August 13, 2023
What makes follow through so hard is that it is typically followed up with temptations of the
Mark 14:31 (ESV) But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.
The mistake Peter made was not the declaration, but the lack of
Jesus’ prayer life was activated when He perceived future
Mark 14:37-38 (ESV) And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hours? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
The preparation to follow through begins by expecting that your
The number of times Peter was found asleep instead of praying is the same number of times he
Your best preparation to follow through is to
Ask #4
“Lord, I ask for your deliverance.”
THE PAUSE: 10 MINUTES WITH GOD
MONDAY | BETTER TOGETHER
PASSAGE: Matthew 26:36-37
PAUSE: Prayer is often a solitary occurrence. Jesus asked his three closest disciples to /pray with him. Prayer is so much sweeter and more powerful when we pray together. Who can you invite to pray with you? When we face the temptation to abandon God’s will, we need others to join us in prayer.
PRAYER: Father, grant me friends to pray with. Forgive me for praying alone. Help me to realize we are better together when we pray together.
TUESDAY | HONEST PRAYER
PASSAGE: Matthew 26:39, 42
PAUSE: Jesus taught us that our Heavenly Father welcomes honest prayer. Jesus did not want to suffer and die. He begged his Father to take that cup of burden away from him. We can be honest with our Heavenly Father, it’s okay.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I desire to be honest in my prayer life. I openly admit that life is hard, I am struggling, and I want my story to be different.
WEDNESDAY | THE FLESH IS WEAK
PASSAGE: Matthew 26:40-41
PAUSE: Our flesh would rather sleep than confront the messy decisions of life. If not sleep, we escape with our addictions, our binges, and our passions. Jesus encouraged us to pray against those temptations that wage within our flesh.
PRAYER: Father, deliver me from evil. Lead me not into temptation. Create within my soul a desire to be constant in prayer and to fight against my flesh.
THURSDAY | YOUR WILL BE DONE
PASSAGE: Matthew 6:9-10
PAUSE: When is the last time you reflected on the Lord’s prayer? Jesus taught us the 4/4 method of prayer. Prayer is upward to our Heavenly Father, downward to submission to his will, inward to daily needs, and outward towards the temptations that come our way. Meditate on the Lord’s prayer.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, your kingdom come, let your will be done in me.
FRIDAY | RESIST THE DEVIL
PASSAGE: James 4:7-8
PAUSE: James, Jesus’s brother, exhorted the early church to resist the devil! The daily pause is to draw near to the Lord, knowing that when we draw near to the Lord, the presence of the Lord is real and near to us. Come, Lord Jesus.
PRAYER: Father, thank you for your many promises. Help me to draw near to you. Create in me a humbleness and self-awareness to draw near to you. I beg you to deliver me from all temptations and ask for help to resist the devil.