WATCH OUT: THE MIDNIGHT CRY

2 Peter 3:9 – The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

The above verse reveals the incredible patience of God toward unrepentant people. God is merciful, compassionate, and full of love. His grace is still available to all who seek Him. Indeed, we are living in the period of God’s grace, the year of the Lord’s favor. Yet while that is true, we must also acknowledge another truth, God’s patience will not last forever. There is coming a time when grace will give way to judgment, and this is why we must discern the hour we are in right now.

God does not force anyone into eternal fellowship with Him. Though He loves every human being with an everlasting love, He has given each person the freedom to choose, to either be with Him or to reject Him. Yet His love was not without action. He emptied the treasures of Heaven and sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, as a ransom for our sins. Jesus became sin for us so that through Him, we might become the righteousness of God. But this salvation does not automatically apply to everyone, it must be received by faith and through genuine repentance.

The Days Are Growing Darker

Jesus warned that the days would grow darker as history draws to its end:

Matthew 24:21– For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now and never to be equaled again.”

This world is not going to get better; it will only grow worse as it moves closer to the end of time. For those who have truly received Christ and the gift of salvation, none of this should come as a surprise. We are waiting for the glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But for those who are of the world and even for those who merely play religion  this should be a moment of deep reflection.

It will be more bearable for people who never believed in Jesus than for those who heard about Him, claimed to know Him, but were never born again. Many think they have a relationship with God because they attend church, perform religious duties, or come from a Christian family  but they are deceived. They have religion but not relationship.

Matthew 10:15 – Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

Matthew 11:21 – Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

Matthew 11:23 – And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell; for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

Jesus spoke these words to the people of His time — both to the worldly and to the religious leaders who prided themselves on their traditions and spiritual heritage. They believed that being descendants of Abraham made them right with God.

John 8:33 – We are the descendants of Abraham,” they answered, “and we have never been anybody's slaves. What do you mean, then, by saying, ‘You will be free’?

Many today have the same mindset: I was born in a Christian family; I go to church; I serve in ministry , surely, I am saved. But salvation is not inherited , it is received through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

The Mandate from Heaven

I speak to those who are saved and love the Lord ,yet are chasing blessings instead of focusing on the mandate of Heaven. The very first purpose of God for our lives is not the pursuit of prosperity or favor, but to be witnesses of Jesus Christ to this confused and dying world.

Matthew 5:15 – Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

The signal from Heaven is green — the command has already been given:

Mark 16:15 – He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.’

The command to Seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33) is not only for unbelievers but also for the redeemed. God saved us not just to bless us, but to make us channels of His blessings.

Jesus said, Freely you have received; freely give. Matthew 10:8

Yet many believers today are so focused on receiving that they forget to give. We are chasing after earthly treasures while ignoring the heavenly assignment. One day, we might wake up and say, I missed it — while chasing diamonds, I missed the stars in my crown.

Every Believer Has a Mandate

Not everyone is called into the fivefold ministry , apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, or teachers but every believer has a mandate from Heaven:

Go into all the world and preach the gospel. (Mark 16:15)

Look around you ,the “world” is right where you are. Your workplace, your neighborhood, your classroom, your family,  people are waiting, lost, and confused. Who will reach them?

God will not hold us responsible for every soul we never met, but He will surely hold us accountable for the souls He entrusted to us — those within our reach, whom we ignored while chasing the unimportant.

Don’t Forget Where You Came From

Remember that once, you were the lost soul whom Jesus brought back through someone else’s obedience. You cannot now grow so comfortable that you overlook those who need to hear the same message that saved you.

Jesus said, Watch out!” The time is near. The works of your labor for the Kingdom will be counted.

Ask yourself: Is my shovel clean and unused, or is it worn from service in the field?

Well done, good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:21), these words are not for those who merely chased blessings, but for those who labored in the Kingdom.

In the end, it will not matter how many promises of God you have received, but how many souls you reached, how many lives you touched, and how faithfully you served.

So, watch out and discern the times we are in.

The clock of grace is still ticking but not forever.

The harvest is plentiful, the laborers are few.

Let us rise, shine, and fulfill the mandate of Heaven.