I Discovered Billy Graham's Secret

I discovered Billy Graham’s secret. 

At least one of them. 

Estimates of his 70+ years of successful ministry say he shared the gospel with more than two billion people. 

Think about that for a moment. 

Two billion people. 

Billy Graham was a man of integrity. And great faith. And moral strength. And a hundred other virtues. He wasn’t a perfect man, but he was a godly man – a man God blessed. 

Did you know Graham once turned down a lucrative Hollywood acting role? 

Yup. Cecile B. DeMille, along with Frank Freeman, president of Paramount Studios, offered him a chance to star in a remake of the movie, The Ten Commandments.

“I looked him straight in the eye,” Graham said, “. . . and told him that God had called me to preach the gospel, and that I would never do anything else as long as I lived.” *

“Presidents Johnson and Nixon offered him high positions in government — which he quickly and politely refused.”** 

These answers reveal Billy Graham’s secret to success – his single-minded focus. He knew God had called him to preach the gospel. In light of his calling, he held every decision – including whether to act in a Hollywood movie or accept a cabinet position in Washington – to the plumb line of that calling. 

He asked the question, “Will this help me fulfill my calling?” 

If the answer was yes, he did it. If the answer was no, he didn’t. 

Pretty simple, huh? 

Step One: Determine your calling. 

Step Two: Make every decision – how to spend your time, energy, and resources – based on whether or not it supports that calling. 

What would our lives look like if we employed Billy Graham’s approach? 

I suspect they would be much more effective. And satisfying. And productive. 

I really want that. 

Don’t you? 

"And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:1-2).

Now it's your turn? What is your calling in life? What should you say yes to in order to fulfill it? What should you say no to? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below. And if you're reading via email, click HERE to visit Hungry for God online and comment.


* Billy Graham's autobiography, Just As I Am
** https://billygraham.org/story/billy-graham-pastor-to-presidents-2/

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