We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 50
Q: Many of our church members are getting older and can’t get out much anymore. Our pastor tries to visit them, but what else could we do to stay in touch with them? I’m getting older myself, and this concerns me. — Mrs. B.T. A: I’m grateful for your interest in those who are older and aren’t able to attend church as often as they once did. It’s easy to overlook them, I know — and yet at one time they were a very important part of your church, and more than ever they need your love and spiritual encouragement. The Bible commands us to “show r...
Q: Mr. Graham, how would you like to be remembered? A: Editor’s note: Before his death, Billy Graham approved the following response as his final My Answer column. Mr. Graham’s column will continue in some form. I hope I will be remembered as someone who was faithful—faithful to God, faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and faithful to the calling God gave me not only as an evangelist, but as a husband, father and friend. I’m sure I’ve failed in many ways, but I take comfort in Christ’s promise of forgiveness, and I take comfort also in God...
Q: My ex-boyfriend knew I was a devout Christian, and he claimed he was also. He even started going to church with me. But then he pressured me to have sex, and when I refused, he just laughed at my beliefs and ended our relationship. This has really shaken me. How could anyone be so two-faced? — S.K. A: First of all, I commend you for your refusal to give in to his demands; God will reward you for your faithfulness to His moral standards. I trust that in time He’ll bring across your path a godly man who loves Christ and will love and respect y...
Q: When we do something wrong, why doesn’t God just ignore it? He knows we’re not perfect, so why doesn’t He just overlook the bad things we do and hope we’ll do better the next time? A: You’re right when you say that God knows we’re not perfect, because He knows all about us—not only what we do but what we think. The Bible says, “Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13). Why, then, doesn’t God simply ignore it when we do something wrong? One reason is because He knows what happe...
Q: To me, the only thing that’s important is focusing on our lives right now. People who believe in life after death and Heaven are just trying to escape from their present responsibilities. We need to concentrate on today, not day-dreaming about some “pie-in-the-sky” future in an imaginary Heaven. A: I’m thankful for your frankness (even if I don’t agree with you)—but as I read your letter, I couldn’t help but wonder why you had written me. Could it be because deep in your soul you wonder if you might be wrong? I don’t think I’ve ever met a...
Q: Every year we debate whether or not to invite my aunt for Thanksgiving. She’s a very negative person who spends her whole time complaining and criticizing everyone, and it gets very unpleasant. Would she get the message if we didn’t invite her this year? A: From what you say, I honestly doubt if she’ll “get the message” if you don’t invite her for Thanksgiving. Instead, you’ll probably just give her another excuse to complain and criticize you even more. The Bible bluntly says, “Whoever hates correction is stupid” (Proverbs 12:1)....
Q: I divorced my abusive husband after he got in trouble and ended up in prison, and I told him I never wanted to see him again. Now he claims he’s found God, and he says he wants to restart our relationship when he gets out in a few months. How do I know he isn’t just faking it? — L.McS A: You are wise to be cautious; not everyone who claims to be a follower of Jesus is actually committed to Him. Eleven of Jesus’ closest disciples truly believed in Him, but one — Judas — was only interested in himself and later betrayed Jesus. Don’t misun...
Q: I don’t understand myself. Sometimes I believe very strongly in Jesus and feel close to Him, but then it all fades away, and I’m filled with all kinds of doubts. Why can’t I have a strong faith, like some of my friends do? A: The most important truth I can tell you is that God doesn’t want you to have an unstable, up-and-down faith! He wants you to have a strong faith—and because God wants your faith to be strong, He has given you everything you need to make it possible. Think of it this way. Suppose you never ate nourishing food, or you ne...
It’s possible to live a good life without God — at the expense of the ultimate joy Q. : Our neighbors are some of the kindest and most moral people we know, and yet they don’t have any use for God. Unfortunately, another neighbor claims to be a Christian, but is one of the grumpiest people I’ve ever met. How do you explain this? — Mrs. E. A: Admittedly some people who don’t even believe in God put those of us who claim to follow Christ to shame. We should be grateful for their good lives; our world would be worse without them. Even if they don...
Don’t allow evil to cloud your perception of God Q. I have a friend who likes to ask me hard questions about the Bible (since he knows I’m a Christian). But even if I find an answer, he just comes up with another question. Sometimes I think he just likes to argue. Should I give up on him? A: No, don’t give up on him; even if he’s asking questions just to keep from facing his own spiritual need, God is able to break through the hard shell he seems to have built around his heart and mind. Do you remember Saul of Tarsus? He was convinced that Ch...
Don’t allow evil to cloud your perception of God Q. I find the Bible interesting (or at least parts of it), but I don’t think we ought to follow it as a guide for our lives. After all, it’s thousands of years old, and we live in a different world today. A:Yes, we do live in a different world — and yet millions of people all over the world still look to the Bible to guide them and give them hope. They have discovered that Jesus’ words — spoken almost 2,000 years ago — are still true: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will neve...
Don’t allow evil to cloud your perception of God Q. I don’t see how anyone can believe in God, especially in light of all the bad things that have been done in the name of religion over the centuries — wars, conflicts, oppression, hate, etc. We need to free ourselves from believing in God, because religion is evil. — H.J. A: It’s true that religion has sometimes been used as an excuse to commit great evil — tragically, even in our own time. The Bible warned that a time would come when “evildoers and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceivin...
