2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 

A couple of weeks ago, one of my girlfriends and I were enjoying an afternoon of fellowship over coffee. While we were sitting, a woman suddenly approached us and engaged us in conversation. In order to protect the individual’s identity, I will refer to her as “Suzy”.

Suzy began by telling my friend and I about her religion and her spiritual beliefs. She told us how she has practiced different types of religion including Christianity in the past, and she has found that Buddhism is the one that best suits her. Suzy went on to say that Buddhism is about believing in your inner being, placing your faith in yourself, and following your heart. Well, at this point, my friend and I knew that this was a divine appointment from the Lord. We began by sharing with Suzy what we believe: “We believe in Jesus and Christianity is not about religion, instead, it is centered on the believer having a personal relationship with Christ.” We went on to explain that we do not place our faith or beliefs in ourselves, but our faith is securely grounded and rooted in Jesus Christ and in Him alone. Apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5b). We are unable to save ourselves, therefore, we have a Savior, Who we believe is more than able to save to the uttermost. It’s the reason why He came to this earth: To live a sinless life, to die for the sins of humanity and rise again on the third day, so that those who will place their faith in Him and accept Him as their personal Lord and Savior, will have the promise of eternal life.

Hebrews 7:25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. 

Furthermore, we shared with Suzy that our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked and cannot be trusted under no circumstances. Therefore, as believers, we do not allow our hearts or emotions to lead us, instead; we solely rely and depend on the Spirit of God to lead, guide, and direct us in the way we should go. He is the Spirit of Truth and He will never lead us astray.

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?

John 16:13-14 “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”

Long story short, we continuously shared with Suzy of where our hope lies: In JESUS! Also, we talked to her more in depth about who Jesus is, the reason why He came to this earth, His death and resurrection, and the meaning of the free gift of eternal life. In her response, Suzy stated that there were a lot of similarities between Christianity and Buddhism and we essentially believe the same thing. We quickly and lovingly responded that our beliefs and her beliefs are contrary to one another and there are no similarities. My friend and I continued to share with Suzy, and in conclusion, Suzy did not give her life to Christ in that moment. However, we planted a seed and gave her an invitation to come to an evangelistic event that our church was hosting. Suzy said she will consider it, and my friend and I told her that we will keep her in our prayers.

God has divine appointments for you too. As the Scripture says, be ready in season and out of season. You never know when these special encounters may happen. You and I should always be sharing our faith with those around us, not just when we are approached, but at all times. I must admit, I have not been proactive in sharing the Gospel with people I’ve had interactions with. The encounter I had with Suzy was a wake-up call for me. Just as she boldly approached my friend and I, I also and you as well, need to be bold as lions, and we need to share God’s message of hope, salvation, forgiveness, and redemption to this lost and dying world.

Ladies, I encourage you to diligently share your faith in your sphere of influence, faithfully declare the whole counsel of God’s Word, and be ready in season and out of season. Please don’t miss out on God’s divine appointments.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 

Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Acts 20:27 For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.