Message preview: "Lead us not into temptation"
Posted by Rice on Jul 27, '07 6:51 PM
 Our prayer series continuies at Bethel as we look at the prayer Jesus taught us to pray. This week we consider the instructions to pray that we are not led into temptation. Over the past few weeks we have studied each phrase of the Lord's Prayer and looked at the full meaning of the instructions He gave.
We come to Him as Father, we reverence His Name, we ask that His Kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We are taught to ask for our needs to be met when we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread". Last week our focus was to ask for forgiveness for ourselves as we at the same time forgive others.
What is the importance of praying that we are not led into temptation?
First of all, there is a diference between temptation and sin. Jesus was tempted in all points as we are , "yet without sin."(Hebrews 4:15) However, getting into a condition of temptation is very dangerous. Jesus told His disciples to "rise and pray, lest you fall into temptation."(Matt.26:41) When someone is in a moment or period of temptation it is like being caught in a trap. The ultimate end is to destroy you. Unless you can get out, failure(sin) is only a matter of time.
We are to pray that we could avoid temptation. Basically, our strategy where temptation is concerned is to stay away from it. There is a huge difference between escaping from a burning building and learning to prevent the fire in the first place. The prevention part is what we are doing when we pray, "lead us not into temptation". Once we have entered into temptation, escaping becomes the focus. God always provides a way of escape
(1 Cor.10:13), but sadly and tragically it isn't always taken.
We avoid temptation by realizing that temptations are:
Predictable- No temptation is taken that is not common to man.(1 Cor. 10:13) In other words, everyone is tempted by sin. However, for most it is like getting hit by a 2 km an hour train. We should have seen it coming.!
Avoidable- We can learn to avoid the things that we know will be a temptation. If we know there is a traffic jam up ahead we can take a detour. Through wisdom from the Word of God, the leading of the Spirit, and common sense, we can avoid the situations that threaten to push us into temptation.
Cyclical- if they happened before they will happen again. The enemy knows the weaknesses of our flesh and will be patient to set a trap that takes years to unfold. The Bible warns us to take heed if we think we stand, lest we fall.(1 Cor.10:12) If anyone is caught in a trespass you who are spiritual restore such a one, ...looking to yourselves lest you be tempted.(Galatians 6:1)
Escapable- As we mentioned, there is a way out of temptation. It isn't a foregone conclusion that if you are tempted, you will eventually fall. However, many don't ever escape from the burning building, so to speak, but give in to the pressure. We will look next this week and next at the power of deliverance from evil.
The other kinds of temptation
For many the term temptation is synonymous with areas of iimmorality and impurity. While these are certainly serious areas of temptation, there are other kinds that are devastating as well.For instance, Jesus was warning His disciples to pray that they would not fall into the temptation of fear and unbelief in the face of the coming persecution surrounding His death on the cross. We as well must do the same to stay strong in faith in these important times.
There is also the rampant dysfunction in the area of relationships. If we don't pray and trust God's grace we will see the enemy destroy once trusting relationships with family, spouses, and friends. The widespread dysfunction in the body of Christ in this area is proof that we are not being vigilant to protect our God-given relationships.
We must learn to guard ourselves and our relationships through prayer. The practical side of this prayer is to teach us to stay away from everything that could potentially hurt what God has birthed in our lives. This will be the goal of this week's message. To give us the wisdom and strength to win in the face of these enemies. We look forward to seeing you at any one of our locations in the Nasville area. |
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