The Willingness of the Spirit.
Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Here, Jesus expresses a revelation that every believer must understand. Watch and pray is an essential preventive maintenance for every Christian’s livelihood. There are so many events happening in this world that a watchful eye must be part of the believer’s toolbox. We must never get complacent about our salvation and think that we will live on this earth in its current condition forever. God is going to purge the world of all unrighteousness. The Scripture says in Revelation 21:5, “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” God will renew everything in this world to be as He created it at the beginning, when He said it was very good (Genesis 1:31). No one knows when that will happen, but we should always be looking for Jesus to return for His church. Believers will be changed into what Jesus’ body is when he rose from the dead. 1 John 3:2 reads, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” Watching what is happening in the world and the return of Jesus cannot be stressed enough. Some believers are complacent with where they are and want to stay because of the physical ties they have. However, the real essence of humanity is spiritual. If one wants to grasp this concept, Jesus said Watch and pray. Prayer is a spiritual connection to a spiritual God. John 4:24 reads, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” Prayer is communication and worship to a spiritual God who is a spirit and hears in the spiritual realm. Christians can’t just watch; they also need to pray to stay connected to God while in this world. Often, we are confronted with physical things in this world that disturb the spiritual aspect of our essence. When we leave ourselves vulnerable, emotionally, we upset the spiritual connection we have with God. When that connection is not like it’s supposed to be, we can let the flesh take over, and things begin to sour. We can say things that are not godly to the people we love. We can say things to people that we may regret. Our tone can be upsetting to those around us. We can allow ourselves to do things physically out of our flesh that disconnect us from our Father spiritually. James 1:19-20 tells us, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” This is why we must continue to pray. Jesus explained it like this in Luke 18:1, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;” Praying for oneself is prominent in this Christian walk. Praying for yourself helps with a humble spirit and understanding that you should treat others as you want to be treated. The spirit of individuals intends to do this, but the flesh of individuals does not let them. Spirit Vs Flesh Jesus said, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” There is a distinction between the spirit and the flesh. Jesus tells us in John 3:5-6, “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” When we are born of the Spirit, we become new creatures (2 Cor. 5:17). What happens is that there is always a fight between the spirit and the flesh. Galatians 5:17 reads, “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (ESV). The flesh pulls on the desires of the world to satisfy its cravings—the spirit of an individual desires to please God. This conflict is constant and requires the individual to pray for themselves continually. The spirit will overcome if the individual watches and prays because it takes effort to enable the spirit to win the battle. If these are not done, the flesh will win every time, and the individual will fall to temptation whenever it presents itself. Final Thoughts 1 John 2:16 reminds us, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” These things the flesh lusts after all the time, whether we know it or not. Sin connects the flesh to the things of the world, and salvation connects the spirit to the things of God. There is always a longing of the spirit to be connected to God, even when an individual is living in sin. The flesh’s voice is louder than the spirits when everything that is done is for the flesh. The spirit wants to thrive, but it can’t among all the noise a sinful life produces. However, that longing can outshine the darkness by watching and praying for yourself and others. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Do not let the flesh overcome the calling of the Spirit to your spirit. The Spirit of God convicts one of sin, and when that conviction comes, harden not your heart, but say yes to that calling of God.