we fighting?
• How can I be a courageous warrior
for God when I feel powerless?
• What is the importance of a clear
conscience?
• Is Satan God’s opposite?
• How does Satan attempt to imitate God?
• How can I find hope in the midst of
conflict?
• How can I pray against deception?
• What are the “wiles of the devil”?
• What are some ways we give ground to
the enemy?
• What are demons?
• Are there different kinds of demons?
• Can a believer be possessed by a demon?
• What will ultimately happen to Satan
and his army of fallen angels?
Answers to Questions About
Spiritual Warfare addresses
both perspectives:
Satan’s strategies against the
human race
The believer’s strategies for defense
and victory in spiritual battles.
Excerpt:
Am I always equipped with God’s armor?
Our armor is only useful if we put it on! If we get defeated in the warfare, if
we are wounded in an unprotected place because we are without armor, it’s not
the fault of our Commander in Chief. God has given us everything we need to
battle valiantly and victoriously in one Manual—the Bible. The Bible doesn’t
say, “Wait for God to put it on you” but “Put it on yourself.” It is the Christian’s
personal responsibility to appropriate the armor of God in his or her own life.
This war is not something we fight as a group; we’re involved in a personal
and private battle with Satan. And if we are not individually and personally
implementing the armor of God, we are going to be victims instead of victors.
The armor is sitting there just waiting for us to put it on. And we are to be
continually arming ourselves for the warfare. Only then will we be prepared to
go out and win the battles that will inevitably come against us.
PLUS: THERE ARE MORE WAYS TO ARM YOURSELF IN THE
STUDY OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE! (see next page)
27
Spiritual Warfare Set
Sword of the Spirit
Set
Don’t leave home
without your
“SWORD!”
And for your support gift
of $150 or more to help us
close our fiscal year-end strong, allow Dr. Jeremiah to send you The Jeremiah
Study Bible, and all his teaching materials from Spiritual Warfare series:
Answers to Questions About Spiritual Warfare book
Spiritual Warfare message album (your choice of CD or DVD)
Spiritual Warfare correlating study guide
The Warrior’s Prayer bookmark
PLUS! The Jeremiah Study Bible (Genuine leather/black)
For your gift of
$60 or more
For a comprehensive study of spiritual warfare, you will
enjoy all of Dr. Jeremiah’s teaching materials on this
important subject:
Answers to Questions About Spiritual Warfare book
Spiritual Warfare message album (your choice of CD or DVD)
Spiritual Warfare correlating study guide
The Warrior’s Prayer bookmark
We are able to send the Spiritual Warfare Set to you with your gift of
support of $60 or more.
Learn more and
Receive your Resources
CLICK HERE
28
Or Call 1-877-998-3555
For your gift of
$150 or more
With more than 100,000 people currently using The Jeremiah Study Bible to enhance their personal Bible study, you, or a loved one, will be strengthened by the
extensive Bible reference materials found in this edition.
This unique Study Bible includes:
• A personal introduction to each book, drawn from 40 years of study,
teaching, and ministry by Dr. Jeremiah.
• More than 8,000 individual study notes to aid you in your study.
• Hundreds of fascinating sidebars that highlight word studies, historical
insights, and more.
• More than 50 articles exploring the essential themes of the Christian life.
• Maps, charts, illustrations, and so much more.
Already have The Jeremiah Study Bible? Who do you know that is
fighting the good fight of faith and need to be encouraged by being gifted this
Study Bible in genuine leather? Don’t miss out on the opportunity to have
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To place your order for the Sword of the Spirit Set, either complete the enclosed
card, call Turning Point at 1-877-998-3555, or visit our website from anywhere
around the world at www.DavidJeremiah.org/June
29
radio
television
What to Do When You
Don’t Know What to Do
(The Book of James)
June 2
What to Do When You’re in
a Hurry and God Isn’t
June 3/4 What to Do When Pain
Leads to Prayer
Spiritual Warfare
June 5/6
Are We Really in a War?
June 9/10 Identifying the Enemy
June 11/12The Girdle of Truth
June 13/16The Breastplate of
Righteousness
June 17/18The Shoes of the Gospel
of Peace
June 19/20The Shield of Faith
June 23/24The Helmet of Salvation
June 25/26The Sword of the Spirit
June 27/30Praying Always With
All Prayer
Messages are subject to change.
To locate radio and television stations
in your area that air Turning Point, visit
www.DavidJeremiah.org/StationLocator
The Coming Economic Armageddon
June 1 The Mark of the Beast
Satan has a plan to confuse and challenge
those living during the End Times—orchestrated by Satan, the False Prophet, and the
Antichrist. The mark of the beast is one of
their attempts to garner worship to Satan
rather than to God.
June 8 Financial Signs of the End Times
When it comes to finances, life today is radically different from just a few decades ago.
Dr. Jeremiah examines these trends in light
of God’s plan for His people.
June 15 The Collapse of the Global
Financial Market
An ancient city will rise again as a future
financial center, only to fall once again.
Learn more about this well-known city in
this message on “The Collapse of the Global
Financial Market.”
June 22 God’s Ultimate New World Order
Man’s search for a utopian environment is
doomed to fail, but God has a plan—a new
world order—that will bring us true peace,
hope, and joy.
