We all know the narrative about when Yeshua was praying in the garden of Gethsemane, asking the three talmudim with him to stay awake while he prayed.
Of course, they were full of lamb and wine after the Pesach Seder, so they fell right off to sleep.
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Yeshua came back to see them asleep, and after this happened twice, he said that the spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak.
Well, as much as I hate to disagree with my Messiah, I would prefer that he said the spirit is willing, but the flesh is too strong!
As I see it, it isn’t our spirit that gets us in trouble, but our flesh does.
Throughout the Bible we are told that everyone sins, and in modern terms, sinfulness is built into our DNA. That is a fact of life.
However, it doesn’t excuse sin, and it can be overcome with the help of the Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit. But, that is very hard to do.
And when I say it is hard to overcome sin, that is a statement I am sure you all can relate to.
When I used to preach about sin, I would tell my congregation that I am an expert on sin: not because I have overcome it, but because of how often I do it; and, as they say, practice makes perfect.
Our flesh is what we have to live in for the time being, and its influence on us is extremely strong. If we think otherwise, it will overcome us and we will apostatize without even realizing that we have done so!
For example, have you ever rationalized doing something that your spirit tells you that you really shouldn’t do? I have, and I confess that I still argue with that little guy on my shoulder in the white robe with the harp.
The other guy, the red-suited fellow with the horns, doesn’t win as often as he used to, but he still makes what sounds like a convincing argument, using biblical passages (or should I say, misusing them) to justify his arguments.
And you know what? That is what “religion” has been doing for centuries on end.
So, the bottom line is that Yeshua was not incorrect when he said his talmudim wanted to stay awake with him, but I have to disagree that their flesh was weak, because it was their flesh that overcame their spiritual desire to stay awake.
Your flesh is strong, my flesh is strong, and we need to admit that to ourselves if we want to overcome it.
Ignoring the potential for your flesh to overpower your spiritual desire to be obedient is foolish, and might result in your straying off the path of righteousness without ever knowing you did!
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That’s it for now, so l’hitraot and Baruch haShem!
