Families matter to God
God loves your family. Your family matters to God. God instituted the first marriage and founded the first family. Hence families are important to God.
God wants each household member to walk with Him, and live a life with hope, for eternal life with Christ.
The Bible says …“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy household” Acts 16:31
Hold on to this promise! You and your family members can be saved ONLY if you believe and trust in Christ for your salvation. Moreover, even if one member of the family is saved, it does not mean that the whole household is saved. God has given everyone free will, and each one has to believe in Christ individually. Each individual is answerable to God.
No Transferred Salvation
There is no such thing as transferred salvation. The faith of one family member would NOT be enough to save another family member.
Yet you ask, ‘Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?’ Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live.The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them. Ezekiel 18:19-20
The whole chapter of Ezekiel 18 explains very clearly, separating the destiny of parent and child.
God’s Love
God is love. He is our creator. Because of His great love and compassion, He desires all people to receive salvation. He does not want anyone to perish. The scripture teaches us that salvation is an undeserved gift that we receive when we place our faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus made it clear that there is only one way to God the Father and that is through God the Son, Jesus Christ. There isn’t any Plan B. There isn’t a secondary option to eternal life.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6
Heavy Load to carry
Many saved Christians watch with broken hearts in these end times, their family members living lives away from God. They may be good human beings, but they do not feel the need for a personal relationship with God. Sometimes they may even mock or deny the idea that God exists!
Certainly, it is a huge burden!
Parents would naturally want their beloved children to be in heaven too. They are not wrong in fearing that during the rapture, their loved ones would be left behind. What a dreadful, grim and horrifying thought!
God's Promise
But, God assures you that He will save your children.
In the book of Isaiah, the prophet says.. “Who can snatch the prey from the hands of a mighty man? Who can demand that a tyrant let his captive go? But the Lord says, ‘Even the captives of the most mighty and most terrible shall all be freed; for I will fight those who fight you, and I will save your children“ Isaiah 49:24 – 25.
The Solution....
So,what do we do ? Simple. Pray by standing in the gap for the spiritually defiant family members. Pray by interceding on their behalf.
Praying for unsaved family members
What to Pray?
- Pray that God will open their Eyes and Minds “To open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ Acts 26: 18
2. Pray that God will teach them to hear His word. “We must do what God says, standing strong in our faith, not wavering, for faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. We must let God do in our lives what he says he will do through Jesus Christ.”
3. Pray that God leads them to repent of their sins.“God grant them repentance, leading them to a knowledge of the truth, that they may come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will”. 2 Timothy 2: 25-26
4.Pray that God touches and softens their hearts.“I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” Ezekiel 36:26 NLT
5.Pray that God bestows on them His everlasting peace.“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7
6.Pray that God grants them grace.“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9
7.Pray that God gives them the wisdom to understand His word.“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”Proverbs 9:10?
God will do miracles as we stand in the gap for our families’ salvation.
Hard To Pray
However, sometimes you will not feel any burden to pray for the unsaved family members. Though you have not lost faith, you will be at a loss for words. It will be hard to pray. Your prayers will seem stale. This happens when you have been lifting them up in prayer for years and have not seen any results. It can be very discouraging!
That’s okay! Don’t feel guilty. Spend time singing and praising God in general without worrying about the unsaved. Cast your cares on Him. Be still. Take a break. Subsequently, all of a sudden, the urge to pray for the wayward family will return. Then start praying earnestly all over again.
You and I should never waver in our faith that God will save our loved ones.
Remember that we are engaged in a spiritual battle and one of our greatest weapons is prayer. Everything is possible with God, and He can change even the hardest of hearts.
Spiritual battle explained
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”Ephesians6:12
Because we are sinful by nature, we fail to understand the disturbing truth that ego, pride, anger, unforgiveness, greed, blaming others, and hypocrisy found in our hearts are sins that do not please God. Nevertheless, God forgives when we repent with all our hearts.
God does not force you to trust him
Paul says that we should be gentle and patient while discussing with unsaved ones. After all, those who do not believe are not our enemies, they are our loved ones who we hope will accept Christ one day.
“Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,” 2 Timothy 2:25
Because of your belief in Jesus, there is now an open door in your family for God to move into their lives to bless and save every one of them.
Hope for the unsaved
“God wants you to know that He will create a new, glorious future for you, no matter how dark your past may have been. Nothing is too difficult for Him“. Isaiah 43:18–19
CONCLUSION
Yes, dear unsaved ones..the Lord loves everyone. Christ is standing and knocking at the door of every unsaved member, please do let Him in!
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20
Will you invite Him to call the shots in your life? If Christ is knocking on the door of your heart, don’t shut Him out. Welcome Him into your life and accept His offer of eternal life. Experience the joy of salvation!
How do you discern God’s will in your life? Read more…
Why we ought to forgive others? Because that’s what Christ teaches us. Read more..
Have you experienced a similar situation? We would love to hear how you dealt with it?
We are happy to give away 6 Free downloadable Scripture cards to share God’s love..It is in pdf format and can be printed on a single sheet.
CLICK on this image to DOWNLOAD the above Scripture Cards
If you like these printables, please share them with your loved ones !
Thank you for sharing your heart for Christ and the salvation of others. I have many unsaved family members and this is an encouragement to me today.
Thank you dear Patti.It is indeed sad..
In your writing, I sense the sweet calmness of the Holy Spirit coming through. It blesses me to read your words. I have a friend who I’ve prayed to be saved for many years. In his 70s now, his wife and daughter are longing for his salvation., and they are who I thought of and prayed for as I read your beautiful article. Thankfully, my family are all saved except my 11-year-old youngest grandson who I trust will give His heart to Christ soon.
Thank you very much Rosemary for sharing your experience.Praise God that all your family members are saved.Your little grandson too will be saved soon as he is watching the family’s example. We all should continue to pray for all our close ones. Thank you once again.