How to Pray (Part 7 of 9)

… And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil …

Scriptures:

Matthew 6:9-13a

“Pray, then, in this way: Our Father, who is in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done, On Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…”

James 1:13-15_KJV

 “¹³ Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: ¹⁴ But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. ¹⁵ Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

Psalm 141:4 _KJV

“Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice deeds of wickedness with people who do wrong; And may I not taste their delicacies.”

In this portion of the Lord’s model prayer, Christ is showing us how complete dependence on the Lord for strength and preservation is necessary for a healthy understanding of our inability to resist temptation without Him. It is the prayer of all those who are desperate in their desire to be kept far from sin by the power of God. Since the beginning of creation, Satan has used temptation as a tool by which to usher people into sin. He temped Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), King David on his rooftop (2 Samuel 11:2) and Peter after Christ was taken into custody (Luke 22:31-34, Luke 22:54-60), all of which gave into temptation. However, when Satan used temptation on the three friends in Babylon (Daniel 3:18) and Jesus in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13) they resisted because they were prepared and resolved not to sin. What is the difference between a trial and a temptation? A trial is something God allows to test our faith (James 1) its end goal is to strengthen and grow your faith and dependence on Him and to teach you to trust Him more. A temptation is from Satan and its end goal is to get you to sin and go away from God. It is important to understand that when Christ teaches us to pray “Lead us not into temptation”, this is to ask God to lead you away from anything that would expose you to temptation. In all things, God is our deliverer, and we must seek Him for His power over sin. Remember that Christ knows what it is like to be tempted, Hebrews 4:15_KJV, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

Practical Steps:

Brothers and Sisters, consider your life before you were born again and made alive by Christ. Before we are born again we can be likened unto a dead fish floating in the waters current with no desire or ability to go against the sinful current of this world. Once we are made alive by the power of Christ we can be likened unto a living fish who fights to swim upstream and go against the sinful current of this world. This is a helpful illustration of what our lives are to be once we have been made alive by the power of God in salvation. We are not to give in to sin or listen to the whispering temptations of Satan. Christ teaches us to fight against the current. He teaches us to live Holy and God honoring lives. He also gives us the tools and strength to resist Satan’s temptations. God has provided a way for us to escape by prayer and His Word. Brothers and Sisters, as you know, temptations are very real and we give into them more then we would admit, but we must always continue to strive to swim upstream and resist the Devil. God’s promise is that if we resist the Devil he will flee. Remember how Christ resisted Satan’s temptations in the wilderness? Christ always quoted the truth of God’s Word. Christ did not necessarily have a Bible as we have access to today, but He did have the knowledge of God’s Word in His mind and heart. We too must be diligent to store the Word of God deep within our hearts and minds that way when temptation comes, which it will, we will be more prepared and can withstand Satan’s attempt at tempting us to fall into sin. We must pray daily that God will keep our naturally sin inclined hearts far away from any temptations that Satan would want us to walk in. If you sense that you are being tempted, immediately grab God’s Word and read. Read Scriptures such as Luke 4:1-13 when Jesus was tempted or James 1. Also, pray to God and ask others to pray for you. In some cases it may be best for you to remove yourself from the thing that is tempting you and simply go on a walk or run.