{"id":2049,"date":"2020-12-04T14:36:05","date_gmt":"2020-12-04T19:36:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/?p=2049"},"modified":"2020-12-04T14:36:05","modified_gmt":"2020-12-04T19:36:05","slug":"franklin-graham-i-turned-my-back-on-god-opens-up-about-past-faith-struggles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/2020\/12\/franklin-graham-i-turned-my-back-on-god-opens-up-about-past-faith-struggles.html","title":{"rendered":"Franklin Graham: \u2018I Turned My Back on God,\u2019 Opens Up About Past Faith Struggles"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Franklin
Cornstalker\/WikimediaCommons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The son of the late Rev. Billy Graham recently opened up about his past faith struggles and how it was ultimately able to find God again.<\/p>\n

In a recent interview with Charlotte Pence Bond, host of Edifi\u2019s \u201cDoubting It\u201d podcast, he shared that he wandered a bit on his faith journey in his early years of life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in a Christian family \u2026 my parents lived what they taught, we went to church, went to Sunday school, we had devotions in our home in the morning [and in the evening],\u201d Graham said. \u201cJust because I grew up in a Christian home, it didn\u2019t make me a Christian.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he was younger, Graham struggled with God\u2019s role in his life. At the time, instead of placing faith at the center of his life, he decided to serve himself, Christian Post<\/em> reports.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just didn\u2019t want God running my life. I wanted to run my own life. I wanted to have fun. I went to church, because I was expected to,\u201d Graham said. \u201cAs I got older in my teenage years, I was more interested in pleasing myself. I just turned my back on God and tried to serve myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

He discovered something big \u2013 that the more he looked to place himself at the center, the more he was unhappy. It took a lot of deep reflection, but Graham eventually came around. Only after this self-reflection was he able to restore his faith in God and walk in his father\u2019s footsteps.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne night, I just got on my knees and I said, \u2018God, I\u2019ve sinned against you and I\u2019m sorry,\u2019\u201d Graham said,<\/p>\n

Graham shared that he asked God to take the pieces of his life and use them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still make plenty of mistakes, but when I prayed that prayer it was sincere,\u201d Graham said.<\/p>\n

From then on, he was committed to living a life of faith and devotion. Following his moments of struggle, he never doubted that \u201cGod is real\u201d or whether \u201cJesus Christ is God\u2019s Son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s power in the Gospel,\u201d Graham said.<\/p>\n

Today, he encourages young people to walk in the faith. He believes Jesus can make transformational change in hearts and lives, just like he did in his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would encourage young people \u2026 start every day in the word of God,\u201d Graham said. \u201cPrayer allows us to go right into the presence of the king of kings, the Lord of Lords \u2026 we can go straight to God.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The son of the late Rev. Billy Graham recently opened up about his past faith struggles and how it was ultimately able to find God again. In a recent interview with Charlotte Pence Bond, host of Edifi\u2019s \u201cDoubting It\u201d podcast, he shared that he wandered a bit on his faith journey in his early years…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":565,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[953,60,1221,68,415],"class_list":["post-2049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-billy-graham","tag-faith","tag-faith-struggles","tag-franklin-graham","tag-god"],"yoast_head":"\nFranklin Graham: \u2018I Turned My Back on God,\u2019 Opens Up About Past Faith Struggles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Franklin Graham: \u2018I Turned My Back on God,\u2019 Opens Up About Past Faith Struggles\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The son of the late Rev. Billy Graham recently opened up about his past faith struggles and how it was ultimately able to find God again. 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