Monthly Archives: May 2021

Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”

Luke 22:46

Just before Jesus’ destiny at the cross He withdraws to pray in Gethsemane. Christ asks His disciples to pray with Him, yet, they cannot stay awake. Jesus finds them sleeping and implores them to rise and pray to avoid temptation. Let’s look these two words for a moment.

“Rise”—The disciples needed to awake from their slumber. There were vulnerable to temptation and they didn’t even realize it.

God’s people in our day also must arise and awake from our spiritual stupor. We are being bombarded every day with deceptive messages that come against us in every area of life. Let us arise and be awake to the schemes of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

“Pray”—Christ’s followers are also commanded to pray in this verse. Praying keeps temptation away. It’s difficult to pray and commune with God and be drawn away in deceit at the same time. Pray, child of God.

I don’t mean to imply that Christians who pray never sin. That certainly is not the truth. I do mean to say that Christians who have healthy prayer lives are less apt to give in to sinful practices. The work of sanctification the Holy Spirit performs on heart of the Believer serves as protection from the schemes of the evil one.

If we desire to avoid temptation, then we must seek God. Our hearts will either be moving closer to God away from the Lord. Prayer does many things for Believers. And praying keeps the Christians heart and mind focused on God and not the things of the world. Let me end by saying it this way. To keep temptation away, rise and pray.

Tony French

Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”

Luke 22:46

Just before Jesus’ destiny at the cross He withdraws to pray in Gethsemane. Christ asks His disciples to pray with Him, yet, they cannot stay awake. Jesus finds them sleeping and implores them to rise and pray to avoid temptation. Let’s look these two words for a moment.

“Rise”—The disciples needed to awake from their slumber. There were vulnerable to temptation and they didn’t even realize it.

God’s people in our day also must arise and awake from our spiritual stupor. We are being bombarded every day with deceptive messages that come against us in every area of life. Let us arise and be awake to the schemes of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

“Pray”—Christ’s followers are also commanded to pray in this verse. Praying keeps temptation away. It’s difficult to pray and commune with God and be drawn away in deceit at the same time. Pray, child of God.

I don’t mean to imply that Christians who pray never sin. That certainly is not the truth. I do mean to say that Christians who have healthy prayer lives are less apt to give in to sinful practices. The work of sanctification the Holy Spirit performs on heart of the Believer serves as protection from the schemes of the evil one.

If we desire to avoid temptation, then we must seek God. Our hearts will either be moving closer to God away from the Lord. Prayer does many things for Believers. And praying keeps the Christians heart and mind focused on God and not the things of the world. Let me end by saying it this way. To keep temptation away, rise and pray.

Tony French

“Nevertheless, in Your great compassion You did not make an end of them or forsake them, For You are a gracious and compassionate God.

Nehemiah 9:13

God is gracious. He is gracious to His people. God extends mercy to those who do deserve it the least and extends pity and empathy to those who are far from Him. The Lord withholds what we truly deserve (punishment, separation, judgment) and gives us what we cannot merit (relationship with God).

God is gracious in the good times. His love and compassion are abundant when His blessings flow. Seeing the grace of God when the sun shines is an easy task indeed.

God is gracious in the difficult times. His mercy is great and new every morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23) The faithfulness of the Lord is unmatched. He is gracious when the storm clouds gather and when the rains fall.

The God of the universe is gracious at all times. We cannot earn His grace and we don’t ever come to a state of deserving God’s Love. Through Christ Jesus, the Lord is gracious and forgives, saves, restores, and secures those who trust in Him for evermore.

God, is, gracious!

Tony French

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1

The debt is paid. The debt of sin that every Believer owed to God has been paid in full. Jesus Christ has brought us peace with God. The debt is paid.

Christians are now fully justified by faith in the sight of the Lord. The debt of sin was erased through the Savior’s death on the cross. Believers are then given the righteousness of Christ through His resurrection. (Romans 4:25)

Paul tells us further So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. (Romans 5:18) We are saved, sanctified, secured, and justified forevermore through Christ Jesus. Nothing can change that fact!

Rejoice, Christian. Give praise to the Lord, Child of God. You’re past has been forgiven and your future is bright. Why? The debt has been paid!

Tony French