Pray to avoid temptation and sin

Exodus 19; Job 37; Luke 22; 2 Corinthians 7

At first the two passages that startled me this morning were not related, but after reading all of the above, the Lord showed me what they have in common — some very good counsel.

The first is in Job. Young Elihu is still telling Job that if he would abandon his pride then God would listen to him. He says:

The Almighty—we cannot find him; he is great in power; justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate. Therefore men fear him; he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.” (Job 37:23–24)

In the margin of my Bible, I had a small reference to this verse, also a statement by Elihu:

I will get my knowledge from afar and ascribe righteousness to my Maker. For truly my words are not false; one who is perfect in knowledge is with you. (Job 36:3–4)

If the interpretation is correct, this young man is the pot calling the kettle black. He claims to be perfect in knowledge and while some commentators think he speaks of God, he seems to be speaking about himself. His speeches indicate his arrogance yet he accuses Job of having the same problem!

Then I read this familiar passage in Luke. Jesus is with His disciples just before He will be arrested. He knows what is going to happen and is in agony:

And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:39–46)

Twice He tells His disciples to pray so they will not be tempted to sin. In this context, sin is refusing to accept the will of God, first by not praying and second by saying NO to His will.

Oh, I get it. Elihu as well as the other three ‘friends’ of Job, as far as I remember, never once talked to God in their speeches. They accused Job but no record shows that they sought the will of God concerning him. However, Job talks back to them yet as he does, his words to them are intermingled with his words to God, seeking God’s input. Even though he was not hearing answers and becoming increasingly frustrated, Job was praying.

In my experience, praying and sinning are incompatible partners particularly if the prayer is full of worship. From the words of God to Job, worship may have been missing more often than in his prayers and for that he was corrected, yet he was praying and seeking answers from God. This is preferable to no prayer and pointing fingers like his ‘friends’ were doing.

APPLY: The Bible tells me to pray without ceasing. According to Jesus, this is a great way to avoid temptation. While Satan certainly tries to interrupt my conversations with God or stop them altogether, prayer protects me from sin. As in Job’s situation, it protects me especially from pointing my finger at what I perceive is the sin of someone else. As the saying goes, when I do that, three fingers are pointing back at me — usually because I am guilty of the same thing. If I’m praying honestly with God, that accusation will not be pridefully directed to others but humbly realized and put where it belongs.

Prayer changes . . .

Watchman Nee, a Chinese Christian martyred for his faith, was asked what it was like to be a Christian. He said it was like having two dogs fighting inside of him. When the other person asked which dog was winning, Nee said, “Whichever one I feed the most.”

Jesus said strange things about ‘eating His flesh’ and ‘drinking His blood’ as metaphors for relying on Him for our very lives. He also said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” (Matthew 4:4)

Oddly enough, the Word of God written (the Bible) has a way of nourishing the Word of God living (Jesus). That is, the saving power of Lord Jesus Christ who lives in the hearts of His people seems to increase in strength as we spend time ‘feeding’ on Him. We do that by reading the Bible and prayer, putting our focus on Him. In that process, our spiritual lives thrive. If these spiritual disciplines are neglected, then that other ‘dog’ begins to take control.

When the disciples observed Jesus in prayer, they realized that His spiritual life was superior to theirs and put the two together. They wanted to know how to pray . . .

“Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ ” (Luke 11:1)

The New Testament way of praying is not the same as how most people pray. We tend to bring God our complaints or our list of ‘I wants.’ In contrast, the examples in the Bible include worship, requests concerning His kingdom, asking for forgiveness of sin, thanksgiving, and declarations of who God is and what He alone can do. Prayer can include lament, even complaining (see the Psalms) but those are given in an expression of faith that God is in charge and cares about those needs also.

I’ve noticed that prayer makes me more aware of His presence and opens my head and heart to His way of thinking. The Bible says that the more I think like Him, the more like Jesus I become. That means prayer does as much or more to change me as it does to answer my requests.

Prayer is a humble activity. By it I am expressing that I know God is greater and more powerful, and that I need Him. The danger of not praying is that when I slack off, it usually means I do not feel needy — but that is a total delusion. Besides, if I am not spending time with God, I miss out on the marvel of seeing Him answer my prayers. I also miss the experience of Him changing my life as I pray.

The disciples were wise to ask Jesus to teach them to pray. At the time, they probably didn’t realize what prayer would do, but history shows that these men learned to pray, then went out into the world sharing what He told them as they prayed. Because of their intimacy with God, the world has never been the same!

Prayer changes things . . . and me

A friend told us that before she became a Christian, she knew the people who were Christians because they had shiny faces. Those glowing believers were in good company . . .

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. (Exodus 34:29)

The posters say “Prayer Changes Things.” The Bible and our lives are filled with examples. This morning’s illustration is the conversion of Paul. God encountered him in blinding light, literally, and he was led to a house. In the meantime, God also gave instruction to a man named Ananias to go and minister to this newly saved but newly blinded man. “So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized . . .” (Acts 9:17–18)

A prayerful touch restored Saul/Paul’s sight, but Christians know that prayer also changes the one who is praying. Here are two of hundreds of examples from Scripture . . .

Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. (Psalm 33:20–21)

The psalmist waiting on God and was not only helped but made glad. I can say amen to that, for almost always the biggest impact prayer has on me is to restore my trust and fill me with joy.

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. (Psalm 62:1–2)

Waiting on God also produces a serene spirit. It shows in the faces of those who pray, like it did on the face of Moses. Last Sunday, we sat at brunch with some friends and noticed that all four of them simply shone. Their conversation also made obvious that they had spent time with the Lord and verified the glow on their faces.

But there is more. Spending time with God helps me get His perspective on life, and therefore changes the way that I think. It can move my mind to eternal values, and put the things of earth in their proper place . . .

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1–4)

As an artist, I try to keep superior examples of art on my walls, even on the desktop of my computer. This sets before me a high standard. Being with Jesus does the same thing. He puts His perfection before me. The world can bombard me with its distractions and temptations, but time focused on Jesus and with Him can keep my heart and mind on loftier things. Prayer is hiding in the fortress of the Lord, safe from those thoughts and allurements that could pull me down, rob me of joy, and take the shine off my face.