Three Ways to Lead Your Family Closer to God
“We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too. Don’t you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that we would not be a burden to any of you as we preached God’s Good News to you. You yourselves are our witnesses—and so is God—that we were devout and honest and faultless toward all of you believers.
1 Thessalonians 2:8-10 (NLT)
We all need a focus, an intentionality for 2022. The pandemic has caused us all to be inward, reactive and unfocused. So, as we begin a New Year (yea!) we want to be intentional with our family.
One of God’s greatest privileges He entrusts us with is to lead and encourage our family to live lives worthy of God.
But to be intentional with family means we all need strength and faith because the challenge is great and daunting.
Here are three ways to learn from God how to lead my family to be closer to God through all of life.
1. BE AN EXAMPLE.
“Then they said to Jeremiah, ‘May the Lord your God be a faithful witness against us if we refuse to obey whatever He tells us to do! Whether we like it or not, we will obey the Lord our God to whom we are sending you with our plea. For if we obey Him, everything will turn out well for us.’” Jeremiah 42:5-6 (NLT)
Words will always be important but our actions, our obedience, and our faithfulness to God will have great impact.
Your own obedience to God, to your own spiritual growth, to God’s Word give a great example that can inspire and encourage your family. As your faith is lived out in the good and bad times of life there will be great influence.
2. BE DETERMINED.
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NIV)
2022 is a great time to be focused and determined. When faced with adversity, be determined to pray and and look for answers in God’s Word. Prayer helps us take our focus off of our difficulty and helps us focus on God. In all situations, God is able and available to give us answers and insights for us to stay focused and on His path.
God will show us how to lead our family as we see our own heart condition and areas we need to change. What scripture can you find that helps you with an area you have been struggling to lead your family? Ask God for His power to change your family in ways you can’t.
3. BE REAL AND VULNERABLE.
“You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance.” 2 Timothy 3:10 (NIV)
With our family we have a great opportunity to help our wives and children learn to rely on God by simply sharing our own struggles, challenges, defeats and questions. Sharing with family the decisions to turn to God, and even the times we didn’t turn to God simply make faith real.
Share how God has helped you and answered your prayers.
But the good news is that we are capable of positive Life Change. It is what God does in us when we follow Him and see Him change us from the inside out. The truth is: People can be your greatest blessing. In our meeting and connecting with others God shows up in the midst. And we are changed by others that God puts in our lives.
We need to be known and loved. It sets us free from pretense, humbles us from our self-dependency, and strengthens us for any difficulty that life brings our way.
God wants to help us lead our family to be closer to God. Be intentional about being an example, being determined, and being vulnerable.
Let’s be intentional with family in 2022!