Joe White Drive Time Podcast

"We opened up the hundredth year of football on a national television against the Air Force Academy and we didn't know that we were being deceived that day. It was an incredible game and we had an awesome west coast offense. But air force knew something about us that we didn't think anybody knew. We had a secret play calling system. But the year before Air Force Academy had sent a man and he actually was hired on our staff to help coach. We thought that he was coaching us, but what he was doing was learning our system."

Family Discussion:

1. How is Satan deceiving you?
2. What's the angel of light saying to you about sin as making sin look good?

Transcription:

"I want you to meet one of my precious little stuffed animals today, little Leo. Leo the lion. Ain't he cute, soft, playful? Well, don't be lured in because Leo is not as playful as you think he is."

Family Discussions:

1. What is it about Satan that you've already seen in your life that it makes him look like a soft little stuffed animal when behind the softness there's a roaring lion there that's gonna eat your lunch?
2. What can you do today to get that lion out of your pen and out of your life?

Transcription:

"The story goes that she always wore a bright red dress and she wore dark sunglasses. Each Wednesday, she could be seen at exactly 9:30 AM. She would meet a stocky bearded man in front of the drugstore where he would quietly exchange a bottle of pills for a package of dollar bills. As soon as she would buy the pills, the mysterious lady would quickly slip into her BMW and drive briskly away to her tiny house in the country. No one else was ever seen going in or going out of her home except a tall, handsome man. Every Friday from 6:30 to 7:30 PM. What do you think that lady was up to before you decide?"

Family Discussions:

1. When did you first think of the mysterious lady and what she was up to in that story?
2. Why are we so quick to jump to conclusions and to judge people?
3. If you're out there in school and you're growing up in school, if there's a boy who calls you names or friend who calls you names, that person is probably missing something at home. What might that be?
4. What is the danger side of judging other people?

Transcription:

00:13 There's a lot of jobs on this planet that I would love to do. But being in a court is not one of them. I am not cut out to be in a court, not cut out to be a judge. I have some friends who are judges and some of them are just godly guys. But you know, passing judgment on somebody. I don't know man. James has a lot to say about that. And here's what he says in chapter four, verse 11. It may be okay in the courtroom and that's probably that man's job. But here's what he says about judging in the home and in life. He says, "do not speak against one another brethren, because he who speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you're not a doer of the law, but a judge of it. There is only one law giver and judge the one who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?"

01:16 I heard this story years ago and it's funny how this story impacted me and I hope it impacts you today. Let me just tell it to you. It is a different ending than you think. The story goes that she always wore a bright red dress and she wore dark sunglasses. Each Wednesday, she could be seen at exactly 9:30 AM. She would meet a stocky bearded man in front of the drugstore where he would quietly exchange a bottle of pills for a package of dollar bills. As soon as she would buy the pills, the mysterious lady would quickly slip into her BMW and drive briskly away to her tiny house in the country. No one else was ever seen going in or going out of her home except a tall, handsome man. Every Friday from 6:30 to 7:30 PM. What do you think that lady was up to before you decide?

02:10 She was a humble lady named Ruth and she actually had an eye disorder that made it difficult to see in broad daylight. Her father had died the year before and her best memory of his smile was when she wore red because it complimented her blonde hair so beautifully. Her mom was bedridden and needed her prescription and her weekly doctor's visit to stay alive. The money and the pills, the red dress, the BMW. Ain't it easy to look at somebody on the outside and make a judgment or something you hear in gossip ended dog on it to judge somebody. But like he says, man, who are we to judge? Who are we to gossip?

02:54 The questions today are this, when did you first think of the mysterious lady and what she was up to in that story? And second question, why are we so quick to jump to conclusions and to judge people? And the third question, if you're out there in school and you're growing up in school, if there's a boy who calls you names or friend who calls you names, that person is probably missing something at home. What might that be? And then lastly, what is the danger side of judging other people?

03:32 The thought for the day is this. Hey, how can we help each other refrain from judging others and speaking negatively about others. Boy, the home is the place to help each other to find the best in other people. That's what makes a family strong.

