Stay Alert (Ephesians 6:18 - Day 3)

Ephesians 6:18 -- "Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."

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Pray what you mean and mean what you say. Prayer is simply communication with God. Don't wait until you have to confront God, pray at all times and on every occasion. God wants to know you and for you to know Him. This is what we have learned so far through Ephesians 6:18...today we learn about temptation.

"Stay Alert"

Temptation is everywhere. The subtle distractions of the everyday are powerful and misleading. You must stay alert so that sin doesn't surprise you when you least except it.

Matthew 26:41 -- "Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”

We get so caught up in what we want and need and feel that we invite the temptation in and then snuggle with it. Jesus explained to his disciples that he knows they really want to live in the Spirit and do what is right, but they let all the stuff get in the way. 

That's what we do, we let all the stuff get in the way. For us sometimes the stuff is material (competing over who has the most or the best), emotional (being so high or low that the narrow path is completely forgotten), financial (buying when we should save or saving when we should give), or spiritual (letting all the programs and obligations getting in the way of a real relationship with Christ). 

We often do to much when we should focus on what we have or not doing enough when we should be reaching out for more. We sleep when we should stay away and stagger restlessly when all we need is rest. The situations are always changing from person to person and from day to day. This is why it is so important to pray constantly, to stay in tune with what wants for us and needs from us at any time.

"The Spirit is willing, but the body is weak"

This is so true. We want to do good and right, but we will fail. We are human and living in a fallen world -- it is inevitable to sin. However, that should not stop us from trying. There is always room to learn and grow in our faith. This i s a journey, not an end game and every progression is a victory.

Christ's disciples did not give up, instead they got up, learning from their mistakes, and spread the Good News of Jesus across the land. Jesus lifted them up just as He lifts us up. Stay alert and always pray. God has wonderful things in store if you keep watch and pray.

There are more Devotionals where this one came from!

Study God's Word and be Blessed!