Billy Graham Quotes - Page 4

It’s tough to be a Christian in our world. We need to be willing to take on Jesus’ unpopularity and the scorn that is often heaped on Him.

Can people tell from the emphasis we attach to material things whether we have set our affection on things above, or whether we are primarily attached to this world?

Marriage is not a reform school . . .Instead of you reforming [your spouse], [he or she] will instead influence you.

God speaks to those who are prepared in their hearts to listen. Discern the voice from heaven above the noisy din of earth’s confusion.

Earth’s troubles fade in the light of heaven’s hope.

Faith literally means “to give up, surrender, or commit.” Faith is complete confidence.

My wife and I were invited to have lunch with one of the wealthiest men in the world. He was seventy-five years old. Tears came down his cheeks. “I am the most miserable man in the world,” he said. I have everything anyone could ever want. If I want to go anywhere, I have my own yacht or private plane. But down inside I’m miserable and empty.” Shortly after, I met another man who preached in a small church nearby. He was vivacious and full of life, and he told us, “I don’t have a penny to my name, but I’m the happiest man in the world!

At this crucial point in world history, everyone should be seeking an answer to the question, “What is God like?” Everyone should ask it, and everyone should make very sure of the answer . . . The Bible says, “. . . God has shown it to them” [Romans 1:19 NKJV].

Christ said there is a happiness in that acknowledgement of spiritual poverty which lets God come into our souls.

The cross was designed to defeat Satan, who by deception had obtained squatters’ rights to the title of the earth.

While the West had lulled itself to sleep with the comforting doctrine of man’s achievements, a great revolution had been in progress in Russia. The hammer pounded and the sickle gleaned until a new social order called Communism emerged as one of the most powerful ideologies of all time. It challenged every concept man had ever held. It threatened the life of the whole world. It became the greatest challenge Christianity had faced in 2,000 years. It was a fanatic religion that asked questions and demanded answers.

America’s Declaration of Independence speaks of “the pursuit of happiness,” but nowhere in the Bible are we told to pursue this. Happiness is elusive, and we don’t find it by seeking it.

On the cross Christ took upon Himself every sin we’ve ever committed—including anger.

Modern war is the most highly developed of all sciences. We have perfected our weapons but failed to perfect the men who use them.

Prayer is crucial in evangelism: Only God can change the heart of someone who is in rebellion against Him. No matter how logical our arguments or how fervent our appeals, our words will accomplish nothing unless God’s Spirit prepares the way.

The word lust [can] mean “selfish desire.” . . .It is wanting something so badly you will do anything to get it. That is one of the tricks of the devil. It is too high a price to pay.

Pentecost was the day of power of the Holy Spirit. It was the day the Christian church was born.

Prayer is our lifeline to God.

It is a comfort to hear the words of God in times of stress.

It is a tragic fact that the vast majority of Christians today are living a sub-normal Christian life.

You cannot pray for someone and hate them at the same time.

Faith points us beyond our problems to the hope we have in Christ.

One of the characteristics of some drugs (such as cocaine) is that they make a person feel strong and alert—when in fact the opposite is the case. Don’t allow yourself to be deceived.

God’s forgiveness is not just a casual statement; it is the complete blotting out of all dirt and degradation of our past, present, and future.

Parenting is the most important responsibility most of us will ever face, and none of us does it perfectly.

Never forget: Death was Satan’s greatest victory.

All around you are people who need Christ: your family, your neighbors, people you work with or go to school with every day. Are you praying for them, asking God to open the door of their hearts to His truth?

A prayerless Christian is a powerless Christian.

Faith is loved and honored by God more than any other single thing.

The Spirit of God takes the Word of God and makes the child of God.

Christ broke the bonds of death by His resurrection, and from that moment on, Satan was a defeated foe.

Everyone has temptations but some folks entertain them . . .Get your eyes off the temptation and onto Christ!

The secret of domestic happiness is to let God, the party of the third part in the marriage contract, have His rightful place in the home. Make peace with Him and then you can be a real peacemaker in the home.

Jesus knows the intentions of our hearts and what we do in secret.

