“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” — Matthew 26:41

>> Sign up here for Sports Spectrum devotionals sent right to your email inbox <<

Baseball is a game of repetition, perhaps more than any other sport. Consistent, frequent batting and fielding practice are a necessity. Rookies and veterans go through the routine whether they feel like it or not. They remind one another where to throw the ball if a runner is on base. If someone forgets to cover home plate, the other team could get an easy run. Unforced errors often lose games.

Practice helps strengthen good habits, and prevents brain freezes and costly mistakes during the games. If someone skips practice thinking they don’t really need it, they may hurt the whole team.

The disciples had been trained by the best for years, and yet they still shook with fear when soldiers came in the middle of the night to arrest Jesus. Beforehand, Peter claimed he’d be brave no matter what happened, but Jesus predicted exactly what was coming. Though Peter and the other disciples said they’d be strong, Jesus saw the future and told them they’d panic when He was persecuted. “Then Jesus told them, ‘This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered”‘” (Matthew 26:31).

In response, Peter and the others insisted they’d be loyal to Jesus no matter what happened. “Peter replied, ‘Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.’ ‘Truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.’ But Peter declared, ‘Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.’ And all the other disciples said the same” (Matthew 26:33-35).

Surely, Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. While Jesus prepared for the challenges ahead through earnest prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, His disciples gave into their personal weakness and went to sleep even though Christ asked them to keep watch and join Him in prayer. “Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. ‘Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?’ he asked Peter. ‘Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak'” (Matthew 26:40-41).

Not long after their vow to stay by His side no matter what came, Matthew describes what actually happened: “Then all the disciples deserted him and fled” (Matthew 26:56b). Perhaps had they stayed alert and prayed as Jesus asked them to, their actions may have better aligned with their words.

When our flesh is weak and we opt to give in to weariness, distractions or other priorities rather than getting trained up through prayer and time in the Word, we will be vulnerable to attacks from the enemy. We may find we don’t actually walk the walk we talk about. We will never be perfect, but consistent, frequent time spent growing in God will strengthen Godly habits, and could keep us from making unnecessary errors that could end up hurting others too.

— Bill Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Georgia

>> Do you know Christ personally? Learn how you can commit your life to Him <<

>> Subscribe to Sports Spectrum Magazine for more devotionals and stories where sports and faith connect <<

>> Dive more into God’s Word with Sports Spectrum through the YouVersion Bible App <<

If you would like to submit a devotional, please email all submissions to
devotionals@sportsspectrum.com