MONDAY MOTIVATION

JOIN PASTOR GUY EVERY MONDAY FOR BIBLICAL ENCOURAGEMENT, INSPIRATION & INSIGHT
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Welcome to Monday Motivation—a devotional blog to keep you encouraged throughout the week! My name is Pastor Guy Deckard and I am incredibly excited for you to join in every Monday.
 
Below, you will find the most recent Monday Motivation post and if you continue scrolling, you will find an archive of blog posts by date. If you’d like to get a better understanding as to how this blog came about, click HERE to read the first Monday Motivation post. 
 
I invite you to follow along with me every Monday! And if you would like to dive even deeper into your study of God’s Word, purchase the same daily study that this blog is based, just click HERE.
#mondaymotivation

Watch and Pray!

 
Watch and Pray
From the May 9th reading
  
Jesus calls us to Keep Watch and Pray! What are we to keep watch for? What is it that we are to guard ourselves from?
 
SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 26:36-46
 
Matthew 26:41
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (NIV)
  
OBSERVATIONS:
  • “Watch and pray” – watch for danger!
  • We are told many times in the gospels to “keep watch”
  • So that we will not fall into temptation
  • Our spirit – because of His Spirit living in us – is willing (wants) to obey
  • But our flesh is weak
  • Temptations overcome us because we focus more on our flesh then we do our spirits

 

APPLICATION:

  • Spend more time on your spirit (soul) – strengthening it
  • Focus less on your physical needs / wants / desires
  • Be on guard against temptations
  • Know your weaknesses & fortify!
  • Put on the armor of God to stand guard (Eph. 6)
 
MOTIVATION:
I will never forget being a young Boy Scout and going on my first camping trip. There were troops from all over, and there were tents and squirrely young boys spread out over this camp ground. It was the first night, and we were all exhausted. Shortly after falling asleep there was a lot of commotion and a bell from the dining hall began to ring loudly over and over. All of us jumped out of our little tents and looked around blurry eyed and scared. Imagine our shock and fear when we saw flames engulfing some tents on the other side of the camp! One of the boys had accidentally lit his tent on fire with his lantern. Everyone got safely away, but many of us older boys were on “fire watch” throughout the night as we waited for buses to come and take us away. We watched through the night as the fire spread to the surrounding trees, but fortunately they blew in the opposite direction. I remember sitting up through the night, along with a few other boys, dutifully watching the flames for any change of direction. We were all weary and tired, but we were too fearful to fall asleep.
Jesus is calling us to this same kind of watchfulness. We aren’t to give up or become weary in our fight against evil, and especially our own flesh. In this passage, and in many others Jesus instructs the disciples to keep watch. In Matthew 7:15 He says, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” In Matthew 24:4 He warns them to “Watch out that no one deceives you.” And again in Matthew 24:42 Jesus warns, “keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”
 
This word watch, in the original language (gregoreo), is an interesting one. It means to “be awake”, “to be on the alert”, and “to watch”. The idea here is to remain vigilant, not to be distracted, or to fall asleep.
 
Like the disciples who kept falling asleep, while Jesus prayed in the Garden, we too have a tendency to get distracted or to doze off. But Jesus warns us to be on guard. We are to be watchful for false teachers, false Christ’s, and for the coming of the Lord.
 
But in Matthew 26:41 we find one of the more important commands when it comes to keeping watch: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Temptation comes at us from all sides, and many times from places or persons that we could never have imagined.
 
First Peter 5:8 is a warning to all of us: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” One author explains the meaning of this passage better than I could, “Christians should be constantly alert because the enemy (antidikos, “adversary”), the devil (diabolos, “slanderer”), is always actively seeking an opportunity for a vicious attack.”[i] Satan’s goal in life is to steal, kill, and destroy! He will do everything possible to keep us from becoming all that we can become in Christ Jesus.
 
But our biggest weakness is our own flesh. No matter how hard we try, and no matter how much we grow we will always have our flesh fighting against His Spirit within us. It is a battle that wages within us and it is real! Jesus instructs us to “watch and pray”, and that the “spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”.
 
We all need to be on high alert, against Satan, and our own worst enemy – our flesh! We also need to keep watch for His coming. His coming is nearer now than ever before. I don’t know about you, but my spirit is crying out, “Come now Lord Jesus, come now!”
 