June 29 Keep Your Head in the Game
and Your Hope in God
In these unpredictable economic times, we
as Christians need to be wise in our planning; but ultimately our hope is in God,
not in the trends surrounding us.
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30
31
2
3
MONDAY
TUESDAY
1
WEEKEND
JUNE BUGS
H
ave you been fighting any
spiritual battles lately? The
devotionals this month will provide
encouragement for your struggles.
They are drawn from the current
radio series on Spiritual Warfare.
The weekend devotionals take us
into the insect realm in June Bugs.
Turning Point
June Radio Series
What to Do When You
Don’t Know What to Do
(The Book of James)
Study the Bible throughout the week with
Dr. David Jeremiah on Turning Point Radio
and Television. For a listing of Turning Point
stations and air times, please call our toll
free number or visit us on the web.
1-877-998-3555
www.DavidJeremiah.org/StationLocator
The Moth
The First Speeding Ticket
In Paradise by Sundown
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on
earth, where moth and rust destroy and
where thieves break in and steal.
Matthew 6:19
My times are in Your hand.
For we walk by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7
H
ave you ever wondered why Scripture
never exhorts us to breathe, grow
physically, or blink our eyes? Because we
do those things naturally. Conversely, the
Bible’s teachings are directed toward things
we don’t do naturally. Because of our fallen,
natural state, we have to be taught how
to live a life consistent with the values of
God’s kingdom.
Take Matthew 6:19–21 for example. Jesus
taught His followers to lay up treasures
in heaven, not on earth “where moth
and rust destroy and where thieves break
in and steal.” He said that because it is
our natural inclination to accumulate
treasures on earth instead of investing in
eternal purposes. Anyone
Matthew 19:16–21
who has ever
discovered a
small (or large!) hole in a favorite woolen
garment knows that Jesus was right: A
tiny moth can destroy an expensive item
of clothing. Metaphorically speaking, in
heaven there are no moths, no rust, and
no thieves. Investments in the kingdom of
God are permanently protected.
Consider your own “treasures” today and
where they are stored. Pray for wisdom
in doing what comes supernaturally more
than naturally.
Turning Point
32
T
he first American ever arrested for
speeding was Jacob German, 26,
a taxi driver for the Electric Vehicle
Company of New York City. On May 20,
1899, he was hauled off to jail for bolting
down Lexington Street in Manhattan, at
12 miles an hour in an 8 mph zone.
What would Jacob German think now?
Compared with 1899, the pace of life has
advanced to science fiction levels. We bolt
through every hour until the days become
a blur and the years fly by like a movie
stuck on fast-forward.
Sometimes in our rush, we grow
impatient with the Lord because He
doesn’t hurry
as we do. Our
times are in
James 5:7–12
His hands;
and His clocks
operate at a different speed, for a day to
Him is like a thousand years, and vice
versa (2 Peter 3:8). Perhaps you want
the Lord to answer your prayer now, to
resolve your problem now, to provide
deliverance this instant. But when we put
God on our timetables it often brings
disappointment. Learn to wait on the
Lord and let Him work at His speed. He
has a perfect sense of timing.
Turning Point
His method is sublime, His heart profoundly
kind; God never is before His time, and never is
behind.
From an old anonymous hymn
Whatever is your greatest joy and treasure, that is
your god.
Charles H. Spurgeon
Job 21–24
Psalm 31:15
June
J
oni Eareckson Tada was talking to her
elderly friend Alice McIntire, whose exact age was a guarded secret. “Any woman
who tells her age, will tell anything,” Alice
quipped. Joni said, “You must be really
looking forward to heaven,” to which
Alice replied, “Oh, honey, yes, but I hope
I stay around for Jesus’ return. I never like
to miss a good party.”
In recounting the exchange, Joni later
observed, “Alice keeps looking up. This is
why she stays so young … Every Christian
who keeps looking up stretches his heart’s
capacity for heaven.”1
The Bible tells us to seek things that are
above, where Christ is seated at the right
hand of God (Colossians 3:1–4). When
Jesus met with His disciples just before
His arrest, He
was thinking
2 Corinthians 5:1–8
of mansions
in heaven
(John 14:2); and on the cross He anticipated being in Paradise by sundown
(Luke 23:43). If you’re beset by pain or
problems today, look up and live by faith.
Distresses below can direct our attention
to things above.
Turning Point
Christ longs for you to walk beside Him on earth,
then to join Him in heaven. He desires us to be
where He is. Behold, what love the Father has
lavished on us!
David Jeremiah
1
Joni Eareckson Tada, Heaven (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 1996), 286.
Job 25–30
Job 31–34
33
4
5
6
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
7/8
June
WEEKEND
JUNE BUGS
The Lord Who Heals
Living Defensively
Know Thine Enemy
The Ant
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for
the elders of the church, and let them pray
over him, anointing him with oil in the name
of the Lord.
James 5:14
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war
according to the flesh.
2 Corinthians 10:3
We know that we are of God, and the whole
world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her
ways and be wise.
