..and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

There was a moment in history when the incarnate Son of God was praying to God the Father and a disciple of Christ asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Jesus’ response was,

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰ Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread, ¹² and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Mt. 6:9-13 ESV

This is sometimes called “The Lord’s Prayer” but a better name would be “The Disciple’s Prayer” or “A Prayer Model for Christians” since some of the content (i.e. forgive us) would not be a prayer the sinless Savior needed to pray.

It’s the last two phrases of this prayer model I want to elaborate on here. In vss11-12, the focus was asking God for our daily provisions and asking God to forgive us and we acknowledge our need to forgive others. The next petition looks ahead to future temptations and encounters with evil, because we are vulnerable to sinning beyond this very moment and we need God’s help to be overcomers when we are tempted and when evil comes upon us.

We are born with a sin nature in our flesh and minds and that means we are contaminated with sin, so to speak, but we are also vulnerable to sinning and we in fact do sin by choice. Our very own thoughts and desires can lead to sin, engaging in something that is morally wrong, whether it’s committing wrong or omitting right in the eyes of God. There are also external influences that can lure us into sinning with our thoughts, desires, attitudes, and behavior.

All people experience temptation to sin. Temptation itself is not sin but temptation to sin can actually become a sin when we give into the wrongful desire and thought.

Here’s a classic example; I’m sun-bathing at the community pool and notice some female in a bikini walk by and I look and then I have the tempting thought to lust after her body, but I chose in that moment to just acknowledge mentally that she is attractive and then I move on to other thoughts and subjects in my mind keeping them God-honoring. I’ve had many successes in Christ in recent years with this sort of temptation but I’ve also failed in the flesh before when such temptations to sin come upon me.

Let’s clarify the meaning of this prayer petition to God, “and lead us not to temptation”.

This doesn’t mean God causes us or forces us to sin. In fact, we read in Scripture that God doesn’t tempt people to sin.  

James 1:13-15 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. ¹⁵ Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

A better wording for this prayer petition could be “Do not lead us into the place of testing" or "do not lead us into circumstances where we will be tempted.”

For example, if you struggle with alcohol, then ask God to not lead you to a place where people are drinking alcohol. Or if you struggle with lust, then ask God to not lead you to a place where there is a Victoria’s Secret catalog or swimsuit magazines or websites with such content.

We do see in Scripture, God testing people and leading them to a moment of great testing. He arranges for His people to be tested. He allows His people to be tested.

Abraham is an example of someone being put to a great test by God who told Abraham to go sacrifice his promised son, Isaac. But at the last second, God the Provider, provided a lamb to take Isaac’s place. God tested Abraham’s faith in God and He also taught Abraham a lesson on who is most important, God Almighty.

God also at times gives permission to the Devil to tempt us to sin. We see this in the book of Job. We also read that Jesus said Satan had asked to sift Peter like wheat.

Pastor/Author John MacArthur wrote “God allows the trials in which temptation can occur, not to solicit believers to sin, but to move them to greater endurance.” God wants to grow His people in holiness and into great faith and obedience in Christ.

Jesus is teaching us in this prayer model that we are to ask God to not lead us into such testing. We are to pray that we don’t experience such testing and temptation to sin, for we are very vulnerable to sinning.

Is there a testing or temptation you are struggling with right now that you need to cry out to God about and tell a trusted friend about?

I’m tempted with pride, selfishness, and lust a lot. I’m tempted with self-sufficiency and to not spend quality time with God in my personal time. I’m tempted to envy what others have. I’m tempted to be spiritually lazy instead of focusing on the main thing in Christ. I need to ask God for help in these matters regularly, before and during temptations, and I need to depend on Christ moment to moment.

God, do not lead us into temptation! This petition follows with another petition and they go together. God, do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil.

The original Greek word here translated “evil” in some Bibles is not the neuter form but masculine form which means the most accurate translation would be “Evil one” instead of just evil. Evil One definitely refers to Satan, the Devil, who is the lead spiritual enemy of God although nowhere near equal to and definitely not greater than God.

Pastor/Author Warren Wiersbe wrote, “Do not lead us into temptation simply means keep me alert. Keep me aware of the fact that the Wicked One, the Devil, is around and that he wants to trip me up.”

Are we alert, on guard, discerning between right and wrong, and knowing who the enemies of God are and how they work?

In Scripture, Satan is referred to as the tempter and accuser of God’s people and God, for the time being at times, allows Satan to tempt or test His people. Jesus, thru this prayer model, is teaching us to ask God to deliver us specifically from the Devil and his works of evil. And I believe there is a principle here that can be applied to any demon and anyone who is serving the devil.

A real time example of these prayer petitions was the night Jesus was in the garden just before His arrest when He exhorted His disciples like this, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” Jesus knew there would be spiritual warfare that evening and the devil would attack Him and His disciples. So, pray in advance of such attacks and pray during those tests and temptations. Pray for yourself about this and pray for others (notice the community context in this prayer model) as the Lord leads you.

Satan is the great tempter and He’s also an accuser who accuses us of not being right with God, or not being a good person, and we struggle with shame and unhealthy bad guilt. We think we are losers, failures, and don’t matter, or we are not truly saved when you actually are by God’s grace through faith in Christ.

Jesus provides His redeemed with victory over the devils’ accusations:

Romans 8:33-34 ESV Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

And Jesus is our great deliverer:

Galatians 1:3-5 ESV Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

There are many other Bible verses to help us with spiritual warfare:

James 4:7 ESV Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

1 John 4:4 ESV Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

See also Ps. 3:3, 34:7...

Theologian RC Sproul’s comments related to this prayer petition:

 “Martin Luther is a powerful example in this. Luther had an acute awareness of the presence of Satan. On one occasion, he threw his inkwell across the room, saying he had seen Satan’s unbridled assault against him to try to make him compromise, fall into despair, or deny the faith. In this struggle, Luther resorted to prayer, and he went to his knees every day to pray the Lord’s Prayer, specifically this petition; do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

We should be asking God regularly to help us avoid the entrapments and dangers related to sin that we would trust Him to help us be overcomers in Christ when we are tempted to sin and that He would deliver us from any sin bondage and attacks of the enemies of God in our lives.

Praise God that when we are tempted, God provides a way out:

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

  

And when we do sin; God’s process for getting right and being right with Him is confessing that sin and accepting His forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 ESV If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Praise God we can be cleansed of our sins and be reconciled and right with God. This divine process is available to us not as a license to sin but by God’s grace to help us grow in personal holiness. We need to also ask God to help us repent of our sinful ways and, instead of sinning, to help us cultivate holiness in our lives.

RC Sproul’s personal prayer petition: “I often ask myself how I would measure up if God allowed me to be severely tested. I honestly don’t know and I don’t want to have to find out. So I often pray this petition to the Lord’s Prayer, asking; O Lord, please, please, keep that hedge around me. Don’t put me in that place of testing. Deliver me from the Evil One, who goes about like a roaring lion, ready to devour whomever he will. I pray for divine protection from all the forces of evil that surround us, and I believe this petition should be on every believers’ lips each day.”

How about you and me? Are we regularly praying, with faith in God, this prayer model for ourselves and others? God, do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil One!

What are your thoughts on what I’ve included here about this prayer petition?

Mike