I learned this about 3 years ago. The single best advice any parent can give to a child would be to "love God!" Just do that, love God, love God, love God, love God, with all thy heart, all thy soul and all thy strength.
However, it's a little hard to do and understand at first because for someone not in a personal relationship with the Father, you don't really know Him well enough to truly love Him. It's a little like trying to love a stranger at first, how does someone find it within himself or herself to love someone we don't know? I know that feeling, I was there once.
Before I go any further. You guys will want to pay good attention to what I'm about to tell you.
These are the two paths to find God when seeking Him.
The first and most common route is in Deut 4:29-31. This is what happened to the Jews in the desert for 40 years during their trial of testing. This path is so commonly practice by almost everyone seeking God that it's safe to say it looks like 99.9999999999999999% because it's common knowledge.
The very very last thing the devil wants is for anyone to have a relationship with God. The devil spends most of his effort to stop each of us from finding Him.
Deuteronomy 4:29-31 (NKJV)
29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice 31 (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.
In that time while you're searching for God, the devil will seek your greatest weakness and fear and magnify it 10 fold, 100 fold or 1000 fold in order to stop you.
During this time of testing, this is when you go through financial tribulation or physical tribulation or emotional tribulation or mental and psychological tribulation, anything he can use to stop you. This is why you go through tribulation in life in your early stages as a Christian.
Revelation 2:10-11 (NKJV)
10 Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
11 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.”’
Yes, this is THIS TEST: Rev 2:10-11. This is for the Crown of Life. It's the first major test and is the hardest test you'll pass in the beginning. Nothing compares to this test. Almost every Christian goes through test, like 99.99999999%. So those of you reading this, you're not alone. It's the first of five major tests, but it's the hardest to pass because of what you don't know.
You don't know you're being tested, and you don't know the devil is throwing everything, including the kitchen sink at you.
The length of your tribulation can last months or years or decades until you finally pass this test. Moses' test lasted for 40 years in the desert. Had he only knew, he could of entered the promised land and never endure so much emotional tribulation with the Jews he was leading those 40 years.
What people do to prolong their test and suffer greater tribulation is by giving in to the deceptions the devil throws them. During this time, most people begin to have doubts about God, then confusion, then denial, then anger, then whatever other negative emotions there are. Not necessarily in those order. Some people eventually pass, some don't and they continue taking this test while adding to their tribulation as it mounts up.
What people are doing wrong is let all the negative thoughts dictate their mind about God during this period of testing the devil throws at them.
See the Crown of Life is given to those that can prove they love God. You can't prove you love God when you have negative thoughts about God. It's a little hard to find the person you love when your mind is no longer focused on loving that person, better yet, no longer focused on seeking that person.
Seek Him......diligently.......with all your heart, all your mind and all your strength.
See, what makes this test so hard to endure and pass is what we don't know. We don't realized we're being tested, and we didn't know the devil is throwing everything he can at us at this time. He does not want us to be with God.
During your time of testing, listen to sermons on TV or the internet and read the bible. Focus on the good things God did. Pray and talk to Him. Thank Him for the good things He did for us. Keep your mind focus on all the positive you can think of about God. Don't stop. Keep pushing forward. Keep pushing, keep pushing, keep pushing. Than one day it'll happen. You pass your test, and He'll reveal Himself to you.
Now is when your relationship with God really begins.
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Here's the second path to God: Proverbs 8:17.
Proverbs 8:17 (NKJV) I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me.
Notice how there's no distress and latter days mentioned in Proverbs 8:17? This was the path David took. He's the only one in the bible that found God without having to endure tribulation before God came to him. In other words, he didn't have to go through "the" test.
He loved God from the beginning and exercised his love for God in many ways before God made him King.
Very seldom do I see people follow this route: Proverbs 8:17. Even Abraham had to find God under the Deut 4:29-31 route. His faith was tested. Abraham, who do you love more, Issac or God?
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So the best advice or gift a parent can give to a child is to tell them to love God at an early age. You know how when you tell your toddler, mommy and daddy love you? God loves you too! Save them from having to take this test.
Those of you taking this test, now you know what to do. Don't let it mount up till you finally realize your life is a tribulation before passing.
And those of you who are not yet close to God but are enduring tribulation, you are one of the lucky ones. You get to pass this test before others take their test during the 7 year tribulation.
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I'm currently in nursing school and worked with some schizophrenics this past semester. You've got a lot on your plate and it's a definite struggle you're going through. I just want to encourage you. 
