Christians can do all things, but there is one thing they find hard to do and that’s praying. Why do so many Christians find it difficult to pray and some even feel they can’t pray at all? The Bible says, that they can’t pray because the flesh can’t pray. What does it mean the flesh can’t pray and what do you have to do, so that you can pray?
Jesus prayed fervently in the garden of Gethsemane
And He came unto the disciples, and found them asleep, and said unto Peter, What, could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:40-41)
When Jesus went to the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus’ spiritual battle against His soul began. Jesus took three of His disciples with Him: Peter, John, and James. As they went into the garden, Jesus commanded them to watch with Him. Jesus went a little further into the garden, then His three disciples, and kneeled and prayed to His Father. After one hour of prayer, Jesus went back to His three disciples and found all three of them asleep.
Jesus asked Peter, why they were not able to pray and watch with Him, for one hour. No one responded to Jesus’ question. They were not able to watch with Jesus and fight this spiritual battle with Jesus.
Why were they not able to pray? Because the flesh can’t pray. The flesh can’t pray and watch.
Jesus said, that the spirit is willing, but that the flesh is weak.
As long as the flesh is not crucified and dead in Christ but still alive, people are not able to pray.
Well… they can pray short carnal prayers that derive from their emotions, feelings, desires, lusts, will, etc. They can pray prayers that revolve around themselves or they can copy prayer methods and prayer formulas from preachers and memorize them and pray these preprinted prayers. But they can’t pray spiritual prayers that derive from the Spirit.
Why the flesh can’t pray?
Many Christians are unaware of the continuous warfare that’s going on in the spiritual realm. You can’t become aware and participate unless you become born again. As long as you stay carnal and walk after the flesh, you can’t see nor comprehend the Kingdom of God. You will not see, what is truly going on in the spiritual realm that is behind the visible realm (natural realm). Therefore, you shall not be able to pray. And if you are not able to pray, then you are not able to watch. Because why do you need to pray and why do you need to watch?
Jesus knew what was going on and what was going to happen. Jesus knew exactly when it was time to lay down His life and to suffer for humanity.
How did Jesus know? Because in the visible realm, there were no signs nor indications, that the time had come. But Jesus didn’t walk after the flesh but after the Spirit.
Jesus didn’t walk according to what He perceived with His senses and wasn’t led by His senses. But Jesus was controlled by the Spirit. He was constantly connected with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Why did Jesus watch?
Jesus was grieved, distressed, and deeply depressed. He asked Peter, John, and James to watch with Him, because His soul was exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. Jesus knew, that the time had come, that He would be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Jesus knew, that He would be sacrificed and carry all the sins and iniquities of the world.
It was a spiritual battle, between His spirit and the flesh. Because His soul was encompassed with grief even to the point of death.
Jesus experienced the same feelings as every human being experiences. That’s why Jesus is our High Priest.
Jesus came in the likeness of sinful flesh and was tempted in all things, just like every person on this earth. But Jesus didn’t sin, because of His great love for His Father (Romans 8:3, Hebrews 4:15 (Read also: Obedience to God and Was Jesus fully Human?)).
Jesus prayed to the Father and struggled to the point of agony.
During Jesus’ spiritual battle, an angel came to strengthen Jesus. After that, Jesus prayed more earnestly, and Jesus’ perspiration became like great drops of blood. Imagine that!
The first part of Jesus’ prayer lasted about one hour. When Jesus returned to His three disciples, Jesus found them asleep. Jesus went back and prayed again. Jesus prayed three times and after the third prayer, it was done. He had fought His fight. Now, Jesus was ready to fulfill God’s plan for His life.
Jesus had crucified His soul in Gethsemane. Therefore He was ready for the crucifixion of His flesh. He was ready to face sin and death. (Read also: ‘The crucifixion of the soul‘ and ‘The crucifixion of the flesh‘).
Why did the disciples of Jesus have to watch?
Jesus knew the battle between the spirit and the flesh. He knew, that if the spirit (together with the Holy Spirit) wouldn’t reign, the flesh (soul and body) would take over and reign in the person and control the person.
The flesh is enmity against God because the flesh can’t submit to God and His Will. If the flesh reigns, the flesh controls a person’s life. The person will listen to the flesh and do the will of the flesh and become disobedient to God and His Word and sin.
Therefore Jesus commanded His disciples to watch and pray constantly. So that, they would not enter a place of testing, that would present a solicitation to do evil and sin.
If they would sin, they would put themselves automatically under the authority of the devil. Sin would reign in their lives and their final destination would be death. Because the wages of sin is death (Romans 8:5-8).
That’s why Jesus warned His disciples to watch and pray. So that they would not enter temptation and do something that would go against the will of God.
The spirit wants to pray, but the flesh can’t pray
The spirit is willing and wants to pray, but your flesh can’t pray. As long as your flesh reigns in your life, you can’t pray and watch. Look at the three disciples. They were not yet born again, but they were the most loyal disciples of all Jesus’ disciples.
They followed and obeyed Jesus in everything, and loved Jesus. While other disciples turned their back on Jesus and left Jesus, because of His hard words and the hard truth Jesus preached. But these three disciples didn’t leave Jesus and were the most loyal of the twelve. That’s why Jesus asked these three disciples, to join Him in prayer and watch with Him (Read also: ‘Following Jesus will cost you everything‘).
But even these three loyal disciples couldn’t do, what Jesus asked them to do. Their flesh was tired and because they were not born again, but still carnal and controlled by their flesh, they became sleepy and eventually fell asleep.
Jesus was the only Person, Who could enter this spiritual battle and be persistent and overcome the enemy. Because although He was born in the flesh, He was born of the Spirit of God and walked in submission to the Father after the Spirit, doing His will. Jesus never allowed the flesh to reign in His life and dictate Him what to do.
Unless you become born again in Christ by water and Spirit and be born of the Spirit of God and walk after the Spirit, you will not be able to pray after the Spirit. Only when you become a new creation (spiritual new man) and enter the spiritual realm you will stay awake and be able to watch and pray.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
