Billy Graham Quotes - Page 7

Although the testimony of my mother’s life helped mold me and taught me how to live, the testimony of her last years and her death gave me insight into how to die.

The Bible is the textbook of revelation.In God’s great classroom there are three textbooks—one called nature, one called conscience, and one named Scripture. In the written textbook of revelation—the Bible—God speaks through words.

Man cannot control himself, and if he will not be controlled by Jesus Christ, then he will be controlled by Satan.

Right is right, and wrong is wrong, in small things as well as in big things.

Do your work with honesty and integrity, and don’t compromise God’s moral standards. It may be difficult, but it’s far better to do right than to do wrong. God is with you, and He will not abandon you.

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].

What right does any church have even attempting to approve of lifestyles or certain acts for which God prescribed the death penalty in the Old Testament?

The Spirit goes ahead of us when we witness— preparing the way, giving us the words, and granting us courage.

God’s goal isn’t just to remove the bad things in our lives; He wants to replace them with good things. His plan is to remake us from within, by His Holy Spirit.

God prescribes the remedy for the ills of the human race. That remedy is personal faith and commitment to Jesus Christ. The remedy is to be born again.

God has given us a message that is not only for past times and this time, but for all time.

Life and death is not a do-it-yourself project.

You and I, God’s ambassadors, are called to sound the warning, to call sinners to repentance, to point the way to peace with God and the hope that is in Christ.

Our generation has become well versed in Christian terminology but is remiss in the actual practice of Christ’s principles and teachings. Hence, our greatest need today is not more Christianity but more true Christians.

There are countless opportunities to comfort others, not only in the loss of a loved one, but also in the daily distress that so often creeps into our lives.

God gives us a glimpse of what heaven will be like for the believer. It will have the characteristics of a happy home, a holy city, a glorious garden, and a beautiful bride. This staggers the imagination!

We need to be on guard against greed . . . above all we need to make sure our lives are centered in Christ and not things.

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.

A baby isn’t meant to stay a baby forever, and neither is a new Christian.

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.

Envy and greed always—always—exact a terrible price. I have never met an envious or greedy person who was at peace.

God never leads us to do anything that is contrary to the Bible.

One of the great joys of my life has been to travel around the world and meet thousands of Christians in every country.

We have glamorized vice and minimized virtue. We have played down gentleness, manners, and morals—while we have played up rudeness, savagery, and vice . . . and the philosophy of “might is right.

The great commandment is that we preach the gospel to every creature, but neither God nor the Bible says anything about forcing it down people's throats.

Great crowds followed our Lord . . . as He healed the sick, raised the dead, and fed the hungry. However, the moment He started talking about the cross . . . “many . . . no longer followed him” (John 6:66 NIV).

The self-life manifests itself in self-indulgences, such as self-love, self-will, self-seeking, self-pride . . . It takes self-denial to turn off the television and spend [time] in prayer . . . and read the Scriptures . . .the only object in life is that Christ may be honored.

God wants us to know His will and He reveals it to us both through the Bible and through the guidance of His Holy Spirit. Seek God’s will when you pray, and He will help you know it.

Getting to know God and being able to call on Him is the most important step in storing up for the storms.

The world’s sewage system threatens to contaminate the stream of Christian thought. Satan will contest every hour you spend in Bible reading or prayer.

The Bible teaches that our homes should be hospitable and that those who come in and out of our homes should sense the presence of Christ.

The main “food” God has given to strengthen us is the Bible, the Word of God.

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.

As life hits us head-on we can respond with resentment, resignation, acceptance, or welcome. We are the living examples of our responses.

Satan has slaughtered, plundered, and bludgeoned his way through the centuries, manifesting himself in every false ideology, sect, and cult.

In our spiritual pilgrimage we see sins which mar our relationship with God, but beneath it is a commitment which seeks to move beyond to a higher life, based on wholehearted surrender to God.

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.

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

The Holy Spirit illuminates the minds of people, makes us yearn for God, and takes spiritual truth and makes it understandable to us.

Any work done by a follower of Christ to the glory of God is “gold, silver, precious stones.” But if any follower of Christ works with any self-interest or personal ambition involved, it will be “wood, hay, and stubble” and will be burned.

We have arrived at the point where we are flippant about God. We tell jokes about Him. God’s name is used so often in profanity in the entertainment world that sometimes it is embarrassing to watch television.

When God forgives, there is an immediate andcomplete change in relationship. Instead of hostility, there is love and acceptance. Instead of enmity, there is friendship.

Sometimes life touches one person with a bouquet and another with a thorn bush, But the first may find a wasp in the flowers, and the second may discover roses among the thorns.

If you are not careful you will find yourself actually in the employ of the devil. He is powerful, slick, crafty, wily, and subtle.

The devil is a master at making us question God and His Word. Twisting Scripture . . . taking a verse out of context . . .deceiving us into thinking God is mean-spirited—these are some of Satan’s favorite tricks.

I have never been to the North Pole, and yet I believe there is a North Pole. How do I know? I know because somebody told me. I read about it in a history book, I saw a map in a geography book, and I believe the men who wrote those books. I accept it by faith. The Bible says, “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” [Romans 10:17 KJV].

Are you willing to follow [Christ] with a disciplined mind and tongue?

It is important to realize that a person with the gift of discernment can often tell the difference between what is of God and what is not. Such a person can often point out false teachings or false teachers—he has an almost uncanny ability to perceivehypocrisy, shallowness, deceit, or phoniness.

God wants to use you right where you are. Every day you probably come in contact with people who will never enter a church, or talk with a pastor, or open a Bible— and God wants to use you to point them to Christ. You may be the “bridge” God would use to bring them to Himself.

Jesus Himself was the first missionary . . .He pledged His followers to be missionaries too!

It is only the consecrated, Spirit-filled Christian who can have victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil. It is the Holy Spirit who will do the fighting for you.

Many people are willing to have Jesus as part of their lives—as long as it doesn’t cost them anything. They may even profess faith in Jesus and join a church. But Jesus to them is almost like an insurance policy—something they obtain and then forget about until they die. What keeps you from being His disciple?

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

When our minds are on Christ, Satan has little room to maneuver.

Time is running out. The seconds are ticking away toward midnight. The human race is about to take the fatal plunge . . . Is there any authority left? Is there a path we can follow? Can we find a code book that will give us the key to our dilemmas? We do have authoritative source material. It is found in the ancient and historic Book we call the Bible.