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NOVEMBER 4 ANGELS ARE WATCHING US Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. HEBREWS 12:1 NIV The charge to live righteously in this present world sobers us when we realize that the walk and warfare of Christians is the primary concern of heaven and its angelic hosts. Paul said, “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the chosen angels, that you guard and keep [these rules] . . .” (1 Timothy 5:21 AB). Paul was stirring up Timothy to remember that the elect angels were constantly watching how he served the Savior and lived the Christian life. What fact could provide a greater motivation to righteous living than that? I must say to myself, “Careful, angels are watching!” It must give the angels great satisfaction to watch the church of Jesus Christ minister the unsearchable riches of Christ to lost men everywhere. If the angels rejoice over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10), then the angelic hosts are numbered among the spectators in the heavenly grandstands. They are included among those who are referred to as “so great a cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1); and they never miss any of the details of our earthly pilgrimage. Yet they do not jeer as did the Greek crowds of Paul’s day. Rather, as we declare the Gospel and see our friends saved, they rejoice with us. In his book Though I Walk Through the Valley, Dr. Vance Havner tells of an old preacher who worked into the night on a sermon for his small congregation. His wife inquired why he spent so much time on a message that he would give to so few. To this the minister replied, “You forget, my dear, how large my audience will be!” Dr. Havner adds that “Nothing is trivial here if heaven looks on. We shall play a better game if, ‘seeing we are encompassed,’ we remember who is in the grandstand!” Our valleys may be filled with foes and tears, but we can lift our eyes to the hills to see God and the angels, heaven’s spectators, who support us according to God’s infinite wisdom as they prepare our welcome home. Our Father and our God, it thrills me to know that You and Your angels are cheering me along my pathway of life. I can run harder and longer with You by my side. Help me to hear Your encouragement daily, Lord. Help me to see Jesus, my brother and friend, running beside me. In His name. Amen.  Graham, Billy. Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010. Print.

NOVEMBER 3 EFFECTUAL PRAYER The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. JAMES 5:16 From one end of the Bible to the other, there is the record of those whose prayers have been answered—men who turned the tide of history by prayer; men who fervently prayed, and God answered. Hezekiah prayed when his city was threatened by the invading army of the Assyrians under the leadership of Sennacherib, and the entire army of Sennacherib was destroyed, and the nation was spared for another generation—because the king prayed (2 Chronicles 32). The problems of the world will never be settled unless our national leaders go to God in prayer. If only they would discover the power and wisdom that there is in reliance upon God, we could soon see the solution to the grave problems that face the world. How wonderful it would be if the vice president of the United States would ask the Senate, at the beginning of each session, to get on its knees before God! What a tremendous change there would be in all the affairs of government! Elijah prayed, and God sent fire from heaven to consume the offering on the altar he had built in the presence of God’s enemies. Elisha prayed, and the son of the Shunammite woman was raised from the dead. Daniel prayed, and the secret of God was made known to him for the saving of his and his companions’ lives, and the changing of the course of history. Paul prayed, and hundreds of churches were born in Asia Minor and Europe. Peter prayed, and Dorcas was raised to life, to have added years of service for Jesus Christ. As seventeenth-century theologian John Owen said, “He who prays as he ought, will endeavor to live as he prays.” Our Father and our God, hear me now as I pray for our national leaders. Turn their hearts to You, Lord, and help them to bow their knees in submission to Your holy will. Give them the courage to stand strong for Your truth among the nations of the world. Help them to look to Jesus for lordship and leadership. In Him I pray. Amen.  Graham, Billy. Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010. Print.

