Early on in my Christian journey I thought of temptation coming in spectacular ways. I prayed to keep from being tempted to do those really horrible, terrible sins like murder, lust, adultery, lying or stealing. Since I didn’t do those things, I naively thought that I was in pretty good shape with God. Whenever I prayed the “lead us not into temptation” line in the Lord’s Prayer, I figured it was for others and not me. I wasn’t doing those bad things.
I have since learned that the temptations of the evil one come in more subtle ways, in the little choices of everyday living. If he can tempt us with the little things that we think aren’t that important, then he will graduate us to bigger stuff. What are the subtle ways in which you are being tempted and that you need God to lead you away from? My temptation deliverance prayers go something like this: “Lead me away from the temptation to do what works rather than what is the best; lead me away from doing nothing, thinking it is someone else’s problem; lead me away form doing what has always been done because I am afraid of what is new.” What are your subtle temptations? Remember, if Satan can trip you up in the things that seem not so bad, he will graduate you to a class you do not want to be in.
– Dr. Tim Thompson