Spiritual Confidence?
How convinced is your Christian child that they belong to the Father, that His love for them is absolute? It’s not unusual for Christian kids to experience a crisis of faith, especially those who trusted in Jesus for salvation at a young age. It’s worth checking in occasionally to see where their confidence level is in the inexhaustible acceptance of God for those who are in Christ.
We’re pulling our talking points this week from Romans 8:26-38, where Paul spells out the reasons he is convinced that absolutely nothing can separate believers from the God’s love for us. It’s a message comforting to all of us, but it might be exactly what your student needs to hear, especially if they’re struggling with some of the temptation and self-control issues that come with adolescence.
We hope a few of the following questions will give you the opportunity to ask about and explain to your son and daughter how secure they can feel in their relationship with God.
Talking Points
- Do you sometimes want to pray but feel like you’re not sure exactly what to say or how to say it? [Parent: Be ready to talk about your own struggles and successes in talking to God. Think about reading Romans 8:26-27 together.]
- Romans 8:26 says that God’s Spirit intercedes to Him for us. What does it mean to intercede for someone? [Parent: It means, in part, to carry a request from one person to another, to make the case for them to someone else.]
- Does it make you feel more confident to try to pray if you know that God’s Spirit will communicate what you’re feeling to God in the best possible way?
- If bad things happen to you, does that mean that God is unhappy with you—or that you’ve let Him down in some way? [Parent: Use this chance to make sure your child understands that hard things in our lives are not evidence that God is unhappy with us. Think about reading Romans 8:28 together.]
- Romans 8:28 is a promise for people who love God and who are called for His purpose. Would you say that both of those things apply to you? [Parent: Be ready to help them see how both conditions apply to them if they are a Christian.]
- Romans 8:29-30 says that God has had a plan for His children from way before we were ever born, a plan to make us a full member of His family forever. Why is that such a big deal? Did you make that plan or did God make it?
- Romans 8:31 says that if God is for us, who can be against us? Do you believe that God is for you? [Parent: Help your child to see that God is for them not because they are “good,” but because they’ve been given credit for Jesus’ goodness. Think about reading Romans 8:1 together.]
- Do you ever wonder if God really loves you, especially after you’ve done something wrong? How can you know that He still loves you just as much as ever? [Parent: Think about reading Romans 8:31-34 together and showing that even if someone speaks against us—including ourselves speaking against us—Jesus intercedes for us and that God has already justified us.]
- Let’s make a list: What are some of the things people might think could come between them and God’s love for them?
- Now let’s read Paul’s list of the things that absolutely CANNOT separate us from God’s love. [Parent: Read Romans 8:35-39 together.] Is there anything on our first list that isn’t covered by Paul’s list?
- On a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being high, how confident are you that God loves you now as much as He always has and always will?
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