"I remember the time when my kids were young in my house that our TV set broke. Boy did that make me mad. Not exactly. I was so mad. I couldn't seem to find the phone number for the TV repair man. I was so mad. I kept forgetting to get it fixed. I was so mad. I was so mad. I think it was probably the greatest thing that happened in our home since we started our little family."

Family Discussions:

1. When we pray to God lead us not into temptation, what are we asking for?
2. If God doesn't tempt you, how does temptation come to us and what are the results?
3. Besides television, what other sources of temptation do we expose ourselves to in our iPods, in our video games and in the voices that we surround ourselves with our friends?
4. What is the difference between trials and temptations?

Transcription:

00:14 Man, would you let somebody into your home who's had way too many of these to drink? Would you let somebody come into your house who has not just a play gun like this one, but a real gun shooting real bullets wildly at people and drawing blood? Unfortunately, most American homes do that over and over again every single day. Listen to what James has to say in chapter one and verse 13. James speaks straight to the heart of families. When he says, "let no one say when he's tempted, I'm being tempted by God. For God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he's carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin and when sin is accomplish, it brings forth death." I remember the time when my kids were young in my house that our TV set broke.

01:05 Boy did that make me mad. Not exactly. I was so mad. I couldn't seem to find the phone number for the TV repair man. I was so mad. I kept forgetting to get it fixed. I was so mad. I was so mad. I think it was probably the greatest thing that happened in our home since we started our little family. You know, television, you can call it attempted vision, temptation, vision, something like that. The average American home pipes over 880,000 rapes and murders and acts of violence, beer, commercial, sexual innuendos into the minds of each man, woman and child every single year. Then we wonder why in the world we're tempted to argue. Tempted to lust. Tempted to fight all the time. You know, William James, the father of modern psychology says there's nothing so absurd that if you repeat it often enough, people will actually believe it.

01:58 Is it any wonder why one out of five Americans now have a sexually transmitted disease and teenagers aids doubles every 14 months or why more college students die of alcohol-related deaths than the number who are going to graduate school? At least according to USA Today. Is it any wonder that the homes are breaking a part at the foundation. Good night folks! Turn the thing off and find the love of a family again. In Matthew six it says, "Blessed is the pure in heart for they shall see God." Let the bird sing in the trees, let the home come back to the purity of the word.

02:40 The questions for today are this, when we pray to God, lead us not into temptation. What are we asking for? And number two, if God doesn't tempt you, how does temptation come to us and what are the results? And then the third discussion question, besides television, what other sources of temptation do we expose ourselves to in our iPods, in our video games and in the voices that we surround ourselves with our friends? And then lastly, what is the difference between trials and temptations? And the lifeline today is this, how can we help each other as a family fight temptation in this home and in our private lives? Man, let's be that. Encourager to each other today.

"I remember years ago, my son Cooper saw a hand drawn picture of Jesus hanging lifelessly on a Roman cross. He was so captured by emotional trauma that you looked up at me with these as full of tears and he asked me, he said, "Daddy, did God take away the pain?" I said, "no Cooper" softly."

Family Discussions:

1. Describe your appreciation for Jesus paying the price he paid for your salvation.
2. Describe what the vertical beam of the cross now means to you.
3. Describe now with the horizontal beam of the Cross means that your relationships with other people that you love.

Transcription:

00:14 You know, every book in this Bible is just amazing but the book of Hebrews just fascinates me. Every time I get into it, it seems like I'm in a gold mine for the first time in my life. Today we're in Hebrews chapter 10, and we're looking at verses 19 through 23. This is a good one to memorize. It says this, "Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way. Inaugurated for us through the veil that is his flesh. And since we have a great high priest over the House of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of our faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscious and our bodies washed with pure water and let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

01:07 You know, the reality of Jesus' work on the cross, you know, agonizing as it was, it just creates a trimmer in your soul that shakes the stained glass windows of your heart until your emotions are forever gripped with the indescribable appreciation. Do you feel that way? You know, I remember years ago, my son Cooper saw a hand drawn picture of Jesus hanging lifelessly on a Roman cross. He was so captured by emotional trauma that you looked up at me with these as full of tears and he asked me, he said, "Daddy, did God take away the pain?" I said, "no Cooper" softly. You know, God didn't take away the pain. You know Jesus, his nerves shattered on the cross just like yours or mine would shattered because the price to buy your way to God was so high that only a complete human sacrifice of God's only son could foot the bill.

