Lead us not into temptation

“And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.”

Matthew 6:13

Deliver us from the evil one. We have been plagued by the father of lies since the beginning when Adam and Eve were tempted in the Garden of Eden. He is still out there trying to destroy us because God loves us. The good news is that he has already been defeated but without God, we are still in bondage to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life like it says in 1 John:

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” 1 John 2:15-17

These temptations have been the same since the garden of Eden. The lust of the flesh, The lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life. These are the problems that we deal with on a daily basis. Let us break this down a little to explore each one of them.

The lusts of the flesh or the deeds of the flesh as described by Paul in Galatians “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and things like these” (Galatians 5:19-21). This is a pretty good list of things that the devil uses to ensnare us. The flesh here is referring to the propensity to sin which we are bound under because of our sinful nature. This nature is dominated by sin and rebellion and every human being has inherited it as part of the curse. Paul outlines the dilemma in Romans 7 where we see the problem of man before we become Christians.

“We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So, I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Romans 7:14-25

Thanks to God, who delivers us through Jesus! We are no longer slaves to sin because He has defeated the power of sin and death on the cross. We simply have to appropriate this by living according to the power of the Holy Spirit which lives in us. Prayer is the key to our success since this is how we can appropriate this power. It gives us the ability to have fellowship with the Father and to live according to His Spirit, which He has given us, rather than living according to the flesh. It says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that God will not allow us to be tempted more that we can bear, but when we are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that we can endure it. It also says in James that if we draw near to God that He will draw near to us and if we resist the devil, he will flee from us. Sin is only a lie and although it can seem overwhelming, it is only a lie that has been placed in our heads. It is when we dwell on these things and let them germinate that it becomes a lust. Our desires are healthy and are given to us by God, but when we do not allow God to be in control of our lives, they turn from the good and healthy things that God desires for us to have into the corrupt lusts that destroy us.

The lust of the eyes is the desire to possess what we see or to have those things that have visual appeal. Covetousness is the last of the 10 commandments. In the culture that we are in, there seems to be a constant desire to have the things that we do not have. The grass is always greener on the other side. We are constantly bombarded with this kind of manipulation through advertising and entertainment. There is a reason for this and that is because Satan has been allowed to exist here on this earth. I do not fully understand why God allows this to happen—it is one of those mysteries, but I believe it is to teach us the difference between good and evil. We wanted to know what this was about, so he is allowing us to see the result of it. I believe that He uses this world and its desires to teach us and train us how to become more like Him and less like the world. To equip us with the Holy Spirit and the full armor of God so that we can resist the fiery darts of the adversary. The word Satan means adversary and that is exactly what he is. We are more than conquerors though through Him who strengthens us.

The boastful pride of life is anything that exalts us above our station and gives us the illusion that we are large and in charge. Pride is the problem and like it says in Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” This is where we get the saying “Pride goes before the fall.” It is so true and has been since the very beginning. This is what was the problem that led Adam and Eve to succumb to the wiles of the enemy. God said in the beatitudes that the meek shall inherit the earth. It is not the proud who will inherit the earth although it may seem like it sometimes. The good news is that we will reap what we sow. If we sow to the flesh, we will reap corruption, but if we sow to the Spirit, we will reap everlasting life. This seems like a no brainer, but for some reason it is not.

We need to pray continually that God would not allow us to be tempted, but if we are that we would be able to resist the enemy. He has given us the tools to be able to do this, but we need to become more aware of the battle and the weapons that we have. It says in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”

Lord help us to draw near to you and to resist the enemy. We receive the gift of the Holy Spirit when we acknowledge you as our Lord and Savior, but we need to cling to you and abide in you in order to be brought into the fullness of what you have for us. Help us Lord to become more like you and less like our flesh. God Bless you!