Watch & pray - The Spirit is Willing

Watch and pray: that you enter not into temptation..... the Spirit is Willing

Have you ever wanted to do right and yet there was no strength to do it? Jesus was once in that position. He needed to face the cross but somehow in the garden of Gathsemane, he asked God to perhaps consider another alternative. Thank God, he saw himself in the picture and added "Not my will, but Thy will be done".

On checking on his disciples, he exhorts them the same thing that just occurred in his place of prayer saying

"Watch ye and pray, that ye may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is forward, but the flesh weak" Mark 14:38 (YLT)

the 1969 Bible in Basic English version (BBE) puts it like this:

"Keep watch with prayer, so that you may not be put to the test; the spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is feeble."

With a totally malfunctioning society, there was never a time that the flesh has more resources to increase its weakness and lead us to death and total enmity with God - Romans 8:5-8. We are bombarded daily with information that we kill our spiritual nature and open up death in the flesh. Therefore the call, Watch and pray.

You have done well to have a willing spirit but it will not suffice if you don't watch over your spirit.

In Malachi 2:14-15, God instructs the Jews to WATCH OVER THEIR SPIRIT. Because it has more enemies on the outside than friends.

Beloved, the instruction is still the same. Watching unto prayer. Keep vigil over your soul that we may be presentable to our God any day, any time under any condition.

http://www.gracevalley.org/sermon_trans/2002/Watch_and_Pray.html

God bless.

Watch & Pray

In recent times, I have been made to focus on the commandment of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 26:39-41 and Mark 15:32-38. The two stories say the same thing as

And they come unto a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith unto his disciples, Sit ye here, while I pray.

And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly amazed, and sore troubled.

And he saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death: abide ye here, and watch.

And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass away from him.

And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; remove this cup from me: howbeit not what I will, but what thou wilt.

And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest thou not watch one hour?

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (American Standard Version)

A study into this commandment opened up a lot that would not fit into one article, hence I have decided to discuss this as sub-topics of "Watch & pray" in upcoming articles.

One thing surely we should know is that this command is more than asking and supplication, his children should be likened to those heavenly creatures, having eyes all over (Ezekiel 1:18) - watchful and always alert. Jesus said "Blessed are you eyes for they see..." (Matthew 13:16).

Have we ever wondered while the ministry of seers kind of waned in the new testament? Or that the five-fold ministry first displayed by Jesus and then taught by the apostles never had a place for seers?

Because we all need to walk in the light. And have sight.

Joh 8:12 Again therefore Jesus spake unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life. (American Standard Version)

There are a lot of reasons for this but we will get to see them one at a time in further articles.

Note a good number of references to this topic that I found on the internet and indeed we are all saying the same thing with different words.

http://pastorlenandfriends.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/take-ye-heed-watch-and-pray-by-brad-n-michelle-wright/

http://watchandpray.com/

http://www.gracevalley.org/sermon_trans/2002/Watch_and_Pray.html

This one is the famous hymn: Watch & Pray

God bless Us.

The Danger of Crowd-Effect Safety

- Have you ever had your faith always rise high when in church or in the midst of believers and very low when you are alone?
- Is it harder enjoying personal worship more than corporate worship?
- Does your faith leap only when the preacher says something wonderful in contrast to anytime the word of God is laid before you?
- Do you seem to appreciate God's word more in church or when with other believers than when alone?
- Do you feel the spirit of prayer more when you are in a group more than when alone?
- Does your faith talk tougher when you are in a crowd and weak when faced with that situation in your room?

If the answer to any one of these questions is YES, you are not alone though it wasn't meant to be so. I call it the crowd-effect safety. I would prefer to talk about the solution than define it.

God intended every single believer to be as active individually as he would be when in fellowship with others. Each one of us is to be a living stone so that the entire house would be a living spiritual house (I Peter 2:5).

Psalms 104:4 say He (God) made his ministers flames of fire.

Let take a look at a perfect analogy with Samson in Judges 15:4-5. When he wanted to set an entire farm ablaze, he brought together 300 foxes by their tail, he set the tails ablaze, then let them all go alone.
What is the moral: Together we are a fire. Singularly, I am a fire. - This is God's desire.

Corporate fellowship has its place to keep the spiritual house alive but personal fellowship is excellent because each living stone must be living indeed.

Solution: Don't relegate the place of personal fellowship with God by the study of God's word and prayer, watching, worship, meditation and praise. Once you get started, corporate fellowship will begin to make so much sense and pleasure and your God will begin to feel closer.

No Matter how many people you have together, there will always be a time you will walk alone, face the mountain alone, hunger in the wilderness alone...so please strengthen those arms and knees so that we could stand in those times. And the strength you measure up within you will be all you have when the pastor, friend, mentor, parents, and help you thought you had are not to be found.