Watch And Pray Red Rover School Yard Games #1 Series

ILLUS: Graduation

And I understand that we HONOR GOD in the way we TALK TO HIM but that’s not the way I talk to my EARTHLY FATHER.

We have Jesus who is our INTERCESSOR between us and our FATHER. That’s why we say, “In Jesus name, amen.” And sometimes I wonder if He just leaves about half of the stuff out.

Listen, that CONVERSATION between us and our FATHER is what helps us ENDURE what may be COMING.

It gives us the STRENGTH to keep moving forward.

It HELPS US to FACE ANOTHER DAY when this OLD WORLD is GOING CRAZY!!!

And PRAYER is what GETS US THROUGH when we suffer GREAT LOSS. Loss of Loved ones. Loss of Health. Loss of Finances. Loss of Relationships. Prayer will get us through.

Because, as I said earlier, PRAYER is a CONVERSATION with God. We tell Him our SORROWS, our NEEDS, our BURDENS, and our CONCERNS and then we LISTEN for Him to speak back to us.

Psalms 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Too many times we want to do ALL of the talking. When we pray we need to LISTEN for God’s Holy Spirit to SPEAK back to us. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah feels like he is all alone and that there is NO HOPE and God tells him to go stand in the mouth of the cave.

And as he stands there, a GREAT WIND comes blowing by but God wasn’t in the WIND.

Then an EARTHQUAKE but God wasn’t in that either.

Then a RAGING FIRE but still NO GOD.

But then Elijah heard God speak to him in a STILL SMALL VOICE. And I believe that voice whispered SWEET PEACE to him.

And God still whispers SWEET PEACE to you and I today. But we have to STAY AWAKE, WATCH, PRAY and LISTEN.

III. Why, because “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

In Verse 31 Jesus tells his disciples that they would SCATTER when things got tough. Peter says, No way, not me, I’ll DIE before I leave you.” And that’s when Jesus tells him he is actually going to DENY HIM THREE TIMES.

You see, Jesus KNEW that these DISCIPLES would have a choice when things got bad. He knew they would have a choice of whether to STICK with Him or RUN. And He knew what their DECISION would be. They would RUN!!!

But they still had a CHOICE. He wanted them to WATCH and PRAY because they wanted to do the RIGHT THING but the RIGHT THING would be HARD TO DO!!!

Can I tell you today WHY I NEED to WATCH and PRAY? Because I WANT to do the RIGHT THING.

I want to SERVE GOD.

I want to be a GOOD HUSBAND.

I want to be a GOOD FATHER.

A GOOD GRANDFATHER.

I want to be a GOOD PASTOR.

I want to be a GOOD WITNESS for Jesus.

I want to do ALL of these things but there’s a WEAK LINK in this PROCESS. I’m gonna tell you what it is. Are you ready? IT’S MITCHELL NEIL LEONARD!!! It’s ME!!! I can’t blame it on anyone else. My SPIRIT is WILLING but THIS FLESH is WEAK!!! I’m still the WEAK LINK, just like I was back in the DAYS of RED ROVER!!! This FLESH will fail you.

Jeremiah 17:5 tells us, “Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD."

You see, I believe these two go HAND in HAND. The MORE you trust in your own FLESH the LESS you trust in God. And the MORE you TRUST in God the LESS you will TRUST in your own FLESH. Remember what I told you a minute ago. I’m talking to myself. My Spirit is Willing, I want to do the RIGHT THING. I want to TRUST in GOD ... BUT... To the CONTRARY ... MY FLESH IS WEAK!!! Old MITCH is WEAK!!! So that’s WHY we need to WATCH and PRAY.