A Prayer and Bible Verses to Help With Temptation

How God's Word Can Make Sin Easier to Resist

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41, NIV)

Learn Religions / Vin Ganapathy

If you've been a Christian for more than a day, you've likely sought out a prayer for resisting temptation before. Suppressing the urge to sin is difficult on your own, but when you turn to God for help, he can empower you with wisdom and strength to overcome even the most enticing temptations.

Walking away from circumstances that aren't good for us becomes easier when we consult the scriptures and tap into God's power through prayer. If you are facing temptation right now, find encouragement in the prayer below. Read the Bible verses that follow the prayer to reassure you that the Lord can help us resist all forms of sin.

A Prayer for Resisting Temptation

Dear Lord Jesus,
I try hard not to stumble in my walk of faith, but you know the temptations that I face today. I experience desires that lead me away from you. Sometimes the temptation seems too strong for me. The desires seem too powerful to resist.
I need your help in this battle. I cannot walk alone, Lord. I need your guidance. My flesh is weak. Please help me. Fill me with the power of your Holy Spirit to give me strength. I cannot make it without you.
Your Word promises that I will not be tempted beyond what I can bear. I ask for your strength to stand up against temptation each and every time I encounter it.
Help me to stay awake spiritually so that temptation won't catch me by surprise. I want to always pray so that I won't be dragged away by evil desires. Help me keep my spirit well fed with your Holy Word so that I remember you are living in me. And you are greater than every power of darkness and sin that is in the world.
Lord, you overcame Satan's temptations. You understand my struggle. So I ask for the strength you had when facing Satan's attacks in the wilderness. Don't let me be dragged away by my own desires. Let my heart obey your Word.
Your Word also tells me you will provide a way of escape from temptation. Please, Lord, give me the wisdom to walk away when I am tempted, and the clarity to see the way out that you will provide. Thank you, Lord, that you are a faithful deliverer and that I can count on your help in my time of need. Thank you for being here for me.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray,
Amen.

Bible Verses for Resisting Temptation

As believers, we can refer to the words of Jesus and the disciples to help us through our struggles with temptation. In these three Gospel passages, Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane on Good Friday speaking to his disciples about temptation:

Stay awake and pray that you won’t be tested. You want to do what is right, but you are weak. (Matthew 26:41, CEV)
Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak. (Mark 14:38, NLT)
There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.” (Luke 22:40, NLT)

Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth and Galatia about temptation in his letters:

But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it. (1 Corinthians 10:13, NLT)
The Spirit and your desires are enemies of each other. They are always fighting each other and keeping you from doing what you feel you should. (Galatians 5:17, CEV)

James encouraged Christians by reminding them of the blessings that come through trials of temptation. God uses trials to produce endurance and promises a reward to those who endure. His promise of reward fills the believer with hope and strength to resist.

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.
Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
(James 1:12-15, ESV)
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Fairchild, Mary. "A Prayer and Bible Verses to Help With Temptation." Learn Religions, Apr. 5, 2023, learnreligions.com/prayer-for-temptation-701281. Fairchild, Mary. (2023, April 5). A Prayer and Bible Verses to Help With Temptation. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/prayer-for-temptation-701281 Fairchild, Mary. "A Prayer and Bible Verses to Help With Temptation." Learn Religions. https://www.learnreligions.com/prayer-for-temptation-701281 (accessed March 28, 2024).