Too Mad to Receive

"For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." — Romans 10:10
 
Can you be convinced of the truth and still not receive it?
 
When Ginger and I were dating, I used to drive from Dallas to Waco on weekends to see her. One night I couldn't find my friend's room in the dorm, and a stranger named Tom invited me to stay. Tom played basketball at Baylor, and he told me he was an atheist. Maybe an agnostic. He just didn't believe in God.
 
So I gave him a book called "Evidence That Demands a Verdict" by Josh McDowell, and every weekend we'd talk about what he was learning. One night I came in and found him yelling and cussing at the radio. He was listening to a debate between W.A. Criswell and the famous atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair, and he was beside himself because she was misquoting historical facts.
 
I leaned back on the bed and said, "This is hilarious." He said, "Why are you laughing?" I said, "Because a couple of weeks ago you said you didn't even believe in God, and now you're defending the Word of God." Then I asked him, "Tom, are you ready now to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord?"
 
You know what he said? "No, not now. I'm just too mad."
 
But that week, he gave his life to Christ. You see, knowing the facts is important, but salvation is a heart issue. It is with the heart that man believes. The Holy Spirit does the drawing. Your job is to present the truth and give people time to process it. Don't rush them. Trust God to finish what He started.