They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch."
Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. "Abba,fFather," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Simon," he said to Peter, "are you asleep? Couldn't you keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Mark 14:32-38 (emphasis added)
We all have low points in our faith walk. Most times these crises in faith originate from an external stimulus that impacts a personal desire. Whether it's the death of a loved one, loss of a job, waiting what feels like an eternity for an answered prayer, or a health issue, these situations cause us to get weary of waiting and in turn make us vulnerable to attack. When these things happen, we begin to ask God why. I personally don't believe there is anything wrong with asking God why, but I think it's in our choosing to stay there in anger/hurt/frustration while waiting for an answer instead of trusting in faith that He will answer and seeking to remain in His peace that opens the door for further attack.
I chose this passage above because in their weariness, the disciples did not pray and thus fell victim to various attacks, most notably Peter. In weariness we doubt God, we deny God and we disown God. We question His loyalty to us, we question His word and we choose to side with the enemy. We don't recognize it as an attack because we are blinded by our the weight of our emotions and feelings. So we travel down that path until God intervenes or we turn away from God altogether.
I say stay on guard and that means to step beyond your mind and pay attention to your thoughts. It's easy to go with the flow of your thoughts, but if you want the victory, you have to rise above your thoughts and choose God's truth. Hold on to what He promised you, even if you have to choose to keep reminding God of His promise to you for your own sake. This is why having scripture that corresponds to your requests is critical. You can fight the enemy back in this attack and reclaim your peace. So today, stay on guard and remain alert! Keeping the word in your heart and mind will help you, but ultimately trusting in God will cause you to win every time.
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! (Isaiah 26:3 NLT)
Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. "Abba,fFather," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Simon," he said to Peter, "are you asleep? Couldn't you keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Mark 14:32-38 (emphasis added)
I have to say it again if I haven't said it enough. I love God. Here He is again sending me the word I taught on Wednesday. I've been teaching on Reset and Wednesday I focused on praying without ceasing. This weekend I needed that reminder.
We all have low points in our faith walk. Most times these crises in faith originate from an external stimulus that impacts a personal desire. Whether it's the death of a loved one, loss of a job, waiting what feels like an eternity for an answered prayer, or a health issue, these situations cause us to get weary of waiting and in turn make us vulnerable to attack. When these things happen, we begin to ask God why. I personally don't believe there is anything wrong with asking God why, but I think it's in our choosing to stay there in anger/hurt/frustration while waiting for an answer instead of trusting in faith that He will answer and seeking to remain in His peace that opens the door for further attack.
I chose this passage above because in their weariness, the disciples did not pray and thus fell victim to various attacks, most notably Peter. In weariness we doubt God, we deny God and we disown God. We question His loyalty to us, we question His word and we choose to side with the enemy. We don't recognize it as an attack because we are blinded by our the weight of our emotions and feelings. So we travel down that path until God intervenes or we turn away from God altogether.
I say stay on guard and that means to step beyond your mind and pay attention to your thoughts. It's easy to go with the flow of your thoughts, but if you want the victory, you have to rise above your thoughts and choose God's truth. Hold on to what He promised you, even if you have to choose to keep reminding God of His promise to you for your own sake. This is why having scripture that corresponds to your requests is critical. You can fight the enemy back in this attack and reclaim your peace. So today, stay on guard and remain alert! Keeping the word in your heart and mind will help you, but ultimately trusting in God will cause you to win every time.
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! (Isaiah 26:3 NLT)
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