Luke 22:40b - Prayer Blocks Temptations Pathway To Sin.
Luke 22:40b - Prayer Blocks Temptations Pathway To Sin.
Luke 22:40b (KJV) Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
Luke 22:40b (NIV) Pray that you will not fall into temptation.
Luke 22:40b (NCV) Pray for strength against temptation.
Luke 22:40b (CWR) You need to pray so you won't be overcome by
temptation.
Jesus asked the disciples to pray that they would not fall
into temptation. Jesus knew they would need extra strength to face
the temptations ahead - temptations to run away or to deny their
connection with him. They were about to see Jesus die. Would they still
think he was the Messiah? The disciples' strongest temptation would
undoubtedly be to think they had been deceived.
Jesus knew that prayer could powerfully shape the souls of
his disciples. When news of Jesus' death reached his disciples, the
temptation to doubt would be nearly overwhelming. But prayer is an act that
declares and reminds us that this visible world is part of a bigger one,
one that includes an unseen realm.
If the disciples focused only on the visible, their hopes
would be shattered because Jesus was dead. But the practice of prayer
would pull them into the unseen side of life. In that light, they
would see Jesus is Lord.
It's easy for us to trust what we see and doubt the unseen.
When we lose sight of the unseen, despair can overwhelm us. But
prayer returns our sight, and once again we can see the truth that
Jesus is Lord. [One Year NLT SB]
Prayerlessness Comes Before A Fall
Temptation is tough. It's a test. It's an enticement to do
wrong. It may involve great pleasure, a chance to escape risk, or
illegitimate gain. Whatever the offering, it's usually attractive.
But Scripture calls giving in to tempting opportunities sin.
It even warns us that repeatedly giving way to temptation can
result in falling away permanently with a total loss of interest in
returning to God (Heb. 6:6-8, according to one interpretation). Clearly we
need God's strength, and wisdom to flee (1 Cor. 6:18; 1 Tim. 6:11).
As Jesus and His closest companions faced great danger, they
were afraid and tired (w. 42-45). Jesus knew how vulnerable and
confused that condition can make a person. He urged His followers to join
Him in prayer so that they would not fall into temptation (v. 40).
They could not face the trials to come without new strength from
God.
Earlier Jesus had taught His followers to ask the Father not
to lead them into temptation (Matt. 6:13). There is no sin in being
tempted. In fact, temptation is a sign that our spiritual lives are
strong enough to recognize values that conflict with godliness. But
giving in is sin. That's why it's crucial to take time to declare to
God our weakness, weariness, and need for help in the midst of
testing.
It may also help to have others pray with us, just as Jesus
did in His hour of need. Do you have others you can turn to for
prayer in times of difficulty? Are you available when others have that
need? [Word In Life SB]
Follow Closely In His Steps
The Bible does not say Peter failed to follow Jesus after His
arrest; it says he failed to follow closely. When we follow Jesus
closely, we can hear His voice and sense His Presence. When we
deliberately put distance between us, we hear only the clamor of the
opposition and lose sight of God Himself! It is then that we panic as Peter
did, and we end up failing both Jesus and ourselves.
If we are to keep near the Lord, we must keep praying.
Earlier that night, Jesus had taken His men to the beautiful Garden of
Gethsemane. Jesus particularly asked Peter, James, and John to watch and
pray with Him as He battled out His last agony of submission to the
Father's will. The Lord knew the Cross was just around the corner.
But the garden was so peaceful, it was hard to believe the
need to watch and pray. The smell of flowers and the soft, sweet
night breezes lulled the tired disciples to sleep.
Very few of us pray before trouble comes. Most of us wait
until the soldiers arrive on the scene; the arrests are made, the
trial is in progress, and. the cross is in sight before we get around
to praying. But the problem is that no one prays well on the way to
the cross! The praying must be done beforehand, when Gethsemane is
peaceful and the trauma is yet to come: If we fail to be fortified by
prayer, we will not do well when Judas arrives - or when we find
ourselves at a charcoal fire, surrounded by a hostile crowd.