Proverbs 6:6
I
1 John 5:19
T
G
od is the God of the natural and the
supernatural. When the Israelites
needed water in the Sinai desert, they
came to a pool of bitter water. God told
Moses to throw a piece of wood into the
pool, and the water turned sweet. God
used that as a lesson. If the Israelites
would obey all His statutes, He would
keep them well: “For I am the LORD
who heals you” (Exodus 15:22–26).
A natural piece of wood and a supernatural “healing” of the water, the keeping of
natural laws and the supernatural health
of a nation—this natural and supernatural blend appears in the classic New
Testament text on healing as well (James
5:13–18). James exhorts any who are ill
to call for elders of the church, who will
anoint the sick person “in the name of
the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save
the sick, and the Lord will raise him up”
(verses 14–15). Natural oil and supernatural healing—it is not oil and prayer
that heal; it is the supernatural “Lord
who heals.”
Use the natuMark 6:13
ral as you trust
in the supernatural power of Jehovah
Rophe—“the Lord who heals you.”
Turning Point
Sometimes Christ sees that we need the sickness
for the good of our souls more than the healing
for the ease of our bodies.
Matthew Henry
Job 35–38
34
n 1944, Japanese lieutenant Hiroo
Onoda was assigned to the tiny
Philippine island of Lubang to conduct
guerilla warfare against the Americans
during World War II. Unfortunately,
when the war ended in 1945, Lieutenant
Onoda never got the word. For 29 years
he continued his mission, living off the
jungle, evading search parties who he
thought were the enemy, until he finally
was found on March 19, 1972. Lieutenant
Onoda lived ready to fight a war that
didn’t exist.
Ephesians 6:12
If we simply
reverse the
Japanese soldier’s situation, we have a lesson for ourselves: We must live prepared
to fight a war that does exist. The New
Testament assumes our knowledge of
spiritual warfare more often than it plainly
declares it. But the words of the apostle
John could not be more clear: “For this
purpose the Son of God was manifested,
that He might destroy the works of the
devil” (1 John 3:8). Destruction is part of
the vocabulary of war. No Christian can
understand what happens in his personal
experience, or the world at large, without
understanding he is in a spiritual war.
Knowing the ultimate outcome of this war
does not exempt us from living a defensive
life (1 Peter 5:8).
Turning Point
Fellowship with God means warfare with the
world.
Charles E. Fuller
Job 39–42
S
uper Bowl XLVIII: The Seattle
Seahawks beat the Denver Broncos
by 35 points. A Seahawks defensive
player thinks he knows why. Cornerback
Richard Sherman claims that the
Seahawks’ defense had cracked the code of
Broncos’ quarterback Peyton Mannings’
hand signals.
Sherman says
Colossians 1:12–14
they knew the
basic play the
Broncos were going to run based on the
last-second hand signals Manning gave his
team at the line of scrimmage.
We’ll leave the accuracy of the decoding to the sports analysts and focus on a
principle: Knowing the strategy of one’s
opponent, or enemy, is a key to establishing an effective defense. Spiritually, the
Christian’s enemy is Satan—the spiritual
being who opposes the person and work
of God. We know he is a liar and deceiver
(Genesis 3:1–5), a schemer (2 Corinthians
2:11), a counterfeiter (2 Corinthians
11:13–15), and a destroyer (Revelation
9:11; Abaddon and Apollyon mean “destroyer”). Therefore, we must know the
truth, be alert, test all things, and trust in
the One who has the power of life over
death.
The only thing more important than
knowing one’s enemy is knowing the One
who has already defeated him.
Turning Point
If God were not my friend, Satan would not be
so much my enemy.
Thomas Brooks
Psalms 1–8
he world’s greatest living authority on
ants is Dr. E. O. Wilson, former professor of biology at Harvard and winner of
numerous literary and scientific awards. A
lifetime of studying the tiny creatures has
led him to conclude, “Ants have the most
complicated social organization on earth
next to humans.”
What a conversation we might anticipate
between a scholar like Wilson and the
wisest man among the ancients, King
Solomon, who also was a deep student
of the natural world (1 Kings 4:33–34).
But Solomon did more than describe
the natural world. He exhorted human
beings to learn from it—specifically, to
learn from the lowly ant and imitate its
ways (Proverbs 6:6–11). The lazy among
us, Solomon
wrote, should
Proverbs 30:24–25
be like the
ant—gather
in times of abundance in order to have
plenty during times of want. Otherwise,
“poverty [will] come on you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man”
(verse 11). God’s promise in Scripture to
meet our needs (Philippians 4:19) is never
a reason to ignore the God-given opportunities to provide for ourselves and others.
Meditate on Proverbs 6:6–11, asking God
for wisdom to apply the lessons from the
ant to your own life.
Turning Point
No verse of Scripture yields its meaning to lazy
people.
A. W. Pink
Psalms 9–21
35
“
9
10
11
12
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
June
The Sharpened Sword
Know Your Advocate
Christ Our Armor
The Belt of Truth
Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not
to covetousness.
Psalm 119:36
God is our refuge and strength, a very
present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may
be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Ephesians 6:11
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with
truth ….
Ephesians 6:14a
H
ow many a man has dated a new
era in his life from the reading of a
book,” observed Henry David Thoreau.
