Part 7 - Jesus Helps Us Pray (6)
Part 7 - Jesus Helps Us Pray (6)“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
We are all tempted to sin – to give into something we know is not good for us or for those around us. Whether it is anger, lying, or lust, we hurt ourselves and others when we give in.
In the context of this verse, temptation is where we feel drawn to do something we should not do. One important strategy in avoiding sin is to avoid temptation. We can do this by intentionally keeping ourselves from situations where we know we could be enticed to do something wrong. This is something we need to be mindful of always. But we don’t always know when and where a tempting situation can show up. This is why we need to pray for God to keep us from these kinds of environments.
And just like there is a God of all goodness, there is a master of evil called the devil. And although it can sound almost simplistic, God wants us to do right, and the devil wants us to do wrong. While our salvation promises that we have been delivered from the kingdom of darkness, we need to do our best to continue to stay away from it. God will help us in this as we pray.
Consider
Thank of a time when you sinned. Now think of what temptation led you to it. Could you have avoided it?
Identify one or two specific places or venues where you know you are tempted to sin. How can you plan to avoid those?
Thank God daily for leading you away from temptation.