A Change of Heart, back to the Family

He shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. Mal 4: 6…

At the close of the Old Testament, the great prophet Malachi predicted the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and that of our saviour’s forerunner. Included in this great prophecy of the coming of the Saviour were these important words of Revival:
the Forerunner of the saviour, through his preaching, will be turning the hearts of the fathers back to the son and the son to the Father. There is in this world, an intense lack of natural affection. The selfishness of this world and the self-centredness of each individual which put self before others, and sadly, the family is not spared this curse. Many husbands and wives fight and divorce, many children live in hatred of their parents, and many still cannot get along because of previous misunderstanding, offences and hurts. But when the forerunner of Christ comes, he will fulfill this great promise.

Well, the Lord Jesus and His forerunner and the great prophet has come, and gone, and yet many families are still in these problems. How can we be restored??

To be restored, we need to listen to the word of GOD. John preached the word and many were touched in their hearts. This led to their action for family restoration as genuine change of heart always results in outward action. When John came, as the forerunner of the Lord, he taught the people many things and many repented of their sins and were baptised. They were so sincere that they followed the Lord Jesus. A filling of love for Jesus MUST create in our hearts a love for our family. The parents need to initiate the reconciliation, and if necessary, the child needs to do so too. The fathers will turn back to the child in love and the child will respond, if the father will do so in love as well.

To be restored, the heart must turn, That means that what the fathers love now, any action, any hobby, any habit and any trend of lifestyle, which is not helping the relationship with their loved ones and not helping spiritually: must be willingly abandoned. The gap in our hearts can only be filled with the love of the Lord Jesus. Many continue in their lifestyle which affect their family, and wonder why the family do not understand them as they persist in their self-willed ways. Not merely is the father responsible for repentance, but also the mother and the son and the daughter must turn. If there is no turning, there is no reconciliation. Unless there is a heart change, there will be no life change. The father needs to be aware of their responsibility and their need to be involved in the lives of their children.

To be restored, and after the fathers has demonstrated awareness and responsibility, the bible teaches that the hearts of the children will also be affected to be changed by the gospel and hence the reconciliation. No reconciliation is as wonderful as a reunion of the hearts of estranged family.

Is there a division in the family? GOD says there will be reconciliation: permanent reconciliation, but it requires a change of heart, influenced by the power of the word. Lord, change me and then use me, to influence my family.

Evangelist – Pastor Johnny Tan
Ambassador Baptist Church