My family needs to find God.

[texcowboy]

I'm 17, and I'm the only one in my household with any faith. My mom claims to be Christian but does nothing to prove it. She even has dabbled in Wicca and other things along those lines. Best off, when I try to tell her about the Word, she basically pushes me away and blocks it out. My dad just has no care, he doesn't even think about any type of faith or religion. My brother is just a typical rebellious 14 year old who doesn't want to hear about it. I've tried convincing them to come to church, blasting Christian music and poetry through my house, putting verses on things around the house, praying, and just randomly bringing it up, but they don't respond at all. I'm at a loss here and I really want them to be saved because I know what can happen if they're not. What should I do?

 

[redemption]

Their salvation is not your concern. Unfortunately it seems that those closest to us have the hardest time hearing the God stuff from us. Let your light shine before them and just be yourself. Dont push the Lord on them. Just love them and pray for the Lord to soften their hearts. Pray for them daily that the Lord would send the right people or circumstance into their life that they would receive of His amazing grace. Dont hesitate to testify when the Lord does cool stuff in your life. This is sharing not shoving. Its been 20 years for me but I'm seeing such a shift in my brothers & my dad & I praise the Lord. I've been praying for the last decade for them.

Pray protection over your household from lying and deceiving spirits. Your mom is searching because she perhaps hasnt truly received of Gods mercy and grace. Most of all I recommend that you also speak to your pastor concerning the wicca thing. Hopefully she's not still doing that. I gotta tell you that satan has great power over the mind. I dabbled in stuff like that as a teenager and there is a chant that I learned in 1984 that I could recite word for word in just an hour when it took me a month to remember the 23rd psalm. Greater however is HE who is in you but you will need tools to deal with the whole witchcraft thing, tools better given in pastoral care.

God bless you & your beautiful heart for your family.

 

[Ugly]

Just be yourself, let your faith come out naturally and don't push it. Just keep planting seed's, but remember, it may not be your job to reap. It may only be your job to plant. It may be someone else who leads them in prayer. So don't make your mission that 'you' 'have to' be the one to lead them to God, just be a witness, pray and let God do the rest. And if you are the one that gets to lead them, than thats awesome. But don't make it seem as though only you can.

Also, not everyone who is receptive is always eager to show it at first. Any one of your family members may be more effected than you know, but choosing not to let on. So don't make your mind up where their heart is, but just keep sowing those seeds and being faithful.

 

[Lucy68]

Bless you for loving your family so much that you want to share the good news with them

The best witness you can give them is to simply love them, be sincerely concerned about things in their lives and be willing to sacrifice your own needs for them (to a reasonable extent). When they see how you've been changed and the joy in your life, this will speak volumes to them.

Definitely take the opportunities for sharing God's Word when they come up but be careful not to over-do it. Too much 'preaching' will turn them off to listening to you.

In the meantime, make sure you have a Christian fellowship...Church, youth group, personal Christian friends. This is a great time in your life to be building your relationship with Christ. Do a lot of bible study and pray often.

Praying for strength and guidance for you and that the grace of God will completely fill you to overflowing; and that your family's eyes and ears are opened

 

[starfield]

I’m glad you care about the spiritual welfare of your family. God will not forget your labor of love for them. The bible says that you should shine your light before men that they will see your good deeds and glorify God. Shining your light is not necessarily preaching to them or convincing them to come to church; it can be by just having a positive attitude around them and living a Christian life. Plant the seed in their hearts by living a godly life, continue praying for them, and God will bring about the change in no time.

God bless.

 

[Christianrkchk89]

Many times the people closest to us will not listen to what we have to say.. So maybe pray that each one of them encounters someone else Godly that they will actually open their ears and minds to?

 

[Tommy4Christ]

You are not alone, Jesus made it clear when He said few will find the gate that leads to life, the best thing you can do now is be a light in their life , not just in word but also in deed, as this will show them you are serious and love God and them.

But make sure you are in the faith yourself, many are not and just practice a form of godliness but deny its power to deliver them from the bondages of sin and the crooked ways of the world.

It wont be easy, but well Worth it, as you live the crucified life before them, and if you are in any bondage to sin, and love the world as most church people do, you must repent, come out from among her, count the cost, and stand alone if you have to, because you and God are a majority.

Shine as lights in the world!​

Php 2:15 so that you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation. Among these you shine as lights in the world,
Php 2:16 holding forth the Word of Life, so that I may rejoice with you in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain nor labored in vain.

The word says those who are OF Christ are called to a higher calling than those who reject Him, or scoff at the truth! We are called to be blameless and harmless, without rebuke, sons of the living God, mixed in with a crooked and perverse world all around us.

To shine as light in this dark world, takes a lot of courage and strength, and a strong desire and commitment to walk blameless in this present world, set apart to be used by our master, Jesus Christ.

