A Classic Preacher : "Who is the Holy Spirit?"

“Your body is the home of the Holy Spirit . . . ”

-1 Corinthians 6:19 (TLB)

Who is the Holy Spirit?

He is God, just as God the Father and God the Son are also God. We speak of them as the Trinity. You ask me to explain the Trinity. Our minds can but dimly grasp these great spiritual facts, because we are finite and God is infinite.

It may help to remember that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have all existed from eternity. The work of creation was given to the Son and we are told that, “All things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made.” But when you read the second verse of the first chapter of Genesis, you will find that the Holy Spirit was also there, moving upon the face of His creation. In time, the Son of God came into the world as a man, to redeem the world which He had created. After His death on the cross, and His resurrection, He went back to the Father in heaven.

During His earthly ministry His work and life were spent within a circumscribed area in Palestine. When He went back to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to exercise a worldwide ministry. Today the Holy Spirit illuminates the minds of people, makes us yearn for God, and takes spiritual truth and makes it understandable to us. All over the world the Holy Spirit is wooing men to Christ, and He lives in the hearts of believers and helps us each day. To be Spirit-filled Christians is to be the kind of Christians that God wants us to be.

Prayer for the day

The knowledge of Your Holy Spirit living in my heart gives me comfort and strength, Lord Jesus.

They want to conform. ~ Billy Graham

“The foundation of God standeth sure . . . ”

-2 Timothy 2:19

On campus the quickest way to security is through the crowd. Precisely where students talk about being independent and on their own, you will find them practicing the most rigid conformity in dress, in speech, in moral attitudes, and in thinking. 

Sometimes they follow fashion at the expense of integrity. They dread to be alone. They do not want to stand out or be different. They want to conform.

After they graduate from college, many of these young people want nothing more than a good job with a big firm, and a home somewhere in suburbia. But they don’t find security then either. Only Jesus Christ can give you the security that you are looking for.

Prayer for the day

Long-sought-after security I found only in Your abiding love, my Savior, Jesus Christ.

Billy Graham : No such thing as absolute freedom.

I beg you to keep away from the evil pleasures of this world . . . ”

-1 Peter 2:11 (TLB)

We all know there is no such thing as absolute freedom. We cannot drive down the street at 100 miles an hour. You can’t swing your fist at me, because your freedom stops at the end of my nose. We can say that we want freedom to publish pornography, to push harmful drugs, to have unrestricted sex, to lie, to cheat; but if we continue with that kind of permissive freedom, we shall destroy ourselves. 

Man can remain free only so long as he has the moral power to restrain his appetites. Basically, our problem is heart trouble. Our hearts need to be changed . . . peace will never come until we have changed human nature, until people begin loving each other instead of hating each other.

Prayer for the day

I need Your guidelines in my life, Lord. Loving You frees me from the bondage of my carnal appetite.

Billy Graham : This kind of prayer

“For we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

-Romans 8:26

John Knox, with an all-consuming soul-concern for his country, prayed, “Give me Scotland, or I die!” His earnest travail was rewarded with a spiritual rebirth in his land. 

This is what is termed “praying in the Spirit.”

It is the manifestation of a deep spiritual concern for others, and it is instilled by the Spirit of God. This kind of prayer can leap over oceans, speed across burning deserts, spring over mountains, bound through jungles, and carry the healing, helping power of the Gospel to the object of prayer.

That “the Spirit Himself makes intercession” indicates that it is actually God pleading, praying, and mourning through us. Thus we become co-laborers with God, actual partners with Him; our lives are lifted from the low plane of selfishness to the high plane of creativeness with God. John Knox travailed, and the Church in Scotland broke into new life.

Prayer for the day

My heart’s cry is heard—thank You, Lord Jesus!

Billy Graham : Faith should not stand in the wisdom of men

“Your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”

-1 Corinthians 2:5

The word “mystery” is used many times in Scripture. Some of the mysteries of the past have been fathomed by science. Others still bewilder mankind. This fact remains: All of the garnered wisdom of the ages is only a scratch on the surface of man’s search for the knowledge of the universe. For the most part, God retains His secrets, and man standing on his intellectual tiptoes can comprehend only a small fraction of the Lord’s doings.

