Morning Devotional 012426 Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

January 24, 2026

Luke 22:39-46

39 Jesus left and made his way to the Mount of Olives, as was his custom, and the disciples followed him. 40 When he arrived, he said to them, “Pray that you won’t give in to temptation.” 41 He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed. 42 He said, “Father, if it’s your will, take this cup of suffering away from me. However, not my will but your will must be done.” 43 Then a heavenly angel appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 He was in anguish and prayed even more earnestly. His sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground. 45 When he got up from praying, he went to the disciples. He found them asleep, overcome by grief. 46 He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray so that you won’t give in to temptation.”

Good Morning! Pray that you won’t give in to temptation!

To rise above temptation requires discipline. Like the disciples, we are weak and often lose our battle with temptation. 

For me, I must go all in on matters like these. For example, if I decide to quit drinking soda, I have to stop cold turkey, and I can’t cheat by taking a small sip when the urge strikes because one sip leads to another, and before I know it, I have opened the floodgates, and I’ve lost my battle. 

I recall times when I needed to sit and stay awake for some purpose. I discovered that to stay awake, I must engage my mind in some task. More than once, I have found myself sitting as a spectator in a boring meeting. I’m there to support someone or something, but most of the meeting is reviewing basic business. In an effort to stay engaged, I write things. I might write down something one of the speakers says, but more often, I make lists. Lists are a helpful way to engage my brain and avoid the temptation to doze off.

Jesus asked the disciples to sit with him and pray. I’m sure that they tried to stay awake for a bit, but eventually the temptation to sleep overtook them. If they had prayed earnestly, perhaps they could have stayed awake, but the problem comes when you stop and let your brain go silent. In the absence of stimuli, they slept. It was dark, and it had been a long day.  

We are often unsure of what to include in our prayers. We start well, but then our minds go blank. Jesus tells us to pray that we won’t give in to temptation. That’s a great place to start. We don’t need to have fancy, rehearsed prayers. God just wants to hear from us. 

Redeeming Lord, you bless us abundantly! Nudge us when we forget to share our thoughts with you. Help us in our battles against temptation. Thank you. We love you. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

Thought for the day: Prayer is unrehearsed communication with God.

Lord, Lead us not into temptation! Pastor Liz