Context: Jesus leads His disciples to the Mount of Olives (the Garden of Gethsemane is on the Mount of Olives).  Before leaving them to pray, He instructs them in verse 40, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”  After being in agonizing prayer and sweating blood, He returns and finds His disciples sleeping.  Jesus wakes them with the same command He gave in verse 40.

Luke 22:46 – “and He said to them, ‘Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.’”

Observations: I am reminded that when Jesus taught the disciples to pray, He used the words: “Lead us not into temptation” (Luke 11:4).  Temptation, or circumstances that could lead to sin, does not equal sin.  Scripture tells us to not just pray that we will not sin, but to remove ourselves from situations that could lead us to sin.  This is the prayer that Jesus asks his disciples to pray at the final hour.

Application: I must pray that I will not enter into temptation.  I also should put safe guards in my life to separate myself from situations that could lead to sin.

Are there situations in your life that could tempt you?  What do you need to do about it?