The Lord's Prayer: The PatternSample

Overcome the Trap of Temptation

The last phrase of the prayer pattern Jesus gives His disciples is, "…lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." (Matthew 6:13) The Greek word for temptation means to "test through piercing," "to examine closely," or "a test to determine the hidden value of something." By implication, temptation has the potential to reveal hidden value in us. James writes, "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." (James 1:13) God can’t be the source of both light and darkness. Rather, every temptation that comes your way–every attempt by darkness to intercept light–is from the world (pervasive secular culture), the flesh (the sinful or disordered desires in your own heart and mind), or the devil (the enemy of your soul who is bent on your destruction). The wonderful news is that you can fling yourself on the mercy of God, praying for strength to resist temptation as you find your identity in Him.

The result of sin is always death. You’ve no doubt experienced the death of a relationship, a dream, or an opportunity because you or someone else gave in to temptation. The truth is that when we don’t understand our righteousness in Christ and our true identity in Him, we open ourselves to the contradiction and pain that temptation often brings. But when the current of God’s life flows through us, darkness can’t get a hold. It’s when we disconnect ourselves from the power of God in our lives that death looms large. In the Garden of Eden, Satan sowed confusion and contradiction, disconnecting Eve from God’s power and her identity as His daughter (Genesis 2). Eve was subsequently torn between godly revelation and human opinion, and that made God seem unreasonable to her. When we elevate our own opinions above God’s expressed will, we open the door for the fulfilment of our natural, human desires, which are often disconnected from the will and plan of God for our lives. We end up settling for far less than God’s original purposes for us.

In the face of temptation, willpower might work for you for a short while. Soon, however, you’ll find yourself tempted again. Knowing your identity in Christ is the ultimate key to overcoming temptation. This is because temptation always wants to convince you of your shortcomings and your need, whereas the opinion of your Father and His revelation of who you are in Him leads to contentment and completeness. You’ll need to recognize that temptations will challenge your identity in Christ, but may you never lose heart as the reality of who you have discovered yourself to be sustains, protects, and delivers you.

This plan was adapted from the series, The Lord’s Prayer: The Pattern, on RightNow Media. To find out more, visit: https://www.rightnowmedia.org/af/get-access