Q: If Jesus came back to earth and walked down the street of almost any one of our major cities, would anyone recognize Him? I’m curious about this, because we don’t really know what He looked like, do we? A: No, the Bible doesn’t tell us exactly what Jesus looked like while He was on earth. He lived in the Middle East—a part of the world that touches the continents of Africa, Asia and Europe—and He probably was similar in appearance to any other man living in that part of the world. Remember: He came for all humanity. Over the centuries...
Q: Sometimes I feel like God is very close to me, but then something happens and I begin wondering if He's even there. I wish my faith wasn't so up and down, but it is. Am I always going to be this way? A: No, you don’t always need to be this way—because God doesn’t want you to be this way! In fact, He has given you everything you need to strengthen your faith and help you know He is with you every moment of the day. Let me explain it this way. I note from your email that you are married—but how do you know? You know you are married because...
Q: Since the Bible says God created everything, doesn’t this mean He also created the devil? And if He created the devil, doesn’t this mean God is actually responsible for all the evil in the world? A friend of mine who likes to argue about religion asked me this, and I didn’t know what to say. A: I seriously doubt if your friend really wants an answer to his question; I suspect instead that he is only using this as an excuse to keep from facing his need to repent of his sins and submit his life to Christ. Unfortunately some people are like...
Q. How old does a child have to be before he or she can learn about God? Neither my husband nor I come from a church background, but we have two small children now, and we'd like to give them a different religious experience than we had. A: You and your husband probably realize that you missed something by not learning about God when you were younger, and I’m thankful you want something different for your children. We live in a world that is growing more and more confused and chaotic, and your children will need strong moral and spiritual f...
Q: I don’t think it matters what people believe about God. Everybody has their own opinion about religion, and they can’t all be right. In fact, maybe they’re all wrong. I’ve decided I’m not going to think about God. A: If you refuse to think about God, it means you are refusing to think about the most important truth in the universe! You wouldn’t ignore anything else that’s important—so why ignore God? God’s promise is for you: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). How can we know God—and not j...
Q: Our church’s education committee really wants me to teach the high school class, but I’m not sure I want to take it on. I’ve never done anything like this, and to be honest I’m not sure I want to give up my time. Am I just being selfish? A: Only you can answer this question, of course, but I hope you’ll be honest about your motives—and if they are selfish or wrong, I hope you’ll ask God to change them. The Psalmist prayed, “Search me, God, and know my heart. … See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psal...
Q: Both my parents were alcoholics, and I always vowed I’d never go down that path. But now I’m in my 30s, and I’m afraid I’m about to go the same way they did. What’s wrong with me? I hate myself for being so worthless. A: I don’t need to tell you that you’re about to go down a dead-end road; you saw what happened to your parents. One reason I wanted to reprint part of your email here is because I hope it will warn others who are in danger of making the same mistake. Don’t beat yourself up, however, or tell yourself that you’re worthles...
Q: I admit I’ve always been kind of a “Christmas and Easter” Christian, since those seem to be the only times I manage to make it to church. What would you say to someone like me? A: The first thing I’d say is that I’m glad you at least make it to church twice a year! Even if God and church don’t mean very much to you right now, at least they must mean something—and in our increasingly secular age, this is noteworthy. But I’m also glad for another reason: God could use these two days to speak to you and give you a new understanding o...
Q: I’ve finally had to face the fact that my main goal in life is to get other people to like me. I guess most people are like this, but sometimes I’ll go overboard trying to win someone’s favor, even if it means doing something that’s wrong. How can I quit this? A: You’re right; most of us like to be liked. And sadly, we may even do things we know are wrong (like lying about ourselves or doing things we know aren’t right) in order to get someone to like us. But such “friendships” are seldom lasting. The Bible rightly says, “What a person desir...
Q: I’ve gone through some hard times recently, and my aunt says I ought to be thankful because they’ll make me a better person. Is she right? I admit I’m having a hard time seeing things her way. A: We all want our lives to be smooth and trouble-free, of course—but unfortunately life isn’t always that way. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who was completely free of worries and problems. Job rightly said, “Man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7). The real question, therefore, is this: How will we react whe... Full story
Q: My girlfriend and I are talking about getting married, but we’re reluctant to go ahead because so many of our friends have gotten divorced after only a few years. How can we be sure this won’t happen to us? A: I’m thankful you want your marriage to last—because this desire will be an important part of being sure it will last! Far too many couples, I’m afraid, enter marriage casually or thoughtlessly. But God gave marriage to us, and His perfect plan is for it to be a lifelong commitment of the husband and wife to each other. Jesus said, “Th...
Q: I know you’ve said that God sometimes answers our prayers with a “no”—but if that’s the case, then why bother to pray? A: Yes, it’s true that God sometimes says “no” to our prayers—and with good reason, because He alone knows what is best for us. Just as a loving parent sometimes says “no” to their child’s demands, so our loving God sometimes says “no” to our demands. But sometimes God also says “yes” to our prayers—and that’s certainly one reason why we ought to keep on praying! But we don’t pray only to get things from God. Not only would...
Q: I admit we never paid much attention to the television programs and films our children watched, but I’m beginning to wonder if we made a mistake. I guess we thought they’d learn how they ought to live by watching us, but now I’m not so sure. Have we missed something? A: aising our children is one of the most important responsibilities God gives us, and neglecting it or leaving it to others can be disastrous. The Bible says, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” (Proverbs...