02:04 And that's the, that's the vertical beam of the cross. It stands forever pointing skywards to God. Triumphly pointing the way to His throne of grace for your travel. As you live, as you pray, as you die and victoriously face the portals of eternity. Work done, case closed, sin paid, sacrifice remembered, salvation purchased, prayers answered. Then to complete this incredible cross is the horizontal beam of the cross where you and I out about heart, exploding with appreciation, reach out like Jesus did. To give that same kind of love to our kids, to our parents, to our spouse, to our friends, and even to our enemies. You know, the gift that pours out of our mouth from a heart that Christ indwells is the gift of, and that's our response. You know, when we say I love you mom, when you say I, I'm proud of you.

03:04 When you say I love you when we say I believe in you, you know, when we say, Hey, what can I do for you today? Uh, when I say to somebody, how can I pray for you today? That's a response to the incredible love he's given for us. And so is the, is the vertical beam of the cross reaches upward confidently to God's heart through Christ. So the horizontal beam reaches outward from the goodness that's in your heart, to the goodness of somebody else's heart around you. Isn't that great? So the questions today: describe your appreciation for Jesus paying the price he paid for your salvation? And today, describe what the vertical beam of the cross now means to you. And describe now with the horizontal beam of the Cross means that your relationships with other people that you love.

"The lukewarm Christian literally dances with the devil and plays with sin like it's some kind of a toy."

Family Discussion:

• Who is the antichrist and how will we recognize him?
• What are examples of the antichrist's work on earth today?
• How do you think you might get caught up in on diluting influences in your life even now?

Transcription:

00:06 This tiny little book we're looking at is Second Thessalonians and it is about that big, but it is about that big in meaning because it's talking about the return of Christ and the antichrist, the enemy and the last days before Christ returns. Listen to this. Second Thessalonians 2:8-12. This fits today. Talking about the antichrist, it says: "Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of his mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of his coming. That is the one who's coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, the antichrist, with all power he'll have signs and false wonders. And with all deception and wickedness for those who perish because they did not receive the love of truth so as to be saved. For this reason, God will send upon them a diluting influence so that they will believe what is false and in order that they may be judged who did not believe in truth, but took pleasure in wickedness."

01:21 The diluting influences, and there are so many of them. Now check out this story and it will help you with the diluting influences in your life. I heard the story one time of a transport company that placed a very important ad in a local newspaper, and the ad said something like this: Wanted, conscientious and experienced truck driver to transport TNT across narrow mountain roads. The pay is excellent. Three brave drivers interviewed for the job. The foreman asked each of the drivers this question: When you turn a corner on a tight mountain road, how close to the edge can you get without slipping off the edge of the cliff? The first driver came in and proudly responded, "I've had years of experience at that. I can get as close as a foot from the edge without slipping off." The second applicant came in and he was like the first, he said: "I can hang at the outside edge of the tire on the truck and still stay on the road." The third man was more humble. He said: "I respect the road and that load with great care and danger. I would never get close enough to the edge to find out." Guess who got the job. A radically committed Christian stays as far from the edge of the cliff of sin as he can get. The lukewarm Christian literally dances with the devil and plays with sin like it's some kind of a toy. I honestly don't believe a good share of Christian wannabes will even recognize the antichrist when he comes. The things we accept today in movies and television and just in our daily lives are so much like him. Satan could slip into most people's world without even being noticed.

