Billy Graham in Quotes

by Thomas Nelson, Franklin Graham (Editor), Donna Lee Toney (Editor), Billy Graham (Introduction)

Overview

God Speaks His Word Straight Into The Hearts Of Men And Women. The Word Of God Is Alive And Active Today In The Lives Of Millions.

With the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ as his singular focus, Billy Graham faithfully, passionately, and unapologetically preached God’s Word for more than seventy years. At the age of ninety-two, during an exclusive Fox News interview in 2010, Dr. Graham told Greta van Susteren, “I have a tremendous amount of hope for the future because of Jesus Christ.”

In this stunning collection of quotes by Billy Graham comes a historic anthology covering seven decades of ministry, drawing from both his published and personal works. These pages are filled with hope, truth, and redemption and seek the hearts of a lost people who need God now more than ever.

Today we are putting our hopes in materialism, in technological progress, and in freedom from moral absolutes. They have all failed. They have failed because they have been powerless to change the human heart.

Join Billy Graham as he seeks to bring God’s Word to the heart of daily life. Reconnect and be drawn like never before. “Hearing Billy Graham express hope for the world gives me hope that my life can be worthwhile,” comments one twenty-two-year-old. Arranged topically for easy reference, Billy Graham in Quotes provides insight on more than one hundred topics anchored in Scripture. This gifted evangelist takes the focus off of the messenger and shines the Light on the Message of God’s Word.

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

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780849949821
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	04/18/2011
Sold by:	HarperCollins Publishing
Format:	eBook
Pages:	448
File size:	686 KB

About the Author

Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse, is also president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The fourth of Billy and Ruth Bell Graham’s five children, Franklin is the author of several books, including the bestselling autobiography Rebel with a Cause and the 2013 release of Operation Christmas Child: A Story of Simple Gifts. He and his wife, Jane Austin, live in Boone, North Carolina, and have four children and twelve grandchildren.

Donna Lee Toney, a colleague of Franklin Graham for more than thirty-seven years, has been involved in the ministries of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and has been in literary collaboration with them since 1982, most recently on the release of the New York Times bestseller Where I Am and the bestselling The Reason for My Hope: Salvation with Billy Graham.

Billy Graham (1918–2018), world-renowned preacher, evangelist, and author, delivered the Gospel message to more people face-to-face than anyone in history and ministered on every continent of the world in almost 200 countries and territories. His ministry extended far beyond stadiums and arenas, utilizing radio, television, film, print media, wireless communications, and thirty-three books, all that still carry the Good News of God's redemptive love for mankind. Engraved on a simple fieldstone in the Memorial Prayer Garden where he is buried at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina, these words exemplify how the man and the minister wished to be remembered: "Preacher of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ."

Read an Excerpt

Billy Graham in Quotes

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By Franklin Graham Donna Lee Toney

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2011 Franklin Graham
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-8499-4833-6

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Chapter One

Billy Graham on Abortion

You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book! —Psalm 139:16 TLB

* * *

The widespread acceptance of abortion is a symbol or sign of something deeper within our society that should also concern us greatly. This is the tendency today to decide moral issues or questions only on the basis of whether or not they are convenient or bring pleasure to a person.

* * *

I do not feel the church as an organization should become involved in political matters ... However, when political issues also have moral and spiritual dimensions ... we have a responsibility to speak for the truth. I believe things like abortion are morally wrong ... we have a responsibility to take a stand.

* * *

Abortion has divided our nation like no other issue in recent times ... The Bible places the highest value on human life. It is sacred and of inestimable worth to God, who created it "in His own image." The Bible recognizes the unborn as being fully human.

* * *

As Christians we have an obligation to show others what God says about living self-controlled lives and being responsible for our moral actions, as God defines them. We must never think that we can solve one moral crisis by condoning another, especially the crime of murder, for unrestrained abortion is nothing less than that.

* * *

How ironic this maudlin defense of immorality sounds in the light of its devastating legacy to the nation: millions of illegitimate births, shattered personalities, divorce, abortions, and rampant sexual diseases—some of which are incurable. God expressly forbids irresponsible sexual behavior, in order to spare us the disastrous consequences.

* * *

[Abortion] would destroy [a] precious life within [a woman], which would be wrong in God's eyes since that little life bears the image of God ... Every day I get letters from those who have had an abortion and now are riddled with guilt and depression over what they have done.

* * *

The issue [of] abortion is not whether you have a right to terminate the life of a child ... The real issue is whether or not you will insist on running your own life according to your own standards, or whether you will instead let God run your life.

Billy Graham on Addiction

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. —Proverbs 20:1 NKJV

* * *

Some of the most heart-breaking letters I receive are from people who tell how alcohol or drugs have ravaged their lives and destroyed their families.

* * *

Each generation becomes more addicted to the sedatives of life, to dull the pain of living.

* * *

The Bible condemns the use of any substance which alters or distorts our thinking (including alcohol, which was the most common drug in ancient times).

* * *

When the headlines get black and foreboding, the sale of alcohol and barbiturates rises in the country, as millions try to escape from the grim realities of [such] dangers.