Sometimes when we’re at a crossroads,
we discover some timely book and drink
it in like a desert wanderer at an oasis. It
changes our
lives.
Psalm 119:33–40
In the course
of a lifetime, most of us can point to a
handful of books that had a soul-shaping
effect on us. But here is the wonder of
Scripture: God’s Word has that effect on
every Christian every day as we faithfully
read and study it. The more we study the
Bible, the more our hearts are inclined
to good and not bad. As we abide in
Scripture, God predisposes our hearts to
His testimonies and not to covetousness.
He inclines us to holiness and not to
sinfulness. As we hide His Word in our
hearts, it keeps us from sinning against
Him.
The Sword of the Spirit is our greatest offensive weapon. Understanding the Word
of God helps us fight Satan’s attacks. Keep
your sword sharpened, and you’ll stay
sharp for whatever battle you’re facing
today.
Turning Point
The authority of the Scriptures is not a matter to
be defended as much as to be asserted.2
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
“
K
now your enemy” is a famous phrase
from Sun Tzu’s sixth-century book,
The Art of War. The exact quotation is:
“If you know your enemies and know
yourself, you will not be imperiled in a
hundred battles; if you do not know your
enemies but do know yourself, you will
win one and lose one; if you do not know
your enemies nor yourself, you will be
imperiled in every single battle.”
In spiritual warfare, it’s important to
know our enemies, which is why the
Bible gives us so much information about
the world, the flesh, and the devil. We
mustn’t be ignorant of Satan’s schemes
(2 Corinthians 2:11). But greater than
knowing our enemy or ourselves is
knowing the Lord. He is our refuge and
strength, our fortress, and our advocate.
He is our
shield and
Psalm 46
strength. He
is our maker,
defender, redeemer, and friend. Knowing
that God is more powerful than the
enemy is crucial when facing spiritual
warfare. The name of the Lord is a strong
tower. The righteous run into it and are
safe (Proverbs 18:10).
Know yourself; know your enemy; but
most of all, know your Lord.
Turning Point
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never
failing; our helper He amid the flood of mortal
ills prevailing.
Martin Luther
2
D. M. Lloyd-Jones, Authority (Edinburgh: Banner
of Truth Trust, 1985), 41.
Psalms 22–27
36
Psalm 28–33
T
he most extreme examples of personal
armor date from sixteenth century
Europe when knights and soldiers were
covered from head to toe in polished
metal suits. From helmets with eye-slits
to metal gloves to metal shoe covers—and
everything in between—warriors were
encased in more than 50 pounds of metal
protection. Larger cavalry horses were
bred to carry the added weight of their
own armor
plus their
Romans 13:11–12
rider’s.
Total envelopment is how the New
Testament pictures the Christian’s
spiritual armor. Even though Paul mentions six specific types of armor—belt,
breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, and
sword (Ephesians 6:14–17)—there is a
way to think of our armor in a holistic
sense. Jesus Christ Himself is our armor:
“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ …”
(Romans 13:14; Galatians 3:27). When
we “make no provision for the flesh”
(Romans 13:14), we put on Christ and
arm ourselves with His truth, righteousness, peace, faithfulness, salvation, and
His Word. Everything that each piece of
God’s armor is to us, Christ is for us.
Putting aside sin and the flesh, the
Christian walks in the full protection of
Christ Himself.
Turning Point
Our enemies are on every side, so must our
armor be.
William Gurnall
Psalms 34–37
T
he use of “girded” (NKJV, NASB)
and “girt” (KJV) in Ephesians 6:14
gave rise to the popular term “girdle of
truth.” But a word of clarification: Paul is
not making reference in that verse to the
“girdle” as it was defined in the early to
mid-twentieth century—a female undergarment. Paul refers more correctly to a
“belt” worn around the waist of most men
in his day, and all soldiers: “the belt of
truth” (NIV, NLT, ESV).
But why would Paul connect truth to a
first-century belt? Probably because of the
usefulness of the leather or linen belt in
his day. It was used to tuck up a robe to
ensure more efficient movement (1 Peter
1:13); it was used by soldiers for hanging
a sword or quiver of arrows; it was used
by soldiers to
display medals
John 14:16–17
of valor. Just
so, the truth of
God keeps the Christian unencumbered
by false teaching and sin (Hebrews
12:1), serves as a place to hang our
beliefs (John 17:17), and rewards us with
salvation when we believe and obey it
(2 Thessalonians 2:10). Most of all, truth
allows us to love in deeds and not in
words alone (1 John 3:18).
The belt of God’s truth is not something
that makes us look good. Rather, it is
something that shapes our life into the
image of Christ.
Turning Point
Truth wears well.
Charles H. Spurgeon
Psalms 38–42
37
13
16
17
MONDAY
TUESDAY
14/15
WEEKEND
FRIDAY
JUNE BUGS
The Armor of Righteousness
The Fly
Doubly Righteous
Get in the Zone
… having put on the breastplate of
righteousness.
Ephesians 6:14b
Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment,
and cause it to give off a foul odor; so does
a little folly to one respected for wisdom
and honor.
Ecclesiastes 10:1
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous
man avails much.
