Nearing Home by Billy Graham (best book club books for discussion txt) 📗

strengthen us in times of trouble. “The Spirit helps us in our weakness” (Romans 8:26), and this includes more than just helping us as we pray. When hard times come, He may bring to mind passages of Scripture that assure us of God’s love and protection. When temptations assail us, the Spirit strengthens us and gives us courage to fight our adversary, the devil. Paul prayed that God “out of his glorious riches . . . may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being” (Ephesians 3:16).

Finally, the Holy Spirit has come to change us from within. God wants to change our lives, to make us more like Christ. It is never a question of how much we have of the Spirit but of how much He has of us. The Bible says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Is this happening in your life?

Don’t try to fight the battle of the Christian life in your own strength. Instead turn to God in submission and faith, and trust His Holy Spirit to help you.

The Gift of Prayer

Some people look on prayer as a burden or obligation, but in reality prayer is one of our greatest privileges as God’s children. Think of it: the God of the universe wants us to bring every concern to Him in prayer! I have never met anyone who spent time in daily prayer, studied God’s Word regularly, and was strong in faith who was ever discouraged for very long. The Bible says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7).

Does God always answer our prayers the way we wish He would? No, not necessarily—nor has He promised to do so. He sees the whole picture, but we don’t; He knows what is best for us, but we often don’t. Sometimes, therefore, He says no, or “Not now.” But God has promised to hear us when we pray and to answer our prayers in His time and in His way: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (1 John 5:14).

Remember, however, that prayer isn’t just asking for things we want. Prayer is for every moment of our lives, not just for times of suffering or joy. Prayer is really a place, a place where you meet God in genuine conversation. True prayer includes thanking and praising Him for who He is and all He does. The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to “pray continually”—and not just when we are facing a crisis or want God to do something for us. No matter how dark and hopeless a situation may seem, never stop praying. Prayer should be an attitude of life. We cannot afford to be too busy to pray.

I often receive letters from invalids and older people who say, “All I can do is pray.” I’ve often answered back, “God bless you for doing the most important thing.” I can remember the comfort I felt in my early years of ministry just knowing that my mother was home praying for me. It strengthened me, and God used that information to help me stay focused and committed to the task He had given me. We need armies of pray-ers.

The Gift of Fellowship

We are not meant to be isolated from and independent of each other, either as human beings or as Christians. We need other people in our lives, and they need us. This is especially true as we seek to grow in faith. The Bible says, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another” (Hebrews 10:25). A solitary Christian is inevitably a weak Christian because he or she is failing to draw strength from what God is doing in the lives of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

If you aren’t presently part of a church fellowship, ask God to guide you to a church where you can grow in your faith through biblical preaching and teaching and worship. The church is a storehouse of spiritual food. This is where our souls are fed, nourished, and developed into maturity. It is there we can “encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

The Gift of Service

Just as our bodies need exercise to be strong physically, our faith needs exercise if we are to be strong spiritually.

It has often been noted that several rivers flow into the Dead Sea, but no river flows from it. That’s why its water has become so saturated with minerals over the centuries that nothing is able to live in it. Without any outlet it indeed has become a “dead” sea. The same is true with us. If we keep faith to ourselves, if we never allow it to flow through us to enrich others, and if it has no outlet, then we will find ourselves like the Dead Sea—lifeless and spiritually dead.

God wants to use you right where you are. Every day you probably come into contact with people who will never enter a church or talk with a pastor or open a Bible. You may be the bridge God uses to bring them to His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Anyone can be a servant, no matter how inadequate he or she may feel. Moses himself protested that he could not speak for God because he was ineloquent, maybe suffering from a speech impediment (Exodus 4:10). A wonderful friend Dr. Irmhild Bärend, who serves as our editor for Decision Magazine in Germany, became paralyzed some years ago. In spite of her hardships, she has a countenance that radiates her love for Christ. She is grateful for every trip to