"Pray that you may not enter into temptation."
Luke 22:40
When Martin Luther addressed the issue of temptation, he observed, "I cannot stop the birds from flying over my head, but I can stop them from building a nest in my hair." He spoke like a man of experience.
Temptation is inevitable. Yielding to it is not. Jesus warned His disciples of the dangers of facing temptation without prayer. He still does.
The prayerless are prone to yield to temptation. The prayerful raise their shield against it. Choose wisely.
With Hjs betrayal, and crucifixion drawing near, Jesus spoke some of His final words to His disciples, on the power of prayer. He knew they had no hope of ever breaking the power of temptation without preparing to face it in prayer.
Whenever Jesus prayed, He sought to conform His mind, His will and His emotions to the will of His Father. What was revealed in The Garden had been His way of life. Make it yours.
Praying reveals a willingness to hear from God. Raising up a shield against temptation is a result of yielding to The Father's direction, protection and correction. Anything less is the mark of a rebellious child, or a defenseless warrior.
Talking about temptation attempts to convince yourself and others to agree with a defenseless position. Praying leads to agreeing with God, and yielding to His sense of direction. Again, choose wisely.
Temptation is not sin, but it leads to it. Prayerless people follow a well worn path to sin. Prayerful people are trail-blazers to a new way of life.
Jesus still holds power over sin. He forgives it. Following Him leads to prayer, and away from sin. Taking His advice to pray in order to avoid sin has never been an option for His followers.
Treating prayer like it is chrome on a car, rather than the Law of Gravity, leads to a head on collision with sin. This only happens...every time.
Why? Because prayerlessness is simply an expression of pridefulness. Proverbs, The Wisdom Literature of The Bible, warns repeatedly that pride comes before a fall. Jesus knew this. He was well versed in it. His call to prayer is a call to humility. It is an ancient call, not a new one.
People full of themselves are full of pride and void of prayer. Their crash patterns in life are predictable, but they are not inevitable. Jesus said His followers should pray, could pray, and would pray, if they wanted to avoid falling into temptation. Those who do, won't. Those who don't, do.
NOTE TO SELF: Never be tempted to believe prayer is a non-essential part of your walk with Jesus. What one word best describes your prayer life? Active or Inactive? The choice is yours. Prepare to pray, or prepare to fall. Shields up!
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!