Although Jesus' prayers do not offer a foolproof formula, they do give clues as to how God works — and does not work — on this planet. Especially when trouble strikes, we want God to intervene more decisively, but Jesus' prayers underscore God's style of restraint out of respect for human freedom.

Jesus' prayer for Peter shows the same pattern in sharp relief. Satan partially got his way with Peter, sifting him like wheat. But in answer to Jesus' prayer, the sifting rid Peter of his least attractive qualities: blustery self-confidence, a chip on his shoulder, a propensity to violence.

But we also need to be careful about turning too easily and exclusively to our junk. To television, to the Internet. To movies, sports, and hobbies. To numbing wastes of time, if not to shameful lacks of self-control. Let's be honest, sometimes it's just easier to shop than to deal with our lives.

Strategy 7—Against Your Purity He tries to tempt you toward certain sins, convincing you that you can tolerate them without risking consequence, knowing they'll only wedge distance between you and God (Isa. 59:1—2).

Dietrich Bonhoeffer made the observation that when lust takes control, "At this moment God . . . loses all reality. . . . Satan does not fill us with hatred of God, but with forgetfulness of God."5

When we are in the grip of lust, the reality of God fades.

If doing the bad thing never brought benefits, no one would ever do

The most important thing to understand when it comes to our baser parts is not only how normal and natural it is to have them but that there is nothing wrong in having them. Bad is doing bad, not thinking bad (there are exceptions—see the next chapter), and it is certainly not merely having bad tendencies.

In order to know virtue, we must first acquaint ourselves with vice.

Be virtuous in thought and in deed. God has planted in you, for a purpose, a divine urge which may be easily subverted to evil and destructive ends.

The Enemy, however, was working in his life just like he does in ours: waiting him out. The Enemy is a patient foe and deceives us into thinking we can manage. We assume if Satan can't take us out on night one, he'll give up. But Satan will wait us out for decades if necessary.

God has already torn down the biggest obstacle we will ever face, the veil of our sin that separated us from His holy embrace. He will, in the same way, lead you through every challenge you will ever face.