Not being a part of the large and popular church system or organization can leave one very isolated and separated from the life they use to love and enjoy, especially all the friends, family, and church people who made us feel welcomed and special, as we joined them in their worldly pastimes and fun and games.

But now, things have changed, for those few who have come to the truth, which can only come through real repentance and faith, leading to a real saving conversion! There are many scriptures that will show how this works, but for now, it’s either or!

Either you have crucified your flesh with all its passions and desires as Galatians 5-24 states, or you have not, and are still double minded, and will not come to the knowledge of the truth, until you do your first works, rev 2-5.

This conversion comes with many changes that must occur as God leads you into more truth and wisdom, and you must yield to His calling, and be prepared to come our from the world, and be separate, love not the word, which doesn't mean you leave this world, but you must be careful how you interact with the world and the things of it!

The word is clear, its calls the true convert to deny self, abstain from all appearances of evil, have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, expose all evil, love not the world, come out from among her, set your mind and heart on things above, keep yourself unspotted from this world, as its passing away and all the vain attractions with it, set no evil thing before your eyes, do not mix the holy with the profane, guard your heart, do not share in the sins of others, and many more admonishments laid out clearly in scripture.

Many will say we have liberty in Christ, and I agree, but this liberty isn't a license to join forces with the world, by putting into our minds and endorsing them as harmless attractions and past times.

God has given His children so much to enjoy, such as His beautiful creation, children, many healthy foods, and most of all His word, which is our joy, and nourishment for our souls to keep us strong against the wiles of the devil and temptation.

All that the world highly esteems and hold dear is passing away, and can only offer temptation to those who follow Christ on the narrow road, but a truly converted heart will manifest this true conversion in their life, by what they put into their minds, is it the word of God and His truth? Or the lies of the world, giving you and your friends and family a poor perception of what a real follower of Christ is!

We are to hold fourth the word of truth, not in vain, or in conceit, but in all humility, power, and passion, putting to death the deeds of the flesh the world highly esteems, by putting on the whole armor of God, being a light to the lost world and our families and friends, even though they may see us as strange and legalistic in standing against the pop culture, and false teaching they hold dear!

When we have opportunities to share the truth, which can be narrow at times, due to the love of the lie now prevalent throughout millions of churches and denominations worldwide, we can boldly stand for it, not just in word but in deed, so let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good deeds, and glorify your father in heaven!

Letting your light shine means you wont be popular, you will be considered dull and boring to the lost church and world, it means you will stand alone in your convictions, especially when you preach against sin, and the love of the world, and most of all it means to come out from the world, in a radical way, so those who are searching, and open to truth will see a huge difference in what you do, think and say, plus wonder why you don't enjoy all their favorite sports teams, Hollywood movies, games, and worldly attractions that just pacify the flesh for a brief time, but do not satisfy the hunger and thirst within, searching for truth, that will set them free from the bondage's of sin and worldliness once and for all!

This freedom as mentioned comes with a high price! But Jesus made in clear when He said, to repent, go and sin no more, obey my commands, walk worthy of your calling, and seek first His kingdom and His righteousness! Where does your hunger lie? Is it for truth, righteousness, and heart purity? Or for the world and its many attractions, that will leave you high and dry, begging for more as the word and truth slowly gets snubbed out, because the fire is gone, taken captive by the world and the lusts of it!
Tommy 7-13-12

1Jn 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, whenever we love God and keep His commandments.
1Jn 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome.
1Jn 5:4 For everything that has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith.

 

[shekaniah]

They are lucky to have you!!!
Pray for them...
Put them on pray forums and prayer lines.
I will pray too.

Ask God to remove anything that is in their hearts and minds...blinding them from the truth.
May He send people to cross their paths, who will shine God's light in their lives by living example.
God bless your faithfulness, Shekaniah

 

[Deadtosin]

I'm 17, and I'm the only one in my household with any faith. My mom claims to be Christian but does nothing to prove it. She even has dabbled in Wicca and other things along those lines. Best off, when I try to tell her about the Word, she basically pushes me away and blocks it out. My dad just has no care, he doesn't even think about any type of faith or religion. My brother is just a typical rebellious 14 year old who doesn't want to hear about it. I've tried convincing them to come to church, blasting Christian music and poetry through my house, putting verses on things around the house, praying, and just randomly bringing it up, but they don't respond at all. I'm at a loss here and I really want them to be saved because I know what can happen if they're not. What should I do?

my family falls under the same category, I'd have to agree with some of the other statements on your thread. Jesus said it best, "let the dead bury their own dead." That is first and foremost, it allows you to make a separation from you and the rest of the world, including your own family that you become a child of God and we become your family, but a message of hope is this. Each person who comes to Christ, comes through a certain path, God calls them on His own time and for many (including me) it came after many wrong turns and hopeless moments. You build your relationship, pray for them and others every night, but first, foremost and last its all about your personal relationship. You become the light. God bless you and your walk my brother. It's you and Him, and that is not only enough, it is divine.