5 Prayers to Pray against Temptation

1. Prayer for strength and endurance

“God, I am not strong enough. I don’t have the endurance. I am weak and vulnerable to give into my flesh. I cannot do this on my own. I don’t have enough to resist. So, please help me to resist. Please give me the strength to resist temptation. Please give me the endurance to resist temptation. I trust that you will help me resist temptation. Thank you.”

As humans, we do not have the strength and endurance to resist temptation. Sometimes we feel strong enough. Sometimes we’re strong enough to resist for a little while. In those times we may feel like sin is powerless. But there are times when it is the opposite. Sometimes, our strength gives way, and our endurance fails. We are weak and vulnerable to temptation because of our sinful flesh, living in a sinful world. We are not strong enough to resist its pull. In those times, we feel powerless to sin.

We may be powerless against temptation, but God is not. He can give us the power, strength, and endurance to resist, and we can trust him to give us these things because he does not want us to sin. God wants us to resist temptation so that we can live in victory over sin's power and experience the joy and fulfillment he offers. 

We can follow the same advice that Jesus gave to Peter: "stay awake and pray that you will not succumb to temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41).

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2. Prayer for wisdom and discernment

“Your ways are not my ways, Lord. Your ways are higher. You are infinitely wiser than me. So, please give me wisdom so that I can successfully escape temptation. Please give me discernment to avoid temptation. I trust that you will give me these things. Thank you.”

Solomon suggests that we say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and to refer to understanding as a close relative so that wisdom and understanding may keep us away from temptation (Proverbs 7:4–5).

Proverbs 4:5 says that we must acquire wisdom and understanding. According to Proverbs 4:7, we must not forsake wisdom because it will protect us; if we love wisdom, it will guard us. Wisdom is supreme – so we must acquire wisdom and understanding (Proverbs 4:7).

How do we acquire wisdom and discernment? To start, we should deeply respect God. Proverbs 1:7 states that fearing the Lord is the beginning of discernment, but fools have despised wisdom and moral instruction.

Proverbs 9:10 states that the beginning of wisdom is to fear the Lord, and acknowledging God is understanding.

We should also obey God. Psalm 111:10 states that to obey the Lord is the fundamental principle for wise living, and those who carry out God’s rules acquire good moral insight.

To gain wisdom and discernment, we should strive to be like Jesus. Jesus became for us wisdom from God (1 Corinthians 1:30). We should do our best to be like the one who is wisdom itself from God.

To gain wisdom and discernment, we should also associate with wise people. Those who associate with wise people grow wise (Proverbs 13:20).

To gain wisdom and discernment, we should read Proverbs, part of the inspired Word of God. Proverbs 1:1–6 NET states:

"The proverbs of Solomon, son of Daivd, king of Israel: To learn wisdom and moral instruction, to discern wise counsel. To receive moral instruction in skillful living, with righteousness, justice, and equity. To impart shrewdness to the morally naïve, a discerning plan to the young person. (Let the wise also hear and gain instruction, and let the discerning acquire guidance!) To discern the meaning of a proverb and a parable, the sayings of the wise and their riddles."

Wisdom and discernment ultimately come from God. Proverbs 2:6 states that the Lord gives wisdom, and from him comes knowledge and understanding.

So, the best and most important way to gain wisdom and discernment is to simply ask God for them. We cannot obtain wisdom if God does not give it to us. James 1:5 states that if we are deficient in wisdom, we should ask God for it. God deeply desires to give good gifts to his children.

With wisdom and discernment held close, we have what we need to avoid tempting scenarios and make the right decisions when temptation comes.

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3. Prayer for a clean heart and a pure mind

“God, please give me a clean heart and a pure mind. With an unclean heart and an impure mind, I cannot resist temptation. I can only resist temptation if my heart is clean and my mind is pure. So, please give me these things. Thank you that I can trust that you will give me these things because you want what’s best for me.”