This inability to comprehend fully the mysteries of God does not in any way curtail the Christian faith. On the contrary, it enhances our belief. We do not understand the intricate pattern of the stars in their courses, but we know that He who created them does, and that just as surely as He guides them, He is charting a safe course for us. A “mystery” in Scripture is a previously hidden truth now divinely revealed, but in which a supernatural element remains unknown despite the revelation.

Prayer for the day

Just as You have guided all who love You in the past, I know my life is being lovingly directed. My faith is small but, God, You are my strength.

Taken by permission from "Day by Day With Billy Graham," compiled and edited by

Billy Graham : “Having a good conscience . . . ”

“Having a good conscience . . . ”

-1 Peter 3:16

What is conscience? God has put within each one of us something that cries aloud against us, whenever we do that which we know to be wrong. Conscience is the detective that watches the direction of our steps and decries every conscious transgression. Conscience is a vigilant eye before which each imagination, thought, and act, is held up for either censure or approval.

I believe there is no greater argument for the existence of God in the world today than conscience. There is no greater proof of the existence of a moral law and Lawgiver in the universe than this little light of the soul. It is God’s voice to the inner man. Conscience is our wisest counselor and teacher, our most faithful and most patient friend.

Prayer for the day

Thank You, Father, for my conscience which checks me and guards my actions. Help me to be alert to its promptings, through Your Holy Spirit.

Billy Graham : Who is the Holy Spirit?

“Your body is the home of the Holy Spirit . . . ”

-1 Corinthians 6:19 (TLB)

Who is the Holy Spirit? He is God, just as God the Father and God the Son are also God. We speak of them as the Trinity. You ask me to explain the Trinity. Our minds can but dimly grasp these great spiritual facts, because we are finite and God is infinite.

It may help to remember that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have all existed from eternity. The work of creation was given to the Son and we are told that, 

“All things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made.” But when you read the second verse of the first chapter of Genesis, you will find that the Holy Spirit was also there, moving upon the face of His creation. In time, the Son of God came into the world as a man, to redeem the world which He had created. After His death on the cross, and His resurrection, He went back to the Father in heaven.

During His earthly ministry His work and life were spent within a circumscribed area in Palestine. When He went back to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to exercise a worldwide ministry. 

Today the Holy Spirit illuminates the minds of people, makes us yearn for God, and takes spiritual truth and makes it understandable to us. All over the world the Holy Spirit is wooing men to Christ, and He lives in the hearts of believers and helps us each day. To be Spirit-filled Christians is to be the kind of Christians that God wants us to be.

Prayer for the day

The knowledge of Your Holy Spirit living in my heart gives me comfort and strength, Lord Jesus.  

Billy Graham : God of heaven can live in your heart

“Christ in your hearts is your only hope of glory.”

-Colossians 1:27 (TLB)

The age-old issue, “Can man save himself, or does he need God?” is still raging across the world as furiously as ever. 

As long as the world goes on, people will build towers of Babel, fashion their graven images, and invent their own ideologies. Now, as in every period of history, people think they can manage without God.

Economically, they may manage; intellectually, they may manage; socially, they may get by. But down underneath the surface of rational man is a vacuum—a void that can be met only through Jesus Christ. 

 The most astounding fact of all history is that the great and almighty God of heaven can live in your heart. 

 It makes no difference who you are.

Prayer for the day

You fill the emptiness and longing of my soul. I need the presence of Your Spirit, dear Lord.  

Billy Graham : Ye must be born again”

“The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

-John 6:63

To one of the most religious men of His day, Jesus said, “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7). Nicodemus could not substitute his profound knowledge of religion for spiritual rebirth, and neither can we. I have read a book on water skiing, and it did not take long for me to learn that I could never learn to water ski by reading a book—I would have to experience it.

I have read a number of books on golf, but none of them seems to improve my game; I must get out on the golf course and play. You may study theology and religion, but there comes a time when you must experience Christ for yourself.

Prayer for the day

Lord, You have given me life and I praise You!  

Billy Graham: “Blessed are the pure in heart.”

“He that walketh righteously . . . shall dwell on high.”

-Isaiah 33:15,16

Being pure in conduct also includes honesty and integrity in dealing with our fellowmen.

A Christian should be known in his neighborhood or place of business as an honest person, a person who can be trusted. 

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart.” Do you want to be happy? All right, apply this Beatitude to your heart. Take it to yourself.