* * *

Many people turn to alcohol to try to drown the [cries] and longings of the soul. Others attempt to quiet the longings of their souls in other ways. Nothing but God ever completely satisfies, because the soul is made for God.

* * *

Some years ago I was invited to be on a television talk show with one of the most famous personalities in America. Afterward she took me aside and told of the emptiness in her life. "My beauty is gone," she said, "I am getting old, I'm living on alcohol, and I have nothing to live for."

* * *

One of the most conspicuous modes of escape is alcoholism, which is now a national catastrophe.

* * *

This self-confident generation has produced more alcoholics, more drug addicts, more criminals, more wars, more broken homes, more assaults, more embezzlements, more murders, and more suicides ... it is time all of us ... begin to take stock of our failures, blunders, and costly mistakes. It is about time that we place less confidence in ourselves and more trust and faith in God.

* * *

Escapism seems to be the order of the day ... Escape with drugs or alcohol, and the bitterness of living will be blurred ... We can't escape from God.

* * *

Researchers have found that peer pressure exerted within a clique has caused every one of its members to experiment with drugs, to engage in murderous gang fights, to steal autos, and to violate the seventh commandment.

* * *

Liquor is not necessary either for health or for so-called gracious living ... It is the cause of untold sorrow, suffering, and material loss, not to mention the spiritual implications of drinking.

* * *

Drunkenness. This Greek word means overindulgence in alcohol. Alcohol may be used for medicine, but it can also become a terrible drug. The way it is used in our world is probably one of the great evils of our day. It is a self-inflicted impediment that springs from "a man taking a drink, a drink taking a drink, and drink taking the man." Distilled liquors as we have them today were unknown in Bible times.

* * *

In Houston, Texas, a man was born again in one of our meetings. He owned a liquor store. The next morning he had a sign on the front of his door saying, "Out of business."

* * *

Drinking has become one of the most serious social problems. It is basically the result of an attempt to escape from the responsibilities and realities of life.

* * *

A senator once confided to me that the greatest need in Washington was the elimination of the cocktail party. He said: "It consumes so much of our time that we don't have time for matters of state."

* * *

Volumes could be written on the problem of [drug] addiction. Millions of barbiturates are swallowed every night to help the nation sleep. Millions of tranquilizers keep us calm during the day. Millions of pep pills wake us up in the morning. The Bible warns that these flights from reality bring no lasting satisfaction.

* * *

The Greek word used in the New Testament to designate a sorcerer or a person who practiced occult magic is "pharmakeus," or one who mixed drugs and used them to induce spells ... Such practices are included in the list of "acts of the sinful nature" in Galatians 5:19–21 that God will judge.

* * *

Many people are trying to steady themselves by taking tranquilizers. Jesus is the greatest tranquilizer of all. He can straighten out your life and put you back on center.

* * *

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.

* * *

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

* * *

Drunkenness is not a new vice. Its ravages have always been a scourge on the human race ... Alcohol is a killer, a murderer.

* * *

Thousands are killed and injured every year by teenagers driving too fast or under the influence of drugs and drink ... others are killing [themselves] with alcohol or heroin overdoses.

* * *

In Christ alone there is deliverance from man's tortured thoughts and freedom from the sordid habits which are destroying so many people. Why does the Bible so clearly denounce drunkenness? Because it is an enemy of human life. Anything that is against a person's welfare, God is against.

* * *

Do not seek solace in alcohol. Alcohol obscures good judgment and leaves you unable to think clearly or understand what God is trying to say to you.

* * *

What began as an apparently harmless pastime has ended up as a frightening, overpowering addiction or obsession.

* * *

Some [young people] are taking pills called "heaven or hell" drugs, because you're liable to experience either one.

* * *

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].

* * *

The cult of self has become an addiction— feeding off the ego of self-glorification. The word cult encompasses many movements and ideas, but simply put, it describes a culture of alternative beliefs, fads, and trends, and tampers with just enough truth to knock many off balance.

* * *

There is hope for the alcoholic: God is able to deliver from this as well as any other addiction.

Billy Graham on Age

Listen to Me ... Even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! —Isaiah 46:3–4 NKJV

* * *

Old age has its compensations. More than ever I see each day as a gift from God. It is also a time to reflect back on God's goodness over the years and an opportunity to assure others that God truly is faithful to His promises.

* * *

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

* * *

Old age is Satan's last chance to blow us off course.

* * *

God isn't finished with you when you retire! When we know Christ, we never retire from His service.

* * *

God wants us to work (whether at home or on the job), but that doesn't mean it's wrong to retire. The Levites (who assisted in Israel's worship) were required to retire at fifty.

* * *

Ask [God] to help you reflect Christ as you grow older, instead of turning sour or grumpy.

* * *

Life can grow sweeter and more rewarding as we grow older if we possess the presence of Christ. Sunsets are always glorious. It is Christ who adds colors, glory, and beauty to man's sunsets.

* * *

Life has its share of joys and laughter—but we also know life's road is often very rough. Temptations assail us; people disappoint us; illness and age weaken us; tragedies and sorrows ambush us; evil and injustice overpower us. Life is hard—but God is good, and heaven is real!