We must cleanse ourselves and purify our hearts. James 4:8 states that we should draw near to God so that he will draw near to us. In this way, we cleanse our hands and make our hearts pure.

Our prayer for a clean heart and a pure mind can mirror what David prays in Psalms 51:10, which states, “Create for me a pure heart, O God! Renew a resolute spirit within me!”

In Matthew 5:8, Jesus says that the pure in heart are blessed. Here Matthew uses the word kardia for heart, which often refers to the mind. So, we can pray for both a clean heart and a pure mind, knowing both are important to resist temptation.

Another way to receive a clean heart and a pure mind is to do what Romans 13:14 says to do: "put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to arouse its desires." If we put on Jesus, the purest in heart, we can lessen temptation.

Similarly, Galatians 5:16–17 states that if we live by the Spirit, we will not carry out the desires of the flesh. The flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires that are opposed to the flesh. The flesh and the Spirit are in opposition to each other. Our flesh is naturally tempted to sin. But the Spirit is against that sin. So, if we live by the Spirit by letting him guide our heart and mind, we can overcome temptation.

We should also take our thoughts captive and put them in subjection to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 NET states, “and we tear down every proud idea that raises itself against the knowledge of God. We also capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.”

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4. Prayer for accountability and support

“God, please give me the accountability and support I need in order to stay away from temptation. Please give me brothers and sisters in Christ who will help me stay away from temptation and remind me of God's promises and his indwelling Spirit within me.”

We are able to overcome temptation if we rely on God, but it is much easier to have victory over temptation if we also have accountability and support from fellow Christians.

As Christians, we are called to help each other with temptation and struggles with sin. Galatians 6:1–2 states that if a person is discovered in some sin, we who are spiritual should restore that person in a spirit of gentleness. But we should pay close attention to ourselves, so that we are not tempted, too. We must carry one another’s burdens; in this way we fulfill the law of Christ. Christians should expect hold each other accountable.

We are called to support each other. We should confess our sins to one another and pray for one another so that we may be healed (James 5:16).

Proverbs 27:17 NET states, “As iron sharpens iron, so a person sharpens his friend.” People can sharpen each other. People can help keep each other sharp so that they may stay away from temptation.

Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 NET further states:

Two people are better than one, because they can reap more benefit from their labor. For if they fall, one will help his companion up, but pity the person who falls down and has no one to help him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together, they can keep each other warm, but how can one person keep warm by himself? Although an assailant may overpower one person, two can withstand him. Moreover, a three-stranded cord is not quickly broken.”

Accountability partners are very helpful in avoiding temptation. The more accountability and support we have, the easier it will be to overcome temptation and achieve victory in Christ. 

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5. Prayer for deliverance from evil

“God, please deliver me from evil. Please deliver me from temptation. Take temptation away from me. Please do not let evil reign in my life.”

When Jesus was teaching his followers how to pray, he says in Matthew 6:13 to pray, “Don’t let us be tempted, but save us from the Evil One.” 

Jesus also says in Matthew 11:28–29 that we who are tired from the heavy burden we’ve been forced to carry should come to him, and he will give us rest. We should accept his teaching and learn from him. He’s gentle and humble in spirit, and so we will be able to find rest in him.

Part of this heavy burden that we have been forced to carry is testing and resistance to evil and temptation. Jesus will give us rest from this heavy burden of resistance against evil and temptation if we simply come to him.

We can trust that God will deliver us from evil. 1 Corinthians 10:13 states that the only temptations that we have are the same temptations that all people have. But we can trust God. He will not let us be tempted more than we can bear. But when we are tempted, God will also give us a way to escape that temptation. Then we will be able to endure it.

God will not let temptation defeat us. We can overcome any temptation through his power. God can deliver us from all evil and temptation and allow us to achieve victory in Christ when we abide in him for our strength.

Further Reading
Prayers for Deliverance from Temptation, Sin, and Evil
8 Ways to Beat Temptation
How Do We Ask God to ‘Lead Us Not into Temptation’?

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