Billy Graham Quotes - Page 22

Among young people . . . drinking is for getting drunk. And many go on to become alcoholics.

The underlying principle of all Satan’s tactics is deception. He is a crafty and clever camouflager.

Man has no ability to repair this damaged planet. The flaw in human nature is too great. God is our only hope!

Reading the Bible has a purifying effect upon the heart and mind. As you read, the Holy Spirit will enlighten the passages for you.

We can possess nothing—no property and no person . . . It is God who owns everything, and we are but stewards of His property during the brief time we are on earth.

Nowhere do the Scriptures tell us to seek results, nor do the Scriptures rebuke evangelists if the results are meager.

The very ones whose social pressure cause you to compromise will despise you for it. They probably respect your convictions,and many of them wish they had the moral stamina to stand alone.May the Lord give you added courage to be a witness for Him,even in a hard place.

A spirit of thankfulness is one of the most distinctive marks of a Christian whose heart is attuned to the Lord. Thank God in the midst of trials and every persecution.

[Our] minds are molded in many different ways— often in ways we are not aware of at the time. I am convinced that many things—the films we watch, the television we see, the music we listen to, the books we read—have a great effect on us.

There is a great counterfeiter who adapts himself to every culture, even deceiving true believers at times. He doesn’t charge on the scene clothed in red and wearing a hideous mask but charms his way as an “angel of light.” This is how Satan operates.

Heavenly rest will be so refreshing that we will never feel that exhaustion of mind and body we so frequently experience now. I’m really looking forward to that.

In heaven . . . the “communication gap” will be closed.

The Bible says more about hell than about heaven.

There is legitimate pleasure, which is not wrong, but we are not to become so preoccupied with its activities that it takes the place of God.

Bitterness is anger gone sour, an attitude of deep discontent that poisons our souls and destroys our peace.

Nothing seems to satisfy. Not politics, not education, not material goods. Some who refuse to turn their hearts toward God have created the New Age movement, with all of its aberrations. This is actually not new but only the latest attempt by man to place something other than Christ inside himself in a futile attempt to satisfy spiritual longings.

[Christ’s] goodness is still a rebuke to our badness; His purity still shows up our impurities; His sinlessness still reveals our sinfulness; and unless we allow [Jesus] to destroy the evil within us, the evil within us still wants to destroy Him. This is the conflict of the ages.

Though the Christian has no immunity from death and no claim to perpetual life on this planet, death is to him a friend rather than a foe, the beginning rather than the end, another step on the pathway to heaven rather than a leap into a dark unknown.

Have you fallen into the world’s trap, following its self-indulgent goals and driven by its self-centered motives? It can happen without you even being aware of it. Make sure Christ is first in your life, and make it your goal to live according to His Word.

Christians are not powerless. We have the mighty power of God available through God the Holy Spirit, even in this world.

My job is to preach the Gospel, which has the power to change men’s lives from the inside out.

Guard your tongue, and use it for good instead of evil. How many marriages or friendships have been destroyed because of criticism that spiraled out of control? How many relationships have broken down because of a word spoken thoughtlessly or in anger? A harsh word can’t be taken back; no apology can fully repair its damage.

Whatever is unlike Christ in conduct, speech, or disposition grieves the Spirit of grace.

It may shock some parents to learn that we don’t own our children. God has given them to us in trust . . . however, God may transfer our children to His home at any time.

I come in contact with mixed-up people, young men and women caught in the anguish of their own unpreparedness, intellectuals who have been seduced by false science, and rich men held in the grip of insecurity. They have no commitment to any goal. They lack an anchorage for their real self. And I long to take every one of them by the hand and lead them into the presence of the One who said, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” [Matthew 11:28 KJV].

Patience is part of true Christlikeness, something we so often admire in others without demanding it of ourselves.

As Christians, we are not to get our worlds mixed up . . . We are not to mingle with the world, but we are to witness to the world.

