Lead us not into temptation, Deliver us from evil
Matthew 6:9 After this manner, therefore, pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
God alone controls our future. We don’t know and cannot see what the future holds. Some people live in fear of what might be around the next corner in their life. As children of God, we need not fear the unknown future. By losing prayers of faith, we can be led fearlessly into whatever lies ahead, confident of the protection and leadership of Jesus.
Of course, God is not going to detour us around all trouble and trials. He sends us some difficulty to help us grow. However, lack of direction causes unnecessary suffering and hardship. If we pray for our future, we can receive direction and thus protection.
First, we are to pray not to be led into temptation. That might seem a strange prayer since we know God tempts no one. The devil uses our human weaknesses to deceive us. From that deception comes our temptations. In order to steer us away from temptation, God must lead us into truth.
When we pray for truth, we are praying for two things. First, we are praying for revelation. We are asking God to help us understand the scriptures and what he requires of us. Knowledge is the first line of defense against temptation.
When temptation comes, we can defeat it with the Word. Jesus used the Word to defeat temptation. Jesus used the Word to confound the devil and strengthen himself. When we pray scripture, we lose the power of the Word against the enemy. By giving us the Word, God leads us away from temptation.
Secondly, when God gives us revelation, he gives us wisdom. The Holy Spirit takes the word and implants it in our hearts; making it a part of our everyday life. The wisdom of the Word is a shield against temptation because, with wisdom, we know how to fight. With his wisdom, Jesus leads us away from temptation and leads us into the light.
We can also protect ourselves by asking Jesus to deliver us from evil. Remember that prayer loses faith in the spiritual realm to bring God’s will to earth. God wants to direct our paths but we must ask him.
Before we make a decision, we must ask him. God knows the pitfalls inherent in any path we choose.
Each time we pray, we not only ask God about specific issues and decisions which we may be facing, but we surrender afresh our lives to his direction. When we renew our commitment to obedience in our daily prayers, we place our future in the only secure place: the center of God’s will.
God protects us from many dangers of which we are never aware. We cannot count the accidents which did not happen or the sickness that never came. We can, however, spare ourselves much suffering by asking God to save us from what we cannot see. By faith, we can be secure in the path we walk, knowing that our faith has loosed the protective power of God into our lives.
When we pray, we should pray with an open Bible, asking for the revelation which will help us avoid temptation. We should always place our future, through prayer, into the hands of our Heavenly Father who will protect us from the unseen. Daily we should invoke the protection of God which enables us to resist temptation and delivers us from evil.
Exercises:
1. As you meditate upon scripture in your daily prayer time, note the practical applications of the passage and try to apply them that day. Write this in your journal so you can record your progress in this area.
2. Ask God to reveal areas in your life which are sources of temptation. Pray for wisdom to escape the traps of Satan.
3. Make a list of things that might happen in the future of which you are afraid. Do not record them in your journal. Pray over this list and place control of your future completely in God’s hands. Then tear up the list.
