{"id":191,"date":"2023-07-03T00:00:42","date_gmt":"2023-07-02T16:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lovesg.and-code.com\/?p=191"},"modified":"2023-07-03T18:26:54","modified_gmt":"2023-07-03T10:26:54","slug":"day-3-keep-watch-and-pray","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lovesg.and-code.com\/en\/day-3-keep-watch-and-pray\/","title":{"rendered":"Day 3: Keep watch and pray"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

1 Peter 5:8-11<\/cite> Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s my great joy and true honour to share God\u2019s word with you. Allow me to read from a poignant moment in our Lord Jesus\u2019 life. It is taken from Mark 14:32:<\/span><\/p>\n

They went to a place called Gethsemane and Jesus said to His disciples, \u201cSit here while I pray.\u201d He took Peter, James and John along with Him, and He began to be deeply distressed and troubled. \u201cMy soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,\u201d he said to them. \u201cStay here and keep watch.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

If I were to ask us: What do you think is one weakness of modern-day Christians and the Church collectively?<\/span><\/p>\n

It could be we are weak in our preaching, weak in our evangelism, weak in our discipleship, weak in missiology. It could be so many things.<\/span><\/p>\n

But I want to suggest to you that my observation of our weakness is that we are weak in following Jesus in these last moments of His life.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Jesus, in coming to fulfil God\u2019s will to destroy the devil\u2019s work, taught his inner circle of Peter, James and John to simply watch and pray.<\/span><\/p>\n

If we were to do a survey among churches, among leaders, among the average member, among our youth as to what percentage of us actually do our Quiet Time, really practise the spiritual discipline of watching and praying, reading God\u2019s Word, praying to God, listening to HIs voice for 15 minutes a day, half an hour a day or more than that, very few churches would cross the mark at 50%.<\/span><\/p>\n

That has been the survey around the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

So the instruction and encouragement for us is to watch and pray. Against what and who?<\/span><\/p>\n

Watch and pray firstly against Satan.<\/span> So how seriously do you take Satan? He is the arch-enemy of God and His people and His purposes. From the Old to New Testament, this has been the way. Jesus has come to destroy the devil\u2019s work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Secondly, we are to watch and pray against sin.<\/span> The sin of the world, the sin of our own hearts.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What if God highlights to you that you have a problem with lust, with pornography \u2013 that your eyes are fixed on the wrong things, that you\u2019re stealing with your eyes, that you have a problem with your anger, you have a problem with your unforgiveness, you have a problem with your envy, your ambition, you have a problem with your dissatisfaction, or you have a problem with entitlement.<\/span><\/p>\n

If God were to put upon your heart those things, would you confess them or would you rationalise them away?<\/span><\/p>\n

Thirdly, we must watch and pray \u2013 not just against Satan and sin \u2013 but watch and pray for our sanctification.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus comes to save us. At the heart of saving us, He comes to sanctify us, He gives us a new mind and a new heart. Has there been any difference since you\u2019ve come to believe in Jesus? In your thoughts, in your words, in your deeds?<\/span><\/p>\n

A writer said, Jesus\u2019 \u201cwatch and pray\u201d\u00a0 is complete, it is finished. The church\u2019s watch and pray has begun.<\/span><\/p>\n

We look at Peter who was part of this inner circle. He didn\u2019t take this seriously, he fell asleep. But by the time he wrote 1 Peter and 2 Peter, he finished 1 Peter 5 by saying:<\/span> \u201cBe alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.\u201d<\/span><\/i> (1 Peter 8)<\/span><\/p>\n

We are weak in following Jesus in these last moments of His life.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What does that teach you? That years later, after the resurrection of Jesus and the pouring out of the Spirit, Peter, as the leader of the church, took watching and praying against Satan seriously.<\/span><\/p>\n

He took watching and praying against himself, his self-sufficiency, seriously. He took belonging to Jesus and a new beginning seriously.<\/span><\/p>\n

My prayer and my heart is that we will do this. If each of us does this seriously \u2013 every day, every week, whether you\u2019re single or married or have families \u2013 we have our Quiet Time, we have our time of watching and praying, we will be stronger individually and stronger collectively.<\/span><\/p>\n

May the Lord bless us and keep us. Let us pray:<\/span><\/p>\n

Almighty God, you tell us to listen to your Son. We confess that we are always slow.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

But quickened by Your Spirit, may we not just listen to the Lord Jesus, but emulate the Lord Jesus in watching and praying against the evil one, in watching and praying against the deceitfulness of sin in our own hearts.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

But, above all, in watching and praying that the Lord Jesus will become the consuming passion of our lives. In His mighty name, we pray for His eternal glory. Amen.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n

Download a PDF version of today’s devotional here<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1 Peter 5:8-11 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 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