DATE POSTED: Thursday, January 18, 2024, and I was blessed to be at Advent Christian Village, Dowling Park, FL when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. My Footnote will tell you how to find, read or listen to any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE Amplified Bible (AMP) IS FOUND IN Luke 22:39-41

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: And He came out and went, as was His habit, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed Him. When He arrived at the place [called Gethsemane], He said to them, “Pray continually that you may not fall into temptation.” And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed…

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: One of the awesome things about a ministry such as mine, is that the Word of God must speak to the heart of the teacher before they could share its effectiveness with their audience. Praise God! I believe that this Scripture today is intended directly for me, but because there are others just like me, I believe that this message might also speak to you and challenge you in the adequacy of your prayer life. The Holy spirit spoke to me on a few matters while meditating on this Scripture:
– Jesus left the Upper Room and went to His ‘usual’ hangout (the Mount of Olives) where He could speak with the Father. I would be hard-pressed to answer a curious youngster who might ask me where my usual place is to pray. Do you have a quick, honest answer for that question? For those who followed Jesus and heard Him teach, they were reminded first-hand that this Teacher did as He taught. Remember how Jesus had said earlier that He only said and did as instructed by His Father? So, what do you suppose created the urgency for Jesus to seek private prayer? I believe that nowhere in Scripture will you find where Jesus ever taught that we wait until urgent needs arise before we seek the Father’s face. For you see, we were created for communion with our Creator and Father. Yet prayer is probably one of the weakest habits of a Christian, and therefore of the church. If we find it unimportant to stay in communion with the Father, what might He say when we just use this vehicle of communication during those times of urgent prayer? What would you say to such a person who does that to you? Probably one of the worst results of our absent prayer life is that those who are watching and following in our footsteps are led to do the same thing. Unfortunately, this leads to a church of tomorrow where prayer has been placed in the corner ‘for urgent needs only’. I believe that our ministries fail when we are basing our output strictly on the input received from seminary teachings; last week’s sermon; the deacon’s counsel; etc. For it is only what’s said for Jesus will last or impact the lives of others.
– Pray continually that you don’t fall into temptation – For those of us who fail, or refuse to pray, we might very well fall into the same trap as the unsaved where we are overcome by temptation and any other sin that Satan places before us, because we are unprepared and unconcerned about our Protector helping us defend against our known primary enemy. In our Scripture, Jesus knew full well what His disciples would face over the next few days as He was arrested, tried, convicted and crucified. Because we serve the same all-knowing Master, I am convinced that God also knows what lies ahead for each of us, and I can only believe that He is saying the same thing to us today – pray continually that you are not tempted. Notice He didn’t say ‘now as soon as you’ve followed through on everything you are tempted on, get with me right away’. Every time you are tempted, stop and question yourself as to whether you have been faithful in your prayer life. For it sounds to me that Jesus could also have said this same phrase in a slightly different way: ‘If you don’t pray continually, you may very well be tempted by the evil one – more than you could ever handle personally’.
For those reading this devotional who have not surrendered lordship of your life to Jesus Christ, please ponder what your defense is when you are tempted. Jesus wants to be Lord and everlasting Savior of your life. Will you please consider accepting His offer? You are invited to read my Footnote for tips on how this might be accomplished.

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Thank You for Your Word, oh Lord. It is food for my soul and is a guide to my feet. Thank You for prompting me to salvation and giving me the necessary boldness and determination to surrender lordship of my life to an all-knowing, all-loving and all-powerful God. I can only imagine that some will read this devotional and be puzzled by Your command to Your disciples, and to us, that we pray continually to avoid temptation. But Lord, I believe. Please deliver me from my lack of commitment to regular prayer and embed these words into my mind – that I must pray continually so that I do not fall into temptation. Just as I want to see You in every aspect of life, I believe that unbelievers are also seeking you out in the lives of those who claim to be under Your lordship. Oh Lord, may they see Jesus in me today, and be convinced of their need for a Savior. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the glory, forever. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There’s another page on my website, entitled ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to this page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin or continue your walk with Jesus. If you would like to read more of my devotionals, or subscribe for a daily email containing each new devotional, please go online to NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. For my podcast, go online to Apple Podcasts or, using the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word to hear more episodes, or click ‘Follow’ to be notified of Podcast updates. Friends, please allow me to encourage you to find a church home nearby your home and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!