 
PRAYER:
Pray for the strength that you will need to keep watch. Pray for His strength and that He will protect you from temptation. Pray that you will be ready for His return!
 
 
Each week’s Motivation is taken from the reading schedule found in the Life Journal. If you are ready for the next step in your discipleship, then order yours today or see me for a copy.
www.lifejournal.cc
 
If you would like help in growing in your faith, or if you would like to know how to have faith in Him, then please contact us at (928)636-2949 or email me at pastorguy@cvgrace.com
 
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
[i] Raymer, R. M. (1985). 1 Peter. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 856). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
 



 Devotionals by Date

 January 2018

 
 
 
 

MONDAY MOTIVATION INTRODUCTION

 
 
 
  
 
 

THE GREAT SHEPHERD

 
January 1, 2018
 
 
  
 
 

THE GREAT PLANNER 

 
January 8, 2018
 
 
 
 
 

PROTECTING YOUR ROOTS

January 15, 2018
 
 
 
 
 

FACING YOUR GIANTS

January 22, 2018
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 

February 2018

 
 
 

PLEASE STAND

February 5, 2018
 
 
 
  
 
 
 

BE A GAME CHANGER

February 12, 2018
 
  
 
 
 

FINISH STRONG

February 19, 2018
 
 
 

STRETCHER BEARERS

February 26, 2018
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 

March 2018

 
 
 

DIGGING YOUR WAY OUT

March 5, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 

REAL PEARLS

March 12, 2018
 
  
 
 
 

HIDDEN IDENTITY

March 19, 2018

 
 
 

MYSTERY GARDEN
March 26, 2018

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
April 2018
 
 

THE TEST!

April 2, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 

PASS IT ON!

April 9, 2018
 
  
 
 
 

CRACKED POTS!

April 16, 2018

 
 
 

LAY THEM DOWN!

April 23, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 

LETTING GO 

April 30, 2018
  
May 2018
 
 
 

IDOL WORSHIP OR IDLE WORSHIP?

May 7, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

WATCH AND PRAY!

May 14, 2018
  
 
 
 

DON’T SAY GOODBYE

May 21, 2018

 

 
 
 

TRAPPED

May 28, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 

 

June 2018
 
 
 

GOT A MATCH?

June 4, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 

CHOSEN?

June 11, 2018
 
 
  
 
 

I’M THIRD!

June 18, 2018

 

 
 
 

CHANGED LIVES MATTER

      June 25, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
July 2018
 
 
 

MADE FOR MORE THAN THIS

      July 2, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 

SET FREE!

       July 9, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 

   HEAVENLY PLACES       July 15, 2018

 
 
 

LOOKING IN THE MIRROR

July 2, 2018

 
 
 
 
 

NO SURPRISES HERE

July 2, 2018

 
 
 
August 2018
 
 
 

INSTRUCTIONS INCLUDED

August 6, 2018

 
 
 
 
 

THE PEOPLE PLEASER

August 13, 2018

 
 
 
 
 
 

ONE CHURCH

      August 20, 2018

 
 
 

BROTHERLY LOVE

August 27, 2018

 
 
September 2018
 
 
 

NEWLYWEDS!

September 3, 2018

 
 
 
 
 

WHEN GOD SPANKS US!

September 10, 2018

 
 
 
 

TAKING A STAND

September 17, 2018

 
 
 

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

September 24, 2018

 
 
October 2018
 
 
 

FROM ORDINARY TO EXTRAORDINARY

October 1, 2018

 
 
 
 
 

STAND YOUR GROUND!

October 8, 2018

 
 

 

 

FAITH UNDER FIRE

October 15, 2018

 
 
 
 

HOMELESS FOR A DAY

October 22, 2018

 
 
 
 
November 2018
 
 
 

A HEAVENLY MARRIAGE?

November 5, 2018

 
 
 
 
 

HOLY SMOKE!

November 12, 2018

 
 
 
 

MIRROR, MIRROR…

November 19, 2018

 
 
 
 

SECRET AGENT

November 26, 2018

 
 
 
 
December 2018
 
 
 

INNOCENT

December 3, 2018

 
 
 
 
 

HOPE?

December 10, 2018

 
 
 
 

FREEDOM

December 17, 2018

 
 
 
 

MORE THAN A MANGER

December 24, 2018