The World’s Greatest Prayer
Session #5: “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.”
ü Since warm weather is right around the corner (we hope!) let’s talk about bugs. Bugs have three man-made enemies:
Ø Poison (The Roach Hotel, “Bugs check in but never leave.”)
ü How do each of the above three work to kill bugs?
ü There is one word that makes all three work: D_________________!
ü Now, wouldn’t you think that after a while the bugs would wise up? That one would say, “Hey, look at the pile of dead bugs underneath that blue light! I’m not going there!” or “Everyone looks so happy eating that delicious meal at the Roach Hotel but then they suffer horribly and die. I’m not eating that!”
ü Only bugs would be that stupid, right? Ever heard of an already filthy rich CEO fixing the books to get more? ZZZAP! How about an athlete who makes millions giving it all up to get an artificial high on drugs? ZZZAP! How about the business person who works long hours to succeed but looses their family? ZZZAP! Know anyone who ruined their life because they flew into the blue light of temptation even though they knew there would be consequences? ZZZAP!
ü Check out Genesis 3:6. Why did Adam and Eve eat the fruit? What were the consequences?
Deception. Temptation. It destroys lives. But why does it happen? Why do we choose to violate our values, the very things that hold up our lives and sustain our souls? Why do we voluntarily give in to what we know will be destructive. Why do we fly to the light? Why do intelligent people engage in stupid, dark actions that they know they will be ashamed of later? The Bible says a part of the answer is that we have an enemy, and he is bigger and stronger and smarter than we are.
1. Read Ephesians 6:10-14. Paul says our battle is not against “flesh and blood.” What does he mean?
2. St. Paul speaks of “the devil’s schemes.” The evil one’s fundamental identity is tempter. His fundamental weapon is temptation. That’s why Jesus asks us to pray, “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.” He knows that temptation is what the evil one does best.
ü Could it be that we pray this petition incorrectly when we say, “deliver us from evil” instead of what the original Greek clearly says, “deliver us from the evil one?” What is the difference? How might that change what we are asking here?
Three Observations About Temptation From 1 Corinthians 10:13
Please read 1 Corinthians 10:6-13
First: E_______________ T_______________
“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.” We will be tempted, so don’t be surprised when it comes. How can we get caught off guard by temptation?
“Deliver us from temptation” does not mean deliver us from the experience of temptation because there is no human being on this earth that’s delivered from that. Jesus Himself was tempted! So what are we praying for when we say, “deliver us from temptation?”
There was an incredible experiment done some years back. Little five-year-old kids were left in a room with one tasty looking marshmallow on a table. The adult left the room and said, “I’m going away for a few minutes. If you wait until I get back, you can have two marshmallows. But if you eat the marshmallow while I’m gone, you’ll only get the one.” It was a test to see if kids could resist temptation. The kids were broken into two groups, the grab the marshmallow group and the delayed gratification/resist temptation group. Now, what’s fascinating is that years later the kids, now adults, from the resist temptation group grew up to be more socially competent, more decisive, have a higher level of self-esteem, had less anger management problems, had a lower rate of delinquency and a lower divorce rate than the grab-it-now group.
So what does this experiment say about the ability to resist temptation in terms of just social consequences?
Here is the 100,000 dollar question: “What is your marshmallow?” Where are you vulnerable to temptation?
What’s really at stake in giving in to temptation is your soul. The core meaning of the Greek word for temptation or testing is this: “To allow oneself to be torn away from God.” Giving in to temptation is allowing the evil one to tear us away from the God who loves us. How can this process happen?
Now, think about it. The tempter is not stupid. He’s been around for thousands of years perfecting temptation. He’s not going to say to us, “Choose to separate yourself from God.” He’s not going to try to tempt you with something that is obviously destructive or repugnant. The most dangerous temptation we face is probably not the most dramatic one, but it’s the one most likely to subtly lure you away from intimacy with God. Go back to 1 Corinthians 10:6-10. What are the four temptations St. Paul warns us about? Notice that grumbling is just as dangerous as adulatory and idolatry! What does this say about “little” temptations?
Second: God is F______________, He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can B___________.
The second sentence in 1 Corinthians 10:13 assures us that God knows just how much you can bear and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond that. Look at that sentence again, is this a promise or a maybe? What does this mean?
This statement is often misused by Christians when temptation is confused with suffering, e.g. “God won’t let you suffer more than you can bear.” Not true, people suffer to the point of death all over the world. This is about temptation and God knows how much you can bear. God knows. He will not let the evil one go beyond that point. So, if you are being tempted, what does that imply about your ability to bear (overcome) it? Think about this, there is no temptation that we will face that is not filtered though the Father’s eyes.
Now, here is a sobering implication of all this. We can never rationalize giving in to sin by saying, “I couldn’t help myself. I just couldn’t resist. I’m too weak.” God doesn’t leave this excuse open to us. Check out James 4:7. What is the key to resisting the devil? What happens when we do?
Third: When tempted God will P___________ a way O_____.
The third sentence in 1 Corinthians 10:13 assures us that we are not trapped, there will always be a way out. What is God’s role in this? What is our role in this?
Three Actions We Can Take To Find A Way Out
1) Arrange your life around JOY!
ó The greatest emotional reassurance against temptation is joy. Nehemiah 8:10 says, “The joy of the Lord is our strength.” What does it mean that joy is our strength?
ó React to this Dan theory: “Failure to attain a deeply satisfying life always has the effect of making sinful actions seem good.”
ó Where there is no joy, the tempter will certainly offer the illusion of joy – but it will have a price. But when there is authentic joy the illusions are just not appealing anymore. What are some of the illusions of joy the tempter offers?
ó So, what do you need to do to increase the authentic joy factor in your life?
2) Develop relationships of accountability.
ó Temptation always involves hidden ness and darkness. If we think we can handle sin and temptation on our own, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us! Remember, we have an enemy who is stronger and smarter that we are, we need each other! In 12 step programs they have sponsors to help them with their addictions. Who is your sponsor in you fight with temptation? In other words, do you have someone you can go to and say, “This is my marshmallow, will you help me stand up under it?”
Ø If you are unable to name a person, I challenge you to this week, pray about it and ask someone to be your partner in this vital area of your life.
Ø If you have someone, take the time this week to thank that person for their presence in your life.
3) Immerse your mind, your life and your heart in Scripture.
ó The best way to not eat a marshmallow is not by trying really hard not to eat it. No, the best way, is to make sure you are eating better stuff on a regular basis. See, we are going to eat, so if we don’t eat the good stuff, we’ll end up eating the bad. Make sense?
ó Think about Jesus being tempted by the evil one in the wilderness. After all three temptations what were the first words out of our Lord’s mouth? “It is written . . .” Jesus’ mind was so washed in the Word, He lived in its reality so thoroughly, that He saw right through the deception. To paraphrase, He said, “Why would I choose that?!!” Are you so immersed in the Word that you can see through the evil one’s schemes?
ó So, here’s a tool to use in fighting temptation: Identify your marshmallow and then spend some time digging into God’s Word about it. I guarantee you will find at least 20 passages of Scripture that specifically deal with your struggle. “God will provide a way out.”
In conclusion think on this bedtime prayer:
Now I lay me, down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
Our days begin with trouble here,
And cruel death is always near,
What a comforting bedtime prayer for our children! However, for we adults, it reminds us that our life is but a span and during this time we find ourselves in a spiritual battle with the evil one. We know that our enemy is strong but we know that Jesus is stronger. So we pray for the protection of our soul. We pray we may avoid the destruction and death of temptation. We pray, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from t
