Book Review Keep the Faith, Dr. David Jeremiah, How to stand strong in a world turned upside down, W. Publishing Group.2024.
Reviewer: Mary Lou Codman, PhD, Pastoral Psychology, Psychological Anthropology, Christian Education, Buddhism May 5th , 2025 5 Stars
Soundbite #1
Christianity comes down to something more than theological questions. In the end it is all about a person, not a proposition. The questions are the beginning of the journey, but the answer comes finally in experience, in reaching out to touch and to feel and in being ourselves touched by the power of the nail-scarred hands. This is the experience of Thomas who asked the right questions and whose doubts kept him among the community of faith and guided him across the room to the presence of the Savior. (p.85-86) Keep the Faith, Dr. David Jeremiah, How to stand strong in a world turned upside down, W. Publishing Group.2024.
Soundbite #2
When you struggle with some trial, your question might be:
”Why is this happening?” A better one would be: “What is God teaching me?” It is difficult for us to remember that God’s great desire to see things as they really are, then as they appear to be. As Paul said, “We see in a mirror dimly right now.” God is always working to remover the fog so that we might share His heavenly perspective. (p. 116)
Review
Dr. David Jeremiah’s 2024 book “Keep the Faith” is a very practical handbook that will help people keep God’s perspective and redemptive purposes as their dominant focus. “Even in the most difficult of circumstances and seasons His goal is that Christians would hold onto our faith as a strong anchor in the storm and that we would be empowered by that faith when the road seems long, and our strength is low.” (p.viii) 5 Stars
Review Excerpts
Fear is simply a part of the fabric of living. God equips us with it so we would be wise enough to protect ourselves from the unexpected. Fear provides u with sudden bursts of strength and speed just when we need them. It is a basic survival instinct, a good thing – as long as it remains rational, but there’s also that brand of fear known as phobia. A phobia is when fear and reason do not keep in touch.(p.2-3)
The truth is, God has a plan for your life. He has a race for you to run and you can spring toward the finish line with joyful assurance. Fear disregards that opportunity and holds us back. Have you ever seen a timid, cowering prince? Stop living as a helpless street orphan when you bear the credentials of the King. (p. 8)
Prov.3:25-26: “Do not be afraid of sudden terror nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.” (P.17)
The challenge before the Israelite's was not something that came out of nowhere and demanded that they trust some mysterious, providence. This as the invitation of the God who had gone with them throughout their journey. This was the loving Father who had remained so steadfast by their sides and who had provided every need. This was One worthy of the same trust a tiny child would place in his loving parents – and so much more worthy. Indeed, God called them the children of Israel, and the Bible tells us that He carried them along as you would carry an infant. He watched over them as you would guard your newborn baby. He led their steps, provided their food, and did everything possible to nurture a fully loving and trusting relationship. The point of the wilderness experience was for the people to bond with their Father. After generations of slavery under the tyrannical masters of Egypt, God wanted his children to learn something of the wonderful journey that transpires when we follow Him. (p.11-12)
In the story of the 12 spies sent into Caanan to spy out the land], I have always felt that the difference between the 10 and the 2 was that they used different yardsticks. The negative group measured the giants by their own stature, while Joshua and Caleb measured them by God’s stature. These two were the only ones who finally measured up to the privilege of entering the promised land. The others fell short. What made the difference between Joshua and Caleb? The Scripture state it clearly: in Numbers 32:12 we read: “For they have wholly followed the Lord.” (p.19)
Would you be able to talk about hope after a string of unthinkable calamities? Have you accentuated the positive and eliminated the negative during the low points of your life? We know these words are true – “there’s always hope”- but sometimes it is hard to believe them. All of us suffer through bouts of discouragement. The dictionary defines “discourage” as “ to deprive of courage, to deter, to dishearten, to hinder.” All those “D” words – and you can throw in.