James 5:16
To be carnally minded is death, but to be
spiritually minded is life and peace.
Romans 8:6
S
adly, bullet-proof vests are a common
article of clothing for many besides
soldiers. They are the modern equivalent
of the ancient breastplate, mentioned
by Paul as an item of the Christian’s
armor. Isaiah notes that even God wore
a figurative breastplate as the defender
of Israel (Isaiah 59:17). But ancient and
modern breastplates differ from biblical
breastplates in what they are meant to
protect.
Isaiah 59:17
Ancient
breastplates
and modern vests worn by soldiers
protect the body and heart, while the
biblical breastplate protects one from
the ravages of sin and unrighteousness.
For that reason, Paul calls this piece of
the Christian’s armor the “breastplate
of righteousness.” Isaiah’s reference is
helpful: God “put on righteousness as
a breastplate”—and we do the same. It
is not our righteousness that protects
us from the fiery attacks of Satan; it is
Christ’s righteousness that is our armor
(2 Corinthians 6:7).
We gain righteousness through faith in
Christ alone (Romans 3:21–26). Trusting
in His righteousness is the only way to negate Satan’s accusations of guilt from sin.
Turning Point
In justification we are not only told that Christ
has paid the debt of our sins, we receive Christ’s
righteousness!
Sinclair Ferguson
I
n a training manual used at the United
States Naval Academy, a short creed
is included, originally written by John
Wayland in 1899 and titled “The True
Gentleman.” The first line says, “The True
Gentleman is the man whose conduct
proceeds from … an acute sense of propriety.” A trip to the dictionary reveals that
“propriety” is the quality of being socially
appropriate—doing and saying the right
thing at the right time.
The Bible speaks of a similar idea when
it talks about speech seasoned with
salt (Colossians 4:6). Always graphic,
Solomon said an angry woman is like a
gold ring in a pig’s nose (Proverbs 11:22).
And later in
life, the king
Proverbs 11:22
put it a different way: All it
takes to ruin the beautiful odor of a vial
of perfume is one dead fly floating therein
(Ecclesiastes 10:1). All these verses say
the same thing: It only takes one small,
inappropriate word or deed to tarnish an
otherwise respectable person or moment.
James would agree: Be slow to speak and
slow to anger (James 1:19).
Ask God to give you a Spirit-led sense
of propriety, today and every day.
Turning Point
Grace is the salt which seasons our discourse.
Matthew Henry
A
ccording to James 5:16, the most
effective prayers are the ones offered
fervently by righteous people. But righteous in what way? First, we are righteous
in Christ. When we receive Him as our
Lord and Savior, we’re washed of our sins
and clothed in His righteousness. When
God sees us, He sees the righteousness
of Christ. We
can never be
James 5:13–20
declared righteous on our
own, for all our righteousness is like filthy
rags. But when we are garbed in Christ,
we’re heirs of His righteousness, which is
imputed to us by grace through faith.
But there is a second aspect to righteousness. Having been declared righteous in
Christ, we should then live an upright
life. Our positional righteousness should
lead to practical righteousness. In a sense,
then, we can be doubly righteous. Living
a righteous life in Christ helps us lead a
victorious life.
Has a sinful attitude or habit infiltrated
your everyday righteousness? Confess it,
turn from it, and learn to walk in a way
that pleases the Lord. Your prayers will be
stronger and your life sweeter.
Turning Point
When He shall come with trumpet sound, oh,
may I then in Him be found. Dressed in His
righteousness alone, faultless to stand before
the throne.
Edward Mote
June
D
uring last winter’s Olympic Games,
the Huffington Post ran an article
about the brain-training secrets of the athletes. Gold medal champions know how
to train their minds like they train their
bodies. Using mental exercises, they’ve
learned to tune out distractions, reduce
stress, and focus on staying on top of
their game. Using mental imagery, they
visualize their performance in exacting
detail, for studies have found that mental
practice is almost as effective as physical
training. Olympians meditate to calm
themselves down. When they get into a
“flow mindset,” they say they’re “in the
zone.”
Christians
Romans 8:1–8
should be
experts at cultivating the mind and soul.
The Bible tells us to train our minds as
we train our bodies—to reject anxiety, to
focus on trusting the Lord, and to visualize the green pastures, still waters, and
abundant life God has promised. The
Bible tells us to meditate on His Word
and get “into the zone” of the spiritual
mind. Peace comes from trusting in our
Savior—to be spiritually minded is life
and peace—and that’s why He keeps
those in perfect peace whose minds are
stayed on Him (Isaiah 26:3).
Turning Point
If we lived under the constant benediction of the
deepest truth of the universe—“God is love”—our
peace would be full.3
Alexander Maclaren
3
Alexander Maclaren: Expositions of Holy Scripture:
Esther-Ecclesiastes (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1982), 51.
Psalms 43–49
38
Psalms 50–61
Psalm 62–68
Psalm 69–72
39
18
19
20
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
21/22
June
WEEKEND
JUNE BUGS
A Sea of Peace
Apollyon’s Arrows
Increased Faith
The Gnat
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to
you; not as the world gives do I give to you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it
be afraid.
John 14:27
Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God
that it will be just as it was told me.
