Focus on the Family Magazine - June/July 2020

FAITH & INSPIRATION / PRODIGALS
Point your
child’s
heart to
Christ
As God restores and rebuilds your
relationship, look for opportunities
to have honest, spiritual conversations.
And trust that the message
of the Gospel is powerful by itself.
Remember Romans 1:16: “I am not
ashamed of the gospel, for it is the
power of God for salvation to everyone
who believes.”
It’s not up to you to come up with
the right words to say or the perfect
actions to do. Remember that this
isn’t your burden alone. God loves
your adult children even more than
you do. And as you share the Gospel
message of God’s unmerited, unconditional
love for your kids, the Holy
Spirit is the One who softens their
hearts and convinces them of the
truth.
Talking with your adult
children about Jesus
If you are preparing for a spiritual
conversation with your child, ask
the Lord to give you the heart of
Jesus. “When [Jesus] saw the crowds,
he had compassion for them,
because they were harassed and
helpless, like sheep without a shepherd”
(Matthew 9:36). When we have
Christ’s heart of compassion for our
children, we don’t approach them
with an attitude of forcing our religion
on them. Instead, God can help
us in these moments to be “full of
grace and truth” (John 1:14).
We communicate grace to our
children when we assure them of
our love for them: “I love you, no
matter what. There is nothing you
can do that will make me love you
any less.” We communicate truth
when we are honest with our children
about their spiritual condition:
“I am concerned for you. More than
anything else, I want to see you thriving
in your relationship with God.”
Having honest, personal, spiritual
conversations will require courage.
The Enemy would have you talk
only about work, the weather, movies
and sports for the next 20 years.
Perhaps you have heard this phrase:
“Desperate times call for desperate
measures.” When our children are
far from God, it is a desperate time.
Ask the Lord for courage, boldness
and faith.
God will not abandon you as
you prayerfully seek to share the
Scriptures and His love with your
children. He has entrusted your
son or daughter into your care, and
it is never too late for God to use
you to lead your prodigal child
back to Him. •
Rob Rienow, Ph.D., is the founder of Visionary
Family Ministries and the author of Never Too
Late: Encouraging faith in your adult child.
LISTEN NOW!
Listen to our broadcast with Alex
McFarland and Jason Jimenez to hear
more insights on how you can help
your adult child reconnect with God.
<strong>Focus</strong>OnTheFamily.ca/Radio
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FOCUS ON THE FAMILY
June / July 2020