Strong Enemy, Sleepy Saints And The Master’s Summons
Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Mark 14:38
Peter, James, and John were involved in serious spiritual combat. But they didn’t know it.
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Their commander had told them to “watch and pray” so they would not fall victim to the enemy. Instead they slept, giving in to the very temptation they had been warned to avoid.
Temptation is more than something to be met and conquered. As Matthew Poole explains, it is also something to be avoided.
WALK WITH MATTHEW POOLE
“Here Jesus calls his disciples to a greater watching—spiritual watching—that they might not fall under temptation.
“By exhorting them to watch, he directed them to use such means as were within their power to use. By adding prayer, he let them know that it was not in their power to stand without God’s help and assistance, and which—upon their praying—would not be denied.
“The spirit is willing, but the body is weak. The spirit is resolved with constancy to perform its duty, but the flesh is apt to faint and fall away when assaulted by temptation.
“Therefore you should earnestly pray for supernatural strength, and be vigilant so you will not be surprised and overcome.”
WALK CLOSER TO GOD
Who can calculate the injury inflicted by the enemy on “sleeping” saints?
Christ’s summons to watch and pray is just as urgent today as it was then because the battle is just as crucial. The enemy is just as strong. The temptations are just as subtle.
If the disciples had prayed and stayed alert as Christ had commanded, they would not have faced the temptation they did. Their lack of alertness opened the door to unnecessary temptation.
Your need for alertness is just as great. The command to “watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation” is still applicable.
Are you awake?