Acts 27:25
And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase
our faith.”
Luke 17:5
Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and
swallow a camel!
Matthew 23:24
H
I
A
World of Happiness in an Ocean of
Peace.” That slogan decorated hotels
and restaurants across Hawaii in early
December of 1941. The island of Oahu
was considered remote, safe, and peaceful, where one could live close to the
flowers and the warm surf of the Pacific.
Most Honolulu residents didn’t lock their
doors, and some homeowners hadn’t had
keys for years … a world of happiness in
an ocean of peace.
… until December 7, 1941, when Pearl
Harbor was attacked.
The world’s
John 14:25–31
peace can
disappear very
quickly. The world gives peace, but takes
it away. Jesus gives us a legacy of lasting
peace. Matthew Henry said about John
14:27: “When Christ was about to leave
the world He made His will. His soul
He committed to His Father; His body
He bequeathed to Joseph to be decently
interred; His clothes fell to the soldiers;
His mother He left to the care of John:
but what should He leave to His poor disciples that had left all for Him? Silver and
gold He had none; but He left them that
which was infinitely better—His peace.”
Turning Point
The peace of the believer is deep, calm, lasting,
everlasting. The world, with all its blandishments, cannot give it. The world, with all its
fluctuations … cannot take it away.
From an anonymous 1854 devotional book,
The Words of Jesus
Psalm 73–77
40
I
n Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan described how Christian, traveling down
The King’s Highway, encountered a fierce
enemy—Apollyon, who represented
Satan. Bunyan wrote: “Apollyon straddled
quite over the whole breadth of the way
and said, ‘Prepare to die. You shall go
no further; here I will spill your soul
(adapted)’” Quick as a flash, the monster
threw a flaming spear at Christian’s chest.
But Christian had his armor on, including
a shield in his hand that deflected the fiery
dart of the evil one. The ensuing battle
was intense, but the tide turned when
Christian drew the sword of the Spirit
and defeated the enemy.
Without the shield of faith, it’s easy to fall
victim to the doubt Satan throws at us.
We’re tempted to doubt the outcome of
our situations, the answers to our prayers,
and the promises God has made. If we
lay down our shield, we’re fully vulnerable to the lies launched in our direction.
But Satan has
no answer to
Acts 27:21–26
those who say:
“Take heart
… I believe God that it will be just as He
said.” Faith is the victory that overcomes
the world.
Turning Point
The sword of the Spirit he wields, salvation’s
bright helmet he wears, and faith, the most precious of shields, on his arm he with confidence
bears.
John Bunyan in The Pilgrim’s Progress
Psalm 78–80
ere are three facts we can apply to
faith: Most people don’t get enough
exercise; most people who join gyms
don’t visit
them; most
Ephesians 2:8–9
home exercise
equipment
sits unused. There is a difference between
purchasing a home treadmill and using it
to increase your health. There is a difference between making a commitment and
following through on that commitment.
In the realm of Christian faith, many
people decide they need to “get in shape”
spiritually. They make a decision to place
their faith in Christ and what He has
done for them, and they receive assurance
and peace of mind. But like an unused
piece of exercise equipment, they fail to
build on their commitment; they fail to
increase their faith and make it stronger.
The apostle Paul likened faith to a shield
held by a Roman soldier—a leather
shield, soaked in water, that could extinguish flaming arrows shot by the enemy
(Ephesians 6:16). The better prepared the
shield, the safer the soldier. Likewise, the
stronger our faith, the better equipped we
are to quench Satan’s fiery attacks.
Ask God for yourself what the disciples of
Jesus asked Him: “Increase my faith.”
Turning Point
Have faith in God, my heart, trust and be unafraid; God will fulfill in every part each promise
He has made.
Bryn Austin Rees
Psalms 81–88
n Jesus’ day, fastidious Pharisees would
strain their water and wine to ensure
they consumed nothing unclean—like
a tiny gnat. Jesus used such attention to
detail to point out a kind of hypocrisy
on their part: They were willing to give
attention to the tiniest elements of the
religious law while ignoring the larger,
more important issues.
In Matthew 23:23, Jesus pointed out how
they were careful to tithe their herbs—
“mint and anise and cummin”—while
neglecting “the weightier matters of the
law: justice and mercy and faith.” Both
were important, Jesus said, but the lesser
shouldn’t take precedence over the larger.
We are faced daily with choices, the outcomes of which vary in their weight and
implications.
If they are
choices based
Proverbs 1:1–7
on the clear
teaching of Scripture, our only choice is
to obey. But in gray areas—and most of
a mature Christian’s daily decisions are in
this category—wisdom is needed. And
grace is needed toward those who might
choose differently from us.
Pray about the choices you will face
today, for the discernment to see their
relative importance, and for the skill
to act appropriately.
Turning Point
In necessary things, unity; in doubtful things,
liberty; in all things, charity.
Richard Baxter
Psalms 89–103
41
23
24
25
26
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
Upward Thinking
Spirit-Given Words
A Concealed Weapon
And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to
you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Luke 23:43
Do not worry about how or what you should
answer …. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in
that very hour what you ought to say.
Luke 12:11–12
Lay up His words in your heart.