Billy Graham on America

Come here and listen, O nations of the earth. Let the world and everything in it hear my words. —Isaiah 34:1

* * *

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.

* * *

Just as America has grown and prospered within the framework of our Constitution, so Christianity has flourished and spread according to the laws set forth in the Bible.

* * *

We have so many battles going on in America today that we should be a people of prayer. Our government needs prayer. Our leaders need prayer. Our schools need prayer. Our youth need our prayers. Our families need our prayers.

* * *

You can put a public school and university in the middle of every block of every city in America— but you will never keep America from rotting morally by mere intellectual education.

* * *

I believe America has gone a long way down the wrong road. If we ever needed God's help, it is now.

* * *

God honored and blessed America as few nations in history. However, in recent years the nation has been moving away from its religious heritage.

* * *

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.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Billy Graham in Quotes by Franklin Graham Donna Lee Toney Copyright © 2011 by Franklin Graham. Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

Foreword by Franklin Graham....................xi
Introduction....................xiii
Billy Graham on Abortion....................1
Billy Graham on Addiction....................3
Billy Graham on Age....................9
Billy Graham on America....................11
Billy Graham on Angels....................17
Billy Graham on Anger....................19
Billy Graham on Anxiety....................22
Billy Graham on the Bible....................24
Billy Graham on the Blood....................36
Billy Graham on Character....................38
Billy Graham on Children....................40
Billy Graham on Choice....................44
Billy Graham on Christianity....................47
Billy Graham on Church....................59
Billy Graham on Comfort....................68
Billy Graham on Commitment....................70
Billy Graham on Compromise....................73
Billy Graham on Conforming....................76
Billy Graham on Conscience....................79
Billy Graham on Conversion....................83
Billy Graham on Convictions....................85
Billy Graham on Creation....................87
Billy Graham on the Cross....................90
Billy Graham on Death....................95
Billy Graham on Deception....................101
Billy Graham on Decision....................103
Billy Graham on the Devil/Satan....................106
Billy Graham on Disappointment....................113
Billy Graham on Disciple ship and Discipline....................116
Billy Graham on Encouragement....................119
Billy Graham on End Times....................121
Billy Graham on Eternity....................125
Billy Graham on Evangelism....................127
Billy Graham on Evil....................130
Billy Graham on Faith....................133
Billy Graham on Family....................137
Billy Graham on Followers....................140
Billy Graham on Forgiveness....................143
Billy Graham on Glorifying God....................145
Billy Graham on God....................147
Billy Graham on God's Will....................154
Billy Graham on the Gospel....................156
Billy Graham on Grace....................159
Billy Graham on Greed....................161
Billy Graham on Grief....................163
Billy Graham on Happiness....................165
Billy Graham on the Heart....................168
Billy Graham on Heaven....................170
Billy Graham on Hell....................174
Billy Graham on Holiness....................177
Billy Graham on the Holy Spirit....................179
Billy Graham on Home....................183
Billy Graham on Hope....................188
Billy Graham on Human Nature....................190
Billy Graham on Imagination, Entertainment, and Fun....................193
Billy Graham on Influence....................195
Billy Graham on Integrity....................197
Billy Graham on Jesus....................200
Billy Graham on Joy....................203
Billy Graham on Judgment....................205
Billy Graham on Knowledge....................208
Billy Graham on Life....................210
Billy Graham on Living the Christian Life....................220
Billy Graham on Loneliness....................224
Billy Graham on Love....................226
Billy Graham on Lust....................230
Billy Graham on Marriage....................233
Billy Graham on Money....................239
Billy Graham on Morals....................243
Billy Graham on Parents....................246
Billy Graham on Patience....................249
Billy Graham on Peace....................251
Billy Graham on People....................255
Billy Graham on Persecution....................260
Billy Graham on Pleasure....................263
Billy Graham on Prayer....................265
Billy Graham on Preaching....................278
Billy Graham on Pride....................282
Billy Graham on Race....................284
Billy Graham on Religion....................287
Billy Graham on Repentance....................295
Billy Graham on the Resurrection....................298
Billy Graham on Right and Wrong....................300
Billy Graham on Salvation....................303
Billy Graham on Service....................306
Billy Graham on Sin....................309
Billy Graham on Society....................317
Billy Graham on the Soul....................320
Billy Graham on Speech....................325
Billy Graham on Strength....................328
Billy Graham on Success....................330
Billy Graham on Suffering....................333
Billy Graham on Surrender....................338
Billy Graham on Temptation....................340
Billy Graham on Testimony....................344
Billy Graham on Thankfulness....................346
Billy Graham on Time....................348
Billy Graham on Truth....................351
Billy Graham on War....................354
Billy Graham on Witnessing....................356
Billy Graham on the Word of God....................359
Billy Graham on Work....................364
Billy Graham on the World....................367
Billy Graham on World Evangelism....................376
Billy Graham on Worry....................379
Billy Graham on Worship....................381
Billy Graham on Young People....................383
Notes....................389
About the Authors....................433