For years we have been praying for our families to become Christians… It’s heartbreaking when you know the truth, and your loved ones do not. The thought of even one of them spending an eternity in hell is more than one can truly fathom…. yet, why is it easier for me to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with a complete stranger, than with my beloved family? One thing the devil tries to do to dissuade me is to use my past, my sin, all of the times in life I was deceived, as an instrument against me. The enemy reminds me that my family knows the good, the bad, and the ugly about me… he tries to convince me that they won’t believe what I tell them…. why should they??? “Look at how many times you messed up!” says the accuser of the brethren. This is a lie. My past is part of my testimony that shows the before and after of God in my life. It glorifies Him and points to the goodness of Jesus Christ. It is part of God’s story in my life, to be used to help others know Him too.
I have witnessed many times over the years to one of my aunts who is like a mother to me. Each time I have done it, I have shared the truth of Jesus Christ with her, speaking as if she too was a believer…. that she too knew what I was saying and agreed with me…. all the while knowing that this was not the case, but hoping that one day it would be. Today we spoke on the phone and once again God opened the door to share His truth. She was asking questions about death, etc and I knew that after the death of my Aunt, her sister last year, that this was weighing heavily on her heart…. She once again spoke of how scary the unknown is for people. God gave me His spirit of boldness and gave me the words as I shared about how she doesn’t have to fear death…. that she can KNOW what will happen when she dies. Once again I shared the Gospel with her….. only this time….. I felt God leading me, encouraging me, convicting me, and empowering me to lay it on the line. So, I stepped out in faith, and asked her if she wanted to pray and ask Jesus Christ to be her Lord and Savior. To become a Christian and KNOW that when she dies, she will go to heaven. She said she did not know how to do that…. I told her as I prayed, she could repeat after me… she said she wanted to do that…. So we prayed…. The Aunt that I love so dearly, and have prayed for for so long, confessed to God that she was a sinner, that she was sorry, that she knows Who Jesus is and that He died on the cross for her sins. She asked Him to be her Lord and Savior and please forgive her. To wash her clean…. My Aunt was born again. Thank You Jesus!
Through tears I told her how thankful I was that she is saved from her sin, and now we both KNOW that she will spend all eternity in Heaven. I asked her to please forgive me for all the years I have not found the courage to ask her if she wanted to receive Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. Of course she said there was nothing to forgive. I told her I was always so afraid she would say no, that I did not dare ask….
I have often wondered what my family must think when they know I am out there telling people about Jesus, yet do not share with some of them very much about Him. I pray God gives each of us the courage to share His truth with our loved ones…. and then ask them if they want to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Their salvation is only a prayer away…
Romans 10:13-15
For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
God has called you to share the Gospel…
that they may know Him…
