Matthew 6:13

Life is full of temptations. There is nothing that we can do to prevent that. Temptations come knocking at the door of our lives continually, encouraging us to cut corners and make unwise decisions. Perhaps you will be tempted today to eat foods that you know are not good for you, to be economical with the truth in conversation with others or to become angry with an awkward person. Whatever it is, you and I will find ourselves being encouraged to be less than the best.

There is nothing we can do to stop temptations, but there are things that we can do to stand up to them. Martin Luther wisely observed: “I cannot keep birds from flying over my head, but I can keep them from building a nest in my hair.” There are steps we can take – for example, if overeating cakes is a problem then it is helpful not to visit so many cake shops! It is often very easy to find ways of avoiding temptation, simply by ensuring that we don’t put ourselves in the way of it.

The main way of resisting temptation is to seek God’s help and that’s why these words are such an important part of the Lord’s Prayer. When we come to the Lord, we can be confident that he totally understands the reality and pull of temptation. The writer to the Hebrews wrote that Jesus: “understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Because we will often cave in when we are tempted, we only experience a part of the temptation. Jesus never gave in to any part of sin and so he understood the full power and destructiveness of temptation. We can therefore be confident that he stands alongside us in our war with sin, and is able to rescue us from the evil one.

Question

What are the most powerful temptations that you face, and what do you do to try to overcome them?

Prayer

Lord God, thank you that you fully understand the power of temptations and are able to help us to overcome them. Amen