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Msg #553                Wednesday, April 08, 2009

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The spirit indeed is willing,

but the flesh is weak.” (Mt 26:41)

Christian, your flesh is weak.  Do you believe that?  If you are honest in answering that…then your answer is yes and no.   As mankind, we are a fickle lot.   Consider that on this day in the life of Jesus, the Wednesday before Jesus goes to the cross – He witnessed both extremes in His disciples.

The Disciples thought they were weak.  As Jesus sits with His disciples on the day before He would die, He confronted His disciples with the reality that one of them was going to betray Him.

And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them

began to say to Him, “Lord, is it I?” (Mt 26:22)

Somehow at this moment, they catch a glimpse of their own heart – and each disciple began to wonder if he would be the one to betray Jesus.  There is tenderness, fear and an acknowledgement of weakness in their asking Jesus “is it I”.   For a moment…they saw their weakness and acknowledged it. 

The Disciples thought they were strong.  It was just a little while later, on the very same day,  Jesus shared with the disciples that they would all deny Him this very day.   Peter denies it firmly, but so do all the disciples. 

Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”

And so said all the disciples. (Mt 26:35)

At this moment, feeling strong in the flesh, that cannot imagine denying Jesus.   At this moment, foolishly, they are trusting in their fickle flesh.

The truth is that our flesh is weak.  It is fickle, sporadic and untrustworthy.   Yet, on the other hand – it is not so of our spirit, infused with the Spirit of God.  Jesus lets us know that the Spirit is firm, it is willing, it is strong.

I wonder, as I lay out this reality if you are not altogether familiar with the fickleness of your own flesh.  One moment you want to do good, to be good and do all that God would have for you.  Then it is not long when your flesh fails and you find yourself pulling back from obedience, from surrender and being firm with God.  I wonder…if you have found the fickleness in your flesh this very day, this very week?  I have a sense, if you can see it honestly…you have. 

So…what do we do about this problem – this fickle flesh?  What do we do about the reality that our flesh is weak but the spirit is willing?  Jesus tells us:

Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.

The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mt 26:41)

Christian – watch.  Be alert, be aware.   Know thyself Christian!   What for overconfidence in the flesh – be aware of the danger of trusting in yourself and thinking you would never deny Jesus.  But also be aware of the gamut those emotions can run – from strength to weakness and back again.   Be alert to this reality in yourself.

Christian – pray!  Prayer is the remedy and the prevention of this problem.   It is in real prayer that our spirit thrives and we lean on God. 

Let watching and prayer be your remedy.  As we discover weakness or strength in our flesh – wise is the Christian that turns to the Lord in dependence.  How much better it would have been when Peter was confronted with this upcoming denial if he had turned to prayer…not self confidence.  How good it would be to allow our perception of life and reality cause us to turn to the Lord in prayer and dependence.

Let watching and prayer be your prevention.   Jesus gives us something tremendous here, if you and I can only hear it.  If we watch and pray…there are temptations we will never enter into.  Hear that again:  If we watch and pray…there are temptations we will never enter into!  Wow!  Somehow, that really excites me.   Knowing our fickle flesh can cause us to be a praying people that never give the flesh access to its fickleness.  

Today…I simply call you through Jesus words – to watch and pray!

Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.

The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mt 26:41)

Jim

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