Watch and Pray

Watch and Pray
Stan Adams
Jesus said "Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Mark 14: 38
The Lord Jesus just before his crucifixion, in the garden o f Gethsemane began to be very distressed and troubled.
And he said to them " My soul is crushed by sorrow to the point of death; stay here and watch with me" vs. 34 L.B
There will be seasons in our life when we are distressed, fearful, grief-stricken and depressed. What do we do then?
The Lord asks us to be on the alert, observe the seasons and pray.
That night in the garden, the Lord’s heart was overwhelmed with sorrow and deep anguish. His soul was deeply troubled to the point of death. And he Knelt and prayed. He asked his friends to watch and pray along with him; but they were overcome by sleep.
He may have prayed atleast three hours before he came to his disciples the third time. Vs 32-41
It’s good to pray until we are strengthened from above. The disciple’s couldn’t watch and pray and they failed in the time of temptation. They ran away when the Lord was arrested.
Sometimes, we may wonder why we are overcome by selfishness, anger, lovelessness, fear, bitterness, jealousy, lust etc; we may not be spending enough time with God, in his word and prayer.
James 5: 16 says "The effective prayer of a righteous man availeth much". It’s very important to be counted righteous before God, because he knows our hearts.
If we have hurt anyone, It’s good to ask for their forgiveness. If someone has hurt us, let us seek God’s help to forgive them.
"For if you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if do not forgive others, then your father WILL NOT forgive your transgressions" Matthew 5: 14, 15
And no unforgiven person will be able to ENTER God’s kingdom.
It’s important to forgive others from the heart. Matt. 18: 35