Day 14 - Praying for Protection
Let him who would spend little time in temptation
spend much time in prayer.
John Owen, Temptation Resisted and Repulsed
How do we protect ourselves from temptation?
Prayer!
This is is how we protect ourselves and fight against every temptation that is to come against us and that we face entering into. As Owen puts it, "Prayer puts our souls into a posture of opposition to every temptation."
Why do we know this is both necessary and effective? Heb 4:16 tells us that we can confidently go to God to receive mercy and find grace, including for our fight against temptation: "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (ESV)
Paul also tells us that constant prayer is part of how we dress ourselves for battle against spiritual attacks including the attack of temptations: We are to be "praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication." (Eph 6:18, ESV) As Owen puts it, "Without prayer the rest of the armor will be of no value."
This is is how we protect ourselves and fight against every temptation that is to come against us and that we face entering into. As Owen puts it, "Prayer puts our souls into a posture of opposition to every temptation."
Why do we know this is both necessary and effective? Heb 4:16 tells us that we can confidently go to God to receive mercy and find grace, including for our fight against temptation: "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (ESV)
Paul also tells us that constant prayer is part of how we dress ourselves for battle against spiritual attacks including the attack of temptations: We are to be "praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication." (Eph 6:18, ESV) As Owen puts it, "Without prayer the rest of the armor will be of no value."
When are we to pray for protection against temptation?
Always!
This is supported by the repeated calls in Scripture to pray constantly and continually:
To build on Owen's thought: If we spend little time in prayer, we will spend much time in temptation. So there's a direct correlation: the amount of time you give to prayer correlates to the amount of time you will enter into temptation.
This is supported by the repeated calls in Scripture to pray constantly and continually:
- Luke 18:1 - "And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart."
- Eph 6:18 - "praying at all times"
- 1 Thes 5:17 - "pray without ceasing"
Our Challenge
Simply put: our challenge is to pray...MORE!
If we realize the danger of temptation in our lives and in the lives of the body of Christ, we will pray more and pray more earnestly that God would keep us from temptation and from entering into it.
If we realize the danger of temptation in our lives and in the lives of the body of Christ, we will pray more and pray more earnestly that God would keep us from temptation and from entering into it.