NOVEMBER 2 RIGHT-SIDE UP  IN AN UPSIDE-DOWN WORLD All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 2 TIMOTHY 3:12 This is a spiritual law which is as unchangeable as the law of gravity. We must get this fact firmly fixed in our minds: we live in an upside-down world. People hate when they should love; they quarrel when they should be friendly; they fight when they should be peaceful; they wound when they should heal; they steal when they should share; they do wrong when they should do right. I once saw a toy clown with a weight in its head. No matter how it was placed, it invariably assumed an upside-down position. It could be placed on its feet or on its side, and when let go it flipped back on its head. In our unregenerate state we are just like that! Regardless of the circumstances, we always revert to an upside-down position. From childhood to maturity we are always prone to do what we should not do and to refrain from doing what we ought to do. That is our nature. We have too much weight in the head and not enough ballast in our hearts, so we flip upside down when left alone. That is why the disciples seemed to be misfits to the world. To an upside-down man, a right-side up man seems upside down. To the nonbeliever the true Christian is an oddity and an abnormality. A Christian’s goodness is a rebuke to another’s wickedness; his being right-side up is a reflection upon the worldling’s inverted position. So the conflict is a natural one. And mockery, scorn, rejection, and even outright persecution are inevitable. Our Father and our God, why do I end up standing on my head so often? I am repeatedly distracted by the temptations of this upside-down world. Keep me right-side up, Lord, and in right relationship with You. Balance my life with Your Spirit. Through Christ Jesus my Lord I pray. Amen.  Graham, Billy. Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010. Print.

NOVEMBER 1 GENTLE JESUS And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to every one, an apt teacher, forbearing, correcting his opponents with gentleness. 2 TIMOTHY 2:24–25 RSV Jesus was a gentle person. When He came into the world, there were few institutions of mercy. There were few hospitals or mental institutions, few places of refuge for the poor, few homes for orphans, few havens for the forsaken. In comparison to today, it was a cruel world. Christ changed that. Wherever true Christianity has gone, His followers have performed acts of gentleness and kindness. The word gentleness occurs only a few times in our English Bible. It is spoken of in connection with the three Persons of the Trinity. In Psalm 18:35, it is the gentleness of God; in 2 Corinthians 10:1, the gentleness of Christ; and in Galatians 5:23, the gentleness of the Holy Spirit. Charles Allen points out, “In one’s disdain of sin, one can be harsh and unkind toward a sinner . . . Some people seem to have such a passion for righteousness that they have no room left for compassion for those who have failed.” From some unknown poet comes these meaningful lines: Just to be tender, just to be true, Just to be glad the whole day through, Just to be merciful, just to be mild, Just to be trustful as a child, Just to be gentle and kind and sweet, Just to be helpful with willing feet, Just to be cheery when things go wrong, Just to drive sadness away with song, Whether the hour is dark or bright, Just to be loyal to God and right Just to believe that God knows best, Just in His promise ever to rest, Just to let love be our daily key, That is God’s will for you and me. Our Father and our God, You have shown me such great kindness and gentle mercy. Teach me to be gentle and kind too. Help me reach out to the lost in compassion and love to bring them gently to You through the person of Jesus Christ, through whom I pray. Amen.  Graham, Billy. Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010. Print.

OCTOBER 31 THE SEAL, THE PLEDGE,  AND THE WITNESS Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his.” 2 TIMOTHY 2:19 NIV John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church, once observed, “It is hard to find words in the language of men, to explain the deep things of God. Indeed, there are none that will adequately express what the Spirit of God works in His children. But . . . by the testimony of the Spirit, I mean, an inward impression on the soul, whereby the Spirit of God immediately and directly witnesses to my spirit, that I am a child of God; that Jesus Christ hath loved me, and given Himself for me; that all my sins are blotted out, and I, even I, am reconciled to God.” We can see then that God places a seal on us when we receive Christ. And that seal is a person—the Holy Spirit. By the Spirit’s presence God gives us security and established His ownership over us. The Spirit is also God’s pledge. He not only seals the arrangement, but He represents God’s voluntary obligation to see us through. And fellowship with the Spirit is a sample of what we can expect when we come into our inheritance in heaven. Finally, the Spirit witnesses to us by His Word and within our hearts that Christ died for us, and by faith in Him we have become God’s children. What a wonderful thing to know the Holy Spirit has been given to us as a seal—a pledge—and a witness! May each of these give us new assurance of God’s love for us, and give us confidence as we seek to live for Christ. And with the apostle Paul may we say, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15 NKJV). Our Father and our God, You are my Father, and I am Your humble child. I bear Your seal and wear Your name so the world will know to whom I belong. I pledge my love and my loyalty to You and Your Son. Let my witness be bold and strong, yet let it glow with the warmth and gentleness of Jesus, through whom I pray. Amen.  Graham, Billy. Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010. Print.

