The Whole Armor Of God - "Perseverance"

"Above All; Watching thereunto with all perseverance", Eph 6:18. The first thing we need to look at today is the word thereunto, and ask ourselves, 'what is it there for', or 'Unto what does There apply?". Well in this instance, it applies to prayer and supplication; which simply means that while we are praying we are watching; but watching for what? Do you think that Jesus did not know his disciples would not fall asleep in the garden. I think that He did know, and that was why He showed them three times just how weak their flesh was. Remember what he said to them, "Could you not watch with me for one hour; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak". Have you ever been running from the law? You know that they are coming to get you and you try to stay ready; peeking through the cracks in the blinds at every little sound outside; looking for the cause of every flash of light you imagine. But sooner or later, you get to a point where your flesh just has to be satisfied, and you need sleep; so you surrender. You don't surrender physically, but you surrender mentally; you simply put your head on your pillow and tell yourself, "So What". Maybe the three disciples were just trusting that Jesus would take care of things, so, they could just take comfort in resting. There is an example where Jesus slept while things seemed life threatening, at least they were as far as the disciples taught; it is found in Luke 8:22-25. Here we see them all in a little boat, and Jesus says, "Let's cross over to the other side"; and as they sailed, Jesus went to sleep. But there came a large storm of wind, and the boat began to fill with water, and the disciples panicked, waking Jesus and saying, "Master, Master, we perish!". So Jesus rebukes the wind and the ragging waters, and then asked them, "Where is your faith?"; in other words, "Did I not say; We are going to the other side?; so why can't you just sit down and enjoy the ride? And let me get some sleep!" So why did Jesus ask them to keep watch in the garden in the first place? Was it so they would confront the solders as they came storming in? Was it so they could run and tell Jesus, "the time is at hand"? Was it just to test them, to see if they could stay awake? No, No, and No; Jesus knew perfectly well that they would fall asleep, which is why He choose these three in particular; these were the three that thought they were all about something. So Jesus was showing just how much they were lacking, and He demonstrated to them just how weak their flesh was. The word 'Perseverance' means to endure; continuance in something. In order to stay committed to watching with supplication continually, we must stay seated in Christ and be praying in the Spirit. It is a full circle; watching, praying, enduring, watching, praying, enduring; all the while, staying seated in Christ. There is a song by my favorite band, Daniel Amos; it is called 'Safety Net', and there is a part of the song I have always loved, because I relate it to an illustration I get in my mind of what it means:
"Strung out in the cradle of grace,
Wiping the blood from the warm gun,
You leave no power or trace,
Shot like a bullet to the kingdom come."

I have always pictured myself as being the bullet, and God loads me in His musket (Jesus), and packs in His powder (the Holy Spirit), and then fires me off into service. Eventually, I am no longer being propelled by His power, but by gravity, and I fall to the ground; so God finds me, dusts me off, loads me back in His musket, and off I go again; till kingdom come. Unfortunately, this is the 'Normal Christian Life' (another book by Watchman Nee worth reading); and what Paul is trying to tell us through the book of Ephesians, is that it does not have to be like that. To ensure that we are to overcome, and to continue to overcome, we must stay seated in Christ. As soon as we find ourselves walking in our own power, we must stop, drop, and pray. So again, what are we watching for? We are watching for any sign that we could be walking in the flesh. Praying always, with prayer and supplication, as we are watching thereunto with endurance to continue to keep watching and praying; and to what end? Tell we hear those words, "Well Done"... "Having Done All To Stand; Therefore Stand." (next, 'supplication for all saints')