Answers

Read thoughtful responses to a wide assortment of questions from Billy Graham’s My Answer column and other resources.

Why do some people have a strong faith in God and others have a weak faith?

Why do some people have a strong faith in God and others have a weak faith? Ten years ago, a friend and I became Christians at the same summer camp in high school, but my faith is so weak compared with his. Does God just give some people a strong faith, and the rest of us will always be weaker?

My father has inoperable cancer and probably has less than a year to live. But when I try to talk with him about heaven and faith in Christ, he just laughs. I'm very concerned.

My father, who is in his 80s, has inoperable cancer and probably has less than a year to live. But when I try to talk with him about heaven and faith in Christ, he just laughs and says he'll take his chances. I'm very concerned, because he's never had any use for God.

How can we help our children understand that the real meaning of Christmas is not receiving presents?

Our children always get very excited about Christmas and what all they'll get for presents, and I know that's to be expected. But how can we help them understand the real meaning of Christmas?

Have you ever thought about doing fortunetelling?

I have a great interest in astrology and fortunetelling, and I think someone with your spiritual insight would be very good at predicting the future. You could help a lot of people by telling them what the future holds. Have you ever thought about doing this?

This has been a very bad year for me. Can you give me any hope for the future?

This has been a very bad year for me: a messy divorce, financial setbacks, sickness—you name it. I know I've made some wrong decisions, and I can't blame anyone but myself for most of what's happened, but can you give me any hope for the future?

I’m 12 years old, and I want to serve Jesus very much. But how can I?

I'm 12 years old, and I want to serve Jesus very much. But how can I? Almost no one in my school seems to care about God, and yet I know they need Him.

Do you think there's any hope of reversing all these problems with our political system?

I've become very disillusioned over our political system. In fact, I almost didn't vote in the last election because I got so disgusted with the ads on television. Do you think there's any hope of reversing all this?

The doctor told us my brother would never recover from his stroke, but he's almost completely healed. Was this a miracle?

The doctor told us my brother would never recover from the stroke he suffered a couple of months ago, but now he's almost completely healed. Was this a miracle, do you think, or did the doctor just not know what he was talking about? My brother had lots of people praying for him.

How should a Christian deal with embarrassment?

I'm very embarrassed, because a friend of mine went to jail for a crime he claimed he didn't commit, and I really went out on a limb defending him. But when he got out a few months ago, he admitted he did it after all, and now I feel like a fool. I can hardly face my friends because they all know I was duped. How should a Christian deal with embarrassment?

You say we can never be good enough to earn God's salvation but does this mean it doesn't matter to God how we live?

I know you say from time to time that we can never be good enough to earn God's salvation but does this mean it doesn't matter to God how we live? This doesn't seem right to me.

I don't have much longer to live. How can I make my remaining days useful?

I have a chronic health problem that's only getting worse, and I know I don't have much longer to live. How can I make my remaining days useful? I am a Christian, but most of my family isn't interested in God and I want to do something to leave a spiritual legacy for them.

How can you help someone without making them dependent on you?

How can you help someone without making them dependent on you? My husband's nephew has been living with us for almost two years now. At first, the idea was to help him until he found a job after college but he hasn't even tried to get one for over a year, and he just sits around the house.