The pure in heart are the only ones who can know what it means to be supremely happy. Their hearts are pure toward God and, as a result are pure toward their fellowmen. They are happy because, in possessing Him who is All and in All, they envy no man’s worldly goods. They are happy because they envy not another man’s praise. Because they are the enemy of no man, they regard no man as their enemy. The result is peace with God and the world.

Prayer for the day

Forgive me, Lord Jesus, my heart is far from pure. I confess to You all my innermost thoughts.  

Billy Graham :The Holy Spirit illuminates the minds of people,

“Your body is the home of the Holy Spirit . . . ”

-1 Corinthians 6:19 (TLB)

Who is the Holy Spirit? He is God, just as God the Father and God the Son are also God. We speak of them as the Trinity. 

You ask me to explain the Trinity. Our minds can but dimly grasp these great spiritual facts, because we are finite and God is infinite.

It may help to remember that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have all existed from eternity. The work of creation was given to the Son and we are told that, “All things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made.”

 But when you read the second verse of the first chapter of Genesis, you will find that the Holy Spirit was also there, moving upon the face of His creation. In time, the Son of God came into the world as a man, to redeem the world which He had created. After His death on the cross, and His resurrection, He went back to the Father in heaven.

During His earthly ministry His work and life were spent within a circumscribed area in Palestine. When He went back to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to exercise a worldwide ministry. Today the Holy Spirit illuminates the minds of people, makes us yearn for God, and takes spiritual truth and makes it understandable to us. All over the world the Holy Spirit is wooing men to Christ, and He lives in the hearts of believers and helps us each day. To be Spirit-filled Christians is to be the kind of Christians that God wants us to be.

Prayer for the day

 The knowledge of Your Holy Spirit living in my heart gives me comfort and strength, Lord Jesus.  

Billy Graham : Being a Christian is a serious business.

“Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only . . . ”

-James 1:22

Jesus indicated that there will be a permissive society just before He comes back. “As in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the coming of the Son of man.” The world today is on an immoral binge such as has not been known since the days of Rome. We are in a hedonistic society, and what we are seeing is human nature expressing itself without God.


Many have fallen into an antinomianism in which they believe intellectually, and then go out and live like the devil, imagining that God will forgive them and take them to heaven. I believe there is an obedience to the Gospel, there is a self-denial and a bearing of the cross, if you are to be a follower of Christ. Being a Christian is a serious business.

Prayer for the day

Teach me to deny my selfish desires and obey Your commandments, Lord Jesus. Cleanse me so that I might be used to penetrate society deeply for You.  

Billy Graham : Just for the hell of it.

“ . . . knowing what lies ahead for you, you won’t become bored with being a Christian . . . ”

-Hebrews 6:12 (TLB)

Do you know what nearly all the sociologists say today in their study of young people? 

The greatest problem facing young people today is not sex—it is boredom, boredom.

Did you know that when they had the riot at Hampton Beach in New Hampshire they asked the young people what was wrong, why did they do it? 

Many of them said, “Just for the hell of it.” 

 Bored—life has no purpose, life has no meaning. Give your life to Christ and you will never spend another bored minute.

Prayer for the day

Lord Jesus, when I gave my life to You, my days were flooded with the splendor of Your love.  

Billy Graham : God is the only source of real power

 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God . . . ”-Matthew 6:33

A man or a woman who has been focusing all attention on financial gains, or business, or social prestige, or who has centered all his affection on some one person, experiences a devastating sense of loss when denied the thing that has given life its meaning. In these tragic moments, the individual recognizes how terribly and completely alone he is.

In that moment the Holy Spirit may cause the worldly bandages to fall from his eyes so that he sees clearly for the first time. He recognizes that God is the only source of real power, and the only enduring fountainhead of love and companionship.

From out of the depths, Lord, my eyes have seen that only You are unchanging, eternal love. Help me to put You first in everything I do.

Billy Graham : How are we to love?

How are we to love? 

We are to love as God loves us . . . we are to show acceptance and appreciation . . . [to] accept each other as God accepts us. Too many parents refuse to accept and appreciate their children for what they are. 

That is why a million American children ran away from home last year. A team of Yale researchers has concluded that the majority of these runaways were attempting to escape an unhappy family situation. They yearned to be appreciated.