Before - not after - is the critical time to pray. Therefore,
says Jesus, "Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into
temptation" (Luke 22:46). Jill Briscoe [Passages Of Life SB]
I seek at the beginning to get my heart in such a state that
it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine tenths
of the trouble with people generally is just here. Nine tenths of
the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the
Lord's will, whatever it may be. When one is truly in this state, it is
usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is.
Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or
simple impression. If so, I make myself liable to great delusions.
I seek the will of the Spirit of God through, or in
connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined.
If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open
to great delusions also. If the Holy Spirit guides us at all, He
will do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them.
Next I take into account providential circumstances. These
often plainly indicate God's will in connection with His Word and
Spirit.
I ask God in prayer to reveal His will to me aright.
Thus through prayer to God, the study of the Word, and
reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my
ability and knowledge; and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so
after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly. George
Muller [Time With God SB]
Some mercies are not given to us except in answer to importunate
prayer (James 4:2). Charles H. Spurgeon [Spirit Filled Life Devotional
SB]
LINK TO POWERFUL PRAYER SONG OF VICTORY OVER CRISIS TEMPTATION
Say The Name Of Jesus - Martha Munizzi:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBXJ27v9fAE
CLOSING MEDITATION
Jesus. The man. The bronzed Galilean who spoke with such
thunderous authority and loved with such childlike humility.
The God. The one who claimed to be older than time and
greater than death.
Gone is the pomp of religion; dissipated is the fog of
theology. Momentarily lifted is the opaque curtain of controversy and
opinion. Erased are our own blinding errors and egotism. And there he
stands.
Jesus. Have you seen him? Those who first did were never the
same.
"My Lord and my God!" cried Thomas.
"I have seen the Lord," exclaimed Mary Magdalene.
"We have seen his glory," declared John.
"Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked?"
rejoiced the two Emmaus-bound disciples.
But Peter said it best. "We were eyewitnesses of his majesty."
His Majesty. The emperor of Judah. The soaring eagle of
eternity. The noble admiral of the Kingdom. All the splendor of heaven
revealed in a human body. For a period ever so brief, the doors to the
throne room were open and God came near. His Majesty was seen. Heaven
touched the earth and, as a result, earth can know heaven. In astounding
tandem a human body housed divinity. Holiness and earthliness
intertwined.
This is no run-of-the-mill messiah. His story was
extraordinary. He called himself divine, yet allowed a minimum wage Roman
soldier to drive a nail into his wrist. He demanded purity, yet stood
for the rights of a repentant whore. He called men to march, yet
refused to allow them to call him King. He sent men into all the world,
yet equipped them with only bended knees and memories of a
resurrected carpenter.
We can't regard him as simply a good teacher. His claims are
too outrageous to limit him to the company of Socrates or Aristotle.
Nor can we categorize him as one of many prophets sent to reveal
eternal truths. His own claims eliminate that possibility.
Then who is he?
Let's try to find out. Let's follow his sandal prints. Let's
sit on the cold hard floor of the cave in which he was born. Let's
smell the sawdust of the carpentry shop. Let's hear his sandals slap
the hard trails of Galilee. Let's sigh as we touch the healed sores
of the leper. Let's smile as we see his compassion with the woman
at the well. Let's cringe as we hear the hissing of hell's Satan.
Let's let our voices soar with the praises of the multitudes. Let's
try to see him.
Has it been a while since you have seen him? If your prayers
seem stale, it probably has. If your faith seems to be trembling,
perhaps your vision of him has blurred. If you can't find power to face
your problems, perhaps it is time to face him.
One warning. Something happens to a person who has witnessed
his Majesty. He becomes addicted. One glimpse of the King and you
are consumed by a desire to see more of him and say more about him.
Pew warming is no longer an option. Junk religion will no longer
suffice. Sensation-seeking is needless. Once you have seen his face you
will forever long to see it again. (From God Came Near by Max Lucado)
[Inspirational SB]
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