Pray for Our Daily Protection - Deliver Us

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

The final petition addresses the disciple's battle with evil forces. "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" Just like we are to pray daily for our provisions, daily for our sins to be pardoned we are to also pray daily for our protection. We are to pray for God to lead us away from those things that can lead us down the wrong path and for God to deliver us if we are to find ourselves being lead into temptation

We know from James 1:13 that God is not one who tempts people with evil. Like the Israelites or Abraham with Isaac, God tried and tested them but did not tempt them to do evil.

James 1:13
When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;

And the word rendered "temptation" (pierasmos) can be used as either temptation, trial or testing, this petition indicates the disciple should pray either for the relief from testing (exodus 16:4, Deut. 8:6 gave you manna to humble and test you so that in the end it may go well with you) or for their testing not to become an occasions for temptation.

Exodus 16:4
Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.

Deuteronomy 8:6
Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and revering him.

This similar to the standardized Jewish morning and evening prayer: "Bring me not into the power of sin, and not into the power of guilt, and not into the power of temptation, and not into the power of any thing shameful.

Jesus directed his disciples to pray that way in the garden of Gethsemane.

Matthew 26:41
"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

We must have a dependence on God and his Spirit to lead and guide us away from the thing that can kill us spiritually

For example: Travelers in the Middle East, when they go through the dessert, they need a guide. The guide knows how to reach the destination. Without that information, the traveling party will die. We need God to guide us in our daily lives so that we don't die spiritually.

Practical: We need God to lead us from the temptations of certain entertainment: movies, shows, internet, games or music that we watch, God lead us away from those temptations.

We need God to lead us from the temptations of things that have the potential to frustrate us and make us angry at work on the road or at home. God lead us away from those temptations.

Sometimes we disciples flirt with temptation. We don't exactly seek temptation, but we are attracted to sinful things. And so we sort of wink at them. Our resistance is low; we are being "dragged away and enticed" by our "own evil desire," as James put it. This prayer, "and lead us not into temptation," helps teach us how important it is for us to stop flirting with sin but to actively flee and resist it. That is to be part of the content of our prayers.

We need God's guidance from day to day to lead us away from those slippery slopes of that woman at work, or that extra time with that sister. We need to be lead away from things that will have us not keep God as a priority or seeking first his kingdom. Sometimes, we can be so tempted to make sure that we provide our own daily bread that we are lead down roads that take us away from God.

Luke 22:31-32
31 "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.
32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." In Luke 22:31-32 -Jesus prayed this for Peter "Satan wants to sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith might not fail. How about we pray this for one another? Lead us not into temptation.

The second clause of this petition, but deliver us from the evil one, indicates that the disciple must be conscious of the spiritual battle.

* This scripture automatically puts me in the mind set of Jesus being tempted by Satan. Matthew 4

* Job being tested in every way by the evil one yet held on to God and was delivered.

* Judas, who was tested, tempted and fell.

* This temptation is not just the evil from Satan but also the evil of this generation. Acts 2 save us from this corrupt generation

* Satan's influence is behind every attempt to turn testing into a temptation to evil

* What is your view of evil? We will not pray for deliverance if we have the wrong view of evil.

* Sometimes we can……

a) Minimize evil--a figment of our imagination, evil does really exist.

b) Wallowing in the fact of evil--We can become overcome by evil, as we see it everywhere. Either we give in and become evil or we become paranoid as if God is not powerful.

c) Zealous fight against evil--You become self-righteous (I thank you I am not like the others.

How does this look in our prayers?

(1) We fail to even pray deliver us;

(2) Our prayer is consumed with deliver us (we doubt God's power);

(3) We see ourselves as the answer to the request to deliver us from evil.

Jesus intends for us to recognize the reality and power of evil and to confront it with the reality and power of the Kingdom to have the victory. To pray "deliver us from evil" is to proclaim the victory of the cross and thereafter stand firm for another moment, another hour, another day against the forces of destruction within ourselves and the world.

In light of this, being conscious of our own weakness, we ask to be defended by God, our Rock and our Fortress, protection, that we may have an impenetrable position against all devices of Satan.

So Jesus teaches his disciples that they must pray for protection, for deliverance so that they could experience moral triumph and physical victory in all the spiritual battles of life.