Kalev is forever the example of a person who had the same Yetzer Hara as the Meraglim; and yet he overcame his Yetzer Hara through Tefila. (Ohr HaChaim). The Meforshim ask, if: הַכֹּל בִּידֵי שָׁמַיִּם חוּץ מִּיִּרְ אַת שָׁמַיִּם ברכות לג ב everything is controlled by Heaven, except for the fear of Heaven (i.e., Yiras Shamayim) then how could Kalev daven against sin? This is his own department; it isn’t in the hands of Hashem! The Meforshim answer that davening for Siyata Dishmaya is itself an exercise of: בְ חִ ירָ ה חָ פְ שִ ית free choice, and the very act of Tefila is in itself a form of doing the right thing. (see Chazon Ish).
That means that all those who suffer from all kinds of Yetzer Hara’s, like Kin’ah, Ta'ava, Kavod, Ka'as, Bittul Torah, etc., as soon as they daven to Hashem to help them against their Yetzer Hara, they are already a Savlan (no Ka'as), a Masmid, a Baal Middos without jealousy, etc. The person may still be in a low-life mode, and is filthy with his sins; but since he davens and asks to be saved from Chet, he is already a partial Tzaddik in his weak area, and: הַ בָא לִיטַהֵר מְסַיְיעִין אוֹתוֹ יומא לח ב a person who wants to go in the right direction receives special Siyata Dishmaya.
