Matthew 6:13, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
The last and final exercise in the Lord’s Prayer workout is to ask God to both lead you not into temptation and deliver you from the evil one. The source of temptation comes to the believer in two ways, (1) from the outside forces of the devil and his demons- Ephesians 6:12, and (2) from the inside forces of the fleshly body, James 1:13-15.
Thus, Jesus’ prayer for His disciples not be led into temptation is basically asking God to led them daily in His righteous and holy ways. As a result, if a believer can clearly know the voice of God and be led in the paths of righteousness, by default, they will not be led into temptation. Thus, the prayer of not leading us into temptation is really a prayer for God to lead us into righteousness, Psalm 23:3.
The prayer to be delivered from the evil one is also important because daily the devil is like a roaring lion seeking to devour God’s people, 1 Peter 5:8. However, when Jesus died on the cross He totally defeated and destroyed all of the powers and works of the evil one, 1 John 5:8. Thus, the moment a person is born again all the authority and victory of Jesus is given to them, Romans 8:37. In turn, if a Christian does sin or leave the path of righteousness, God is able to protect them and deliver them when they repent and ask for deliverance.
Therefore, the believer should pray daily for themselves and the community in which they live in to follow God’s righteous paths and if they should sin, to repent and be delivered from the evil one. God desires for all people to live holy and be free from the work of the devil!
Reflection
Action
- Ask God to show you the ways in which your earthly body and the devil tries to lead you into temptation.
- Then pray for God to lead you in the paths of righteousness (free from sin) and to deliver you from the power (snares and traps) of the devil.
- Pray the same things for your community.