03:21 And then the Lord will return, and the groans of disappointment will be everywhere. Just a little alcohol won't hurt, just a little marijuana won't hurt. Just a little pornography, it's just the sports illustrated swimsuit issue, it's just the Victoria's Secret one runway models. It's just a little bit of hate. It's just a little bit of anger, just a little bit, just a little bit, just a little bit and Satan's way. And you've seen it and I've seen it. It's like a fishing lure that goes in front of the fish and pretty soon you bite the lure, the treble hook catches you in the mouth. Here's the questions for today. Who is the antichrist and how will we recognize him? And secondly: What are examples of the antichrist's work on earth today? And then thirdly: How do you think you might get caught up in on diluting influences in your life even now? And then the lifeline for the day is this: The Angel of Light as scripture calls Satan makes sin look camouflage. Walking in the light makes him look obvious.

"For Paul, his desire was to be as sinless as possible, and it didn't stop at the prison door."

Family Discussion:

• What entertainment choices have you made recently that are especially God-honoring?
• If you're struggling in the area of making wise entertainment choices, describe why. Talk about it. If you don't, why not? What's going on inside there?
• What practical things will you do in the future, to labor and struggle and strive with his energy to help present everyone complete in Christ?

Transcription:

00:06 Well, you can check out the latest beauty magazine; "17" in this case, a teen magazine, and you can get your little heart really confused. 525 fashion and beauty tricks. 525... you try all those, no wonder everybody is so confused about what to do with our mind and our body and our heart. That's the message of the world today. Paul's got a different message today that I think might be a little bit better. It's in Colossians 1 verse 28 and 29 and Paul says this in that verse: "And we proclaim him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom so that we might present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose, also, I labor striving according to his power, which mightily works within me."

01:03 In Colossians 4:10, Paul the apostle informs us as he writes that he is serving prison time in Rome. Can you picture yourself in his shoes when he writes these great letters? No electric lights, no flush toilets, no fashion and beauty tricks and no gas furnace, no queen sized mattress. Instead a dingy cell, drury, smelly, bug infested, cold; and to pass the time, there's no telephone, there's no radio, no personal little bookshelf, no prison library. And no television! Could have been the biggest blessing of all. And worst of all, absent are the voices, the smiles, and the touch of most of his closest friends. Sounds pretty miserable, doesn't it? You might expect that someone who could find themselves in a similar situation would maybe drop their guard regarding your personal holiness, the condition of your heart. Aa little sin now and then after all, who's going to notice? Who's going to care? But for Paul, his desire was to be as sinless as possible, and it didn't stop at the prison door. It wasn't motivated by what situation he found himself in, or who might or might not notice. He knew that God's eyes were on his heart. His result, Paul went to great effort to honor the Lord with his decisions and his life choices. In addition, he declared a desire to present everyone complete in Christ. I love that goal. What a fantastic goal. He added this, he said: "to this end, I labor," struggling, striving with all his energy, which so powerfully worked in the life of any believer. Notice that it wasn't a casual pursuit. It was a struggle. It was work.

02:59 Let's apply this to our entertainment and our selections of what we listened to and what we watch. Do you realize that God cares deeply about what you watch and listen to, your choices in movies, your choices in television programs, the iPod, the iPhone, etc. Did they honor him? Are you careful to labor, to struggle with all your energy, to keep your mind free from the media messages that Satan has a foothold in your thought life? Special concern for you and I are those things that are done in secret. The computer screen when you're all alone, do you let your guard down when you're alone? You know, is there a website out there that's that you are addicted to, or sliding a compact disc in your CD player that champions, despair, perversity or rebellion? When Paul was alone in secret, not only was he concerned with his own walk of faith, but he considered how you might present everyone, everyone, complete in Christ. How bout you? Are you equally concerned? When you are, everything changes inside here because you've got to goal that trumps every decision that you make.

04:21 And here's the question today. What entertainment choices have you made recently that are especially God-honoring? And then secondly: If you're struggling in the area of making wise entertainment choices, describe why. Talk about it. If you don't, why not? What's going on inside there? And then: What practical things will you do in the future, to labor and struggle and strive with his energy to help present everyone complete in Christ? And that starts with you and me. And here's the lifeline for today. The win is identify a particular Christian friend or somebody who does not honor Christ with his entertainment choices and begin to pray how you might influence that person to make positive changes, especially if it's in your home.

