Greetings in the Name of Jesus!
CHOCOLATE-COVERED MANURE… When I was a youth pastor, I was on the radio with one of my students and he gave an interesting definition of Sin. He said, “Sin is like chocolate-covered manure. It looks good and may initially taste ok until you start squishing it around your mouth.” OK, point taken. Sin is attractive, and it is always more than we bargained for. In truth, the key to not having to deal with the ugly taste of sin begins with resisting temptation. And it’s here that Jesus wants us to understand the significance of prayer and God’s leadership as our Deliver.
HANG WITH ME… This story came back to mind today as I was writing to you. What I love about the Lord’s Prayer is that we are not only learning how to pray, but we are learning who God is. We see in this prayer that God is our Father, King, Provider, and Protector. We will learn today that He is also our Deliverer.
9 “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Temptations and trials will come. It is not a question of IF, but WHEN. It is with this understanding that Jesus instructs us to pray “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
You Need to Know These 3 Things About God and Temptation
1. God will never tempt you to sin. To do so would violate His Holy nature and contradict His mission to be your Deliverer. He did not come to earth to set us free from sin, only to lure us back into it. “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.” (James 1:13)
2. God knows you better than you know yourself. Some things tempt you that do not tempt me, and some things tempt me that do not tempt you. Furthermore, we do not know all that tempts us, but God does. I love how the Apostle Paul penned it, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
3. God knows that we are in a Spiritual War. It is not random that Jesus ended the Lord’s Prayer with this cry for deliverance. We are in a daily battle, and our enemy has what I call “hell bait.” Hell knows your weaknesses and when you are most susceptible to the devil’s schemes. So, when you are saying, “Lord, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one,” what you are saying is, “Lord, I know the enemy has a playbook out there, and I need you to help me navigate my life in such a way that I am not playing into his hand.” The enemy is a master of distraction, deception, temptation, trepidation, and frustration. We need God’s leadership in our soul to shun the “tions.” Next week, I want to share more with you about spiritual warfare.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12 ESV)
When it comes to temptations in life, start with prayer. God has got you and got this covered. As we close out this series on the Lord’s Prayer, it is appropriate that we recognize that God is our Deliverer. Temptations will come in all sorts of colors and fashions, but our God wants to lead you onto victory. Begin your day with His leadership and guidance. Ultimately, God wants you to live a life of victory, and He is a Deliverer.
I am praying for you. You are not alone!
Rick Lorimer
Lead Pastor
Christ Place Church
