The following story from a friend who has been a Christian for app. one year! In her Christian childhood she reflects to me how to believe and live as a child of God. Lately she posted this story on her facebook. With her permission I am glad to share it with you.
Praise The Lord with me- my step dad has been a tough nut to crack but I have persisted in prayer and just living a godly life in his home for only 3 months.
He became violent with me a few weeks ago and I thought I was going to have to move out- but little did I know what was going on under the surface of his pride and defensiveness.
He shared yesterday that a few moments after he punched walls and yelled and screamed at me and came toward me to hit me and my brother jumped up in time - and I ran to my room and got in my knees and said "God I forgive him please have mercy on him" and he came to my room and broke down crying-
I didn't know until he told me yesterday that moments after I prayed he was filled with the Holy Spirit and said he felt compassion for the first time in his life and that it continued from that day. But it's taken him a while to admit to me that he has been talking to God a lot since then asking questions about his first 8 years as an orphan in Sri Lanka and his subsequent adoption. He said god has been answering these questions and this morning he asked me "Amy, why does God do anything good for me? I am a bad person" and I said "yeah me too. I was the worst but how Good is he?" And we talked about the apostle Paul. He said I have taught him how to listen and to have compassion and to turn to God when stressed and to appreciate people for who they are flaws and all.
I want to encourage any of you who feel like people in your life aren't hearing or seeing how good Jesus is because their words and actions seem the opposite: don't give up, keep praying and don't react to their negativity.
Often when people are sensing the Holy Spirit when they are around you it is stirring up all their spiritual garbage and its starting to surface and confront them. And they react in a whole range of ways (yelling, defending, rubbishing your faith, or dumping their problems verbally on you)
Keep showing mercy and compassion and God will speak to them :)