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Until they genuinely trust in the Messiah and believe his words/promises, they won't be able to stop sinning no matter how hard they try. That is something I would've appreciated someone telling me sooner because it's not of our own effort that we can keep his holy standard of living—or avoid sinning deliberately anyway. When I first started reading, I just tried suppressing all of the behavior and thoughts he deemed evil/wrong/hateful. But, I'm starting to see that he allows everyone to go through that stage to prove to them firsthand that we can not do it ourselves (of course, they would have to reach the stage of even attempting to keep his commands for them to learn this). Then I discovered verses like:





We'll be enabled to walk "right" once we accept him, ask for the Holy Spirit (Lk 11:13), submit to his word, and allow him to start changing our habits and perspective. Maybe if they knew that, they'd be more open to the idea. No one had really explained to me what we were getting "saved" from (I knew about hell, but I didn't know that it was also to "save" us from our sinful lifestyles, to actually release us from those negative desires).

What they really need is to test the book and put it into practice for themselves. Our part is to tell them that it is wrong and they should repent of that lifestyle. As for how to approach it, wait for the conversation or situation to be relevant. Maybe they'll even bring the subject up first. Ask our heavenly Father to give you that opportunity in your dialogues with them so you can address their lifestyle and how their lifestyle is in dis-accord with his will, for it to happen organically and not forced in the conversation. As long as you are willing, he'll provide the chance. What they do after that is their responsibility and their choice. I'm sure he'll use more ways and/or people to retrieve them if they truly belong to him and he hasn't given them over to a depraved mind, so don't get too hung up over it. It's not your responsibility to make them believe; we just have to relay the message.



Also helpful, remember that Yeshua is our example so it would be to our benefit to study how he approached people. For instance, if someone came to draw water out of a well, he approached them and started talking about a "living water" and whoever drinks of it will never thirst (Jn 4). He used the situations or conversations at hand to demonstrate a spiritual truth. I think people have an issue when someone pushes an idea onto them out of nowhere, no invitation, no provocation, irrelevant to the conversation/circumstance. We can tell people about him, but they have to fall in love with him on their own. They need to seek and they will find. A holy lifestyle will naturally develop if they truly start loving him more than their sin and putting his will above their own.