Feel like your spiritual life is a struggle? Hint: It’s a normal challenge. Fortunately, our guide manual to life God’s Word the Holy Bible tells us what to do. That doesn’t mean it will be easy dear friend but we have help.
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
MATTHEW 26:41
Watch and pray.
Three words with a lot of power.
They had come to Gethsemane, Jesus, and the disciples. Three of them he brought closer including Peter and asked them to stay and watch with Him for His soul was sorrowful unto death. (verse 38)
He came back and found them asleep. It had not been a long time for Jesus said to Peter “What, could ye not watch me with me one hour?”
That is when verse 41 comes in. You can feel the compassion in Jesus words that their spirit was willing to watch with their master but their flesh was weak. Jesus understood the human struggle. Yet, Christ was human and not overcome by the flesh but stayed in constant communion with His Father. He lived that perfect life so that we through Him could and can overcome the weakness of our flesh.
We cannot rely on ourselves no matter how strong we think we are or how much we desire to serve our Savior.
Galatians 5:17,
“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”
That sounds discouraging, doesn’t it? But, in verse 18 we receive some hope,
“But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.” And verse 24, “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”
When we give our lives to Christ and are led by the Spirit, we can gain victory. We do not have to be slaves to our flesh, our human weaknesses. But, we need the Holy Spirit and Christ in our hearts to do it. That is the only way we can have victory. It’s a daily submission to Him.
Pondering My Need:
Will I say, like Paul, I die to self daily Lord and give my life to You? (1 Corithians 15:31)
Prayer For Help:
Lord,
In You and You alone is my hope found of living a life not drawn to this world, weak in flesh, but with my heart set on things above. Strengthen me in both body and spirit so that I may be a conqueror and live a victorious life in You. By Your death, I live.
Thank You, Lord and Savoir.
“For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny”
— LYRICS FROM IN CHRIST ALONE WRITTEN BY ANDREW SHAWN CRAIG, DONALD A. KOCH • COPYRIGHT © UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING GROUP, CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP
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