Is there a story lead my brother away from temptation?

on Apr 1, 2024

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: My brother is discouraged in his faith, but he’s not walking away from it — at least not yet. His buddies set him up for temptation in such clever ways and he’s conflicted whether he should fall in with them. I’m quite a bit older than he is and helped raise him. Now that he’s in college, he’s starting to doubt what he’s been taught. Is there a biblical story that might challenge him in his faith and help him look to God in times of temptation? – S.N.

A: What is the most difficult word for people to pronounce? It’s the word no. There’s a young man in the Scriptures named Daniel who said no. He “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies” (Daniel 1:8, NKJV). Daniel was a young man who found a purpose in life. As a teenager, he had been captured and taken to Babylon to be trained in all their ways. But Daniel refused to eat from the king’s [table] even though he knew how dangerous that refusal would be.

How different Daniel was from those who can’t wait to get away from home and live it up. Daniel had a heart for God and didn’t want to go the way of the world. He knew that his “no” might mean death (to refuse the king), but this prepared him for the big “no” when he later faced the den of lions (see Daniel 6:4–23).

When we belong to Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in our hearts. When we take a stand for God and mean it, some of our friends will drift away. The Bible says, “Blessed are you when men … cast out your name as evil, for [Jesus’] sake” (Luke 6:22, NKJV). Peer pressure leads many astray. When we’re faced with temptation, only Christ can give us the power to say no.

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)