“…And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one…” - Matthew 6:13 (NKJV)
The New Living Translation says, “And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Temptation comes because we live in a fallen world and we have to fight our sinful natures. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” This does not mean the old will magically disappear. In fact, we live in a world with an enemy who wants nothing more than to ensure our old sinful nature remains in control. When it comes to temptation, we almost always think of it as a desire for obviously sinful things. But, anything can become sinful when we are tempted to put it above God’s place in our lives.
The Bible makes it clear that we are in a spiritual fight with a spiritual enemy. In Ephesians 6:12, Paul writes that our struggle is against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms—the here and now. This can seem incredibly intimidating if we look at it without the knowledge that we have direct access to the power of God through Jesus. James 4:7 says that we must submit ourselves to God, resist the devil, and then he will flee. The act of resisting temptation is accomplished through surrender. We submit to Him and allow Him to work in our hearts, and then we find the power to resist the devil.
God equips us with “spiritual armor” to combat the attacks of the enemy. Paul continues in Ephesians 6 with a list of spiritual armor with which we can defend ourselves (Ephesians 6:13-17). This action should be proactive (before the fight), not reactive (after the bullets are flying). But either way, we must come to the conclusion that God is the only one who can deliver us from temptation.
It’s not just about the armor. God also sent Jesus to deal directly and decisively with our sins. He’s given us the Holy Spirit who warns us and empowers us. He’s spoken His Word in the Scriptures. He’s offered us the authority of His Name, and the community of His people for protection.
As we continue to submit ourselves to God’s way, we will find ourselves increasingly filled with power to resist the enemy. When temptations come, and we respond by leaning into the Lord, the muscles of our faith grow. As the muscles of our faith continue to grow, we become further equipped to handle more trials and testing in the future. But remember, even that faith comes from God.
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. I choose to submit myself to You today, Lord. By faith, I put on my spiritual armor: the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, and the shoes of peace. I take up the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. Today with Your strength, I choose to resist the enemy and flee temptation. Amen.”