OCTOBER 30 HOPE HANGS A HALO I suffer trouble, as an evildoer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound. Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sake, that they may also obtain salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us. 2 TIMOTHY 2:9, 10, 12 In a sense, Christ is a King in exile, and we who are His followers are often looked upon with derision. To be identified with Him here and now quite naturally entails some “loss of face,” some persecution: but someday, we are told, we shall be “kings and priests” and shall be active participators in His Kingdom. Paul must have had this fact in mind when he said, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God” (Romans 8:18–19). If we should be called upon to suffer all our lives, it would not be long compared to eternity. We are in the position of heirs to a large estate, who gladly endure a few days of suffering and privation with the hope that we shall soon come into our fabulous inheritance. Such a glorious hope hangs a halo over the drab existence of the here and now. Life cannot lose its zest when down underneath our present discomfort is the knowledge that we are children of a King. Complaining becomes foolish; behaving in the manner of the world is unworthy; and love, gentleness, and meekness become the hallmark of God’s nobility. “All things” are taken in stride; burdens become blessings in disguise; every wound, like good surgery, is for our good; and etched in every cross is the symbol of a crown. Our Father and our God, my hope is stayed on You for all eternity. I will follow You wherever You may lead me, knowing Your ultimate destination for me is heaven. Give me courage in the face of inevitable persecution and pain. Keep me safely in Jesus, the only Way. In Him I pray. Amen.  Graham, Billy. Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010. Print.

OCTOBER 29 LIFE’S NEW DIMENSION I know whom I have believed. 2 TIMOTHY 1:12 Does it work when a man comes, repenting of his sins, to receive Christ by faith? I can only tell you that it worked in my own life. Something did happen to me. I didn’t become perfect, but the direction of my life was changed. I was reared on a farm in North Carolina, and did not have the best of education. During the Depression period my parents were unable to give me the advantages that young people have today. I grew up in a Christian home, but by the time I was fifteen, I was in full revolt against all religions—against God, the Bible, the church. To make a long story short, one day I decided to commit my life to Jesus Christ. Not to be a clergyman but, in whatever I was to be, to seek the Kingdom of God first. As a result, I found a new dimension to life. I found a new capacity to love that I had never known before. Just in the matter of race, my attitude toward people of other backgrounds changed remarkably. All of our difficulties are not solved the moment we are converted to Christ, but conversion does mean that we can approach our problems with a new attitude and in a new strength. I was a poor student until that time, but immediately my grades picked up. I am not suggesting that you should come to Christ in order to get better grades, but I am telling you that the life in Christ works. I have seen it work all over the world. I have seen those converted whom I might classify as intellectuals; but they have to come as children. We say to our children, “Act like grown-ups,” but Jesus said to the grown-ups, “Be like children.” You are not to come to the cross as a doctor of philosophy, nor as a doctor of law, but simply as a human being; and your life can be changed. Our Father and our God, change my heart and make it fully Yours. Take away my pride, my deceit, my longing for worldliness, my sin. Fill my heart with Your Holy Spirit, Your love, Your gentleness, and Your compassion. Touch me with Your grace and help me to grow in my spiritual life. All in the name of Jesus. Amen.  Graham, Billy. Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010. Print.

