Quarantine Youth: Prayerনমুনা

Temptation

Have you ever done the exact opposite of what you knew you should do?

You knew what was right, you knew what was true, but something inside of you gave in to doing the exact opposite? I have done that so many times, there’s no way for me to add it up. The temptation to try and control a situation that I am not in control of is often too much for me.

Or how about when we try to tell ourselves, “Just this time...” I have fallen for that trick a million times, too.

We all wrestle with temptation, that’s why Jesus taught us to pray about it BEFORE it happens.

Jesus concludes His model for prayer in Matthew chapter 6 by telling us to pray that we would not fall into temptation. Jesus knows that you and I are going to be tempted, so He tells us to ask for God’s help before it even happens.

What if, instead of beating yourself up for the various ways that you failed, you would pray that God would begin to show you how to overcome your temptations?

Asking God to keep you from falling into temptation (or as some translations put it, “lead us not into temptation”) is literally asking God to take you onto a different path. Think of temptation as a giant hole in the ground. If you keep walking the path that leads to that hole, you are way more likely to fall in. 

If your path is full of dangerous pits and holes, then change paths.

The challenge is, changing paths is really hard. If you don’t know a different way, or you can’t see a different path, then you are going to need a guide. Asking God to keep you from temptation is asking Him to be your guide. Allow Him to show you a different way and, when the different way becomes apparent, take it!

To put it simply, admit your need for God’s help, and then, change your patterns. It’s pointless to pray asking for God’s help if you are not willing to make some changes in your life.

What if overcoming your temptations is actually about God empowering you to do something different? Stop revisiting the site of your failure, join with God on a new path where He is your strength.