Can you really be ready for everything life throws at you? Growing up I heard my mom say a thousand times to get ready for school. “Get your books, lunch, and school clothes out before you go to bed,” she would say.
I can remember the night before I married my best friend, Bonnie—who has been my wife now for almost thirty-five years. I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned all night. My one consuming thought was, “Am I ready to be married?”
Romans 1:15 states, “So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.” This verse has always been a tremendous challenge to me. The Apostle Paul was ready and even eager to declare the gospel message of Jesus Christ. It did not matter to him who his audience was or what the perceived response might have been. Paul was ready and faithful to preach the gospel. His passion was not easily quenched, not even by threats, beatings, or rejection. He just kept on preaching.
I believe one reason Christians are “not ready” to share their faith is because they are waiting for the perfect moment. I have personally encountered moments that I thought were not good times to witness because of the circumstances or the surroundings. However, the still small voice within me kept whispering to me to share the truth. Many times my faith was weak, but I obeyed and shared the gospel and the person received Christ and was saved! I’m thankful for the working of the Holy Spirit because I thought it was not a good time, but He knew that the person was ready to listen.
In 1 Peter 3:15 the Bible brings this subject up again, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” Peter intensifies it when he says, “be ready always.” How is this possible?
The Bible says that our life is like a vapor. It appears for a moment and then it vanishes away. We have no guarantees on tomorrow. We might only have today to share the truth with someone the Holy Spirit places in our path. Let me encourage you to respond in faith to the Holy Spirit’s promptings. Don’t reason away the excuses why you don’t witness. Obey and follow His leadings. Here are a few simple reminders that will encourage us to be ready:
God Has Commissioned Us
The command is clear in Matthew 28:19, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
God Has Forgiven Us
As believers, we have received and experienced the forgiveness of sins. Why wouldn’t we want others to experience this same reality?
God Desires to Use Us
Don’t wait for the perfect situation to share Christ. Be ready to speak of Him tomorrow during your lunch break or maybe with your neighbor after work. Let God use you!
The Gospel Is for Everyone
You can’t speak to the wrong person. Everyone is in need of the Saviour even if they don’t realize it.
Realize God is working in people’s lives all the time and the Lord wants His children to be ready to share the gospel.
