That Much More

Jesus recognized the weakness of the flesh.  In fact, He specifically addresses flesh as being weak.

He said in the 26th chapter of Matthew:  "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Let us be clear on this matter:  Jesus did not address the weakness of the flesh as a way of granting subtle or even not so subtle permission to sin.  No.  He acknowledged the weakness of the human flesh, but He pressed into prayer that much more.  That much harder.  That much more obediently. Because He fully understood the snares and traps within the flesh, He illustrated what any son of God is called to do: Pray to the Father.  Press in & don't stop!  He is truly the perfect Teacher for those of us who long to follow Him.  When He states so many times in the Gospel, "Follow me,"  it is clear that following Him also includes being taught of Him.  He shows followers how to handle any situation, any trial, and any temptation of the flesh.   Thank you, Lord!
 
Therefore, when Jesus was battling the flesh nature, He prayed.  He knew the agony awaiting Him just around the corner.  He knew of Judas' upcoming kiss of betrayal, He knew of the upcoming scourging and humiliation, and He knew of His impending gory physical death.  The flesh rose up in opposition to this.  Just as our own flesh will rise up in opposition to us when we devote ourselves to the Lord.  The flesh won't give up without a fight.

Jesus, Our Example:

This verse is absolutely one of the most profound verses in all scripture illustrating precisely what it means to ENDURE in the Faith:

"And being in agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground" (Luke 22: 44).

How does Jesus handle this time of agony?  The word "agony" in verse 44 is the Greek word agonia . It means "struggle ie anguish."  Do we see Him giving into the struggle by obeying the flesh's desires?  Do we see Him saying, "This is too much.  Surely, the Father understands my frailties of giving into sin?"  Of course not!  He prays that much more, that much harder, & that much more obediently! (Make no mistake about it.  The flesh rises up in opposition in order to plant and reap disobedience.  Disobedience equals SIN.)  Hallelujah, the Lord provided Himself as an example of what we are called to do in order to avoid giving into the flesh and its deception.  Not just one time does the Son pray to the Father while in agony of what He was being called to, not just two times, but three times Jesus diligently prays.  Enduring in the faith!

Jesus is our Master Instructor.  If instruction comes from another individual (even if from ourselves) that is in opposition to the example set forth by Christ, we must reject it.  No matter the messenger, if the message about how we are to react to sin & the temptation to sin is a stark contradiction to the way Jesus said to handle it, then we must reject the false instruction.  Today, we can look anywhere and hear the familiar tune of the flesh being weak and that God understands such things.  Those words are misleading, and that kind of misleading message is one that facilitates continued sin within a person.  We see this mentality everywhere.

I included part of a verse at the beginning of this post: "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Here is the entire verse:

"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41).

 
Never let your "prayer" be:  "God, you know my flesh is weak.  I can't help myself with this sin I am committing."

Always let your prayer be: "God, you know my flesh is weak.  That is why I am relying on Your Power to deliver me from this temptation.  I won't stop seeking You until You deliver me of this temptation. Rid me of the desire surrounding this temptation."

When others mention fleshly struggles to us, we must make sure that our response to that person is led of the Holy Spirit of God and not of our own flesh.   Flesh wants to comfort flesh.  "There, there...you can't help yourself.  God understands... Don't worry, you are under the blood no matter what."

If we are being led of the Holy Spirit, our response will be 'watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.'  'Fight the good fight of faith!'  'Bring all imaginations in subjection to Christ.'  'The Lord overcame the world, so that you, too, can overcome this temptation.'  'Be encouraged, there is hope to overcome this temptation IN Christ Jesus!'