It's Time to Wake Up Christians by  Joseph L. Parker

Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. Hosea 10:12 Christians these days have fallen asleep, they have become complacent and cold towards the things of God. It is time to wake up and return to our first love, which is Christ. The cares of this world have turned many from the path of light, onto the path of darkness.

We are too busy with our own lives and the thoughts of what are "we" going to do in any certain situation. I have observed God's children not caring for their fellow man, nor helping to carry their brother's load. There is so much hatred in the world and the spirit of Cain is upon many, they do not feel the need to be their "brother's keeper." It is time for us to shift the focus from ourselves to our brothers then our problems will seem small and insignificant. Caring for our fellow man is more than telling others about our Savior, it is about showing love in all things.

Paul says?I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. This means we become their friends, their helpers, and their confidantes someone they can seek out who has the wisdom of God working in their lives. We as believers have fallen asleep and lost the fire of our first love, we need to seek the Lord to renew the fire that once burned deep within our hearts.

In today's world of growing darkness is not the time to be preoccupied with ourselves any longer. Paul says in Romans 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. Jesus is coming soon and we need to get busy and reach a lost and dying world. Many of us can not tell you what is going on in our world because we are too busy, and "used up" by our own thoughts.

Until recently I myself was counted among those who had been consumed with their own thoughts and cares. Through being angry with God my church attendance of ten years had stopped to almost nil. Before that happened all my thoughts were filled with myself and I had ceased from caring for my fellow man. No longer was it my primary concern to tell others of the wonderful things that Jesus had done for me, it was about me alone. The enemy fed me lies that no one cared about me so why should I care about anyone else.

Slowly and inch by inch down the destructive path my feet started to tread, until time passed by and I found myself ten years out of the church and totally immersed within myself. No longer did the care of my fellow man fill my thoughts the only thing my flesh wanted was self-fulfillment and ways to silence my own conscious. Pretty soon darkness surrounded me and could not find my way back to God. Then one day the Lord spoke to me and said it is time to awake and return to him.

Now that my eyes have been opened and I can see the significance of caring for my fellow man, I strive daily to show love and kindness to those around me. I still have a long way to go but the Lord is working on me and changing me, filling me with love and care for my fellow man. My goal is to do what Romans 12:9-10 says, [Let your] love be sincere (a real thing); hate what is evil [loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror from wickedness], but hold fast to that which is good. Love one another with brotherly affection [as members of one family], giving precedence and showing honor to one another. (Amplified Bible.)

One of the keys to working out my own salvation is to show concern and care for my brother. With my own eyes I have seen what caring for someone else can do for your faith, it will cause it to grow and blossom, this is the fruit that Jesus was talking about when he said you will know them by their fruit. It is time to let the Lord re-ignite our "candles" once they are re-lit we can not hide them under a bushel. It is time to rise from our slumber, shake the sleep from our dreary eyes and tell the world about Jesus.

The enemy has had control of our world for too long and he has taken many souls prisoners, many have been lost for all eternity. Let your candle burn bright in the face of the enemy, stand and say to the enemy, no more will you take souls captive. No longer will you lie to me and cause me to be consumed by my own thoughts, nor will the cares of this world fill my mind. I take every thought captive and submit them to the will of the one my soul loves. Care for your fellowman and let that burn deep within your heart. Show love and kindness this will defeat the wiles of the enemy.

Love, when you are faced with hate, return good for evil and this will thwart his plans. Wake up and face the world you live in, show compassion like Jesus did and speak the words that God places within your heart. Help the hurting, feed the poor, clothe the naked, visit the widows and the fatherless, and you will be what Psalm 41:1 says, BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, to be envied) is he who considers the weak and the poor; the Lord will deliver him in the time of evil and trouble. (Amplified Bible) Your cares will soon be overcome by love for your fellow man. It is time to wake up now!