Living the Lord’s Prayer, Part 6

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:13) 

This is a great prayer, and I’m sure underused by most. I have a feeling the prayer more often raised to God is, “Father, help me to overcome sin,” which is a necessary prayer as well, but how many times do you think we could have avoided sinning, if only we had asked God to not permit the temptation to come? We can and should overcome temptation by the power of God, but many times we don’t. In most or many cases if we can avoid the temptation we avoid the sin. A walk of prudence is a tremendous addition to a walk of valor. If we are praying and asking God to not lead us into temptation, wouldn’t it be a good idea that we lead ourselves not into temptation? In this article I want to highlight some Scriptures that speak about the necessity and wisdom of building protective walls around our lives, and to give some practical advice on things we can do to avoid temptations…   

The Devil Don’t Sleep 

“Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.” (Proverbs 4:14-16)

Satan and his minions live to cause others to die. They feed on trickery and revel in causing people to sin. It is their entertainment and meaning in life – they are fishers of men, to steal, kill and to destroy. It is difficult to comprehend that there are beings that are pure evil, but so is the case. Wicked men don’t sleep until they have done mischief, but evil spirits don’t need to sleep or eat, nor do they have the distractions of worldly cares. Sin is eager to get you and the flesh wants to be satisfied. “The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” We are no match for evil powers. 

We are in a desperate need for God’s protection on our lives and for wisdom in our walk. If you are the kind of person that thinks you’re all set then you are deceived: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” Pride precedes a fall.

The more we trust ourselves the more danger we are in. Proverbs 14:16 says, “A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.” “One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.” -esv

We are never instructed in Scripture to trust ourselves. In fact, the opposite is true: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” (Proverbs 3:5-7) 

Fishermen tailor their bait for their catch. Devils customize their temptations for the souls they are responsible for. Demons have been around a while, they know man. They know who, what, when, where, and how to lay that trap for you to fall into. Thankfully the Bible says that we do not have to be ignorant of Satan’s devices (2 Corinthians 2:11). If he strategizes to lay out traps for us, we must counter strategize to avoid them. It would be better to avoid having to walk through a minefield than to successfully tip toe through one. Therefore, this above verse tells us to not even go near the road where we know wickedness is happening: “avoid it, pass not by, turn from it, and pass away.” All of these phrases are saying the same thing and repeated for emphasis. 

The Necessity of Walls. 

What fortress does not have walls around it? If there is something of value, Evil is going to want to find a way to defile it. There is power in purity and holiness, and it must be guarded. If you have security, why have walls then? A valiant army on the ground perhaps can ward off most foes, but how much more of an upper hand does that same force have on top of a massive impenetrable wall?

To overcome the Evil One we must have on the whole armor of God, but a part of being strong in the Lord is by staying in the castle. We cannot be foolish by tempting the Lord. There are appropriate times to leave the city and engage in battle, but it must be the right time and the right circumstances.   

Do you have walls up? Walls don’t make you pure. Don’t get that mixed up either. But we are better off with strong, defined walls. 

Unhealthy Doctrine 

The Bible speaks a lot about sound doctrine. The word underlying “sound” means “healthy.” Sound doctrine is teaching that produces godliness. Unsound doctrine is teaching that leads people into sin rather than away from it. One of these destructive doctrines is Anti-nomianism (against-law). What they say is that in Christ there is no law, “We are not under the law, but under grace.” It is true that we are not under the Mosaic Law any more, and we are free from the constraints of man made traditions, and that our righteousness comes through faith alone in Christ. But, what it does NOT mean is that there is any justification for us to sin, or to put ourselves into places for temptation to sin. Consider the following verses…

“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh…” (Galatians 5:13) Jude warned about teachers who come in secretively, who “turn the grace of God into licentiousness.” (Jude 1:4) “As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness…” (1 Peter 2:16) Each of these scriptures are saying, “Yes, you have liberty, but do not…never, ever…in any way, shape or form, think that this means you can sin.” We have been liberated from sin, not liberated to sin. Jesus is our Master. The Holy Spirit is our Lord. We are obligated to obey him and to be holy as he is holy. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:1-2) So be very careful about teachers who highly emphasize the freedom in Christ, while minimizing our obligation to obey Christ. In following Christ faithfully there is liberty, but there is also prudence. We are not to fear man, but we should fear sinning against God and marring his reputation.  

Biblical Basis for Bulwarks 

Proverbs 22:3 

A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

A prudent person considers carefully what could happen down the road based on their course of action, and plans accordingly. They are aware of the evils that are determined to make them fall. They recognize that there are dangers…real dangers. They are not proud and just say, “Ah! Whatever comes, I’ll just stand against it and fight against it!” They humbly recognize that the wisest course of action is to hide. The Christian walk is warfare. Read Pilgrim’s Progress. The forces of darkness strategize and then execute their plans. Discerning Christians do the same. The simple-minded man assumes there is no danger, either as a result of their pride or naivety. Whatever the root, the simple man gets himself into complex difficult situations that could have been avoided.     

There are times to fight and there are times to hide. David hid from Saul; Jesus hid from angry crowds; Paul hid from the Jews. 

