August 17 Prayer Attack

Luke 22:39-40, 45-46 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” … 45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”
 
WHEN you are in a group Bible study or prayer meeting, you likely have heard, “How can we pray for each other?” Has anyone ever said, “Pray we will not fall into temptation?”
    I’ve never heard that. I’ve never said that. My first thoughts are to pray for friends and family who need prayer for healing or for salvation. I consider my own needs and joys, too. Sometimes we praise God with our prayers. But rarely do we seem to pray, “Lord, keep me from temptation. Deliver me from evil. Keep me from falling into sin.”
    That is what Jesus urged his disciples to pray in the hours and minutes before his arrest. He had told the disciples of Satan’s trials to come. The Lord had also just told them to be prepared for opposition and physical threats. That’s why his urgent command, “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”      Temptation is about to storm the disciples’ hearts and minds. They will watch Jesus arrested. In those threatening moments, these men will be tempted to protect Jesus. Bystanders at his trial, flogging and crucifixion, they will be tempted to deny Jesus, flee Jerusalem or hide fearfully in the upper room. Satan will tempt them to turn from Jesus and count their time with him as wasted. Temptation will cause them to wonder, “What happened? How could the Messiah die?”
    Be alert. Temptations come in many forms. Evil may be tempting you to fall from your faith through physical desires, monetary gain, spiritual complacency, or religious restrictions. Our Lord has taught us to use prayer as a weapon to strike evil before it strikes us. Keep God’s power in front of you. Use it often and faithfully. It does great harm to sleep away your prayer time. One day you will wake up to see temptation has weakened, disrupted or even stolen your relationship with Jesus.
    Finally, note that Jesus didn’t urge or command his disciples to pray for him. He had resisted temptation at the beginning of his ministry. He knew how Satan attacked. He also knew he was in the Father’s eternal hands. His relationship with the Father was stronger than the temptation to abandon the Father’s will That is how we all must be.
 
Prayer: Lord, I pray I will not fall into temptation. I pray, too, for the church, my pastor, my friends and your workers throughout the world they will not fall into temptation.