READING: Matthew 5-6
How often we lose the battles of temptation! The enemy seeks to lure us into sin, and the world makes the devil’s offers seem so inviting. We buy Satan’s lies, ignore the conviction of the Holy Spirit, take the bait, and cross the line into sin. Then, and too often only then, we pray. Our prayer at this point is often remarkably similar: “God, forgive me for sinning again.” As usual, our prayer is reactive rather than proactive.
The problem with this approach to temptation is that it’s the opposite of the way Jesus taught us to pray. In the model prayer, He taught us to pray before temptation ever comes: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matt 6:13). We know that God does not tempt us (James 1:13), so the text must mean something like, “Father, guard me from temptation, and deliver me from the one who would want me to fall.” It’s a decidedly proactive prayer.
How might our lives be different if we prayed this prayer every day before we faced temptation?
Also in today’s reading, Jesus warned us that we are to walk with God and have no deceit in our lives. Our “yes” is to mean “yes,” and our “no” is to mean “no”; that is, our words and our lives are to be true. If we find ourselves having to swear oaths to convince others of our truthfulness, we may well have a problem with our integrity (Matt 5:33-37). In fact, any attempts we make to convince others of our integrity when we know we lack that trait are simply “from the evil one” (Matt 5:37).
Perhaps praying the prayer of Matthew 6:13 is one solution here. If we pray this prayer more regularly, maybe we would walk more faithfully with God — and thus have nothing to hide and no need to defend our integrity. Believers who pray for strength before temptation hits are more likely to find victory over the enemy.
ACTION STEPS:
- Begin today to pray the prayer of Matthew 6:13 each day.
- With every choice that you make today, be a person of truthfulness and integrity.
PRAYER: “God, lead me not into temptation today. Grant me victory before the enemy ever attacks.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Matthew 7-8
