Mark 14 -Watch and Pray

I don't know how much emphasis you put on prayer but I will share my stance on it; without prayer most things we do will be worthless. Jesus was in his final hours before being betrayed and led off to his gruesome death. He went to a sacred place, the Garden of Gethsemane. He began to pray diligently for the strength, endurance, and will to continue because this was the hardest act in human history. Learn from the folly of the disciples, "could you not keep watch for one hour. Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the body is weak." Watch and pray... Prayer is huge. Prayer moves mountains. Prayer keeps us focused on God's will and not ours. Prayer equips the saints. Prayer nourishes our souls. Jesus believed in it and we need to be diligent in our praying. Pray so that you will not fall into temptation. Pray because your flesh is waging war with your spirit. Pray because God will hear from heaven and take action.

This is a quote has motivated me towards praying more. It is a quote about a man by the name of Joseph Alleine whose wife wrote this of him; "At the time of his health, he did rise constantly at or before four of the clock(am), and would be much troubled if he heard smiths or other craftsmen at their trades before he was at communion with God; saying to me, 'How this noise shames me. Does not my master deserve more than theirs?'" (Lectures to My Students by C.H. Spurgeon page 48) Prayer is important. Far more important than the work of other craftsmen and our master certainly is more deserving than any other master. So we need to set our faces like flint to pray. We need to be steadfast in prayer. Without much prayer CSM is worthless. I cannot save souls. I cannot strengthen people to be a better Christians. I can not convict people of their sins. Only God can do those things. He is the one with the authority and power and if we don't employ Him through our prayers then we are simply laboring in vain. God is accessed through our prayers. We need to be people of prayer. CSM should be a ministry that is built on prayer. Watch and Pray, then God will move.