"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
(Matt 26:41)
"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Luke 21:36)
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him." (3 Nephi 18:15)
To often when we find ourselves praying and asking for forgiveness, it is because we forgot to be "watchful". Throughout the scriptures we learn that prayer can become a source of strength. We pray and look for the ways that it can strengthen us in our lives, but we never can seem to fully find it. The problem doesn't come because God doesn't hear our prayers. As a matter of fact, He really does here them. The problem comes because we are praying to late. Of course, we need to pray and ask for forgiveness, but the Lord wants us to be "watchful" and use prayer to head off the temptation and sin before we falter. When faced with temptation and the attack of Satan, if we are watchful, we can then pray and build up a defense to keep ourselves safe. Strength from pray comes while we are battling with Satan, not asking for forgiveness. A powerful strength to overcome temptation will be found as we pray in the heat of the battle. A watchful vigilance of our lives can help us to overcome our weaknesses as we find strength and trust in the Lord. Cutting off the temptations, cuts off the Adversary giving us power and righteousness in our lives. A power that can only come through our Savior, Jesus Christ, by being watchful and prayerful.
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