Luke 22:46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”
In this context, Jesus is in the garden of Gethsemane, praying and crying out to God because he knows that his crucifixion and separation from God is eminent and the disciples are sleeping and not praying. Jesus knew about the impending crisis and had a high sense of urgency and passion, but the disciples weren't as aware of the upcoming problems and risks so they fell asleep. He had told them when they first got there, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” But they fell asleep anyhow and certainly Peter later fell into temptation.
How not to fall into temptation
What catches my attention here is that Jesus is giving a recipe for not falling into temptation: prayer. On the one hand, this seems like a trite or trivial answer, but actually it is quite powerful. In my own life and as a pastor counseling others, the best thing to do when faced with temptation is to "Get up and pray"!
Whether struggling with an addictive sin such as pornography, or an internal consuming one such as jealousy or comparison, there is a war that is being fought - a spiritual, internal battle. Temptation comes on strong and if we do not react properly, we will be swept away and defeated.
Get Up
So the first part is to Get up! If you are laying down or sitting, then stand up. You cannot fight a battle laying down. If you are in a physical place where temptation is stronger, then get out of there! Flee from the temptation (1 Corinthians 6:18, 1 Timothy 6:11, 2 Timothy 2:22).
Pray
The second part is to pray. Now there are different ways to pray and different intensities and volumes. When you look at how Jesus was praying in this situation, he cried out and prayed earnestly to the point that his sweat like drops of blood! Generally speaking, the more aware we are of the seriousness of the consequences of giving into temptation, the more urgent and intense our prayers will be. One way to think about this is, "How would you cry out for help if you fell overboard from a moving boat in the middle of the ocean?" The cry would probably be loud and as intense as we could be because we know that we would die if not rescued. If we recognize that sin separates us from God and destroys our lives and the lives of others, then we should have a high level of urgency and intensity.
Lord Jesus, please deliver me/us from temptation and from evil! Open our eyes to see the battle around us and the seriousness of falling into temptation! Help us to get up and pray!
In this context, Jesus is in the garden of Gethsemane, praying and crying out to God because he knows that his crucifixion and separation from God is eminent and the disciples are sleeping and not praying. Jesus knew about the impending crisis and had a high sense of urgency and passion, but the disciples weren't as aware of the upcoming problems and risks so they fell asleep. He had told them when they first got there, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” But they fell asleep anyhow and certainly Peter later fell into temptation.
How not to fall into temptation
What catches my attention here is that Jesus is giving a recipe for not falling into temptation: prayer. On the one hand, this seems like a trite or trivial answer, but actually it is quite powerful. In my own life and as a pastor counseling others, the best thing to do when faced with temptation is to "Get up and pray"!
Whether struggling with an addictive sin such as pornography, or an internal consuming one such as jealousy or comparison, there is a war that is being fought - a spiritual, internal battle. Temptation comes on strong and if we do not react properly, we will be swept away and defeated.
Get Up
So the first part is to Get up! If you are laying down or sitting, then stand up. You cannot fight a battle laying down. If you are in a physical place where temptation is stronger, then get out of there! Flee from the temptation (1 Corinthians 6:18, 1 Timothy 6:11, 2 Timothy 2:22).
Pray
The second part is to pray. Now there are different ways to pray and different intensities and volumes. When you look at how Jesus was praying in this situation, he cried out and prayed earnestly to the point that his sweat like drops of blood! Generally speaking, the more aware we are of the seriousness of the consequences of giving into temptation, the more urgent and intense our prayers will be. One way to think about this is, "How would you cry out for help if you fell overboard from a moving boat in the middle of the ocean?" The cry would probably be loud and as intense as we could be because we know that we would die if not rescued. If we recognize that sin separates us from God and destroys our lives and the lives of others, then we should have a high level of urgency and intensity.
Lord Jesus, please deliver me/us from temptation and from evil! Open our eyes to see the battle around us and the seriousness of falling into temptation! Help us to get up and pray!
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