Alert and thankful prayer that overcomes temptation

<p>Matthew 26:40-41. And he [Yeshua] came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”</p><p>Yeshua was speaking this to Peter for the specific purpose of admonishing him to stay alert with him while he was praying in Gethsemane. However, this has become a type of universal admonition regarding prayer to avoid temptation, and not without good reason.</p><p>Praying to avoid temptation was a key teaching within Yeshua’s template for prayer. “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Based on the original word definitions, this can be expanded and paraphrased as “May we not be lead into adversity and hard testing; nevertheless, rescue us from anguish, harm, and all evil.”</p><p>Praying in this manner is a demonstration of vigilance. When praying to avoid temptation, 1) there is an awareness of the possibility of impending challenges and 2) there is also a recognition of God’s ability to provide assistance or escape.</p><p>Colossians 3:15, 17 - And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful. ... And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.</p><p>Constant prayer and giving of thanks is a theme Paul also brings to the congregation in Thessalonica as well. In fact, he cements this as a cornerstone of believing practice in the accomplishment of God's will.</p><p>1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 - pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God's will for you in Messiah Yeshua.</p><p>If we are therefore praying in an alert fashion, that is, being aware of what we are praying and why we are praying, and we are doing so from a place of gratefulness and thankfulness for his provision in our lives, then we have a recipe for overcoming temptation.</p><p>Here are some helpful timestamps of the main th