There are many irritations in life. They become prime opportunities for Satan to lead us into evil passion. Keep anger clear of bitterness, spite, or hatred.

To injure, ignore, disrespect, and violate the innocence of a child are among the greatest evils known to man.

Oh that we would hunger to be filled with the Word of God; for there is no greater armor, no greater strength, no greater assurance that He is with us, and in us, when we go forth in battle equipped and nourished by His instruction and determined to stand firm on His promises.

A true servant of God is someone who helps another succeed.

If anything has been accomplished through my life, it has been solely God’s doing, not mine, and He—not I—must get the credit.

God’s standard is expressed in the Bible, and the ultimate example of that standard is Jesus Christ. When we live by the truth, we possess integrity.

Each of us has a tongue and a voice. These instruments of speech can be used destructively or employed constructively.

Only the forward-looking Christian remains sincerely optimistic and joyful, knowing that Christ will win in the end.

Only one answer will give a person the certain privilege, the joy, of entering heaven. “Because I have believed in Jesus Christ and accepted Him as my Savior.

Don’t give Satan a foothold, but discipline yourself to stay close to God. He alone is your security.

Be a good witness by the way you live. The way we live is often more convincing than the words we say.

Persecution may wear an insulting face. Insults may come as a result of a Christian’s lifestyle, which should be different from that of the secular world.

Do not be content to skim through a chapter [of the Bible] merely to satisfy your conscience. Hide the Word of God in your heart.

Where students talk about being independent and on their own, you will find them practicing the most rigid conformity in dress, in speech, in moral attitudes, and in thinking. Sometimes they follow fashion at the expense of integrity. They dread to be alone. They do not want to stand out or be different. They want to conform. After they graduate from college, many of these young people want nothing more than a good job with a big firm, and a home somewhere in suburbia. But they don’t find security.

A good marriage is not “made in heaven,” but on earth. Love is a fragile commodity which needs to be cultivated and nourished constantly.

Our voices, our service, and our abilities are to be employed, primarily, for the glory of God.

Do you really want happiness? Then you will have to pay the price of humbling yourself at the foot of the cross and receiving Christ as Savior.

It is unbelief that shuts the door to heaven and opens it to hell. It is unbelief that rejects the Word of God and refuses Christ as Savior. It is unbelief that causes men to turn a deaf ear to the Gospel.

Your future does not hinge on the world situation, however grim it might become. It depends on what happened 2,000 years ago at the cross and your acceptance or rejection of the Prince of Peace.

Sin is often, if not always, the perversion of something good. In the midst of all our sinning, though, God is willing to forgive us, change us,and give us a new power to overcome that sin.

Jesus expects one hundred percent surrender, and when that is accomplished He rewards a thousandfold.

There are two masters, and you have to choose which master you are going to serve.

The influence of sin touches the innocent as well as the guilty.

Popularity and adulation are far more dangerous for the Christian than persecution. It is easy when all goes smoothly to lose our sense of balance and perspective.

There are so many professing Christians who are walking hand in hand with the world that you cannot tell the difference between the Christian and the unbeliever. This should never be.

When you truly love someone, you want to please and honor them by the way you act. How you treat someone shows whether or not you really care about them.

The same conditions that prevailed in Rome prevail in our society. Before Rome fell, her standards were abandoned, the family disintegrated, divorce prevailed, immorality was rampant, and faith was at a low ebb.

Christ needs people today who are made of martyr stuff! Dare to take a strong, uncompromised stand for Him.

It is no accident that the words discipline and disciple resemble each other in the English language. The most common word in the Gospels for a Christian is disciple.

Every law that God has given has been for man’s benefit. If man breaks it, he is not only rebelling against God; he is hurting himself.

Christ did not die by accident. He died voluntarily in our place.

Satan will thrash about in one last burst of evil,hoping to capture as many souls as possible before his inevitable end.

During all my years as an evangelist,my message has always been the Gospel of Christ.It is not a Western religion, nor is it a message of one culture or political system . , .it is a message of life and hope for all the world.