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“Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
– Jesus to the disciples (Luke 22:40)

The garden of Gethsemane was the last stop for Jesus and His disciples before He was to be arrested and later crucified. During those moments of inner turmoil and dread of what was to come, Jesus commanded His disciples to “pray” so that they may not “enter” into temptation.

Christians have a common misunderstanding of the nature of temptation. We often use the term “fall” into temptation, as if one has absolutely no control of their situation and is swept away into temptation like one “falls” in love. Christ did not command His disciples to pray that they would not “fall” into temptation, but that they would not “enter” into temptation.

People enter into temptation; they don’t fall helplessly. Through this commandment, it’s clear that Jesus wants us to resist the beginnings – the things that lead us into the state where we are vulnerable to be tempted. The Christian must be prepared for the unknown, so that they will be able to stand when temptation creeps up. The strength of overcoming temptation’s traps comes before, not during the moment of weakness.

Not entering temptation means we must put limits in our lives to keep us away from the “entrances” of places or ideas that could cause us to sin. We are to be aware, praying that we will not enter into temptation, knowing that Satan loves to lurk in the dark when the future is unknown.

The other part of Jesus’ commandment is just as important. Not only must we not “enter” into temptation, but we must “pray” that we won’t enter. If Christ chose to pray so many times during His ministry, how much more do we need a good prayer life if we want to stand firm in the time of trial. The disciples failed as prayer warriors during the crucial night when each one of them would fall away; Jesus warns us likewise so that we can remain standing.

written by Trevin Wax  © 2007 Kingdom People blog

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