The causes of delinquency, we are told, are broken homes, poverty, lack of recreational facilities, poor physical health, racism, working mothers, and so on . . . The experts never seem to mention the lack of love, or the lack of faith in God. Yet these are the two most important elements for an adolescent’s successful maturity.

How long has it been since you praised your children instead of criticizing them? David prayed for Solomon and daily praised him, and we are to praise our children daily. Praise your wife. I have found that praise goes a lot further than criticism. Everybody needs to be appreciated.

Billy Graham : The worship of a Person

History, philosophy, theology, and—in many centers of learning—even the sciences are being studied to discover what they have to say about Jesus Christ. The records of the Early Church are being reexamined for their testimony to Him. Archaeologists are digging to discover new evidence.

Some say that Jesus Christ is a myth, and He never existed in history. Others say that He was merely a man, that there was nothing supernatural about His birth, and that His resurrection was a hallucination. Others talk about a Christless Christianity. Some say that no matter what one thinks about Christ, it does not affect Christianity. They are wrong!

Christianity is forever linked with the Person of Christ. Carlyle recognized this when he said, “Had this doctrine of the deity of Christ been lost, Christianity would have vanished like a dream.” The historian Lecky remarks, “Christianity is not a system of morals, it is the worship of a Person.”

Billy Graham : Every promise God has ever made, He has kept

It has been my privilege to know what it means to walk in the way of Christ.

What a thrilling, joyous experience it is to wake up every morning and know His presence in the room!

What a thrilling, joyous experience it is to know in the evening, when the sun is setting, the peace of God as you go to bed and to sleep, and to sleep the sleep of only those who know Christ! What a joy it is to walk in the eternal and permanent experience of Christ!

Do you hunger for such a walk? Do you long for such joy, peace, contentment, abandonment, and adventure in your own soul? If this is your hunger and desire, then God will do exactly what He has promised to do: He will fill you. Every promise God has ever made, He has kept—or will keep.

Billy Graham : God sometimes allows Christians to suffer

“Blessed is the man whom [the Lord] chasteneth . . . ”

-Psalm 94:12

God sometimes allows Christians to suffer, in order that they might learn the secret of obedience. The Psalmist said, “Before I was afflicted, I went astray; but now have I kept thy word” (Psalm 119:67). It was not until after great sorrow and much affliction that David learned obedience to God.

My dear Christian friend, if you are today suffering at the hand of God and you have asked a thousand times, “Why?” I beg of you to be patient and quiet before God, and listen to the still, small voice. Bow under His loving hand and recognize that above the clouds the sun is shining. God has a purpose and design for your life, and what is happening to you is for your good.

The human in me says, “Why, Lord?” whenever I have to bear suffering—but the Spirit-filled me that was born again says, “I trust You, Father.”

Billy Graham : Who is the Holy Spirit?

Who is the Holy Spirit? He is God, just as God the Father and God the Son are also God. We speak of them as the Trinity. You ask me to explain the Trinity. Our minds can but dimly grasp these great spiritual facts, because we are finite and God is infinite.

It may help to remember that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have all existed from eternity. The work of creation was given to the Son and we are told that, “All things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made.”

But when you read the second verse of the first chapter of Genesis, you will find that the Holy Spirit was also there, moving upon the face of His creation. In time, the Son of God came into the world as a man, to redeem the world which He had created. After His death on the cross, and His resurrection, He went back to the Father in heaven.

During His earthly ministry His work and life were spent within a circumscribed area in Palestine. When He went back to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to exercise a worldwide ministry. Today the Holy Spirit illuminates the minds of people, makes us yearn for God, and takes spiritual truth and makes it understandable to us. All over the world the Holy Spirit is wooing men to Christ, and He lives in the hearts of believers and helps us each day. To be Spirit-filled Christians is to be the kind of Christians that God wants us to be.

Billy Graham: Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion.

Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion. It is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ. When you start out, you start out as a baby.

You must be fed on the simple things of the Bible, and you learn to walk in your Christian life gradually.

At first you will fall down and make many mistakes, but you are to continue growing. However, there are many people who have stopped growing.

They remain spiritual babes all their lives. I am afraid that this experience is all too common today. Perhaps it is yours.

Do you remember the day when you gave your heart and life to Christ? You were sure of victory. How easy it seemed to be more than conqueror through Christ who loved you. Thousands of Christians have struggles with themselves. The great need in Christendom today is for Christians to learn the secret of daily victory over sin.