“Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation” (Luke 22:46)

For months, Jesus had prepared His disciples for His death, but now the fateful day had come. He warned them to pray for God’s help to honorably face the coming test. But instead of  experiencing “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16), they fell asleep from sorrow.

Saints should be especially “patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer” (Romans 12:12).  The Greek word translated “patient” means “stay-under”, which for the Christian means “stay submitted to the Lordship of Christ”. Of course, today, even the least experienced saint has more power to stay submitted to the Lordship of Christ than the disciples that night. They only had the Holy Spirit with them, not in them.

Since the day of Pentecost, every saint is given the Holy Spirit (and Christ) to live within them. “You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Romans 8:9).

So this applies to every saint: “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God” (Jude 20–21). “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18). Pray “without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:17–18), and “continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2).

If this is not your experience, perhaps you’re not saved. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God … The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:14–16).

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