Romans 8:28 and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God...
Day after day I ask God to soften the hearts of those who refuse to hear Him, to enter the minds of those who reject Him and to protect our children from evil. I keep asking God what can 'I' do to reach them? Of course I know that God is the only one that can reach them, and we are only His tools who need to be obedient when that still small voice tells us what to do and say. However sometimes I need reminded. Tuesday night I heard him loud and clear. I had called Hector help me talk to some kids who I was punishing for doing some things wrong. I wanted him to talk to them and say something that would get their attention. He didn't say what I expected him to, but it was perfect. I listened as Hector told them that God was not pleased with their actions and that Satan was speaking in their ears telling them to do the wrong things. He asked them 'who do you want to live in your heart, Satan or Jesus Christ?'. I could see through their eyes that they were processing the question.
A few minutes later, we left for church. As with most teenagers, ours are not perfect angels during church and we have been working on better behavior in God's house. This particular night, Pastor Miguel preached about the consequences of not living holy lives. He talked to the ones who were saved about living Christ-like lives. He also talked about God choosing each of them to be here at Faith Home and that He is giving them an opportunity to choose Him for their eternity. His sermon went right along with what Hector had told some of them about Satan wanting them to choose the wrong way.
After church, I kept some of the kids behind because of their behavior in church. They had to write 200 times how they were to behave in church. While they were writing, one of them asked since they were not a Christian, why did they have to follow the 'Christian' rules. So we talked about respecting the Lord's house and who God is and about their choices for eternity. During this discussion, I noticed Nelson Q. Had his head down and was writing very fast and suddenly said he was finished and asked to leave. As I walked him out and asked him if he thought he could do better next time, he told me yes because he had just prayed for Jesus to come into his heart and wanted to go talk to Pastor Miguel. Praise God! A changed life in the middle of what I had previously thought was chaos. It had been a long day and I was very tired, but suddenly I felt renewed and full of joy! You never know when and where God will speak to a heart, but if we just keep praying and doing what we know to do, He will...in His time.
No matter where you or what you are doing, someone is watching, and your life may be the very thing that shows God's love and power to someone else.
Our God is AMAZING!
