13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 14 Do everything in love.
1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!’” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
13 The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, 14 and he will be a sanctuary.
16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
32 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert ! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. 35 Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back--whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
24 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy-- 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
“An older man who was known for his godly life was asked what he did when he was tempted. He replied, ‘Well, I just say, Lord, your property is in danger.’ You are God’s property. You belong to the Lord. The Bible says, ‘You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price’ (1 Corinthians 6:19–20 NLT). So God preserves you. He protects you. He keeps you by His power. So the next time the Devil comes knocking at your door, just say, ‘Lord, would you mind getting that?’ That’s the way to deal with the enemy’s attacks.” Greg Laurie
“If you neglect a careful watch, you will certainly enter into temptation, and just as certainly fall into sin. Do not flatter yourselves: ‘Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.’ Past grace received will not preserve you from evil; you must stand upon your watch.” John Owen
“There may be no trumpet sound or loud applause when we make the right decision, just a calm sense of resolution and peace.” Gloria Gaither
“Prayer casts our souls into a military posture of opposition to temptation.” John Owen
“Oh that I may be roused out of my slumber, and be watchful and ready against the coming of my Bridegroom… Even the wise virgins fell asleep. Let this be a warning to me, O Lord. Set thou a guard before my eyes, ears, and other faculties, lest the world again should enter through these avenues of the heart; if the spark be not speedily extinguished, it will soon break out into a flame: thus sin is of a progressive nature, and its venom spreads very quickly and very wide, unless it be stopped and opposed in time. Watch, therefore, over this unsteady heart of mine, O Thou Keeper of Israel; that as soon as it begins to wander from Thee, I may be alarmed to flee from sin as from a serpent. Give me grace to look upon every hour as my last; so that being ever wisely upon my guard I may meet Thee with joy when my time is run out, whenever it shall please Thee to call me hence.” K. H. Von Bogatzky
"Keep bringing your prayers to God. If you think your request is legitimate, keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. God wants to teach us through persistent praying to wait on Him and to watch. While we're praying and waiting for God to answer our prayers, do you know what He's doing? He's working on us, conforming us more and more to the image of Christ. And when we're ready, the answer will surely come.” David Jeremiah
“Be alert that you might discover temptation early. Most men do not perceive their enemy until they have been wounded. Yes, and others are engaged in temptation unaware. They are asleep without a sense of danger until others awaken them because their house is on fire. Few take notice of temptation until it is too late, and find themselves entangled. Be careful, then, to watch for and seek to understand early the snares that are laid for you, and to understand the advantage your enemy might have against you, before he gains strength and casts concentrated poison into your soul.” John Owen
“Oh, study your hearts, watch your hearts, keep your hearts!” John Flavel
“Take heed that you do not glory in your graces, but let all your glorying and confidence be in Christ and His strength, for this is the only way you can be kept from falling. Pray more often. Spend longer periods of time in holy adoration. Read the Scriptures more earnestly and constantly. Watch your lives more carefully. Live nearer to God. Take the best examples for your pattern. Let your conversation emit the fragrance of heaven. Let your hearts be perfumed with affection for the souls of others. So live that others may recognize that you have been with Jesus, and have learned of Him… On, Christian, with care and caution! On, with holy fear and trembling! On, with faith and confidence in Jesus alone, and let your constant petition be, ‘Sustain me according to your promise.’ He, and He alone, is able ‘to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy.’” Charles H. Spurgeon
“Pray that He would give us diligence, carefulness, and watchfulness over all our ways, that we shall be delivered when others are held fast with the cords of their own folly.” John Owen