What advice would you give to the parents of a child who is not living for Jesus?
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lyndygayle on June 21, 2010 at 9:40 am
I have a child that is not living for Jesus. I am interested to see what others have to say on this.
pkwoodard on June 21, 2010 at 10:04 am
lyndygayle, I am sure you have planted seed in your child. It is SO scary when they look to be on a slippery slope. Stand on the promise “train up a child in the way they should go, and when they are old they will not depart from it”. Even if you were not living for the Lord when your children when they were young, and you now are, they will see the difference. Plead God’s protection over them daily, ask Him to place Christians in their paths, ask God to NOt allow them to be comfortable in their sin and then most of all, just “walk the walk” and don’t preach with your words too often, smile!
pri1465 on June 25, 2010 at 2:03 am
hi,
I remember as a kid and teenager religion was literaly poked down my throat until I was sick of it. I was sick of it, because it was preached to me but not practiced by the preachers. (like it was a must to go to church on Sunday, as long as I went and stood and sat as necessary during the service it didn’t matter if my thoughts were elsewhere.) Also, all the adults in my family preached to me, pretended to be holy but were not, they were hypocrites. This distanced me from Christ. Luckily for me a friend took me to a Youth for Christ meeting and there I met a lot of sincere people and became a Christian. So don’t poke religion down your childs throat. Show them by example and your faith in situations and I’m sure your kid will learn by watching you and how you react
YeshuaHaMashiach on June 26, 2010 at 2:24 pm
Hello dear, I agree with the other posted replies. I truly believe that shoving religion down your child’s throat is the wrong way to go. I say religion because it’s not Christ like to force or trick anyone to let God be their Lord. Remember what Christ did when He walked on earth, He met people’s need then share God’s love with them the way the receiver needed to hear the message. Only God can show you how to talk to your child. I would strongly suggest that you devote an hour or more, daily, to pray specifically for your child. pray in details for him or her. Ask God to show you his heart so you can pray for him specifically. Moreover, walk the walk, don’t just talk the talk; actions are louder than words. Fast and pray if you have to, do not stop until he is back to His or her Father’s arm. You will feel like yelling at him or her sometimes, ask God for patience and calmness Speak in his life those things that are not as if they were(Rom 4:17). Find a positive way to get him to change his ways. ie if he likes to go out partying, try to invite him to a Christian youth group gathering since he likes to have fun with responsible young adults such as himself, there is so much these young adults can learn from him. If you stay prayerful, God will give you creative ideas to talk and witness to your child. He’s done it for me so many times. And I make sure to thank God for His ideas right in front of my children. I will help you stand in the gap for your child. It’s not easy but together we can claim victory over our children since Christ already won the battle for us. Be bless & bless God
cdamom on June 27, 2010 at 6:29 pm
just pray for your child, god has it all in control, i have a 23 yr old daughter who has walked totally away, and i know how hard it is because you just look at that child and wonder why, but just remember it is not your fault (took me a while to get this thru my head), and that god has a reason for this and that he knows what the ultimate outcome is, hope this helps, but every day not matter what pray, pray, pray
Judy on June 21, 2010 at 12:01 pm
I have an adult son living with us right now, and I know that he believes, but has strayed away from God and the church. I pray for him every day and I don’t preach to him, but in conversation leave little reminders how much God loves him. Today on Facebook, I found a posting on father’s day on how God made fathers. I can’t wait to show it to his dad when he comes home. Don’t give up on your children, let them know that God is always there and will never leave. If they have non-christian friends live my son does, just causually ask how they answer questions about God and christianity. I don’t preach, but I do give hints.
