Fighting TemptationSample

Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Have you ever thought about this part of the Lord's Prayer?

On top of all the other things Jesus teaches us to pray about—the Father’s glory, the coming of the Kingdom, our daily needs—Jesus teaches us to pray about our own temptation.

The first is a request that God doesn't “lead us into temptation.”

Of course, this doesn't mean that God ever leads us into temptation Himself. It's asking God to keep us far away from the temptation that comes from Satan and from our own hearts. We're asking Him not to let us get near to temptation so we would never be in a situation where our temptation to sin will be greater than what we can handle.

The second part of the request is similar: that He would deliver us from the evil one, Satan. In this request, we're telling God that we need His strength. We can’t fight Satan on our own. Jesus doesn't command us to pray for more willpower or strength, although both are important.

He's telling us to pray that our Heavenly Father will help us against the enemy.

I love this prayer because of its honesty. We can't fight temptation on our own. We need God's help. We need Him to change our hearts through the power of the Gospel. And when we're facing temptation, we need to cry out for His assistance so that we can stand against it.

We need to pray this prayer regularly. I find that I rarely feel like praying for God’s help when I’m in the middle of temptation, but it’s the prayer we need when we’re tempted to sin.

Guys sometimes have a hard time asking for help. But when it comes to temptation, never try to handle things on your own.

Make it your daily prayer that God will keep you as far away as possible from temptation, and that when you do face it, He will deliver you from the evil one.

God loves to answer this prayer, and it's a prayer that we desperately need.

Prayer: Lord, we pray as Jesus taught us to pray: do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Amen.

Reflection: How does prayer factor into your life when you are tempted? How can it factor in more?

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