“Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”” Matthew 26:40-41

When Jesus said this to His disciples—”The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”—it was not an invitation to resign yourself to this fact and learn to live with it. Rather, it was a call to action that by His power at work within us we might overcome it. At the time of His greatest need Jesus’ closest friends fell asleep while He prayed, proving the weakness of their flesh.

Jesus admonishes them to watch and pray so they wouldn’t give into the temptation to fall away from the faith under trial. There’s no question:  we will have trial. And if we are to face it with flesh that isn’t weak—if we are to be victorious—we need to make three things top priorities.

The first is prayer. Jesus said it directly and modeled it by His life, regularly seeking private time to be alone with God in prayer. Luke 22:44 tells us on the night He was betrayed He prayed so earnestly “his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” Strong faith requires focused prayer.

We also need to make reading the Bible a daily habit. Studying the Word of God gives us insight into God’s character, reveals His plans, and guides our worship and our prayer. I find great power in praying scripture. “For the word of God is alive and active …it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

To be victorious we also need to seek fellowship with other believers, that “we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” (Hebrews 10:24) “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17) Seek fellowship.

Are you on the path to victory? Are prayer, Bible reading, and pursuing fellowship with other believers priorities in your life?