“Church is not for pretenders and performers. Church is a place for pastors to preach principles of the faith in order to prepare believers to face the storms of life on the stage of an unbelieving world.”
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Billy Graham
“Nowhere has God promised anyone, even His children, immunity from sorrow, suffering, and pain. This world is a “vale of tears,” and disappointment and heartache are as inevitable as clouds and shadows. Suffering is often the crucible in which our faith is tested. Those who successfully come through the “furnace of affliction” are the ones who emerge “like gold tried in the fire.”
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Billy Graham
“Christ warned His followers that to believe in Him would not make them popular, and that they should be prepared to face affliction for His sake.”
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Billy Graham
“Christianity increases the scope and area of our lives.”
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Billy Graham
“The same Book that tells us over and over again of God’s love warns us constantly of the devil who would come between us and God, the devil who is ever waiting to ensnare men’s souls.”
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Billy Graham
“We say to our children, “Act like grown-ups,” but Jesus said to the grown-ups, “Be like children.”
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Billy Graham
“Don’t forget: Without fuel, a fire grows cold—and without the “fuel” of the Bible, prayer, and Christian fellowship, our faith grows cold.”
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Billy Graham
“Faith in Christ is voluntary. A person cannot be coerced, bribed, or tricked into trusting Jesus. God will not force His way into your life. The Holy Spirit will do everything possible to disturb you, draw you, love you—but finally it is your personal decision.”
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Billy Graham
“In God’s glorious presence, all our concerns and griefs will be erased. It’s hard to imagine how we can be happy if our loved ones aren’t in Heaven because of their unbelief, but Scripture assures that “even the memory of them will disappear” (Psalm 9:6 TLB). God’s plan will be revealed, in all of its fullness, in Heaven. Our present understanding is limited, but one day we will comprehend the perfection of His justice and mercy: “The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. . . . be glad and rejoice” (Isaiah 65:17–18).”
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Billy Graham
“Sin was conquered on the cross. [Christ’s] death is the foundation of our hope, the promise of our triumph!”
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Billy Graham
“Our worldly wisdom has made us calloused and hard. Our natural wisdom, as the Scriptures teach, comes not from God, but is earthly, sensual, and devilish.”
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Billy Graham
“The secret strength of a nation is found in the faith that abides in the hearts and homes of the country.”
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Billy Graham
“The Bible is the constant fountain for faith, conduct, and inspiration from which we drink daily.”
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Billy Graham
“JANUARY 11 FAITH GROWS BY EXPRESSION You are the light of the world. MATTHEW 5:14 Tom Allan, Scotland’s famous preacher, was brought to Christ while a soldier was singing, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” He said it was neither the song nor the voice, but the spirit in which that soldier sang—something about his manner, something about his sincerity of expression—that convicted Allan of his wicked life and turned him to the Savior. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. . . . Let your light so shine before [others], that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:14, 16). Our faith becomes stronger as we express it; a growing faith is a sharing faith. Pray now for those you know who need Christ, and ask God to help you be a witness to them—by the life you live and the words you speak. JANUARY 12 ALL FOR JESUS We are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. 1 JOHN 5:20 In His Steps, by Charles M. Sheldon, tells of a challenge given by a pastor to his people to pledge for one year not to do anything without first asking the question: “What would Jesus do?” This challenge was kindled when a shabby man, mourning his wife who”
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Billy Graham
