Watching & Praying

What do the scriptures mean by watching and praying? In Ephesians 6:18, Paul tells us to pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. We know that the act of watching involves keeping your attention on something or someone for a period of time, as well as monitoring for a protective measure. The act of praying involves speaking with God passionately regarding the things that you are seeking.

When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He told His disciples to watch and pray that they would not enter into temptation. Our focus should likewise, always be on Christ (who is our ultimate role model); and our communication should always proclaim the Word of God, which is our great commission, as mandated by Christ for His disciples. Disciples of Christ are not limited to the ones in the bible, but rather they are everyone that is a believer and follower of Christ through the study of His Holy Word.

Let us now explore the great commission and the events leading up to the great commission, in relations to watching and praying: (Matthew 28:10, 16-20: Then said Jesus to them, Be not afraid: go tell My brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see Me. Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All power is given to Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. Amen.)

The first key that leads up to our ability to see or have a revelation of Christ is to not be afraid. Let us always keep in mind that God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. The next key is to be obedient. They were told to go into Galilee and they would see Him there, and they went. This is why we should attend church. The next key is, before you enter into the place where God’s presence is, you must believe that you will have an encounter with Him. The next key after you entered into His presence is to worship Him. You should let go of the Martha mentality and cling to the Mary mentality. (Scriptural Reference Luke 10:38-42). In other words, the key to entering into the presence of God goes beyond going to church. In Martha’s case, it went beyond her receiving Jesus into her home, but rather, her inability to receive Him into her heart. Martha was not totally converted, she had confessed Jesus with her mouth, but she had not believed in her heart that He was indeed the Resurrection (Scriptural Reference John 11: 23-28). Mary, on the other hand, sat at Jesus’ feet (humbled herself as a servant) and received from Him, because she listened to His Word. Mary’s faith in Christ believed Him to be the Resurrection. The reason why Martha didn’t please Jesus was because, although she was serving God, she was not doing it with gladness. She knew Him as God, but she did not know Him as Lord.(Scriptural Reference Psalm 100).  The next pertinent key is that once you have entered into this place of worship, you must believe that you are in Christ’s presence. Once you have entered into this state of worship, you are now prepared to hearken to the Word of God. This means that you should listen with the intent to obey. The next key is to know that when you are a believer in Christ, you are operating in the same anointing as Christ, because you are a joint heir to His throne. This means that you are not going out on your own, but you are being sent by the authority of God. It is with this authority that we as disciples (students who are also believers of the Word of God), are instructed to teach all nations of  Christ (who is The Resurrected Savior and Lord), in order to win their souls for Christ. We can achieve this by offering them a means of being adopted into the family of God. This is accomplished when we baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is also the spirit of adoption. This is the means in which we can say “Abba Father”. It is through this conversion that you know that you have been set free from the bondage of fear. You are now being led by the Spirit of God because you are now a child of God. (Scriptural Reference Romans 8:13-17). 

The final key is to teach all of the new converts the importance of keeping in mind, or remembering all of the things that He has commanded; and in our obedience to preserving His commandments, we have His assurance that He will always be with us. 1John 3:24 confirms this for us by saying, “And he that keeps His commandments dwells in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit which He has given us”.

Now that you are being led by the Holy Spirit, let us now continue our topic on “Watching and Praying”. The term “watching” is referring to being mindful of the dangers that are around you, but if you keep your eyes focused on Jesus and as you allow His Holy Spirit to lead you, He will direct your path. The term “praying” is referring to communicating to God always. In other words, every circumstance in which you encounter, and every decision that you make, you should first seek God’s advice. (Scriptural Reference Proverbs 3:6).

Now that you have been enlightened about the importance of “watching and praying”, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to accept the call of Jesus’ great commission? The choice is yours. Please remember this: It is only until you accept the call, that you can truly know that you are a disciple of Christ’s. He will likewise know that you are not ashamed of Him, and He will therefore confess you to His Father. Please accept the call to teach the gospel to all nations today, before it’s too late. Please note, that a nation does not have to be a country, it can be a group of people, or it can be one individual. The important thing is that you find someone that is lost, and in need of salvation, and you witness to them. You must first know Him for yourself though, before you can witness to someone else. If you are not sure that you are saved, we invite you right now to invite Jesus into your heart. You can do it by saying: Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. I desire to give my life to you, but I don’t know how on my own. I am asking you to come into my heart, and forgive me of my sins. I believe that you are the Christ, and the Son of the Living God. By faith, I now receive you as my Lord and Savior.

If you have just prayed this prayer, you are now born again. You are now ready to be a disciple for Christ. If you need further assistance, please click on the link to your left labeled Invitation, and follow the instructions. Congratulations, you have made the right choice.

Until Next Time,

God Be With You

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