1 Thessalonians 5:21-23

“Prove (examine, test) all things; hold fast that which is good (kalos – beautiful, fine). Abstain (keep away) from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

How do we test everything? Of course by Scripture, but also look at the fruit. Do apples grow on vines? “A tree is known by its fruit.” Look at the results of actions and ways of life. There are courses of action, that if pressed to the letter, may be biblical, but not be wise. There are activities that may be permissible, but not best. “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient.” 1 Corinthians 6:12 We should stay away from what is evil, but we should also stay away from what looks like evil; or what could possibly be evil; or what could possibly lead to something evil. “When in doubt, get out!” 

“We should therefore abstain from evil, and all appearances of evil, from sin, and that which looks like sin, leads to it, and borders upon it. He who is not shy of the appearances of sin, who shuns not the occasions of sin, and who avoids not the temptations and approaches to sin, will not long abstain from the actual commission of sin.” (Matthew Henry)

Romans 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Practical Advice for Avoiding Temptation 

*I am not necessarily saying that any of the following activities are sinful in and of themselves. However, if you struggle with sin in any of these areas then I believe that the following recommendations would prove prudent in most cases.  

1. Just don’t drink alcohol at all. If you don’t take the first sip, then you don’t have to worry about taking too many. “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” (Proverbs 20:1) If you need any amount of alcohol in your system for you to have a good time then you already got a problem.
2. Don’t be alone with a woman (or a man) that you are not married to. Talk about a door open for the Devil! Remember Joseph and Potiphar’s wife? Joseph didn’t have a choice to be in the situation he was, he was a slave. I believe this is one of the reasons why he had strength from God to escape. But if it is not necessary and you choose to put yourself into that situation, then you are tempting God. Get a chaperone. Better safe than sorry. 
3. Don’t hang out with people who have the same sinful temperaments as yourself. If you are prone to gossip, stay away from tattlers and busybodies. If you have anger tendencies, stay away from angry people. “Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.” (Proverbs 22:24-25)
4. Stay away from sinful, worldly people. “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” “Bad company corrupts good morals.” (1 Corinthians 15:33) You will become like the people you hang out with, so choose your close friends wisely.  The Bible does not say that Jesus was a friend of publicans and sinners (Matthew 11:19), this was a derogatory phrase said about Jesus by the ‘holier than thou’ Pharisees. The point – Jesus loved everyone, even the worst of sinners, and reached out to them to heal them and teach them, but he was not their buddies. We are in the world, but not of the world. Reach out to all, in humble love, but do not be BFF’s with ungodly people, or else in time you will sit in their seat (Psalm 1:1). Come out from among them and be ye separate saith the LORD.
5. Watch your influences carefully as well. Music is powerful. Don’t listen to music that is ungodly- you will learn their ways. Don’t fill your heart and minds with ungodly movies or books or games. You are deceived if you think that you are unaffected by the communication transfer- whether it be language, images, life values, worldviews, etc. 
6. Get rid of your TV. Just unmount it and put it into the garbage. It doesn’t matter much money you wasted on it – toss it. “I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way…I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.” (Psalm 101:2-3) If it is sin for you to practice it, then it is sin for you to fill your mind with it. If your problem is not watching unclean things, is it a time waster? “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” You won’t regret it. 
7. Install accountability software on your devices. Don’t allow yourself to be “untracked.” 
8. For some- straight up get rid of the smart phones or devices. If this causes too much difficulty or inconvenience in your life – too bad, you made the choices you did. “
9. If you easily yield to temptations to spend too much money- cut up your credit cards. Don’t even go into that store or visit that website. If it’s a really destructive habit, allow a faithful friend to be in control of your money for you for a while. 
10. There are some locations you simply should not go. Why are you at the bar? For a soda? Go to the grocery store. Don’t be pressured to go out to the bar with your coworkers or friends. Don’t go to the club. Don’t go to parties where you know they’ll be drinking or foolishness or ungodliness. 
11. In general – If there are any people, places or things that are common grounds where temptations happens for you – do something to cut those things out of your life. Find a way. Do whatever it takes. 

Matthew 5:29-30

“And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.” 

There are some things in life that we just simply need to have no toleration or relationship with. Some things need to be cut off, smashed up and thrown in the pit.  

Colossians 3:5 Mortify your members which are upon the earth…This is heavy language. Kill. Violence. There are some things we should hate as Christians. We should hate sin. For some this may mean that you have to get rid of the smart phone or devices; some of you the wisest route is to dismount the flat screen and either trash it or give it away. The fact that you think that is too radical shows you how much of an idol it is in your life. David Wilkerson was the founder of the very successful Christian drug rehab discipleship program called “Teen Challenge.” He saw great works of God in his ministry. He traced his success back to getting rid of his television and replacing that time with reading the Bible and prayer. It’s time to get serious for God! Some of you need to sell that car, or downsize your house, or quit that job, or walk off the team, or cut up your credit cards. It may be time to check into a long term rehab. Sell your car, give it away, burn it! – Do whatever you need to do to eliminate the possibility of entering in to temptation.  

What are you willing to do to be right with God? 

What are you willing to get rid of in order to gain freedom from sin?