Luke 22:40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
Luke 22:46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.
The Disciples are about to be beset with many temptations. Indeed, they failed each test. Jesus, on the other hand, also faced several temptations, yet He did the right thing in the face of arrest, trial, beating, mocking, cursing and crucifixion.
These are the temptations they faced:
The Temptation to sleep when they should pray
The Temptation to flee when they should stay
The Temptation to fight when they should keep their peace
The Temptation to fear when they should be brave
The Temptation to deny when they should declare
As the Lord's prayer indicates a need for daily bread, I take it that we need to daily be delivered from manifold temptations. We must resist temptation, yet Jesus desires that we not even enter into temptation.
We avoid temptation by not being there when it is thrown at us. We must pray that we enter not into it and we must be awake, that is alert, to the possibility of temptation.
Today, your enemy has plenty of fiery darts lined up to throw at you. Pray, be watchful and do your best not to be in his targeted area where the darts will hit.
To be practical, be mindful of your use of the TV, the computer, and other devices that can offer temptations. Stay away from places where temptation is offered. Avoid people who say and do things to drag you away from righteousness. Guard the gates to your heart and mind. These are the eye gate and the ear gate. Mind what you see and hear. Furthermore, "gird up the loins of your mind." That is, don't let your thoughts head in the wrong direction. Generally, we don't do something we haven't first thought about doing.
Have a blessed, sin-avoiding, temptation-dodging day.
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