That You May Not Enter

10.9.2009

Luke 22:40 40 When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” New American Standard Bible

“…And lead us not into ____________ but deliver us from evil; for Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory for ever and ever, amen.” Sound familiar? Jesus had been teaching His men for several years now and here they were on the eve of the coming of the Kingdom of God. Not one shot would be fired but one Life would be given. And the Lord has them pray, not for the Kingdom, not for Himself, nor for their enemies – He has them pray that they may not enter temptation.

Temptation is one of those things, like a virus, or a bad neighbor, or an ill-placed itch shows up at just the wrong time. Temptation is the culmination of circumstances being just so that it is almost impossible to not sin. Why would Jesus have them pray not to enter into temptation? Because to allow oneself to be tempted is very difficult indeed to withstand it. Temptation is not sin; it’s the fertile soil where sin grows…

The temptation that night was to not believe. Judas I. had already taken the bait and fell. Jesus didn’t want the rest of them following suit.

Temptation is not sin but it is a powerful medium for sin. Part of denying sin is withstanding temptation and part of withstanding it is praying against it. So knowing my perspective, preferences, and propensities, today I pray:

Father in Heaven,

You know what I am going to face today and I pray against temptation in whatever form that is. I pray against the temptation to lust, to retaliate, to lie, to shade the truth and I pray against the seemingly ever-present and powerful temptation to not believe – in You or the Kingdom, because at times it looks like we’re losing… Father strengthen me today with truth that I may contend with error, I pray in Jesus’ Name, amen.