OCTOBER 28 MONEY CAN BE DANGEROUS For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1 TIMOTHY 6:10 NIV The Bible does not condemn money or material possessions. Some of the great people of the Bible were very rich. Abraham, Isaac, and Solomon were perhaps the richest men of their day. God’s quarrel is not with material goods but with material gods. Materialism has become the god of too many of us. It is that state in which material possessions are elevated to the central place in life and receive the attention due to God alone. The Bible teaches that preoccupation with material possessions is a form of idolatry. And God hates idolatry. It poisons every other phase of our life, including our family life. The Bible declares that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10 NIV), not money but the love of money. This Scripture is being verified in our national life today, and we are reaping what we have sown for several generations. We are, at least in part, suffering the consequences of our selfish preoccupation with material things to the neglect of moral and spiritual values. We thought that man had come of age and that God, if there was one, could be relegated to the sidelines. But Jesus told the story of the man who had his barn full, and he had all of his possessions, and he said, “Soul, take your ease, eat and drink and be merry” (Luke 12:19). He left God out, and that night he died—possibly from a heart attack. And there was a voice heard from heaven that said, “You fool” (Luke 12:20). “What shall it profit a man, if he . . . gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). There is a day of reckoning ahead. The handwriting is on the wall. What does it say? Our Father and our God, keep me from being mesmerized by the god of materialism. Help me remember that money is a great servant but a terrible master. You and You alone are my Master, Lord. I will love only You. I will pursue only You. I will worship and adore only You and Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen.  Graham, Billy. Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010. Print.

OCTOBER 27 POSITIVE THOUGHTS ON PERSECUTION We . . . suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God . . . but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 1 TIMOTHY 4:10, 12 The reproach we experience is the natural resentment in the hearts of men toward all that is godly and righteous. This is the cross we are to bear. This is why Christians are often persecuted. Paul made this clear in these comments to Timothy. Let us not forget that there is happiness and blessing in persecution. As George MacDonald puts it, we become “hearty through hardship.” Our Lord instructs the persecuted to be happy. “Rejoice,” He said, “and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:12). The word joy has all but disappeared from our current Christian vocabulary. One of the reasons is that we have thought that joy and happiness were found in comfort, ease, and luxury. James did not say, “Count it all joy when you fall into an easy chair,” but he said, “Count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations” (James 1:2). The persecuted are happy because they are being processed for heaven. Persecution is one of the natural consequences of living the Christian life. It is to the Christian what “growing pains” are to the growing child. No pain, no development. No suffering, no glory. No struggle, no victory. No persecution, no reward! Jesus predicted that if they persecuted Him, they would persecute you who follow Him too. The Bible says, “The God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you” (1 Peter 5:10). It is so easy to forget that “all things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28). Our Father and our God, I bow in humble submission to Your will for me. Help me to remember that the hard times of life make me spiritually strong. Remind me that only with sunshine and rain can there be a rainbow of blessings and spiritual growth. In the name of Jesus. Amen.  Graham, Billy. Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010. Print.

OCTOBER 26 NO PRAYER, NO PEACE I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. 1 TIMOTHY 2:8 Down through our history our nation’s leaders have carried their plans and hopes to God in prayer. Yet today we have come to a place where we regard prayer in our national life simply as a venerated tradition—or even something to be scorned. We have no sense of coming earnestly to God; we simply use prayer as a formality. If this nation was born in a meeting based on prayer, some of its most important decisions being made only after careful prayer to God, how can we go on unless there is a renewed emphasis on prayer today? One of the reasons the United Nations has become so ineffective in handling world situations is that there is no prayer, no recognition of God. At the first meeting of the United Nations in San Francisco, no prayer was lifted to God for guidance and blessing. We were afraid that the atheistic Communists would not like it, so we yielded in deference to them. I predict that unless the leaders of the nations turn to God in prayer, their best plans will fail, just as did the plans of those who built the tower of Babel. Christ instructed His followers to pray, both by teaching and by example. So fervent and so direct were His prayers that one time when he had finished praying, His followers turned to Him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). They knew that Jesus had been in touch with God, and they wanted to have such an experience. Never before in history have we stood in greater need of prayer. Will we be people of prayer for such a time as this? Our Father and our God, I don’t really know how to pray to You. Teach me to pray. I lift up my heart and mind for Your examination. Purify my thoughts, my actions, and my desires. Accept my petition for understanding, mercy, and blessing through Christ my Lord. Amen.  Graham, Billy. Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010. Print.