Follow The Leader

Matthew 6:9-13 “9 Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. 10 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today the food we need, 12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. 13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.”

This is the Word of God for the People of God

Thanks be to God

Have you ever been caught in stand still traffic? Maybe on a vacation…Maybe just trying to get across town....either way it doesn’t change the frustration of it all.

There have been several times in my live where the family and I were caught on a highway completely stopped becuase of an accident or road construction.

Each and every time this has happened I have thought “Man…I wish I would have know about this so I could find a way around all of this.”

Today we have that ability. when you are using apple or google maps on the GPS map in your car there are hazard signs with symbols along the route…Construction, Accident, and even a voice warning for a reported speed trap.

So now we have the very thing that I have always wished for to avoid delays in my travel plans…

The only things I have to do now is to actually pay attention to the information that I receive and act on it.

You See.......It is still possible for me to get stuck in traffic if I do not look at the map and if I decide not to follow its instruction…How do I know this?

Becuase even though I have this information there are some times I have chosen to stay the course not becuase I didn’t believe in what was showing up in front of me....but becuase the way I was going was the only way I knew.

When I get delayed now its not becuase I didn’t know it is becuase I chose to be delayed.

This same principle applies to dealing with temptation. Sooner or latter every single person on the face of the planet will face temptation. Temptation is not a sign of a lack of closeness to God it is just a normal part of living in our current age.

Temptation will come to us all…but we need not give into Temptation.

The Devil does not make you do it He only puts a hazard in your way.

Just like modern maps point out the hazards so we can avoid traffic delays we have something available to us that can give us the resolve to avoid the hazards of temptation.

Knowledge of Scripture Leads to Holy Resolve in the midst of Temptation.

We try to cheat on this becuase understanding scripture is often seen as intimidating for us. it seems too hard to understand and apply the scriptures to our lives.

So instead of wrestling with the Word of God we often we look for books on overcoming temptations…we watch life hack videos…and we look for what we would call practical ways around temptation.

All of these approaches are well intentioned but not one of them is 100% effective.

These combined with an intimate relationship with scripture is essential to winning the war against temptation.

I used the term relationship with scripture because I want to point out the scripture is dynamic and living.

Hebrews 4:12 “12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”

When we choose to grow in our knowlege of scripture we are better equipped to overcome the temptations that will eventually come to us all.

That is why I love this translation of Verse 13 instead of the one we are most familiar with.

Matthew 6:13 “13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.”

Matthew 6:13 NIV 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

The Don’t let us yield to temptation clears up some of the confusing language from the lead us not into temptation.

The Lead us not into temptation language here seems to suggest that Jesus test us or tempts us to prove our love for him. However this is not true.

James 1:12-15 “12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. 13 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. 14 Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.”

James is making a very important point here by telling us that God does not tempt or test us. God does not give us conflict or difficulties to grow us…This is a popular idea. But this simply not true.

Temptations come from the evil one and from our own desires. The power of verse 13 is often overlooked becuase many of us have learned it to recite it and have read the lead us not into temptation part incorrectly.

With this in mind we should read v 13 with a comma after Lead us

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

Lead Us…..Don’t let us Yield to Temptation.

This petition is asking for the leading of the Holy Spirit through Not into temptation that will eventually come to all of us.

You with me?

When Jesus is leading us.....through temptation it will not overcome us. PERIOD

No one is immune from Temptation…the Best example of this is

Luke 4:1-13 Temptation of Jesus

Jesus was tempted by Satan to:

Turn a Stone into bread, Bow down a worship Satan to receive Authority over all the Kingdoms of the World, and Satan took Jesus to a high point and said jump to prove who you are....

Jesus overcame each Temptation not by will power but by applying scripture which lead to a resolve to stay the corse when His human flesh wanted to give in.

Jesus was human in every way we were....This is important becuase it proves that we do not have to sin…we do not have to give into temptation.

An intimate knowledge of scripture is essential to the overcoming of temptation.

There is no shortcut or life hacks for overcoming the destructive forces of our world.

It does not matter how many books are written, or how many videos are made, or how many programs that are developed if You and I are not rooted in the wisdom of God through the Word of God we will not be able to overcome temptation with any regularity.

You may win occasionally but if we are lead by the voice of God (The Word of God) we can regularly defeat the enemy.

People that overcome temptations elevate the importance of learning more about scripture.

Make Small Group a Regular Non negotiable part of your life

This is why we have small groups. Yes…there is a relational aspect of our small groups…Yes that is important but it is more important that we learn how to overcome the enemy in community.

If we are constantly trying to make our worship, and discipleship fit our life instead of making our life fit our worship and discipleship we cannot be surprised if we do not feel like overcomers most of the time.

In C.S. Lewis’s novel the screw-tape letters in which we get to eavesdrop on conversations between demons talking about how to successfully get humankind to give into temptation the following is said:

….like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts,

If we do not elevate the importance of Small Groups we unintentionally elevate the importance of worldly pursuits which leads to giving into temptation.

This does not happen overnight it happens when before we know it we have allowed so much other activity into our lives that we have un-intentionally schedule out time around those things instead of intentionally scheduling our live around the sacred.

This is more than just coming to Church, it is also about learning scripture in a more intense communal way.

Triumph over Temptations depends on who and what is leading you through it.

Who and/or What is leading you through your trials?

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