Paul advises the Colossians to "let the peace of God rule in your hearts" (Colossians 3:15). Yet sometimes in our hearts, peace is as fragile and elusive as in the war zones of the world. As conflicts rage between nations, so also do they rage in a person's heart, between the flesh and the spirit.

At times we question, "Just how strong is our spirit, with its roots of godhood and indigenous inclinations to righteousness?" Or, "How weak is our flesh, with its huge battery of pleasure receptors, its surgings of hormonal floes, its capacity to build and hold pride and anger, and its ever-present willfulness?"

The moment-by-moment conflict is resolved within. Somewhere in the inner sanctums of the soul, at the juncture of spirit and flesh, lies a battlefield. Facing off on this battlefield, arrayed for conflict, stands our spirit on one side and our flesh on the other. Not heard is the rumble of armor, the screaming of shells or cries of the vanquished. However, if ears could penetrate the soul, all around us would sound urging words of admonishment against shrieking words of justification.

Battles of the tiny moment may decide the paths of eternity. These are not really choices of whim or fleeting flashes of impulse. Battles fought in the soul between flesh and spirit are wrought of the culmination of thousands of thoughts and decisive battles of times past.

It can seem so unfair that a victory by the flesh disposes so quickly to additional victories, while, when the flesh is vanquished on this inner battlefield, it stays vanquished such a short time.

The Apostle Paul comforted: "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Just how difficult, at times, is taking Paul's path to escape? Certainly the path is there — we remain convinced scriptural promises can, indeed, be taken at face value and redeemed at the gates of heaven. The Savior offered further guidance during His extreme suffering: "Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak" (Mark 14:38).

Two points are mentioned: First, "Watch ye." The saints are wise to always be wary of temptation.

Temptation so difficult to resist could often have been avoided by an early correct decision that would have kept us off the battlefield in the first place. Controlling thoughts is vital. And proximity is paramount in succumbing to temptation. The question is not "How close can I get to temptation and still resist?" but "How absolutely far away can my thoughts and I stay from temptation?"

The second point is "pray, lest ye enter into temptation." Hanging around to enter into temptation — staring at its face until its tentacles surround the flesh to the hurt of the spirit — is to be immediately vanquished on the inner battlefield. Prayer can prevent us from entering into temptation.

Pray, pray, pray, pray, pray, pray and pray some more.

Pray "with full purpose of heart." Pray for a deep, personal and intimate conversation with the God of heavens. Pray "continually," which means: right here on the battlefield, right during the battle. Who can pray too often, or keep too much prayer in one's heart?

Nephi instructs that "the Spirit teacheth a man to pray ... for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray.

"But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint" (2 Nephi 32:8-9).

In moments of overpowering temptation, it may seem our prayers do not even reach the ceiling. The protagonist of an American classic, Huckleberry Finn, says, "I was letting on to give up sin, but away inside of me I was holding on to the biggest one of all. I was trying to make my mouth say I would do the right thing and the clean thing ... but deep down in me I knowed it was a lie, and He knowed. You can't pray a lie — I found that out" (Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain).

Here, again, we are back at the original conflict. Now, though, the quest is a deeper one: we have to genuinely want to escape the temptation. Again, sincere prayer is the way that opens the door to the light of eventual victory. We must pray to want to escape temptation. When this sincere prayer is answered, as it surely will be, eventually we will gain the upper hand on this most critical of battlefields.

Ultimately, our spirit, with God's help, is more powerful than our flesh.