“doom, depression, defeat, despair.” The mind dwells on them when life has pinned us down. The New Testament uses 3 Greek words to carry the idea (pp.53-54)of being disheartened, dispirited, or discouraged. We often translate them as “to faint” or to ”lose heart.”(p.29)
Our Father wants us to leap into His arms ...whenever we are afraid. He wants us to realize who He really is and that we need never fear. And the key to that assurance is love, the opposite of far. To experience in full the love of God is to feel the deepest security in heart, soul, mind, and strength. It is to understand, down to the depth of our being, that God loves us so much He will always fold us in His arms; He will always be near even when it is dark; that He is our Daddy, and we need not to be afraid. And we realize all of this as His incomprehensible love washing through us and cleanses us from fear, anger, and selfishness. Then and only then do we find ourselves capable of returning love – for we remember “we love Him because He first loved us” (I Jn.4:19). (p.21-22)
[In rebuilding the wall in Jerusalem, Nehemiah’s enemies insisted he come away from work to meet with them. His answer could have been: ] Modern translation: “Please accept my regrets, but God’s agenda outweighs yours right now.” The main thing is to keep the main thing as the main thing. We need to have a firm grasp on what God calls us to do, put on the blinders, and keep plugging away. As we have seen, clear goals are the best preventive maintenance for burnout. (p.40)
Corrie ten Boon used to recite a little couplet: “Worry is an old man with bent head, carrying a load of feathers which he thinks are lead.” She understood that anxiety is ultimately foolish because it concerns that which is not. It lives in a future that cannot be foreseen. It deals with what-ifs and could-be speculations and possibilities. And as long as we dwell on the worst-case scenario, we guarantee our own misery for an extensive catalogue of calamity is always within reach of the imagination. The Bible chooses its language carefully when describing worry. The basic biblical word has the meaning of ‘to take thought’ or ‘to be careful.’ Those are good things at first glance. But the Greek gives us the word picture of a divided mind. The worrier has a mind between the real and the possible, the immediate and the potential. He is trying to fight the battle of life on two fronts, and he is bound to lose the war. The warrior tries to live in the future and that presents him with two problems: the future is not here, and the future is not his. Nothing can be done, and no amount of worry affects the issue, one iota. The future is unknown, uncontrollable, and therefore irrelevant in terms of our peace of mind. Realistic concern and restless anxiety are separate matters. So, what is the difference? In short, concern focuses on the present; worry is attached to the future. The present is before us, and there are actions we can take. The future is out of our hands. (pp.53-54-55).
Everyone is served their cup of sorrow in season. There is no avoiding that in this world. And a considerable portion of my work of ministry is holding the hands of people and walking with them through the valley of the shadow. But I hope I can help them walk finally back into the light, for the valley is no place to build a home. Grief and mourning are clean, Biblical emotions but they are not permanent ones. Every extra day of dwelling in those shadows is a day of joy lost – a day of not seeing the wonderful things God wants us to see. (p.70).
As we move to the second half of the book, I want to highlight four key blessings God provides His people to empower them when life seems to be at its worst. These are four blessings we can receive and use to remain strong in the face of fear, discouragement, worry, doubt and whatever else may come our way. The first of these blessings is grace. (p.106).
Another long truth in God’s short answer [to Paul’s prayers to be released from his thorn in the flesh] is there is power in the grace of God. The verb translated “is sufficient.” “Is” in the present tense – as is God’s grace, which is always present. In every situation, we can rely on Him to provide strength and courage. He will never give us all that we want, but He will always give us all that we need. Compare our Lord to the gods in all religions and you will find that grace is the difference-maker. It is the x factor that radically sets Him apart. Our God is “the God of all grace.” (I Peter.5:7/ He is kind, benevolent and long-suffering. We need not beg Him, bribe Him, nor appease Him. In this same letter, Paul explains, “God is able to make all grace abound toward you that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” (2 Cor.9:8) Notice, the repetition of the word ��all. �� Notice, the repetition of the word “all.” All grace abounds toward us so that we are all sufficient in all things. He is all we need in all we face, so that for all we do, we can overflow with His grace and power. Did you know it was possible to live like that? (pg.110-111)