Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

O. S. Hawkins, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, is a graduate of Texas Christian University (BBA) and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv, PhD). He is Chancellor and Senior Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Evangelism at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the former pastor of the historic First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, and is President Emeritus of GuideStone Financial Resources, the world's largest Christian-screened mutual fund serving 250,000 church workers and Christian university personnel with an asset base exceeding twenty billion dollars, where he served as President/CEO from 1997 to 2022.

Dr. Hawkins is the author of more than 50 books including the bestselling "Code Series" with over two million in print, including The Joshua Code: 52 Scripture Verses Every Believer Should Know, The Bible Code: Finding Jesus in Every Book in the Bible, The Christmas Code: Daily Devotionals Celebrating the Advent Season, and The Easter Code: A 40-Day Journey to the Cross.

He preaches in churches and conferences across the nation. He is married to Susie and has two daughters, two sons-in-law, and six grandchildren. Visit him at OSHawkins.com and follow him on X @OSHawkins.

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THE Joshua CODE

Thomas Nelson

Contents

Introduction............................................................................101 Everyone Has a Worldview (Genesis 1:1)................................................142 The Most Often Quoted Verse in the Bible (John 3:16)..................................203 Amazing Grace (Ephesians 2:8).........................................................244 A Psalm for the Ages (Psalm 23:1).....................................................295 The Family Secret (Romans 8:28).......................................................356 Being Comes Before Doing (Matthew 5:6)................................................407 God's Remedy for Man's Sin (Isaiah 53:6)..............................................468 Three Levels of Prayer (Matthew 7:7)..................................................509 The Proof Is in the Pudding (Ephesians 5:18)..........................................5510 The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23)....................................5911 God's Phone Number (Jeremiah 33:3)...................................................6412 Did the Devil Really Make Me Do It? (1 Corinthians 10:13)............................7013 Understanding Our Salvation (Philippians 1:6)........................................7514 The Forgotten Word in Our Christian Vocabulary (Matthew 4:17)........................8015 The Bible: God's Inspired Word (2 Timothy 3:16)......................................8516 Vision Is Vital (Proverbs 29:18).....................................................9017 Is Jesus Still Weeping? (John 11:35).................................................9518 Life's Bottom-Line Question (John 11:25).............................................9919 God's Recipe for Revival (2 Chronicles 7:14).........................................10420 Oh, That Sagging Middle! (Galatians 2:20)............................................10921 Gone Fishing (Mark 1:17).............................................................11422 True Confession (1 John 1:9).........................................................11923 The Great Commandment (Luke 10:27)...................................................12524 The New Commandment (John 13:24).....................................................12925 Three Verses for Youth and the Rest of Us! (1 Corinthians 10:31).....................13326 The Heart of the Matter (1 Samuel 16:7)..............................................13727 Finding the Will of God (Luke 22:42).................................................14128 God's Answer to Cultural Chaos (Ephesians 1:7).......................................14629 Jesus: The Only Way? (John 14:6).....................................................15130 Keeping Life in Focus (Philippians 3:13–14)....................................15631 Approved or Ashamed? (2 Timothy 2:15)................................................16032 Productive Parenting (Proverbs 22:6).................................................16333 The Joshua Code (Joshua 1:8).........................................................16734 The Second Mile (Matthew 5:41).......................................................17135 A New Beginning (Ruth 1:16)..........................................................17536 Back to Basics (Acts 1:8)............................................................18137 Good News and Bad News (Romans 6:23).................................................18838 Removing the Fear of Death (Psalm 23:4)..............................................19139 A Faith That Works (James 2:26)......................................................19640 Ultimate Love (Romans 5:8)...........................................................20041 Forsaken! (Matthew 27:46)............................................................20542 Ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20)..........................................21043 Integrity Don't Leave Home Without It! (Proverbs 10:9)...............................21544 The Word Became Flesh (John 1:14)....................................................22045 The Big Ten (Exodus 20:2–3)....................................................22446 The Model Prayer (Matthew 6:9).......................................................23147 A New Song of Redemption (Revelation 5:9)............................................23648 God Calling! (Revelation 22:17)......................................................24149 Here Comes the Judge (2 Corinthians 5:10)............................................24650 Heaven (Philippians 3:20)............................................................25151 Famous Last Words (Revelation 22:20).................................................25752 The Fear Factor (Ecclesiastes 12:13).................................................263The Gift of Eternal Life................................................................268Mission: Dignity........................................................................270Other Books by O.S. Hawkins.............................................................271About the Author........................................................................272

Chapter One

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. GENESIS 1:1

Everyone has a worldview. We all view life through some type of lens. Certain predisposed persuasions or seemingly benign biases do, in fact, determine how each of us views our world. Presently, the Western world is engaged in a huge confrontation between competing worldviews.

I spent my boyhood years in the 1950s, when the Judeo-Christian worldview was front and center in America. Our young men and women had just returned from the European Theatre or the South Pacific at the conclusion of World War II. They married their high school sweethearts and began what sociologists now call the baby boom. We were a thankful and grateful people. Church attendance was at an all-time high, and Bible readings were everyday occurrences in public schools. We viewed our world through a modern yet moral lens.

My teenage years were spent in the 1960s. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy ushered in that decade, and something happened to the psyche of America. We became more introspective. It began to be reflected in the music of the day. Peter, Paul, and Mary sang, "The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind." Suddenly our introspection revealed that the simple answers we thought we held were now questioned. Our worldview began to subtly change. For many, the answers to life's questions that they thought they believed seemed to be "blowing in the wind."

Then came the 1970s, ushered in on the throes of Watergate, Roe v. Wade, and Vietnam. Society became more skeptical. Again, it was reflected in the music of the day. Billy Joel's big hit in those days was "Only the Good Die Young." Skepticism became the lens through which many in our culture began to view their world.

This was followed by a bit of a reprieve in the 1980s. Ronald Reagan brought new hope as he spoke about that "shining city on a hill." Then came the 1990s. The Berlin Wall fell; the Cold War came to a sudden conclusion. Next, the new millennium was ushered in on the heels of September 11, 2001, and the War on Terror was launched with a significant effect on the worldview of many.

Even though worldviews may change across the decades, there is a single constant that...