My husband and I keep up with our local friends through an e-mailing list online.  Most of our friends are athiest/agnostic.  Just today, someone posted a thread about God and faith out of the blue.  I've been using this opportunity to carefully witness to them, as they have some hardened hearts.

But since this topic was not brought up by ME, I feel the Holy Spirit is working here, giving me another opportunity to witness despite me giving up on them previously for other failed religious discussions.  If nothing else, please pray for the Holy Spirit to use this opportunity to plant a few seeds in the hearts of our friends.

In Jesus name!

~~Becka

Becka,

I was just this morning weeping for the lost.  I pray in agreement with you and others that you will, through the pwer of the HS to be given His words to reach them before it's too late.  Bless  you for being such a beacon of light in this miserable, dark world!

Blessings and love,

Lynn

Dear Father, I pray for the salvation of Becka's friends.  I ask that You use Becka's life as an example of Jesus's love and grace to draw them unto Yourself.  I pray that You give Becka the words to say to them, and that the Holy Spirit will work on their hearts so they can come to the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and ask Him into their hearts.  I thank You for using Becka's life as an example to her friends of a Godly woman, and that they can feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit pierce their hearts to bring them unto repentance.  May they feel Your love drawing them to You.  I ask all of this in Jesus mighty Name.  Amen.

Bless you Becka for your love of the lost . Bless your witness to them for the sake of Christ and to His Glory .

Thank you Lord for bringing about a bountiful harvest from the seeds sown by Your Child !! Thank you Lord for the power of The Holy Spirit which woos men !

May you see them all in Heaven, Becka , and very soon !

 1Thess. 4:17

bon

I want to thank each and every one of you who prayed for me and for my unsaved friends.  The conversation didn't last too long, and after a few questions were asked that I answered, the people questioning "went silent" so to speak.  No more questions were asked and I didn't offer up any more information.  I do believe at this point, pushing Christ on these folk will only harden their hearts even more.

However, I was able to give my testimony of how I became a Christian, why I believe Christianity is correct over Islam/Buddhism/Hinduism, and that Allah and Yahweh aren't the same God.  Someone asked if I thought I was a Christian because I grew up in the West or because I had Christian parents.  Basically, the question was -- if I'd grown up in a religious "vacuum", would I still have chosen Christianity?  While my parents claim to be Christian, I wasn't given a Christian upbringing, other than the fact I knew who Jesus was and that's about it.  My mom would get MAD if I EVER said God's name in vain.  And that's all the religion we had, really.  So I didn't find God through them.

I told them that although it's easier for one to find Christianity in the West than say Islam or Buddism, that God knows who belong to Him, and He most likely would have found me regardless.  No one continued asking me questions after that.

Either they have too much respect for my husband to say anything negative (which is possible, they're all closer to my hubby than to me), they didn't want to go any further down that rabbit hole (which sounds very plausible), or they might have heard a bit of the Holy Spirit and decided to back off.  Maybe all three options.

I DID, however, stress that God doesn't want religion, He wants relationship. (As outlined in the "Not everyone who says "Lord, Lord!" will enter the Kingdom of Heaven" example.)  Of course, I said this after my hubby's best friend mentioned that he still believes everything he's ever believed, but that he and God are no longer "friends".  He's had a very hard life, growing up in poverty with parents who didn't love him enough to raise him, and he's lost FOUR unborn children to stillbirths (He has three beautiful living children) -- so he's very bitter at his circumstances.  He went silent as well after that.  I might have offended him a bit, maybe he stopped reading after that. 

But I just hope someone out there got some conviction.  Whenever these folks come over to hang out with my hubby, they say polite "hi's" to me and yak about mundane stuff, maybe make small talk, or avoid me altogether.  :P  I've never been holier-than-thou with them, and I've been nothing but sweet and kind.  But perhaps there's some conviction there, that when they look at me, they see Him, and they don't like what's reflected back within themselves, so they avoid it.

But it's SO HARD, however, because we just had a Christmas party last night with all our friends over, having a great time, and all I could think about was when some of these people die, they're going to Hell.  God told me to stop worrying, that it's HIS problem to deal with, but it's just painful that people you care about will NOT see the way.

All I can do now is be an example of Christ for them.  It's the Good Lord's job to plant and cultivate any seeds He might have spread around through me.  At least I can stand before the Throne and not have their blood on my hands.  I witnessed to them several times and tried my best to live holy.  If they don't accept Christ, it won't be because I failed to tell them about His saving Grace.

~~Becka

But perhaps there's some conviction there, that when they look at me, they see Him, and they don't like what's reflected back within themselves, so they avoid it.

That's it, Becka.  When an unbeliever is talking with a Christian who is filled with the Holy Spirit, they feel uncomfortable around them and feel convicted.  They don't like that feeling, so that is why they avoid the subject altogether. 

You've done your part.  Their blood is off your hands!  You're very wise not to push it.  You've already planted the seeds. Just continue to pray for them. The Holy Spirit will do the rest. They're blessed to have such a caring friend like yourself.

@Lisaleenie: Your new avatar is scary! I liked your previous one!

@Becka: The last paragraph of your message sums it up for me, and others too, regarding the unbelievers who abound in these last days. We can plant the seed, but the Holy Spirit will have to continue for us. To push on it is to harden them further, I believe like you said.

Yes, Becka, they will all see very soon. Supernatural events will seep into the natural world soon and the veil that separates the natural and supernatural worlds will evaporate away leaving everyone to see what only believers can now discern.

Currently, we are witnessing events in the natural world, earthquakes, tornados, tsunamis, etc., but with the opening of the seventh seal the earth and the unbelieving masses who are left behind at the ressurection/rapture will see God's wrath unleash other-worldly events in the trumpet and bowl judgments.

We do not want to be here when that happens. I know most reading this will be raptured and I pray I will be found worthy also to escape all these things. Let us all remember that our righteousness must be greater than that of the Pharisees, we must honor and glorify God out of love and appreciation for what He has done for us, not because of the formalism of some religious dogma and ritual.

"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7

With love,

Robert