Day 27
"Watch and pray, that you don't enter into temptation"
Matthew 26:41
Prayer
Heavenly Father, open our hearts to hear Your words.
My Heavenly Father, open our hearts to hear your words.
"Watch and pray, that you don't enter temptation." When we engage in spiritual battle we pray with our eyes open. We are talking to You, Oh Lord, while we follow You. Your Son gave this instruction His disciples in the garden of Gethsemane as His enemies were on their way to arrest Him, crucify Him and persecute His disciples.
But instead of praying, the disciples slept and then failed in the temptation that came. As Jesus prayed He was strengthened by an angel (Luke 22:43)4.3g. He then prevailed by dying on the cross.
Jesus didn't intend for disciples to ask You to remove temptation. The temptation to deny You was on its way as You planned and prophesied.4.3g Jesus intended far more than a one sentence prayer to remove temptation.4.3g
Jesus intended a prolonged period of intense fellowship with You in a wide variety of prayers, worship, confession and requests.4.3g They were to watch and pray. In watching, they are recognizing the spiritual battle. In praying they receive power and instruction. The prolonged, intense, two way conversation with You that should have occurred in the Garden of Gethsemane would have requested spiritual power for protection of their souls. Protection in the test of fire that was coming. Furthermore, the disciples should have remained conscious of Your presence until the temptation had passed. Power comes into us as we remain in Your presence by prayer. This is essential when we engage the enemy. He comes to destroy. As we watch and pray to You, we build.
You have taught me that the appearance of temptation is a crossroads. At the moment in which temptation first appears, I will either "enter into" Your presence, or "enter into" the temptation. If I don't enter into Your presence, I tend to keep looking at the temptation until I enter sin.4.3g
I can't look at You and temptation at the same time.
When the soul encounters temptation and turns to You, it must hold its gaze on You until the temptation passes. The mind may be distracted back to the temptation. But, instead of fighting the temptation, the soul must keep turning its attention back to Your Spirit within. Then I am listening for instruction from You, watching in prayer2.4, looking for a door for Your word.4.4c
We watch and pray. In watching, we are aware of the unfolding of events. In prayer, we are spreading Your word, making disciples, advancing Your kingdom.
As I pray my soul receives power from You, offers praise and makes requests. I pray the Endorsed Prayers. The Endorsed Prayer of Obedience results in obedience.4.3f The Endorsed Prayers of Faith4.3a and Love4.3e result in faith, love and peace. On the other hand, instead of praying actively, my soul may just behold You and listen.1.3
As temptation comes, I must keep turning inward to You, again and again and again... until the temptation passes. I watch and pray. As if outside of myself, I watch my reactions and emotions, while offering prayers to receive Your pre-ordained responses... faith, love, obedience, Gospel spreading words.
In this way, my soul is praying and I am overcoming the adversary, instead of entering into temptation.
My Lord, my praying soul does not play defense. Victory only comes as we take the offence to accomplish Your objectives. In prayer, your power brings me into a disciple making, Gospel spreading mode.
This is what You meant when Jesus said, "Pray that you don't enter into temptation." It is futile to try in the flesh to not sin. When temptation comes, it is time to defeat the spiritual enemy through scriptural prayer. Help me to watch and see the goal which You intend to accomplish. Draw me into prayer so that You bring me into victory.
Sometimes
this prayer uses words. Sometimes it is a prayer of silence. Either way,
my soul is essentially "entering into" Your presence instead of
"entering into temptation". It is difficult for my soul to sin
while it is beholding You.
All praise belongs to You, oh Lord!
Teach me to walk by the Spirit!
Amen.
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