Jesus taught us how to pray. Jesus came from God. He knows the heart of God. He became man, walked on this earth, lived like a normal man, faced all temptations a person usually can. He taught us what he preached and practised.
When Jesus taught us how to pray, he also taught us how to overcome temptation.
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
Temptation can mean either (or both): a trial/testing from God (as in proving character) or enticement to evil (from Satan).
Here, Jesus is talking about the second one: Enticement to evil (from Satan or the evil one).
How to face temptation?
In this post, we will learn how to face temptations with prayer. There are other methods as well, such as using the Word of God. Here we analyze how to use prayer to prevent and overcome temptation.
Firstly, we need to pray (GETTING READY)
Prayer is the first step. When we pray, we ask God for help. We acknowledge we don’t have the strength or courage to resist temptation—we need God! Yes, we cannot fight temptation with our own will power or strength. We need God! No other way.
Jesus said,
“you can do nothing without Me” (John 15:5).
Secondly, ask God not to lead into temptation (PREVENTING TEMPTATION)
What does it mean?
“Lead us not into temptation” means “Do not allow us to be led into situations where temptation/trial would overpower us and cause us to fall into sin.”
This is PREVENTION!
There are situations that can lead us or cause us to sin or fall.
After a fight at home, the urge hits to yell back, or fight back in the wrong way. It feels freeing in the moment, but it can lead to deeper family brokenness, isolation, and choices that harm your future.
Scrolling through social media late at night and stumbling into explicit content. YouTube algorithms push videos or images that start innocent but quickly turn sexual or violent. The temptation is to keep watching “just a little more” for curiosity or thrill, which can lead to addiction to pornography, distorted views of relationships, and feelings of shame that pull you away from God.
You are just alone with someone of the opposite gender, the moment gets heated and boundaries start blurring. The pressure to “go further” can lead to unwanted actions, regret, emotional hurt, or consequences like broken trust and spiritual distance.
These aren’t just random “bad things”, they’re situations where our own desires (like wanting acceptance, pleasure, escape, or control) get amplified by the world around us, making it easier to give in and harder to resist.
This is why we need to pray, so God gives us the wisdom and grace to stay away and be alert!
We’re admitting our weakness and asking our loving Father to guide us away from those “giving in” moments, to close doors that would crush us, or to give us strength and a way out before we fall.
Thirdly, ask God to deliver from the evil one (OVERCOMING TEMPTATION)
There are times we are already in temptation, and we need to overcome.
Know that the source is the devil.
We can’t avoid all situations: there are times we might be led into sin. So prayer is the only way to overcome. We need to fight instead of freezing. Resist, say “No” without any mercy.
This is about OVERCOMING.
James 4:7
“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Jesus practiced the same, when he was tempted to worship Satan rather than God.
Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” (Matt 4:10)
Next verse says
Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him. (Matt 4:11)
This is how prayer works in facing temptation, prevention through humble asking, and overcoming through bold resistance in dependence on God. Keep praying it daily!
Shall we pray?
Lord, please lead us not into temptation. Give us wisdom. Help us to run away from tempting situations. Help us to say No to things that you don’t like. Help us to resist the devil. Save us from falling into sin. Be with us, strengthen us. In Jesus’ Name, we pray, Amen.
