Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Passage: Matthew 6:13; ICorinthians 10:12-13; I Peter 5:8

Some years ago my youngest son and I went fishing up on Silver Lake with Lamar.  We had a great time and caught a bunch of fish.  Most of you know Lamar has a well-deserved reputation as a great fisherman.  In the fish world he is a master tempter.  He doesn’t just throw a hook out in the water and wait to see what happens.  He has spent years learning which lures are the best for tempting which fish.

This petition in the Lord’s Prayer is a sober reminder from Jesus we live in a world that is like a big pond and there are millions of lures hanging in the water all around us and there is a master tempter who has mastered the art of lures, knowing just which ones will be most effective against each one of us.

This present life is a spiritual minefield with dangers all around us.  Do you believe that?  Do you think about life that way?  Are you aware every step we take at home, at school, at work, in the world is a step into the presence of temptation?  There is no moment in your life that is not a moment for temptation, an opportunity for sin, for unbelief, lack of faith or disobedience, lack of love.

We are in the midst of a spiritual battle with spiritual forces arrayed against us, real enemies who hate us and these enemies are led by a very great leader, Satan.

Jesus is teaching us that amid such a battle with such a great foe we dare not to trust ourselves or go into battle alone and ill-equipped.  We must begin each day with this daily prayer, “Father, have mercy on us, keep us safe in the midst of all unseen dangers, deceptions and temptations.”