God—the Bible’s Author—loves you and wants you to be His child through faith in Jesus Christ.

Being pure in conduct also includes honesty and integrity in dealing with our fellowmen. A Christian should be known in his neighborhood or place of business as an honest person.

Preaching the whole council of God involves man’s environment and physical being as well as his soul. There is no doubt that the church is in danger of getting off the main track and getting lost.

Thousands of pastors, Sunday school teachers, and Christian workers are powerless because they do not make the Word the source of their preaching or teaching.

Today we have more knowledge than at any other time in history. In seconds our laptops or PCs can call up information about a topic that would have taken years to collect. Young people graduate with more knowledge than ever before—but in spite of their knowledge, they are confused, bewildered, frustrated, and without moral moorings.

The apostle Paul urges Christians everywhere in all ages to be nonconformists as far as the world system is concerned. We are not to conform. A true Christian, living an obedient life, is a constant rebuke to those who accept themoral standards of this world.

The greatest need in the world is the transformation of human nature. We need a new heart that will not have lust and greed and hate in it. We need a heart filled with love and peace and joy, and that is why Jesus came into the world.

Joy cannot be pursued. It comes from within. It is a state of being. It does not depend on circumstances, but triumphs over circumstances. It produces a gentleness of spirit and a magnetic personality.

You will never know the peace with God, peace of conscience, peace of mind, and peace of soul until you stand at the foot of the cross and identify yourself with Christ by faith . . . this is peace with God.

When disappointment or tragedy or suffering strikes, we have a decision to make: Will we turn away from God, or will we turn toward Him? Which road will we take? One road leads to doubt, anger, bitterness, fear, hopelessness, and despair.The other leads to hope, comfort, peace, strength, and joy.

It is impossible to believe anything into existence. The Gospel did not come into being because men believed it . . .The fact always precedes the faith.

You can’t change the past. But with God’s help you can change the future. No matter what your life has been like so far, God wants to put your feet on a new path . . . a better path . . . His path.

Prayers have no boundaries. They can leap miles and continents and be translated instantly into any language.

One response was given by the innkeeper when Mary and Joseph wanted to find a room where the Child could be born. The innkeeper was not hostile; he was not opposed to them, but his inn was crowded; his hands were full; his mind was preoccupied. This§ is the answer that millions are giving today. Like a Bethlehem innkeeper, they cannot find room for Christ. All the accommodations in their hearts are already taken up by other crowding interests. Their response is not atheism. It is not defiance. It is preoccupation and the feeling of being able to get on reasonably well without Christianity.

Truth is easier for a child to handle than evasiveness.

One of the ironies of human nature is that it often has a way of rejecting the best and accepting the worst.

Drinking and other forms of body-wrecking pleasures are signs of weakness rather than manliness. It takes a better man to live a clean life—free from the stimulants, depressants, and drugs—than to be artificially [stimulated].

Sin, like a deadly cancer, has invaded every area of our lives: our bodies, our minds, our emotions, our wills—everything.

Anger and bitterness—whatever the cause—only end up hurting us. Turn that anger over to Christ.

No matter how we may rationalize the practice [of homosexuality] . . . Romans 1 makes it clearly the product of a reprobate mind . . .I am not exonerating all heterosexual activity . . . When we come to Christ, we are called upon to repent of our sins and no longer to practice the ungodly patterns of living.

One result of family failure has been the loss of dignity. No better example can be found than in the use of language. [Language has been reduced to] a four-letter word in movies, on television, in comedy routines, and in real life.

The Western world’s sole objective seems to be success, status, security, self-indulgence, pleasure, and comfort.

Modern Western culture has become a mixture of paganism and Christianity. We are a blend of both. We talk of God, but we often act as though we are atheists.

I urge new converts to take plenty of time in Bible study and prayer before getting on a public platform to testify.

It is vitally important for local church leaders to keep in touch with the spiritual state of their members, to discuss their level of biblical knowledge, and to teach them how to study God’s Word and pray.

God gave the Bible to us because He wants us to know Him and love Him and serve Him. Most of all, He gave it to us so we can become more like Christ.