Billy Graham - Confronting the Enemies Within: The Journey Study Series

Confronting
the
Enemies Within

The Journey Study Series

Searching for Hope
Living as a Christian
Leaving a Legacy
Dealing with Doubt
Confronting the Enemies Within
Embracing the Good News
Building a Christ-Centered Home
Learning to Pray
The Facilitators Guide

Confronting
the
Enemies Within

A Thomas Nelson Study Series
Based on The Journey
by
BILLY GRAHAM

2007 by Billy Graham Literary Trust

Additional material written by Terry Hadaway

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Confronting the Enemies Within: A Thomas Nelson Study Series Based on The Journey by Billy Graham

ISBN-13: 978-1-4185-1772-4
ISBN-10: 1-4185-1772-0

Printed in the United States of America

07 08 09 10 11 RRD 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

What
Went
Wrong?

T O GET THE MOST FROM THIS STUDY GUIDE, READ pages 3238 of The Journey.

God is realbut so are evil and suffering, and we see them everywhere we look. But you need to remember: This is not the way God meant it to be.

BILLY GRAHAM
The Journey

THINK ABOUT IT

If things go wrong, dont go with them.

ROGER BABSON

I do not understand what I do.... For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to dothis I keep on doing.

ROMANS 7:15, 19

Raising children is full of life lessons. One of the most profound lessons happens when a child is asked, Why did you do that? The reply, I dont know, is an honest and telling statement of the human condition. By nature, we are prone to do wrong. Therefore, if left unchecked, our natures will lead us into actions that are inconsistent with a thriving relationship with God.

Why is it this way? The world is not the way God intended it to be. All we have to do is look around and we see the evidence of sindisease, destruction, perversion, and pain. There was a time when the world was perfect, without sin, and peaceful. But something happened in paradise, and things have never been the same.

REWIND

What are the biggest problems facing you and your family?

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What is Gods role in solving these problems?

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People have long wondered why a loving God allows evil to exist. The Bible itself offers no complete explanation, but that doesnt seem to satisfy many curious souls. Therefore, people attempt to apply human rationale to godly actions, and the results are never clear-cut. Is Gods plan for us to understand His reasoning?

Read 2 Thessalonians 2:7. How is evil characterized?

____ A rational process

____ An acceptable event

____ A mystery

____ Other: __________________________________

What does this say about our ability to understand evil?

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God and evil are both real. No amount of positive thinking will make evil disappear. No self-help book will make us immune to its effects. The headlines announce evils power every day.

JOURNEY THROUGH GODS WORD

It bothers some people that Gods ways often dont conform to human reasoning. This is the mystery that is woven throughout the entire revelation of God. The idea of mystery is best analyzed by studying the Book of Daniel. In this Old Testament book, a mystery is something that cannot be understood apart from Gods revelation.

In the New Testament, Jesus referred to the mysteries of the kingdom of God. In Matthew 13:11, Jesus told His disciples that He used parables because the people were unable to understand the deeper truths of God.

Paul used the term more than twenty times in reference to past revelations of God (see Ephesians 1:9; Colossians 2:2; and 1 Timothy 3:16). The book of Revelation contains four uses of the term in reference to various symbols.

After years of attempting to explain God, many modern Bible scholars are willing to admit their inability to unravel His mysteries. Todays younger generation is seeking a God who still works in mysterious ways. They are completely comfortable with explaining something as just a God thing.

We rob God of His uniqueness when we attempt to limit Him to human rationale. God doesnt think like us; He doesnt respond like us; He doesnt see things like us. Beware of anyone who offers explanations for Gods mysteries because, in doing so, that person has claimed an awareness of the mind of God that humans are incapable of having.

Evilwe cant explain it, cant escape it, cant ignore it. So, what is its purpose in our lives? How did we get to this point? Its a familiar story that is worth another look.

RETHINK

What is good, and how do you know if something is good or bad?

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To understand good we must return to the very first chapter of the first book of the BibleGenesisand the story of creation. A quick glance over the first chapter of Genesis reveals a constant refrainGods creation was good. Throughout the unfolding of creation, God equated His perfection with good. Therefore, God was and is the standard by which good is determined.

Think about your daily life and the things that you enjoy on a regular basis. Which of the following were parts of Gods initial declaration of good?

____ Television

____ Humanity

____ Celebrities

____ Sports

____ Hobbies

____ Cell phones

____ Computers

____ Automobiles

____ Homes

____ Bank accounts

____ Social organizations

____ Fashion

We can conclude, therefore, that authentic goodness doesnt depend on the items in the list above. Real goodness exists in and through God alone. The good life has been wrongly defined as dependent on things that were not a part of Gods initial definition of goodness.

What is the good life to you?

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