Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7

Lord God,

We are constantly bombarded by temptations from without and temptations within. The devil, the world, and our own sinful nature tell us that “if it feels good, do it.” Yet this adage leads only to heartache and despair. People are trapped by addictions to drugs, alcohol, pornography, sexual sins, technology, and more. We struggle to control our tempers, our tongues, and even our appetites. All of us have our pet sins, and even if we keep them secret from others, we cannot hide them from You. We give in too easily to temptation, often with only a twinge of guilt. Forgive us for this lack of self-control and for taking Your grace lightly. Strengthen us to live lives of integrity instead, that we may walk away from temptation or find accountability partners when we need extra support. We know all too well the struggle the Apostle Paul wrote about in Romans 7, that he does not do the good he wants to do, but the evil he does not wish to do, he keeps on doing. We have the desire to carry out the good and resist temptation, but we lack the ability to carry it out. With Paul, we must conclude that “I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin” (Romans 7:25). Yet there is still hope. You have “deliver[ed us] from this body of death” (Romans 7:24). Only through You can we gain victory over temptation. We know this is a lifelong struggle, for the Old Adam within us fights for the upper hand. Help us not to become discouraged when we fail, but point us always to You, Lord, as the ultimate Victor who is always willing to forgive.

Please strengthen me to overcome the following temptations…

In Your name I pray. Amen.

For a full explanation of this challenge, see the post 12-Minute Prayer Challenge. If you are just joining us, feel free to continue on with us from the current day, or if you prefer, you can go back and start at Day 1.