Noe Meo on June 21, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Pray for and love the child.
lindagma on June 22, 2010 at 5:43 am
Besides death, this is probably the most difficult thing a Christian parent deals with. Just like us, their faith and walk must come from a personal connection with Jesus. Hard as it may be, we have to let go and let God deal with them in whatever way He must to bring them back. May be a simple matter… may be traumatic. God knows what it will take. As parents and grandparents, we love them, demonstrate the joy and peace of walking with the Lord and pray… pray… pray.
lyndygayle on June 22, 2010 at 9:14 am
Thanks for the advice….I appreciate it and will take it to heart. I am reading and praying through Stormie Omartian’s Book: The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children and it is wonderful.
cdamom on June 27, 2010 at 6:29 pm
excellent book
Journey4Sue on June 22, 2010 at 12:16 pm
You know… not knowing whether your children are saved and what their feelings are for the Lord is indeed a life and death matter…forn them! Its their life and death! We have 4 children who are all grown now and they were brought up in a Christian home. My oldest daughter Joanna is a beautiful Christian but my other 3 children say they believe in the Lord but I don’t think they have Jesus in their heart. You can’t be preachy them,..it turns them off. So instead I talk about the absolutely fascinating things that are in the Bible,..I talk to them about what I study,..about how much the Lord loves them and about world signs of the end of this age…I want them to realize the Bible is real and what was prophectized is happening now! And..I pray for them…and pray….I leave them with the Lord. He has dealt with those whose hearts weren’t always in the right place..and He loves my children more than me and my husband do!
Patsy on June 23, 2010 at 7:32 am
Amen to all that!
Patsy on June 23, 2010 at 7:30 am
We have 4 young adult ‘children’. One of whom is totally living for the Lord, serving in her church etc. I have found that with the others we have to be very careful not to make or be judgmental about where they are with the Lord. One is particularly sensitive to this. When she asks for prayer or shares something I always tell her that I will pray for the situation and that I continually keep her in my prayers. (In the past she has got upset if I’ve hinted she isn’t praying herself and told me I had no right to judge her..very true) Like ‘Journey4sue’ I tell them what we are doing, studying etc and share answers to prayer. When they are at home and we share a meal even if they have friends we still say ‘grace’ and are just open with them about our walk with God in general. Our eldest loves a good discussion but I have realised he’ll always win those, so I just pray continually for him and love him. Sometimes I weep for him before the Lord too. The youngest is by his own words a bit on the fence but still describes himself as ‘Christian’ on Facebook. We are their greatest witnesses as parents and in our faithful prayers will keep them close to God. He will not let them go.
Anna123 on June 23, 2010 at 9:31 am
I have to 2 children they both know of the Lord. When they were young they both excepted the Lord as being they’re Savior but I think now they know of the Lord. My son right about now needs prayer. I talked to him about the Lord but I don’t think he fears Him. He does not know what God can do to bring him back to Him. My daughter she is married to a Christian but still trying to live a worldly life. I am forever praying for them and myself to get back to our Lord again. Help us please. Please pray for us. Thank you and God bless.
roscoevon on June 23, 2010 at 11:23 am
Prayer and lots of it. Often times when a child is raised in a christian home and attend church and all of the functions that go with that part of obediance they tend to want to live their own lives and felt so pressured in having to attend church and all. I would not pressure the child about too much of anything because that will just send them running in the opposite direction. Pray and have everyone else pray for them as well. Have faith and they will come around. The seed was planted long ago in their lives and God will bring them back. Stubborness sets into these kids when they become the age in which they are their own boss. They want to do things their way and they don’t want to have to live under the Parents’ rule. Be gentle in how you deal, things will work out.
tom felten on June 24, 2010 at 7:11 am
Just a thought . . . it is definitely good for us to pray for our prodigals and to strive to winsomely point them to Jesus. But where does tough love fit in—especially if the child is still at home and engaging in immoral behavior?
maryanneb47 on June 25, 2010 at 8:21 pm
I pray for everyone in my family every night before I go to bed. I hope that by my example because half of my children and grandchildren I live with. I also, homeschool 2 of my grandchildren in Religion, in hopes that helps them to be closer to God. I feel I do what I can without interfering with raising them that’s my daughters job. If I see her making a mistake I’ll pray that God will help her.