In Prayer: Be prepared for temptation

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Matthew 26:41

In Gethsemane on the last night Jesus was with His disciples, He knew what was ahead for them. He knew that the Shepherd of the sheep was about to be struck, and that the sheep would be scattered (v.31). He had been telling them that the time was coming, but they did not fully understand Him.

As the time neared, Jesus asked Peter, James, and John to watch while He went off a little way to pray. Jesus was preparing Himself for the trial that lay ahead. The disciples were not. They were sleeping. Jesus awoke them and encouraged them to watch and pray. It was time to be alert. Jesus knew that in their spirits they were willing to watch and pray, but their flesh was weak.

We, like the disciples, need to be alert for the traps of temptation. God warns us through His Word what to watch for. Through the practice and the discipline of prayer, we can be prepared. As we pray, God will give us wisdom to understand His Word and apply it properly to protect us from temptation, and the grace we receive from regular disciplined prayer will strengthen our flesh. Follow Christ’s example by watching and being constant in prayer. If we aren’t praying, we aren’t prepared.