Yesterday we saw how Peter actually walked on water, but then circumstances around him caused doubt to flood his soul. Today we see Peter faltering again in Kenneth and Gloria Copeland's "From Faith To Faith" devotional. A very important aspect of Peter's faltering was that he was not yet born again, and therefore not yet filled with the SPirit of God. THAT made all the difference in the world! WE have every ability to stay above the enemies strategies!
Watch and Pray
Watch and pray, that
ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is
weak. Matthew 26:41
Have you ever been
frustrated with the weaknesses of your flesh? Have you ever resolved never more
to yield to a particular sin, yet when the temptation came, you fell right back
into it?
It’s happened to all
of us—even the disciple Peter. He swore he would never deny Jesus...but he did
it anyway, time and time and time again.
There is, however,
something we can do to keep from falling prey to temptations like that. We can
“watch and pray.” That’s what Jesus told Peter and the other disciples to do in
the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew they were about to be tempted, and He knew
that the weakness of their flesh would overcome them if they didn’t strengthen
their spirits through prayer.
That’s true for you
and me too. That’s why in Jude 20-21, God tells us much the same thing that
Jesus told the disciples that night. He says, “But you, beloved, build
yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith...praying in the Holy Spirit;
guard and keep yourselves in the love of God…” (The Amplified Bible).
God knows even better
than we do that our flesh has been trained to flow with the world’s stream. He
knows that even though our born-again spirits are reaching for God, our
untrained flesh will always have a tendency to fall into sin.
So, He’s given us the
ability to pray in other tongues, to strengthen our spirits and build ourselves
up until our spirits take ascendancy over our flesh. As we pray in the spirit,
Romans 8:26 tells us, the “[Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in
our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it
worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and
pleads in our behalf…” (The Amplified Bible).
Is it any wonder the
Apostle Paul said, “I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all” (1
Corinthians 14:18)! It is one of the most powerful tools God has given us.
So don’t neglect to
use it. Follow the instruction in Ephesians 6:18 and pray “always with all
prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance.”
Don’t make the mistake
that Peter made. When temptation comes to your door, don’t let it catch you
sleeping. Be prepared. Make sure your spirit is strong enough to rise above it.
AMEN! And we CAN! We are well equipped to do so! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Life":
Shalom in Him!
