The T. D. JAKES Relationship BIBLE FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION, it is clear that the Holy Bible is, in the words of Bishop T.D. Jakes, “The Greatest Love Story Ever Told.” It is not a book about religion, but relationships—from the creation of a man and a woman and their intimate relationship with God in the Garden through the tragic break in that relationship at the Fall and the eventual restoration of that relationship through Jesus Christ and His death on the cross of Calvary. OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IS THE FOUNDATION for our lives. If we try to build on any other relationships or things, we are building on quicksand, because at some point all of our relationships will break down. It is from our earthly relationship with God that He gives us the privilege of having healthy relationships with our spouse, our families, our friends, and countless others. INSIDE THE PAGES OF GOD’S WORD YOU WILL DISCOVER the divine instruction on life relationships that has been given to generations of people who faced the same issues and questions that you face today, addressing those questions honestly and openly and offering wise counsel for your relationships, inspiration for your needs, comfort for your sorrows, guidance for your confusion, and hope for your discouragement. IN THE RELATIONSHIP BIBLE, YOU WILL FIND THE FOLLOWING FEATURES FROM BISHOP JAKES: • A 32-page Introduction that sets forth “Te Greatest Love Story Ever Told” along with helps to understanding the Bible and guides to answering life’s relationship problems. • Reflections of God’s Heart—Over 20 pages of articles that continue to develop God’s love relationship with mankind. • Lessons of the Heart—Over 80 pages of life lesson articles that address a wide range of relationship issues. • Heartbeats—25 articles that demonstrate how to build relationships. • Heartbreakers—25 articles that demonstrate how relationships are damaged. • Heart murmurs—10 powerful prayers for your personal relationships. • Words of Jesus in Red • Concordance • One-Year Bible reading Plan And much more! LET’S FACE IT, WE ALL HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS IN LIFE. When you lay your head down on the pillow at night, do you find these questions about your relationship with God running through your mind? How can I know God personally? Can I find peace and true contentment? What is the purpose of my life? How do I know how God wants me to live? What is prayer? Troughout our lives, we all face a long list of questions on relationships that trouble our souls and require real answers based on real truth. How do I forgive someone who has hurt me badly? Can I mend this broken relationship? When my world seems to be falling apart around me, who can I trust and in whom dare I confide? How do I know whether a person is the right one to date? Will my marriage survive? How do I nourish my child’s heart? What do I do with my fears about expressing my love and care to a friend? THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT IN GOD’S WORD WE FIND THE ANSWERS TO LIFE’S BEWILDERING RELATIONSHIP QUESTIONS. We are not left to figure it out on our own and in our own strength and power. You are invited to begin a lifelong journey to discovering God’s words of truth for your life and relationships, and to discovering God Himself in the words of His Book! T.D. JAKES, one of America’s most beloved religious leaders, is the CEO of TDJ Enterprises, LLP; founder and senior pastor of The Potter’s House of Dallas, Inc., which has 30,000 members; and the author of New York Times bestselling Making Great Decisions and Reposition Yourself. His TV show The Potter’s Touch reaches 67 million households per month. Bishop Jakes has dedicated his life and work to helping those who seek his counsel to interpret the word and the lessons of Scripture. His work with countless numbers of men and women around the country and the world has shown him that issues concerning how we relate to one another and to God are among our most common and perplexing problems. The good news is, as he so eloquently points out, that the Bible’s timeless message on relationships is for every generation and every age group and every culture and every race of people down through history, and that includes you! Visit T.D. Jakes online at www.tdjakes.com. MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT SimonandSchuster.com • THE SOURCE FOR READING GROUPS • Facebook.com/AtriaBooks Twitter.com/AtriaBooks JACKET DESIGN BY KOECHEL PETERSON AND ASSOCIATES, MINNEAPOLIS, MN AUTHOR PHOTOGRAPH BY DANNY TURNER COPYRIGHT © 2011 SIMON & SCHUSTER Thank you for purchasing this Atria Books eBook. Sign up for our newsletter and receive special offers, access to bonus content, and info on the latest new releases and other great eBooks from Atria Books and Simon & Schuster. or visit us online to sign up at eBookNews.SimonandSchuster.com The T.D. JAKES Relationship BIBLE A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020 www.SimonandSchuster.com Copyright © 2011 by TDJ Enterprises, LLP All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Atria Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. All Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, King James Version. ATRIA BOOKS and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc. The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248- 3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com. Design, Bible composition, and literary development of the T.D. Jakes materials by Koechel Peterson & Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data. Bible. English. Authorized. 2011. The T.D. Jakes relationship Bible: life lessons on relationships from the inspired Word of God.—1st Atria Books hardcover ed. p. cm. 1. Bible—Criticism, interpretation, etc. I. Jakes, T.D. II. Title. BS185 2011 .N49 2011 220.5’2034—dc23 2011035299 ISBN 978-1-4391-7278-0 ISBN 978-1-4516-6781-3 (deluxe) ISBN 978-1-4516-6780-6 (deluxe Partners’ Edition) ISBN 978-1-4516-7402-6 (leather Partners’ Edition) ISBN 978-1-4391-7279-7 (eBook) CONTENTS The Greatest Love Story Ever Told Why a Bible Focused on Relationships? How to Have a Relationship With Your Bible The Old Testament The New Testament Why the King James Version? How to Read the Bible What the Bible Says About Where to Find Help When You Are Index to Articles by T.D. Jakes THE OLD TESTAMENT Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth I Samuel II Samuel I Kings II Kings