Bible Reading: Matthew 26:30-46
Key Verse: Verse 41 - “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Key Words: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak
Yes, indeed, when the Lord says the flesh is weak, that’s your flesh, my flesh, everyone’s flesh.
Our heroes of the faith had a weak flesh: Moses struck the rock, David and Bathsheba, Samson and Delilah. King Saul had a weak flesh and lost his position as king because he desired to please the people rather than the Lord. Jonah ran from God. Peter denied the Lord Jesus (three times, I might add). Yes, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
The first step toward victory over the flesh is admitting that our flesh is weak, but very few of us like to do that. Since we all have a weak flesh, why not acknowledge it? Better to expend our energies improving and growing our spiritual man but we will never do that until we are willing to say, “Indeed, my flesh is weak.”
Where is your weakness? Better to admit my weakness and sin is alcohol, or drugs, or cigarettes, or pornography, or sex, or gossip, or jealousy, or money, or food. The first step toward victory is acknowledgement and confession.
I love doughnuts, doesn’t matter what kind. I have a hard time walking away from a doughnut. I’m like a pastor friend I have who says, “Every morning I have to drive past a doughnut shop to get to the church. I do my best not to even look toward the shop when I drive by, but one morning I was running late and didn’t have time to eat breakfast so I simply prayed and asked God to let me know if it was alright to stop at the doughnut shop. I believe God gave me a clear answer, “If there is a parking place open in the front of the shop then you can stop.” “Aright,” I said to myself, “that’s what I will do. Well, friend, I want you to know I had to drive around that doughnut shop eight times before it was finally God’s will!”
The flesh is, indeed, weak!!
✞ If we would work as hard at growing our spiritual man as we do our physical man, we would be a lot better off.
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