Can you so stubbornly, arrogantly sin against God that He will give up on you? Can someone cross a deadline spiritually? Answer: Yes. You can. “He that being often reproved and hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy” (Proverbs 29:1).


God is a God of infinite love, but that’s only part of the truth. We need to see all God says about this.


Four Truths about Crossing God’s Deadline


1. God Continually Tries to Get Your Attention "…being often reproved..." We are often reproved. Nobody goes to hell unloved, unwarned, or un-convicted. He knocks on our heart's door, calling to us repeatedly through His Holy Spirit. “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:13).


His Spirit gently but strongly speaks to ours, convicting our hearts. Even an unsaved person feels the Spirit’s tug, knowing they need salvation.


Sometimes God speaks through 

  • sickness—confirming how temporal life is. 

  • beauty—a baby’s smile, a lovely flower, the glory of a sunset.  

  • His servants—a sermon or someone who witnessed to you. 


God loves you too much to let you go to hell without being repeatedly warned.


2. Beware Stubborn Rebellion “…reproved and hardeneth his neck" 


SAYING: “I will not do what God wants me to,” rejecting the Holy Spirit’s prompting. 


PROCRASTINATING: “I’ll give my heart to the Lord…tomorrow.” One of Satan’s cleverest tricks is to simply convince you there’s plenty of time—just postpone it.


PRIDE: The devil says, “Hey, you're going to make a fool of yourself. Don't admit your need.” Pride escorts you to hell in chains forged on the anvil of a hard heart.


PLEASURES: “If I come to Jesus, look what I’ll have to give up.” Sin’s pleasures last only for a season. Coming to Jesus, you give up nothing. There are pleasures in God’s company:


  • “…at Thy right hand are pleasures for evermore" (Psalm 16:11).

  • “For the Lord thy God is the sun and a shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Psalm 84:11).

  • “…in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy" (1 Timothy 6:17).


3. Destruction is Sudden “…shall suddenly be destroyed…”


  • Through delusion. “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12). God gave them truth, but they refused it to embrace their sin. God says, “All right—with your sin comes strong delusion.”

  • Through desertion. The Holy Spirit leaves. You can't be saved anytime you get good and ready. Without the active work of the Holy Spirit (John 6:44), no one can be saved. You can so insult God so many times, He will cease working in your heart. “My Spirit will not always strive with man” (Genesis 6:3). God’s mercy has an expiration date.


4. Your Destiny Will Be Settled “…and that without remedy." No one dies, then gets a second chance (Hebrews 9:27). Nowhere does God grant second chances after death. God reproves you because He loves you, speaking through conviction, circumstances, and His servants. But only here in this life. After death you face judgment (Luke 16).


“What if I've crossed the deadline?”


If you want to be saved, you haven't crossed the deadline. The Holy Spirit is still working in you. The person who’s crossed God’s deadline has no desire to be saved. I promise you on the authority of the Word of God, He'll save you today if you trust Him. "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:21).


Full article originally published by Love Worth Finding