How to Pray the Lord’s Way: ‘Lead Us Not into Temptation’
By Jeff Cranston
As believers, you and I battle daily against a tireless enemy—temptation. It attacks us through the media, and it lurks behind tax returns, credit cards and our computers. Whether we’re newcomers to the faith or mature believers, temptation attacks us from every direction.
But no matter how hard we fight or how carefully we plan, it’s easy to fall into familiar patterns of sin. We may resist temptation the first or second time. But we face a persistent foe, and too often, we surrender. Whether it’s sexual sin, our desire for material gain, or our longing for personal recognition, we fall too readily to the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.
In 38 years in the ministry, I’ve witnessed the devastation that yielding to temptation can bring. I’ve watched marriages crumble and families unravel. I’ve seen ministries destroyed and testimonies discredited. Why? Because too many of us meet the enemy without a vitally important weapon—the right information.
When we confront temptation, we face an enemy we know little or nothing about. We make assumptions about how to attack it. We guess at how to defend ourselves against it. But until we possess the right information, we lack the ability to fight and defend against it effectively.
Clearly, temptation is a resourceful enemy but not an invincible one. You and I have resources as well. And knowing that, Jesus says this is how you should pray about it. In Matthew 6:13, Jesus teaches us to pray: “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
We are to pray for protection from temptation.
We first must understand what temptation is and why we would wish to avoid it. So, let’s define it: Temptation is any draw, desire or enticement toward sin.
And, boy, do we have some misunderstandings over temptation. Dr. Charles Stanley shares some of those misunderstandings for us:
· That temptation itself is sin.
· That we “fall into” temptation.
· That God is disappointed and displeased when we are tempted.
· That to be strongly tempted means we are as guilty as if we had actually committed sin.
· That when we are spiritually mature, we will no longer be harassed by temptation.[1]
Being tempted is not evil; it’s not sinful. Yielding, however, to the temptation, is. And there are five general sources of temptation: the first three are: me, myself, and I. We are also tempted by the world and by Satan.
The apostle James says that we are the primary source of our own temptation. We have a natural inclination toward sin, a disposition toward doing whatever we want. If we were left alone, without the influence of Satan or the world, we would still sin, probably less frequently, but still sin nevertheless.
In James 1:12-14, James gives us clear teaching on the nature of temptation: God tempts no one to sin; instead, temptations arise from our own desires, bubbling forth into sin and eventually death. Temptation comes from us, never from God.
Although God tempts no one, He allows us to endure trials as seasons of testing to produce in us the fruit of steadfastness and endurance. These trials may lead to temptations, yet the temptations themselves do not arise from God.
We are to pray for protection from evil.
Jesus then continues the petition by teaching us to pray, “ … but deliver us from evil.” Many commentators note that because the Greek word for evil here is masculine instead of neutral that it would be better to read it as the evil one rather than evil in general. Both are certainly applicable, but Jesus appears to be referencing Satan specifically. Why is this?
Even though sin is our great enemy, we should not underestimate the danger of Satan. Some Christians spend an improper amount of time focusing upon the Devil, believing him to be at the root of every hardship or sin in their lives. Equally harmful, though, is the opposite extreme.
If Peter calls Satan a roaring lion seeking those he may devour, it would be foolish of us to neglect such a warning. Instead, the reality of Satan is that he is powerful and deadly but also limited. He is clever but not omniscient.
These two parts of today’s petition are one idea. To be kept from temptation is a general plea to be preserved from the luster of sin while being delivered from the evil one is praying for specific protection from satanic onslaught.
We are to pray for protection for the family.
Do not lead us … deliver us …
That Jesus uses the word “us” is significant and should be instructive to us as we pray. We are not merely to pray prayers of spiritual protection for ourselves, but also for others in our Christian community: our spouse, our children, our pastors and staff, others in our church, and for our church body as a whole. Prayers of spiritual protection for each of these should be a regular part of our personal intercession.
As in every area of the Christian life, Jesus is our great example here. He prayed regularly for His followers, and one of the things He prayed was that God would protect them spiritually.
We see this best in John 17, which, I think, the most marvelous prayer in all the Bible. A prayer Jesus prays—for us!
First, is it not stunningly amazing that, just before He goes to the cross, Jesus is thinking about His disciples! He is about to undergo the most torturesome death ever, on the cross, for the sins of every person—past, present and future. His body revolts against the thought, and He sweats drops of blood.
And yet He thinks of us and prays for His people! It is His amazing love for us that causes Him to remember us and pray for us like that.
Second, as we see Him pray in this chapter, we see that among the most important things He does is pray for the spiritual protection of His followers. We see indications that He HAS been praying for that protection and that He is continuing to do so:
That He had already been praying for His disciples’ spiritual protection may be seen in John:17:12, where He says, “During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.”
We don’t know all of the mysteries involved in spiritual warfare, but we do know from the passage in John 17 that Jesus “guarded” and “kept” His disciples from the evil one, in prayer, in His name. And He uses the same language when He tells us to keep our loved ones in prayer, when we pray, “Lead us not into temptation.” He is commanding us to guard and keep those whom He has entrusted into our care, from the schemes of the enemy, through intercessory, guarding prayer.
In the next blog post, we will take a look at four steps to help us overcome temptation.
Jeff Cranston is the lead pastor of LowCountry Community Church in Bluffton, South Carolina.
Reference
[1] Charles Stanley, tape AU146, In Touch, June 1988, p. 13.