3-7-2010/ Follow the Spirit's will/ Matthew 26:40-41

Intro: Jesus goes to the garden of Gethsemane to pray the day before his arrest. Jesus asks his disciples to pray, but upon his return, He finds them sleeping repeatedly because of their physical weariness. In the same way, a lot of times, when we want to follow God, obey the will of the Spirit, and be faithful, it's our flesh and the will of our flesh that hiders us. Our flesh or the will of flesh may be different things.

1. Physical Hunger: thinking about food during bible study, worship or even prayer time.

2. Physical weariness: falling a sleep instead of praying after coming home from school or work.

3. Lust: keeping sexually immoral thoughts during worship time.

4. Ambition: keeping the mind and heart busy with worldly and selfish ambitions, thus neither having time nor desire for God.

5. Greed: being occupied with goal of earning more by working unceasingly (no break, no sabbath, no time for God).

All of these things can hinder us as it did for the disciples. However, we are to remember that the importance is not what we are vulnerable to, but it is the acknowledgment of the fact that we are weak and thus we are to rely on God. In return, Jesus gives clear cut solution and He teaches us that we are to be awake and pray.

I. Be awake

Being awake means always be aware of possibility of falling into temptations. There are neither super Christians nor perfect Christians. We can and we will always fail without our Lord. Hence, we have to be aware and acknowledge that we are weak.

II. Pray

Because we are aware and we acknowledge that we are weak, we are to rely on God. The most intimate way for us to rely on God is to pray consistently.