Defend me from all temptation,
that I may ever accept the right and refuse the wrong.
Defend me from myself,
that in your care my weakness may not bring me to shame.
May my lower nature never seize the upper hand.
Defend me from all that would seduce me,
that in your power
no tempting voice may cause me to listen,
no tempting sight fascinate my eyes.
Defend me from discouragement in difficulty and from despair in failure,
from pride in success and from forgetting you in the day of prosperity.
Help me to remember that there is no time when you will fail me
and no moment when I do not need you.
Grant me this desire:
that guided by your light and defended by your grace,
I may come in safety and bring honor to my journey’s end
by the defending work of Jesus Christ my Lord.
Norman Shawchuck, 1935–2012, American United Methodist pastor
______________________________
And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say,
“God is tempting me.”
God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.
Temptation comes from our own desires,
which entice us and drag us away.
These desires give birth to sinful actions.
And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.
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