"Satan is a master at enhancing your first glimpse of sin and disguising the results of that sin."

Family discussion:

• Why does the term the "angel of light" fit so perfectly as Satan's style of temptation?
• Can you think of a sin you faced lately that looked really fun at first? But the more you evaluated it, the more you saw Satan in it?
• How can you tell for sure if it's a sin?

Transcription:

00:04 Did you ever wonder why sin looks so attractive? Why some of the worst things that can happen on this earth looked like the greatest things of all? Well, Second Corinthians chapter 11, verse 14 has the answer. And it says this, "for no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light." As I've said before, my email box is full everyday of letters that I get from guys in our men's conferences and from high school students and college students. But some of them say the most amazing things over and over again. Like the one recently that I read that says, "I know the Bible says sex before marriage is wrong, but my boyfriend and I love each other so much and it seems so right. Something so beautiful can't be wrong, can it?"

01:06 The Budweiser commercials on television, man, they really do look like fun. You know, those parties on those sandy tropical beaches, those hot cars, those hot girls and all the laughter and fun make drinking look really cool. And man, the way those gorgeous young beauties fall in love on TV every night and then they head off to those steamy bedrooms with the cute new guy on the set. It really makes you want to go find one of those and try it yourself. You know that business deal that looks so attractive and yet, you know, there's dishonesty behind that business deal. It just seems every reason to rationalize and to go make that deal and take that deal. Somebody says, "hey, smoke this joint." "Take this cool pill," "drink the shiny bottle, man, if it feels good, go for it." You know, no one ever in his right mind ever said that sin doesn't look like fun in its early stages, but no one has ever set out to become an alcoholic on his first drink, no one ever thought they would become a heroin addict when they smoke their first marijuana joint.

02:19 No one in their right mind ever wanted their high school girlfriend to become pregnant and then face the guilt of walking out of an abortion clinic together on their first heavy kiss. No one ever wanted to build his entire business on dishonesty, but Satan is a master at enhancing your first glimpse of sin and disguising the results of that sin. That's why he's called the angel of light. That's why he's called the master of deception. That's why he is your number one enemy. He's your number one enemy. And here's the questions for today. You know, why does the term the "angel of light" fit so perfectly as Satan's style of temptation? And then secondly, can you think of a sin you faced lately that looked really fun at first? But the more you evaluated it, the more you saw Satan in it? And then this last question. How can you tell for sure if it's a sin? And then, here's the lifeline for today. How can a young man keep his way pure? Psalms 119:9 says, by keeping it according to the word of God.

"Flee sexual immorality, and flee means run for your life."

Family Discussion:

• Why does scripture say run for your life from sexual immorality? Why doesn't it say stand and fight it?
• What is it about sexual immorality, whether it's lust or entering into a bad relationship, that makes it the sin that's a sin against your own body?
• How do you need to flee from something immoral that's going on in your life right now?

Transcription:

00:14 Today's Bible verse is brief and to the point, and it hits me and probably everybody else between the eyes, squarely like a bullseye. First Corinthians 6:18, it says this, "flee immorality, and flee means run for your life. Every other sin a man commits is outside the body. But the immoral man, the immoral woman sins against his or her own body." She was 17 years old and quite attractive, and yet hadn't had a date in weeks. The phone rang. And the guy that asked her to the date, she knew was not the guy she should be going on a date with it all. But he said, hey, we're going to the movies. It'll be fine. A little red flag went up and it said, you better not. But she said, well, nothing will happen at the movie, so we'll go. As they went to the movies, she found, to her surprise, that the movie theater was closed.

