Be WATCHFUL AND PRAY Y

The speaker, Guy LaBiona, discusses the importance of being watchful and prayerful in one's spiritual life. He emphasizes that the world will pass away and Jesus will return, so believers must stay alert and vigilant. Being watchful means staying away from sin and living according to God's will. The speaker encourages love for others as a way to overcome the influence of the flesh. Prayer is important for resisting temptation and preparing for the final judgment. The talk concludes with a reminder to be watchful and prayerful in order to avoid falling into temptation and to be ready for Jesus' return. Welcome to our weekly exhortation. Thank you for joining me. Thank you for your precious time. My name is Guy LaBiona, Servant of God, Servant of Jesus Christ. And the Lord Jesus said, But the head of all things is at hand. Be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 1 Peter chapter 4 verse 7. Why does the instruction, watch unto prayer, or better, be watchful, really mean for us? Aware of the vulnerability of the flesh, a source of all human temptation, our Lord Jesus gives firm instruction to His disciples. He says, But the head of all things is at hand. Be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 1 Peter chapter 4 verse 7. Why does the instruction, watch unto prayer, or better, be watchful, really mean for us? Lead me to that river flowing from your fountain. Let me fly like an eagle way up high. Lead me swift the valley up to the highest mountain. Take me away into your kingdom up in the sky. Hallelujah. The passage in 1 Peter chapter 4 verse 7 we have just read is a serious warning the Lord Jesus is giving all those who put their trust unto Him. Jesus says, All things have almost come to the end. In fact, the term all things refers to the world. The truth is that this world will pass away and the last thereof. The Lord Jesus repeats the same warning in Romans chapter 13 verse 12. He says, The night is fast passed. The day is at hand. Praise the Lord. The night in this passage represents the darkness of this world and the day represents the coming back of the Lord Jesus. This is the reason why Jesus is calling all believers to be watchful. To be watchful? What does it mean? Well, being watchful means staying alert and constantly vigilant. By saying this, Jesus doesn't mean to cause us sleeplessness but He is calling us to keep attentive eyes on His commandments. You know, the believer who is watchful is the one who accepts to suffer in the body in order to cut off all ties with sin. We are watchful when we refuse to compromise with evil and live our earthly lives according to God's will. I believe that it is important for us to emphasize on the meaning of Jesus' instructions so that we may know what God wants for us. So, by saying be watchful, the Lord Jesus is calling us to lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive within meekness the ingratitude work which is able to save your souls. In Luke chapter 21 verse 24 up to 36, it is written, But take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be weighed down with carelessness and darkness and cares of this life and death day come on you unexpectedly. Hallelujah! See, it is because the Lord Jesus doesn't want that the day of judgment comes on us unexpectedly that He is calling us to make ourselves a new heart and a new spirit while there is still time. Friend, there is still time for you to change. There is still time for you to consider all these instructions for yourself. Hallelujah! To be watchful is, of course, to stay awake. Staying awake spiritually is staying in the light and walking in the light. In 1 John chapter 2 verse 8 to 11, the apostle John explains in a very practical way how to be watchful. I would urge you, dear friend, to go read that passage and after a careful reading you will see that the spiritual principle that John wants to teach us is this. To be watchful means to walk in the light and to walk in the light is to love your brother. He who loves his brother abides in the light. As you strive through the Spirit of God to love your neighbor, you will find that the flesh will have less and less influence over you. This principle seems so simple but it is so powerful. Put it into practice and see it for yourselves. Well, we will stop there today. But before that, I want to emphasize this. When the Lord Jesus instructs us to be watchful and pray, He is calling us to become aware of the permanent presence of sin which dwells in us. That is the flesh. You see, the flesh is by nature self-centered. The flesh is centered on herself. The flesh is the opposite of love. When you focus on loving others, you deny the action of the flesh in your life. In a way, you ignore its presence. In this way, there is no longer any opportunity to satisfy the desire of the flesh like said the Apostle Paul in Galatians chapter 5 verse 16. This is the reason why our Lord Jesus is calling us to be watchful. Be watchful and pray. Now, what about prayer? Well, we must constantly pray that God gives you the strength to resist in the moment of temptation. We must, by the Spirit of God, cast off the weight of darkness and put on the armor of light. Praise the Lord! The ultimate aim of this instruction, be watchful and pray, is to prepare souls for the final judgment when Jesus returns. However, for this to be possible, we must remove any possibility of falling into the trap of temptation. Hallelujah! We have come to the end of today's presentation. I hope you enjoyed it. If God wills it, we will be together next time. Shabbat shalom. Take me away into your kingdom up in the sky. Take me away into your kingdom up in the sky.