Billy Graham Quotes - Page 27

I am conscious of the fact that the subject of hell is not a very pleasant one. It is very unpopular, controversial, and misunderstood . . .As a minister I must deal with it. I cannot ignore it.

Satan rejoices when old habits overwhelm [us] and we cave in to the pressure of the crowd . . .perhaps temptation lures [us] into sin . . .a backsliding Christian compromises their faith and causes unbelievers to mock the Gospel.

Effective preaching must be biblical preaching, whether it is the exposition of a single word in the Bible, a text, or a chapter. The Word is what the Spirit uses.

Our imaginations are so stilted. The very thought of being like Jesus is breathtaking.

Partial education throughout the world is far worse than none at all if we educate the mind but not the soul.

Our creativity, our inner sense of right and wrong, our ability to love and to reason—all bear witness to the fact that God created us in His image. The Bible says God “has not left himself without testimony” [Acts 14:17 NIV].

What is your story? Be ready to share it when the Lord gives you the opportunity.

In thousands of churches [people] are led astray theologically. Thus spiritually and morally they are drifting aimlessly, without compass or guide.

There must be no discrepancy between what we say and what we do, between our walk and our talk.

Every journey has a starting point . . . and it has an end. God meant for [life] to be filled with joy and purpose. He invites us to . . . take the rest of our journey with Him.

A Christian funeral should be a coronation ceremony, a statement to the world about eternal life.

The Bible teaches us to be more concerned about the needs and feelings of others than our own. We are to encourage and build self-confidence in our loved ones, friends, and associates.

Marriage is the most serious long-term contract a couple will make in their lifetime, but many enter into it with a lack of maturity and knowledge. The growing number of divorces shows how imperative it is that young people be adequately prepared for marriage.

The Bible teaches that faith is the only approach that we have to God. No man has sins forgiven, no man goes to heaven, no man has assurance of peace and happiness, until he has faith in Jesus Christ.

All false religions cut away parts of God’s revelation, add ideas of their own, and come out with various viewpoints that differ from God’s revelation in the Bible.

God’s Word is not a book of human ideas . . . it is given to us by [God] to teach us how to live.

Children must be taught obedience just as much as they need to be taught to read and write.

Satan will do everything he can to divide Christians and destroy our witness. Only the Holy Spirit can subdue our old nature and overcome it with God’s love.

Among those Christians to whom hell means little, Calvary means less.

Jesus Christ said the gate that leads to destruction is wide and the way is broad, but the gate which leads to life is straight and the way narrow.

[The Bible] warns us about “the little foxes, that spoil the vines” [Song of Solomon 2:15 KJV]. This is a picture of the way “little” sinscan destroy our fruitfulness for the Lord.

What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is calledthe Christ?” (Matthew 27:22 NIV). This is the most important question that has ever been asked. It is also the question you must ask yourself.

Life is just a schoolroom with a glorious opportunity to prepare us for eternity.

Amazing things can happen when the family of God bands together.

Christians ought to carry written in our hearts the solemn truth of how short is our opportunity to witness for Christ and live for Him.

We are commissioned to make disciples, to bring them into the same direct relationship with Christ as those who left their nets and their fishing boats to become “fishers of men.

In a decadent society the will to believe, to resist, to contend, to fight, to struggle is gone. In place of this will to resist, there is the desire to conform, to drift, to follow, to yield, and not give up.

I have been asked the question, “Who do you go to for counsel, for spiritual guidance?’ My answer: My wife, Ruth. She is the only one I completely confide in.

The searchlight of [God’s] Spirit will probe the inner depths of your soul and reveal things that you think you have already yielded, but you have not.

Believers need the gift of discernment, or at least respect for the opinions of those who have it . . .believers are to test the various spirits and doctrines that abound.Most of all we are to test them against thestandard of the Word of God.

The central message of the Bible is Jesus Christ.

Grief turns us inward, but compassion turns us outward, and that’s what we need when grief threatens to crush us. The Bible says, “Carry each other’s burdens” [Galatians 6:2 NIV].

The human conscience is often beyond the grasp of a psychiatrist . . .Humans are helpless to detach themselves from the gnawing guilt of a heart bowed down with the weight of sin. But where humans have failed, God has succeeded.

Our chaotic, confused world has no greater need than to hear the Gospel truth.

Many people plan financially for retirement—but not spiritually and emotionally.

The greatest tribute a boy can give to his father is to say, “When I grow up, I want to be just like my dad.” It is a convicting responsibility for us fathers and grandfathers.

I don’t believe that young people today can live clean, pure lives without the help of God. The peer pressure is too great and the temptations they see in the movies and on television, and what they hear in their music is too much. Only Christ can give them the power to say no.

Our souls set us apart from every other living creature, and that makes us unique. It also makes us fully human.

If a child is to survive, he or she must know the rules of safety. If he is to be healthy, he must know the rules of health. If he is to drive a car, he must know the rules of the road. If he is to become a ball player, he must learn the rules of the game. And, contrary to popular thinking, children appreciate rules.

To a sinner, a righteous person is an oddity and an abnormality. A Christian’s goodness is a rebuke to the wicked; his being right-side up is a reflection upon the worldling’s inverted position.

As long as you look only at the situation in the world today, it will be very hard . . . to overcome your worries because it is true that there are many problems and the future is unknown to us. Lift your eyes beyond your circumstances and learn instead to trust God. Worrying . . . won’t change anything.

The Christian’s journey through life isn’t a sprint but a marathon.

Persecution is one of the natural consequences of living the Christian life. It is to the Christian what “growing pains” are to the growing child. No pain, no development. No suffering, no glory. No struggle, no victory. No persecution, no reward!

Are your beliefs anchored in a faith that can withstand emotionalism, the drug culture, social and peer pressure, and material temptations? The world is seething with demonic energy. Only supreme inner strength can resist its ceaseless hassling.

The world I once knew as a boy has changed dramatically . . . I don’t even recognize the world we live in today.

America has probably been the most successful experiment in history. The American Dream was a glorious attempt. It was built on a religious foundation. Its earliest concepts came from Holy Scripture.

We relegate God to our spare time—but end up never having any spare time! Jesus said, “Seek first his kingdom” [Matthew 6:33 NIV].

Man is precisely what the Bible says he is. Human nature is behaving exactly as the Bible said it would. The course of human events is flowing just as Christ predicted.

If ever we needed to put the Golden Rule into action, it’s with our aging parents.

The greatest barrier to knowing God’s will is simply that we want to run our own lives. Our problem is that a battle is going on in our hearts—a battle between our wills and God’s will.

Think of working forever at something you love to do, for [the] one you love with all your heart, and never getting tired! We will never know weariness in heaven.

Do not expect me to fall in with the evil customs and ways of the world. I am in Rome, but I will not do as Rome does. I am an alien, a stranger, and a foreigner. My citizenship is in heaven.

Satan didn’t lose any of his beguiling ways when he became the fallen prince. He took his charm, his subtleties, and his clever plots to use on us.

Oh God, if You want me to preach, I will do it.

Without Ruth’s partnership and encouragement over the years, my own work would have been impossible. We were called by God as a team.

God promises no easy life or days without troubles, trials, difficulties, and temptations. He never promises that life will be perfect. He does not call His children to a playground, but to a battleground.

A loving God ordained monogamous marriage and the sanctity of what we call the traditional family.

Salvation is free! God puts no price tag on the Gift of gifts.

Our lives are to be characterized by patience, for it is important in developing the mature, stable character which God wants to produce in His people.

Satan does not care how much you theorize about Christianity or how much you profess to know Christ. What he opposes vigorously is the way you live Christ.