Watch and Pray

By Leslie Phiri 

We are living in the last stages of social, spiritual and moral decay, Sin is the order of the day, it has become like daily bread to others. People have become so accustomed to sin to the extent of celebrating evil. 

Sin has become viral.The only way to stay out of sin is to watch and pray so that we may not fall into temptation - Matthew 26 v 41. 

We need to be vigilant and stand on biblical principles in defense of our faith. One song writer wrote; I stand on Christ the Solid Rock, any other ground is sinking sand.

While most Christians are indeed praying, there is one aspect that is being overlooked - vigilance.Watching means one must be able to stay cautious and watchful at all times.

 As John 10v10 puts it; the thief comes to steal to kill and to destroy. There is a great need to ensure that as a Christian you watch and guard your heart with all diligence because out of it springs forth life (Proverbs 4 v 23).

It is sad to note that there is a league of Christians who diligent in prayer but were never watchful such that they fell into sin and lost what God had planted in their lives.That is why some Christians pray without getting results. This is simply because their lives are so marinated with sin, ungodliness and unrighteousness.

I always give an example of a deodorant container, when it is full, it has a sweet scent. When you empty the contents, the scent remains, but the truth is that there is are no contents. One might be mistaken to assume that there is perfume yet it’s only the scent and nothing more. 


We have Christians who are like that; they were once powerful worshipers, preachers and effective laborers in the kingdom of God. However because they were not vigilant, the Devil crept into their lives and took away their holiness and left with a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.

This is what Paul talks of in 2Timothy 3v1 that in the last days people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self control, brutal, not lovers of good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.

Failure to watch while praying has also led to some Christians being tossed to and fro by certain winds of doctrine that emerge.False teachings are on the rise and there is need to take heed that we may not fall into the trap of contrary doctrine. 

Paul writes to Timothy in 1Timothy 4:2 "The spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons, such teachings come through hypocritical liars whose conscious has been seared as with a hot iron". 

Lack of vigilance has led to people failing to hold on to the true values of the bible, most people are abandoning the faith believing more in individuals than in the supremacy of God.

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.