01:08 A little red flag went up when he said, "you know what, doggone it. Movies closed. But, you know what, there's a bunch of friends playing down at the park. They're going to be playing some sand volleyball down at the city park. Let's go play some sand volleyball. The flag went up, but she, uh, went to the park anyway. Well, when they got down to the park, you know what? Sure enough, nobody was there. And the guy said, "you know what? Doggone it, I guess everybody's already left, but maybe we could just spend a little time visiting in the car." A little red flag went up, but again, she disobeyed the flag of warning and so they begin to talk in the car, and the next thing she knew he was over sitting in the seat by her side. He began to kiss her, flags were going up everywhere. She disobeyed the flags in her hunger for affection. She became pregnant that night and nine months later gave birth to an unplanned child. The good side of that story is however, that when the red flag went up, it said, you need to abort the child. She obeyed the Spirit this time. And she had the child. Like so many other courageous moms who have a child when the world recommends abortion. What is the little red flag that goes up with sexual immorality of any kind comes before your eyes? What are the warnings and why is it so difficult to disobey the warnings? And what is the reward when you do obey the warnings?

02:31 The story goes of a businessman who was traveling. He was alone. He was lonely. He'd been out for weeks. He and his wife were struggling in their marriage. And so he called for a prostitute. He waited two or three hours and then there was a knock at the door. When the door opened he looked in horror at the face of his grown daughter who had adopted her daddy's morals and lived her life as a prostitute. Flee immorality. Scripture says, don't stand and fight it, run for your life. It's the most devastating challenge. And sin can happen in the life of a man or a woman. And my question to you today is this, why does scripture say run for your life? Why doesn't it say stand and fight it? The second question is, what is it about sexual immorality, whether it's lust or entering into a bad relationship, what is about that that makes it the sin that's a sin against your own body? And the last question is this, in your life today as a student or as an adult, a man or woman, how do you need to flee from something immoral that's going on in your life right now?

"A beautiful blonde that drove her little baby blue BMW convertible to the school principal's house every evening at 6:30 and stayed until 10 o'clock. The principal was 35. The blonde was barely 22, fresh out of college and a new resident in the small community. The story goes that the principal had lost his wife to cancer and only a year before and now the rumors of this new affair spread across the small town like wildfire." 

Family Discussions:

1. Why is judgment such a sin?
2. Have you ever struggle with that problem in your life?
3. How do we love the sinner while we hate the sin and leave the judgement to God?

Transcription:

00:14 Everyday when we dig into Romans together, uh, everyone just gets better and better. And I feel like they're all written just for me. Um, hopefully there is helpful to you as they're becoming to me. Romans 14 verses 10 through 13 today ask the great question, "but you, why do you judge your brother or do you again, why do you regard your brother with a contempt. For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God for it is written as I live, says the Lord. Every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall give praise to God. So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore, let us not judge one another any more, but rather determine this not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way." Uh, you know, I remember the story so well and no one knew why in the story.

01:18 The beautiful blonde that drove her little baby blue BMW convertible to the school principal's house every evening at 6:30 and stayed until 10 o'clock. The principal was 35. The blonde was barely 22 fresh out of college and a new resident in the small community. The story goes that the principal had lost his wife to cancer and only a year before and now the rumors of this new affair spread across the small town like wildfire. The principal's 12 year old daughter must be witnessing a shameful affair. What kind of soap opera surrounded her! How could the principal appear so pious each Sunday morning in the fourth row of the local Baptist Church, nodding his head with each kernel of wisdom spoken from the preacher's lips. To add fuel to the fire. After only a few months passed by the blonde became obviously pregnant. She looked like she had swallowed a basketball. Everyone at school knew that she'd swallowed a line from the suave principle as well.

02:15 Then one day, tempers rage in an inflamed school board meeting and an unanimous vote of the board express the final cry of the town's judgment. The principal was asked to resign. In sorrow he packed up his 12 year old daughter's clothes, her dolls, and her priceless Braille books. The dear young lady who had been specially trained to teach blind kids to read and had practically given her eyes to the girl had been pinup in darkness since birth could no longer spend an evening with her young client. The grief, the blonde bore over the recent loss of her husband and father of our new baby in the fighting in the war in the Persian Gulf was overshadowed by the harsh judgment of a town. Whoever so quickly formed an opinion and spread the untrue rumors until three lives were hurt almost beyond repair. And here's the questions. Why is judgment such a sin? Have you ever struggle with that problem in your life? I'm sure we all have, but how do we love the sinner while we hate the sin and leave the judgement to God? And the lifeline is hate the sin, but love the sinner.