Matthew 26:40-41, “Then He came to the disciples and found them asleep, and said to Peter, ‘What, could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’”

This is an excerpt from Homeward Bound, written by Michael Boldea Jr, grandson of Dumitru Duduman.  So very timely!  Please read the whole post here: http://mikeboldea.blogspot.com/2013/09/watching-and-praying.html

“Men have always gone to great lengths to skirt accountability, and to this day they continue to do so, even going so far as denying what they see with their own eyes.

It’s not as though the disciples didn’t know the struggle Christ was facing at the time. It’s not as though He did not tell them that His soul was exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death, or ask them explicitly to watch with Him.

Christ had done this. He had explained the circumstances to His disciples, had asked them to watch with Him, and yet, when He returned he found them asleep.

We have also been told by Christ, and explicitly so, what to expect during these last days, and what the landscape will look like. When He returns will He likewise find us asleep?

The struggle, the burden, the hardship isn’t the knowing, it is not knowledge itself, but battling against the weakness of the flesh and remaining in a state of watchfulness and prayerfulness until the Christ returns.

We know it won’t be long. We know His return is closer today than it was yesterday, and it will be closer tomorrow than it was today. When He returns He expects to find us awake, watchful, and prayerful, because it is what He asked of us, and it is in obedience that we receive our reward.

Watching and praying are not optional. We cannot choose, based on how busy we are, or how hectic our schedule, whether we will be watchful and prayerful on a given day, or during a given time period.

As children of God, as those redeemed, saved, and sanctified, we must understand the importance of being watchful and prayerful, and understand that slumber and the weakness of the flesh are not the only enemies we must contend with, but so are distractions and misplaced loyalties.

If the enemy can’t cause us to slumber, if the flesh cannot cause us to enter into temptation, the devil will settle for keeping us distracted, and keeping us from praying and being watchful for those things we ought to be watchful for…

A wise man knows to put first things first and watching and praying must be at the top of the list of what each of us ought to be doing today!”

Watching, waiting, and praying… How my heart longs for you Jesus ♥