D
r. B. H. Carroll, who died in 1914,
was an expositional preacher and
Christian leader who published thirtythree books and is best known today for a
multi-volume commentary on the Bible.
His zeal for evangelism and Christian
education was legendary. If you want to
know his motivational secret, read what
he wrote in his
commentary
1 Thessalonians 5:1–11
on the four
Gospels: “In
my own experience,” he said, “the brightest hour was when I got my first glorious
conception of heaven, and it has been the
power of my Christianity ever since.”
On the cross, our Lord’s thoughts were
of where He would be by sundown. He
proffered the same comfort to the thief
who believed on Him. In our own times
of trouble and weariness, it’s our hope of
our Lord’s return and of our eternal home
in heaven that uplifts and sustains us.
Whatever happens around us, we can always glance at the sunrise or sunset or see
the twinkling stars and remind ourselves
of our eternal destiny.
I
n Soviet days, East German Communist
authorities summoned fifteen-year-old
Wilfried Gotter to a closed room and pressured him to join the army as a Communist.
Wilfried was a committed Christian who
wanted no part of Communism, but how
could he withstand the authorities? “I was
given a word from God,” he later said.
“It was Colossians 2:8: ‘See to it that no
one takes you captive through hollow and
deceptive philosophy, which depends on
human tradition and the basic principles
of this world
rather than on
Luke 12:8–12
Christ.’”
The teenager quoted this verse to his interrogators and they seemed totally disarmed.
They had no answer to that verse and they
let him go. “In that moment,” Wilfried
said, “I really experienced what it says in
the Bible—that when you are led before
the authorities, you shouldn’t be concerned
about what you are to say.”
Tiny Bibles
Job 22:22
T
he human brain is arguably the climax
of God’s creation, the most incredible
invention in His universe. It’s a fabulous,
living super-computer with unfathomable
circuitry and unimaginable complexity, a
collection of billions of neurons, each as
complex as a small computer. They’re all
interconnected, and one scientist said that
the number of connections within one
human brain rivals the number of stars
and galaxies in the entire universe.
With a brain
like that, you
1 Peter 1:13–16
can memorize
Scripture. In fact, Scripture memory is the
most therapeutic thing you can do with
and for your brain. In the days before the
printing press, many people didn’t have
access to their own copies of the Bible; so
they memorized vast portions of God’s
Word. How tragic that now, with all our
modern versions and translations, we’re
memorizing it less and less.
Knowing that Christ will return one day
helps us persevere in times of trouble.
We seldom know the best thing to say—especially in the face of anger or opposition.
But the Holy Spirit can give us the right
thoughts. Trust God for His wisdom and
His words on every occasion.
It’s important to memorize Scripture
in order to stand strong during life’s
difficult circumstances. When you have
Bible verses inscribed in your mind,
you’re carrying a concealed weapon.
You’re wielding the sword of the Spirit.
Find a passage today and begin laying
up His words in your heart.
Turning Point
Turning Point
Turning Point
When we see by faith the invisible things of
heaven, it has an uplifting power, it has an
attracting power, higher above the earth, nearer
to God all the time.
B. H. Carroll
To have such words in such a situation wasn’t
due to my quick-wittedness or anything—I was
only fifteen. These are the practical experiences of
faith.4
Wilfried Gotter
4
Barbara Von Der Heydt: Candles Behind the Wall
(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993), 113–114.
Psalm 104–106
42
Psalm 107–111
June
Bible memorization is absolutely fundamental to
spiritual formation. If I had to choose between all
the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose
Bible memorization.5
Dallas Willard
These words which I command you today …
you shall bind them as a sign on your hand,
and they shall be as frontlets between your
eyes.
Deuteronomy 6:6-8
A
ccording to the Guinness Book of
Records, the smallest New Testament
in the world can fit on your fingertip. It
can be read with a powerful magnifying
glass and is designed to be worn as a
pendant or lapel pin.
There’s nothing wrong with wearing our
witness or having lapel pins to spark conversations about Christ. But the Bible isn’t
a talisman. The words the Bible contains
are what make it special. The Lord told
the Israelites to teach the Scriptures to
their children, to wear them as a sign on
their foreheads, and to write them on the
doorposts of their homes. It was God’s
way of reminding them to keep Scripture
close and accessible. Some turned this into
a ritual and began wearing phylacteries,
little leather boxes containing a verse from
the Law.
It’s all right to
Deuteronomy 6:1–9
have verses at
our fingertips, and there are great ways to
display our love for Scripture. But remember, the best place for the Word of God is
in our hearts and minds. It’s not about a
ritual but a relationship.
Turning Point
If we understood what happens when we use the
Word of God, we would use it oftener.6
Oswald Chambers
5
Dallas Willard, “Spiritual Formation in Christ for
the Whole Life and Whole Person,” Vocatio, Vol. 12,
no. 2, Spring, 2001, 7.
Psalm 112–118
6
Oswald Chambers, Disciples Indeed (Edinburgh:
Marshall, Morgan, & Scott, 1967), 6.
Psalm 119
43
27
30
28/29
WEEKEND
FRIDAY
MONDAY
JUNE BUGS
Always Praying
The Locust
What Would You Have Me Do?
Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all
prayer and supplication.
Ephesians 6:18a
So I will restore to you the years that the
swarming locust has eaten, the crawling
locust, the consuming locust, and the
chewing locust, my great army which I sent
among you.
Joel 2:25
So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord,
what do You want me to do?”
Acts 9:6
O
ne of the great records of correspondence by mail was between John
and Abigail Adams during the founding
of the American republic. She was in
Massachusetts, he in Philadelphia or
Europe, and the stream of letters never
ceased. Likewise, the correspondence
between Winston and Clementine
Churchill was equally nonstop. Even
when they were in the same house, working in different rooms, servants carried
a constant stream of love notes back and
forth between them.
Those stories are examples of “communicating without ceasing.” Though not
formally conversing at every moment,
each spouse kept the other in mind
continually so that communication was
only a note away. Likewise, Paul admonishes Christians to “pray at all times in
the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18a) and “pray
without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
That means take up the pen of faith and
pray to our beloved God whenever there
is a need. Keep Him in mind at all times
so He is only a
prayer away.
Philippians 4:6–7
Let God be on
your mind continually today so words of
praise, intercession, or supplication may
arise as needed.
Turning Point
I live in the spirit of prayer. I pray as I walk
about, when I lie down and when I rise up.
And the answers are always coming.
George Müller
Psalms 120–133
44
A
car company commercial portrays a
father and teenage son getting ready
for a camping trip. As they load the
pickup truck, it’s obvious the teenager
wishes he wasn’t going; he thinks it will
be boring. Predictably, as the commercial
unfolds, they have a great time together.
You can almost hear the teen thinking,
“I wish I had done this a lot sooner.”
Regrets—we all have them. Whether it’s
waiting decades before accepting Christ
or procrastinating about giving up a
bad habit or negative behavior, we wish
we could go back and live those days,
months, or years over. While we can’t
reverse the calendar, we can trust a promise of God: “So I will restore to you the
years that the swarming locust has eaten.”
That promise
was made to
2 Peter 3:8
the nation of
Israel, but it
reflects the character of our God. His
grace is deeper than all our sin (Romans
5:20), and His mercies and compassion
are new every morning (Lamentations
3:22–23).
If you have a regret today, thank God that
He can restore to you the blessings you
may have missed.
Turning Point
There are no regrets in heaven, no remorseful
tears, no second thoughts, no lost causes.
John Blanchard
Psalms 134–150
I
f you pick up a five-pound British
note, you may see the image of one of
England’s great heroes—Elizabeth Fry, a
Christian reformer whose lifelong efforts
on behalf of prisoners changed the laws of
the land and the tone of prison ministry.
Her heart went out to those behind bars,
and she fought to give them humane
treatment and
dignity. For
Acts 9:1–9
this she is
remembered
today with her image on British currency.
PERSONAL
JOURNAL
June
How is God’s Word transforming your life?
How is God answering your
prayer requests?
Record your personal turning points below.
When Elizabeth was dying at the age of
65, she revealed the secret of her lifetime
of service. Speaking to one near her bed,
she said, “My dear Rachel, I can say one
thing—since my heart was touched at
seventeen years old, I believe I have never
awakened from sleep, in sickness or in
health, by day or by night, without my
first waking thought being how best I
might serve my Lord.”7
Whatever we’re facing today, we should
say, as Paul did in Acts 9:6: “Lord, what
do You want me to do?” Whatever circumstances we’re confronting, we can
bathe them in prayer. God has a plan for
us today. It’s our joy to pray and proceed
in obedience.
Turning Point
What He would have me to do, that may I do;
where He would have me to go, there may I go.
Elizabeth Fry
7
Francis Cresswell, A Memoir of Elizabeth Fry
(London: James Nisbet, 1868), 316, 214.
Proverbs 1–3
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June
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A new resource from Dr. David Jeremiah
Answers to Questions About Spiritual Warfare
F
rom his years on teaching on the subject,
David Jeremiah has selected answers to
73 pertinent questions concerning victory
in the spiritual realm, including …
• What protection does the helmet of
salvation provide?
• How do I arm myself with the helmet
of salvation?
• How can I find hope in the midst of combat?
• How can I defend myself in a hostile world?
• What does it mean to “renew your mind”?
Features a Spiritual Warfare Scripture Reference
Guide and Prayer Scripture Reference Guide … and
The Warrior’s Prayer … all in an easy-to-read format!
Why study spiritual warfare?
Many people today don’t believe in the devil or spiritual warfare anymore. I’ve
seen scores of surveys, and it would seem that nowadays even some Christians
struggle to believe in anything so “bizarre” as spiritual warfare. But the Bible—the
Book that we as Christians study and cherish—takes Satan and his minions very
seriously, declaring that our ultimate battle is in fact a spiritual battle. And God
doesn’t want us to be casualties or victims in this war; He wants us to be victors.
That’s what the study of spiritual warfare is about—living the victory that God
has guaranteed to us through the death of Christ on the Cross. And in order to
be victorious, we must study and assess both the struggle believers are engaged in
and the weapons that we possess for battle.
more on page 26.
David Jeremiah
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