Day Twenty-One "The Spirit is Willing, but the Flesh is Weak"

“And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, ‘So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” [Matt. 26:40-41]

In each of us the Spirit of God is willing and desiring for us to give ourselves more to prayer. On the other hand the flesh within us is weak. The word “weak” means our flesh is impotent, sick, and feeble. Who has not battled the flesh when it comes to prayer? Have you ever sought to pray and fought sleep? Have you ever tried to pray but felt distracted and unable to focus? Have you ever gone into the secret place for intercession only to feel your prayers were getting no higher than the ceiling?

The flesh is feeble. The flesh is literally without strength to get the job done. When our flesh rules our lives you can rest assured your prayer life will suffer. The flesh wants to take the easy road and the path of least resistance. There is no doubt about it. Praying is work. It is hard work.

Did you catch Jesus’ question to the disciples. “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour?” We think nothing of giving an hour of time to watching television, playing video games, surfing the internet, exercising, but how many can give the Lord an hour of their time in prayer?

We will never be the people of prayer God is calling us to be until we yield to the Holy Spirit in our lives. Our flesh will never choose the path of prayer. Before I wrote this I was prostrate on the floor at the prayer cabin praying through Is 62:6-7. My spirit wants to be that kind of man of prayer but my flesh is weak. I pleaded with God to give me that kind of heart to pray.

I have long thought one of the reasons prayer is so hard for many of us is that Satan does not want us to pray. If he can keep us operating in our sick and impotent flesh we will have little to no impact. Many times as I have struggled to stay awake in prayer I felt the enemy was attacking.

In this moment we all have a choice. We can be ruled by the spirit or by the flesh. One will have the dominating influence on us. If we yield to the Holy Spirit we grow in our prayer lives and experience new victory. If we are dominated by our flesh we will continue to be inconsistent, impotent, and weak in prayer. Which way will it be? The Lord beckons us to watch and pray. Will we obey?

Steps to Revival

1. How has the weakness of your flesh opposed your prayer life?

2. Paul found victory over the flesh in [Gal. 2:20]. Take some time to pray through that verse now.

3. Prayerfully submit your life to more of the Holy Spirit’s control?

4. What can you do to devote more time to prayer?