When you give your life to the Lord, you want everyone else in your household and family to do the same - at least that is how I felt.
I was the first one in my family to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior in a public setting. My mother has a deep faith and belief in God, but I never really comprehended what that meant growing up. My father wasn't interested in church attendance or the things of God. My sister is still resistant to God and religion in general.
When my husband and I married, we were both unbelievers. Seven years later I had a powerful conversion experience that had real consequences. There were immediate changes in my behavior, thoughts and heart. I wrote a blog post about how to tell if the experience is real or not: A Bona Fide Convert
So - what came next? WAITING...
Here is an excerpt from my book MISSION POSSIBLE - Chapter 6 "In the Meantime - Serve"
During your time of "waiting on the Lord" (Psalm 27:14), you must be courageous. This is not a time for whimpering and whining. This is a time to dig in and serve - and a time to dig trenches and fortify your position in Christ regarding your mate. The enemy is stealthy and clever in distraction regarding your mission. He will try to divert your energy and resources into other areas that might be good, but not GOD's best! Be careful with too many church activities and over commitment. Remember, your spouse does not understand your need to serve the kingdom purposes. They just don't understand it. Balance is crucial when it comes to home, church, and work. Pray that God will prepare your husband's heart and give you that understanding and favor regarding your "God assignments".
5 Things to do While You Wait on God...
Praying for your spouse is powerful and helps you to see their spiritual darkness as God sees it. One of the Scriptures I pray for my husband is Ephesians 1:17-19 , "...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power."
Another one is Romans 10:20 , "But Isaiah is very bold and says: 'I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me."
2. Sow seeds for a harvest -
Go ahead and plant seed. Share the basics of the Gospel in a loving, sensitive way. The worst thing you can do is to "preach to them" and point out glaring faults in a legalistic way. Unless they have had their heart regenerated - it won't make any sense to them. Remember, they are spiritually blind. I Corinthians 2:14 says "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
3. Remember it is God who draws them -
You are not "Holy Spirit Jr." - so don't try so hard to make it happen. God is the one who initiates the wooing of their spirit man. Hosea 11:4 says, "I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love, and I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them." Jesus says in John 6:44, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him..."
4. Live as a witness -
In order to be a witness, you have to emulate Jesus' characteristics and desire what he desires. The fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 are the attributes we should be displaying if we are living a life hid in Christ Jesus. He says this in John 15:5, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."
5. Have patience and perseverance -
Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Our faith in God and hope in His Word give us the strength and endurance we need to "keep on keeping on". God's perfect plan may be an immediate salvation experience or it may be years away. Either way - wouldn't you rejoice in your mate's conversion - even if that meant waiting for the right time, place, and situation? Don't give up... God is moving in the background and arranging things we don't even know about yet.
Jesus tells us in Luke 18:-8, "Then the Lord said, 'Hear what the unjust judge said, And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"
Waiting on the Lord can renew your strength and fortify your hope. Rest in Him as you wait...
Deborah is the author of a Christian non-fiction book titled “Mission Possible”. It is written for women who love the Lord Jesus, but their spouse doesn’t share their passion. It will encourage and challenge the reader to embrace God’s promises for their spouse and future together.
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Greetings Deborah,
ReplyDeleteI came across your post in twitter. I love this. It has sound counsel with words of wisdom. I will be sharing it.
Thank you so much for your kind words. My aim is to encourage others in their walk with the Lord... :)
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