Godly Advice For Dealing With Real Life Situations - Only God Can Change Hearts!!!

Here are some real life examples that have occurred in my lifetime;

Godly parents who have sought to honour the Lord in their child rearing have come to the realization that their adult child has begun turning or has already completely turned their back on everything that mom and dad have taught them. What can they do about this???

A wife feels that her husband does not take the spiritual lead as he should. She wants him to lead in spiritual matters and desires to follow him as he follows Christ but he seems disinterested in this necessary role and satisfied and even complacent with his own spiritual condition. What can she do about this???

A husband seems frustrated. The Holy Spirit has dealt with him and he desires to lead his family into a deeper commitment to Christ and a more fervency of zeal in their service for Christ. Yet the family seems disinterested, even cynical and sometimes even antagonistic toward the changes dad makes. What can he do about this???

A family has dedicated their lives to Jesus Christ. Beyond salvation they have begun to be faithful to church, they are tithing their income, they are sending their children to a Christian school, they are changing their worldly music and other worldly forms of entertainment, and adopting Biblical standards for Christian living. Other saved family members whom they dearly love question their newfound commitment to Christ. They make light of, make fun of, mock and criticize their standards and convictions. None of this mind you is brought on by a prideful disposition on the part of the changed family. The subject matter is not even brought up by them. Yet the extended family members seem bent on interrogating them for their new found commitment to an old-fashioned Bible Christianity. What can they do about this???

YOU CAN'T CHANGE A PERSON'S HEART, BUT GOD CAN!!!

1. God can change a person's heart! - 1 Sam. 10:9 And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day. Ezra 6:22 And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the LORD had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
2. God can put something in a person's heart! - Ezra 7:27 Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem:
3. God can soften a person's heart! - Ezek. 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: Ezek. 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
4. Only God can change or turn a person's heart! - Prov. 21:1 The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

WELL, THEN WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT THIS???

1. I can love them.
2. I can pray for them.
3. Ask God to change their heart.
4. Let God change my heart. I cannot expect a person to be better than my attitude toward them. What is God trying to teach me through this person or situation???
5. Realize that God can take even our mistakes and bring about something good from them. Rom. 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
6. Make yourself available. However, refrain from giving unsought advice. Unsought advice is seldom heeded and often resented. If you do give unsought advice you may very well forfeit the right to give advice later.