Are you Spirit strong? In
His Word- 11-28-16
The spirit is willing the
flesh is weak.
In the garden Jesus is
heard saying this three times before going to pray; “Watch and pray that you
enter not into temptation, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak…” to his three prayer buddies up on the hill in
the Garden. Jesus goes off to pray about the fact that he would really rather
not die that way for us, if there was any other way… never the less God’s will
be done.
They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane , and Jesus said, “Sit here while I go
and pray.” He took
Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. He told
them, “My soul is crushed
with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” He went on a little farther and fell to
the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him
might pass him by. 36 “Abba, Father,” he cried
out, “everything is possible
for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will
to be done, not mine.” Then he
returned and found the disciples asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep?
Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? Keep watch and pray, so
that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the
body is weak.”
Mark 14:32-38
Many commentators have looked
at this section of scriptures and focused on the flesh of the guys who were
praying, yet falling asleep. We think to ourselves,” Gee guys what is up with
this, Jesus your buddy is over there praying deeply sobbing and yet you fall
asleep when you are supposed to be supporting him in prayer?”
What even were there
thinking? Obviously they were tired from the events up to that point but still,
Jesus asked them a simple task right? For friends of God they sure were weak!
The spirit is willing, the
flesh is weak!
What did Jesus mean by
this?
Have you ever wanted to do
a thing, like say go to the gym to work out? You head off to the gym thinking “I
am going to work this weight off, I am going t run ten miles!” Then you get
there, do your stretches, your toners and say to yourself “whoa what am I
thinking?” As you feel your body
fighting you all the way to that goal; the spirit is willing but the flesh is
weak! Our bodies need more strength to reach the goal.
Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said
to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one
hour? Keep watch and pray, so
that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the
body is weak!” Then Jesus
left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup
cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.”
Matthew 26 40-42
Tell yourself “I can do
this for one hour!” and push through the work out for that long at least. You
can do it because you have Jesus on your side!
The spirit is willing, willing
to fight that flesh!
Jesus was praying in the
spirit, but he was also flesh then so He was praying the prayer of flesh, humanness
that was weak. Thank God that He had the Holy Spirit to strengthen him! If Jesus
had not had the strength to rely on God the Father to help him through the
situation we would not have Jesus to help us through the situations in our lives
in which our spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
Maybe you have been to a
Church service that asks you to commit to doing a thing and while in the moment
you are all up on it! You want that! You can do it! You have been through a
service that was full of the Holy Spirit’s guidance and you knew it was a God
direction you were going to take. So you said yes!
Then Monday comes and your
resolve is still strong but as the week goes by you get weakened by reality
checks from the world. Time, money, or effort is not there to complete the task
in your mind. Your faith to believe God will help you through what He has given
you to do; appear to fade away.
Did you ever wonder why it
is so easy to say yes on Sunday but by Wednesday you are not so sure?
I think that is one reason
we have church service on the middle day of the week; so that we can be strong
again in our faith and in His Word!
So how can we increase
strength in our spirit?
By the Holy Spirit of
course!
First – Take time, no,
make time to pray first last and always! Pray for as long as you can, but then
take it up again! Jesus did. We can assume He prayed an hour at a time and came
back to check on his prayer partners because of His own words. Jesus prayed
until His prayer was finished. Then He accepted what God said and went on.
We can follow that example
when we pray.
Second- Study to show
yourselves approved… you know do the study, and know the Word. Know the words
to speak out in prayer to remind yourself and let God here you say that you
believe them. This builds your faith because faith is believing, and believing
by the word of God.
Thirdly- Walk in it! Do
what God gave you to do, trust that His Spirit is with you and you can do it
because He is with you. Be filled with
the spirit speaking to your selves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord! When you feel weak, sing
out! Present yourself songs, and hymns to remember when you need to get
stronger.
Just like we do our
stretches before a work out; follow the steps to getting in the Word and walking
in His will! Pray, Trust, Obey!
There is no other way to
be happy in Jesus, or so the song says!
Trust and obey ‘cause
there’s no other way… to be happy in Jesus…
Who among you fears the Lord and obeys his servant?
If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light,
trust in the Lord and rely on your God. Isaiah 50:10
If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light,
trust in the Lord and rely on your God. Isaiah 50:10
Read some more! Isaiah 50:
1-11, Mark 14:1-72 and Matthew 26: 1-72 then encourage yourself with Psalm 28:1-9.