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PROTECT
The fourth part of the Lord’s Prayer teaches that we can ask the Father to PROTECT us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.
In case you haven’t noticed, the world can be a pretty tough place. It’s filled with anger, hatred, sorrow, suffering, dishonesty, and division. Of course, because of Jesus, it’s also filled with light, goodness, hope, help, kindness, and love. Thank God for that!
Many people, things, and ideas want to draw us away from the Father and his love. Some of those things come from within ourselves.
And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, ‘God is tempting me.’ God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. (James 1:13-14, NLT)
Another way to say this part of the Lord’s Prayer could be, “Father, please protect me from my own sin and weakness.”
We can’t do this on our own. We need the Holy Spirit’s power to live the new life Jesus has given us. Here are some things the Bible says about about the Spirit:
Because you belong to Jesus, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sin. Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. (Taken from Romans 8)
The Spirit of God, also called the Spirit of Christ (there is only one Spirit), lives in every follower of Jesus. The Spirit has the power to help us overcome temptation and sin. But Jesus says it’s important to ask our Father for this help and protection every day.
Evil is real. It’s all around us.
But God our Father is more powerful. And Jesus our Savior has overcome evil through his death and resurrection. And the Spirit our Helper is within us to lead and comfort. Cling to him for power and guidance to live obedient lives. Jesus tells us that this is good and right in our prayers.
REFLECTION
- What are some tempting things (situations, places, people, etc.) that you should avoid?
- What are some ways that God has helped you with temptation in the past?
- What are some ways that you need God to help you overcome temptation going forward?
Scripture
About this Plan
In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus teaches about prayer and about the Father. We learn about the importance of beginning and ending with PRAISE. We see that the Father has a PROMISE for the world and a PURPOSE for his children. And we see that the Father both PROVIDES and PROTECTS. This 5-day plan will look closely at how Jesus responds when people say, "Teach us to pray."
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