praying for an outcome that meant life or death. That’s what it means to watch and pray. That’s what


Christians need to be doing now. “The end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer” (1 Peter 4:7). In the book of Nehemiah, the king of Persia tells the


prophet to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. However, the Samaritans and Arabians did not want the walls of Jerusalem rebuilt, so they constantly tried to disrupt Nehemiah’s efforts, waiting to catch him off guard so they could sabotage his work. “But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and


Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth” (Nehemiah 4:7). Nehemiah’s enemies were extremely angry at his progress. It’s the same way the devil feels when God’s church is being built up. They also


“conspired … together to come and to fight against


Jerusalem, and to hinder it” (v. 8). Satan comes against us with great wrath to hinder God’s work. “Nevertheless we [Israel] made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them” (v. 9). In response, God’s people didn’t just pray. They didn’t just watch. They did both night and day.


WATCHING YOURSELF In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was facing His


greatest trial. There, at the very axis of the plan of salvation, He knew He was about to experience intense suffering and death on the cross. He made one simple request of His disciples while He left to pray: watch. “Then He came to the disciples and found them


sleeping, and said to Peter, ‘What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?’” (Matthew 26:40 NKJV). I suspect a lot of us watch like Peter. And the Lord says to us, Could you not watch with me one hour? We are again at a critical point in history. Jesus is


about to return to planet Earth. Probation is closing, and He’s asking us to watch. We don’t want Him to say, What? Could you not watch with me one hour?, but I


would guess He just might say that today! So He warns, “Watch and pray” (Matthew 26:41). Part of this watching is watching ourselves.


“Examine yourselves as to whether you’re in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5 NKJV). You need to be watching yourself and your surroundings. You need to be asking yourself, Am I growing? Am I becoming more like Jesus? “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3 NKJV). Ask the Lord to watch your mind, your heart, your lips.


We need to be guarding what we allow to come into our minds. This is one of the single most important things you can do in your own discipline as a Christian: guarding the avenues to your soul. You’re the combined essence of all those things that you take in. Some of those things have been Trojan horses. We think there’s no harm done, but once it gets into our minds, it becomes a disaster. “A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished” (Proverbs 22:3 NKJV).


How is your prayer life lately? If you’re not watching and praying, I suggest you make a prayer list. I guarantee it will make it easier to pray. As time goes on, your list will grow, and your time in prayer will also grow. Do you know what would happen to the church if we each watched and prayed an


7 Inside Report | 2Q 2012


hour a day? How about adopting that as your slogan for the next few months: Watch and pray an hour a day. You have 24 hours each day. Pick just


one! Or split your hour up into three 20-minute sessions. Can you give Him one hour a day?


WATCHING OTHERS We need to watch our brothers and sisters. I’m


not talking about being judgmental and trying to catch people in sin. I’m talking about a genuine caring for other people’s souls. “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way


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