Watch and Pray

Scripture- Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak

Observation: The Garden of Gethsemane and the sweat of blood that Jesus shed prior to his crucification are perhaps some of the most heart wrenching scenes from the New Testament. Here we find Jesus trying to compel his inner circle, Peter James and John, to pray. One might assume that they prayers would be for him, since he has stated that he is very sorrowful. However, in this verse the subject of the prayers Jesus wants his disciples to pray are not for him self. He wants to keep THEM from entering into temptation. "Ye" in this verse is second person plural. That is, it is not Jesus who is being tempted and who's flesh is weak but rather the disciples.

Application: Since this verse is one that is applicable to the disciples, and if we are a disciple of Christ, then perhaps we should be more cognizant of it in our lives. We DO need to watch and pray so that we don't enter into temptation. As a believer in Jesus Christ, his spirit lives in us, and so yes our spirit is willing to do God's will in our lives, but it is most often our flesh who is weak. The solution given here is to watch and pray. Many other verses in the Bible encourage us to watch and pray. Watch implies staying awake and being vigilant. The enemy is out to kill, steal, and destroy. We need to Watch and be ready. Our response to the attempts of the enemy is prayer. Our prayer should be words of faith to bring to pass God's will on earth.

Prayer: Father in Heaven, I pray that we stay vigilant to the wiles of the enemy. Teach us to pray, Father of ours. Let us pray with faith, not doubting, that the kingdom of heaven would be manifest here on earth. In Jesus name.