Questions you can ask in return:

Do you have any guarantees of tomorrow?

The truth is, none of us have the guarantee of drawing even our next breath.  There have been millions of people throughout history that died suddenly and without warning.  How can any of us know that we are not next?  Especially without the favor and blessing of God in our lives, every day we put God off is a day we play Russian roulette with our souls.  We are all going to die.  None of us can prevent it or even accurately predict when that day will come.

When a person says they aren't ready yet, do your best to be emphatic with them that they cannot wait another day (or even minute.)  Pray for them, out loud, that they will not have peace, that they won't even be able to sleep at night, until they surrender their lives to God and receive Jesus as their Savior.

Would you sell me your left eye for twenty thousand dollars?
How about both eyes for twenty million?

Ray Comfort has popularized this approach to sharing the importance of action with people who are hesitant.  The idea goes like this:  If you ask a person to sell you one of their eyes for twenty thousand dollars, most will not.  If you were to offer twenty million for both eyes, almost no one would volunteer.  From there, he segues into the Gospel saying that the Bible says "the eyes are the windows to the soul."  If your eyes are worth more than twenty million dollars to you, how much more must your soul be worth?  If your soul is worth that much, what are you trading for it right now - parties, money, your reputation, security, fame?  Nothing on this Earth is worth risking your eternal soul.

Is there really anything worth living for in this life?  What are you exchanging for a life with God?

When people say they are just not ready, what they usually mean is that they are unwilling to give up what they rightly believe they would need to give up, in order to follow Jesus. Along the same lines as the last question, this gets to the heart of the matter.  Confront people directly about what it is they are not willing to surrender to Jesus and then point out the need to get rid of those things.  Ultimately, anything they might list is worthless and when pressed, most people will admit this.

Jesus said, "But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him."  Hell and judgment day are no joke.  When a person wants to hold on to their sin instead of embracing Jesus, we need to sincerely confront them in gentleness.  Ask them specifically, "Is it worth it?"

Are you a stumbling block or a stepping stone?

Every person on the planet influences other people.  We are each either drawing people closer to God or further away from God.  If we will live wholeheartedly for Jesus, we will influence other people to do the same.  If we are wishy-washy, or put off our decisions until later, we are influencing others to be wishy-washy and put their decisions off until later.

Every person will stand before God and give an account of their life.  Even if a person is successful in "waiting until later" and puts God off until the last minute, they will give an account to God of the time they wasted living for themselves and helping others justify a life without God.  If they do make it into Heaven, they will still suffer loss as the work they did was lacking.  (Read 1 Corinthians 3:10-15) Encourage people that they need to start today because every day they influence people and those people influence people.  Every second is a second that could revolutionize the world for the Kingdom of God.  Let's make our time on Earth count.

Do you really, honestly believe it will become easier to accept God as you go through life living for yourself?

Statistics show that the vast majority of people who convert to Christianity do so at a young age.  Statistics also bear out that the older one becomes, the less likely one is to embrace Christianity.  There could be several reasons for this.  The longer someone lives in selfishness, the easier it is to become more selfish.  The more material things we acquire, fame we experience, or even depression we sink into, the easier it is to continue to embrace those things instead of Jesus.

In addition, Scripture bears out that at some point, a point that is not possible for people to discern themselves, the conscience becomes seared, the heart becomes hardened, and the mind becomes deceived.  The longer a person puts off the Spirit of God, the closer they come to crossing the line into irreconcilable lostness.  If a person continues to put off God, ask them this question:  "If you walk away today without responding to God, why should He ever give you another chance?"  God is a God of second, third, and even four thousand chances, but at some point God's patience does wear thin and His hand is no longer extended.  Let us do our best to bring people to Jesus before that time comes.

Can I pray for you (right here and right now)?

Many times, when I have encountered someone who wants to put off God for one more day, month, or year, I will offer to pray for them.  I will pray "Jesus. please touch so and so's heart right now and help them to receive you today.  Don't let them put you off for one more second.  Touch them now."  I will then ask them, "Will you give your life to Jesus today?"  Or "Will you pray and ask Jesus to take control of your life today, to come inside and make you a new person from the inside out?"  Probably 8 or 9 times out of 10, a person who told me just a few seconds ago that they weren't ready, will change their mind.  Sometimes with tears they will pray to Jesus.  Why?  Because prayer works.  When I asked God to touch their hearts He did so.

Related Bible verses:

2 Corinthians 6:1-2          Ephesians 5:15-16        Colossians 4:5   

Related quotes:

“There is never time in the future in which we will work out our salvation. The challenge is in the moment; the time is always now.”

                                                                -James Arthur Baldwin
                                                              

"We must wake ourselves up! Or somebody else will take our place, and bear our cross, and thereby rob us of our crown."
                                                               -William Booth

Related media:

Today is the Day of Salvation - MP3 From Kenny Carter Music

Related Websites or Articles:

Life is Short
An article by Patrick D. Odum in Heartlight Magazine

Related Books:

Live Life on Purpose:  Claude Hickman

Don't Waste Your Life:  John Piper

*  Inclusion of links should not be considered an endorsement of the entire content of these websites or websites which may be linked therein.