WATCH & PRAY

Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, ‘What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’  Matthew 26:40-41

REFERENCE
Matthew 26:36-41

Jesus teaches here the essence of spending quality time with God – it is easy to enter into temptation when you don’t spend time watching and praying. Even though your born-again spirit always desires to do the right thing, without spending time with God, it will be too timid to steer the flesh off the devil’s array of temptations.

The flesh is weak, and the devil always wants to take advantage of your weak flesh to lead you into sin. So, unless your flesh is tamed, you will fall again and again into temptation. The only way then to stop the flesh from always dragging you into the pit is to be spiritually alert and vigilant. In order to achieve that, your spirit (which is naturally willing to do God’s will) needs to be well fed in the place of the Word. It also needs to be in constant fellowship with God through prayers. When your spirit is well fed, it becomes bold enough to give your mind (soul) sound instruction for its renewal; your renewed mind will in turn instruct the flesh on how to behave in line with the Word/will of God.

God is Spirit, and you can only commune with Him in your spirit through the Word and prayer. The Word is God’s letter to you; it reveals His Person, His will, His character & His ways. On the other hand, Prayer is communication with divinity and it breeds intimacy. In the place of prayer, you reason with God and His nature rubs off on you.

Consequently, the more time you spend communing with God, the more sensitive you become to seeing and averting temptations before you fall headlong into them. To walk in VICTORY over temptations means: ‘take the time you spend with God seriously; watch & pray!’

PHOTO QUOTE

ADDITIONAL STUDY
John 6:63, Romans 12:2, & Ephesians 6:18

PRAYER POINTS

Ask for a fresh hunger and thirst to be a God chaser – to have a burning desire for His Word and prayer.

Pray for spiritual alertness to enable you to overcome temptations and tame the evil desires of your flesh.