Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Matthew 26:44.
And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. Matthew 26:44.
O God, You are my God; early will I seek You. My soul thirsts for You. My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1-2.
With my soul I have desired You in the night, yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early. Isaiah 26:9.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God says:
Seek Me early. Seek Me always. Those who seek Me want for no good thing. Why? Everything good is in Me and when you come to Me seeking My face and draw close to Me, I draw close to you and draw you into My goodness. The power in Me heals. “One day Jesus was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing.” Luke 5:17.
It is by praying that you seek Me, taste My goodness and experience it in unceasing supply, and receive answers to your questions. And not just once in a while, but every day, actually, I have told you to pray without ceasing. And when you pray, I will lead you to certain Scriptures in the Bible that respond to your needs, desires, and questions. So prayer should mean you have My covenant book, the Bible, near you to refer to where I direct you, or just to read verses that you are relying upon to petition Me for your needs or those of others. And often just pick a chapter and read to see what I am saying and you will hit a treasure vein which then you can follow to other parts of the Bible that explain the Scripture you are pondering.
Most people pray infrequently, and even those that pray frequently may never enter into what I call prayer but just recite prayers or read from a prayer book at Me and inform Me of what they are requiring Me to do for them. But those are few who go deeper to seek conversation with Me in the secret place of their heart. And once you have entered that place, you never want to leave, like Moses forty days and forty nights on Mt. Sinai with Me in glory. And like Peter, James and John on the mountain of the transfiguration.
Jesus, My Son, lived his humanity perfectly and did all things well. Why was that? He was in constant prayer. He would rise early to seek Me in deserted places. He would pray on mountain tops late into the night. He would pause before answering or doing works to refer it to Me and receive an answer. Jesus prayed before He made decisions or did things. Most people do not do that. They pray after if things go wrong. But things go wrong when you just take off and do things without putting them in My hands first. “Entrust your plans to the LORD and they will succeed.” There is a time to pray and a time to act. But the prayer comes first and continues through to the end when it is well done.
Jesus prayed and then He chose the twelve disciples that He called “apostles.” Jesus prayed before He underwent His sufferings and death. Jesus raised His eyes and offered thanks and blessing before He broke the five loaves for over five thousand people. And then when the day was successfully over, He went up by Himself on the mountain to pray. Before, during, and after, pray.
And you will note that in the Garden of Gethsemane, My Son prayed the same thing three times. Two or three witnesses establish a fact. And He told you, “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Matthew 26:44.
The flesh is useless, it is the Spirit that gives life. My Words are Spirit and life. They are life to you and health to all your flesh. You should be taking in My Word every day, not just once in a while. Things undertaken or thoughts given proceeding merely from your flesh are useless. Without Me you can do nothing, not even breathe. If I take away your breath, you perish. But when I send out My Spirit, life is created, sustained, quickened, and renewed. You can do all things in Christ who strengthens you. He gives you the anointing, the Spirit. Man’s words mean nothing if they are not in agreement with My Words. Words of the flesh do not create life or give health to your bodies. Mine do.
All things come together, are held together, and summed up in Christ Jesus. He is My Word made flesh. My Word is living and working, active and quick, healing and precious. In My Word are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, honor, healing, health, provision, prosperity, and reverence come from Me, from My Spirit in you and on you.
Seek Me early, before you undertake your day, before you undertake a project, before you make a decision, before you enter a contract, before you marry, before you make decisions. Pray that you not be put to the test, that you do not fall into the devil’s traps or take his bait. Watch and pray. Seek first My Face, hear from Me, and then let us get up and go forth. Jesus called His disciples to be with Him and then to go out to preach, teach, heal and cast out demons. But first they had to learn from Him so they were aware, watchful, wise, and strong. They needed instruction to know about their authority over evil and how to enforce it.
Do not stand idle in the marketplace. In the parable My Son told, the master had to keep going out to the marketplace seeking workers because they were all just standing around idle from early to late in day. He sent them to go work in His vineyard and He rewarded them. I ask you to seek Me, to seek My face, which means fellowship and instruction, but if you don’t, then I go seek you where you are standing idle. And, if you are willing to follow Me, I send you to work in My vineyard, to be fruitful and to fill the earth with the goodness of My love, which is better than the finest wine.
Daniel kneeled down to pray three times a day in his upper room with his windows open to the east, towards Jerusalem, towards the sunrise. And his wisdom promoted him in high government positions, as advisor to kings of pagan empires hostile to Israel. He spent time with Me so that he heard, knew, and did what I told him to do. And you are still watching his prophecies and dreams being fulfilled. He saw to the Last Day.
Jesus knelt down and prayed three times before going to the cross. Paul knelt down and prayed for strength in the inner man and an understanding of My love. He asked you to pray for him for doors of opportunity to preach the good news and for utterance that touched hearts. My early church knelt and prayed for signs, wonders, and miracles as they spoke My Word in all boldness.
Enter My gates with thanksgiving, My courts with hymns of praise, and bow down in worship, I am with you all your days. Remember the voice of thanksgiving? A total bowing down to the ground, prostrate in worship, shouting praise and thanks for the victory you are praying for and the fulfillment of My promises. A total joining with Me in the praise of all things. I created things and saw they were good, very good. I rejoice in My Works. I sing over you with rejoicing, as one does at festivals. And I give you songs in the night. Won’t you join? That is prayer. “Your Words O LORD are my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.” Psalm 119:54.
Now I want to share with you a truth about prayer. You are never praying alone. Do you recall that My Son asked His disciples to watch and pray with Him? That I tell you He ever lives to intercede for you? That I tell you that you do not know how to pray as you ought but the Holy Spirit helps you and prays with you and in you? Romans 8:26-27. That Jesus tells you that you pray to Me in His Name and I love and hear you directly? John 16:26-28. “Our Father, who art in Heaven.” “Our” you are praying with Jesus, your High Priest and your brother who brings you behind the veil to the secret place of the Holy of Holies holy and blameless and beyond reproach. And Christ is in you, your hope of glory. You have the anointing. And the Holy Spirit is with you and in you forever. John16-17. Jesus did not leave you orphans, He came back to you when I raised Him from the dead and is with you always, and He poured out My Holy Spirit on you from My throne who is yours forever.
So when you pray, watch and pray with Jesus and the Holy Spirit and come right to Me. Seek My face for I am good, generous, loving, merciful, gracious, kind, and forgiving for I have punished all your sins on Christ and made all My promises “yes” to you in Him. You are one to be welcomed when you come clothed in Christ and with your lamp lit by My Spirit. You look just like Me, and you should, for I created you that way and in Jesus I have brought you back into Myself though you had, with Adam, all gone astray like lost sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. 1 Peter 2:25.
I love you. Seek Me early for I am seeking you. Never enter, leave, or do anything without prayer. It is our lifeline divine.