Deliver Us From Evil
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will always provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” –1 Corinthians 10:13
“And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” –Matthew 6:13
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” –James 4:7
It is very important to understand and lean upon the promise of 1 Corinthians 10:13. This passage teaches us that the temptations that come against us each day are “common.” They often feel particularly oppressive to us, but this is not the case. Temptations to anger, jealousy, lust, greed, depression/hopelessness, covetousness, and so on are common to all people. You are not alone in your struggle against sin! We must dwell upon the second part of the verse, that God is faithful! The Lord God knows our struggle and is faithful to hear our prayers and always provides a way that we might choose righteousness. The passage also points out that this is a way of endurance. The process of struggling against the common sin of the world continues on day after day. Sanctification (making progress in the growth of godly character) is an endurance event, but God is faithful!
It’s important to explore and understand the sources of temptation in our lives. There are three basic sources of temptation: the flesh, the world, and the devil. The first is our own corrupt nature. This is what the Bible refers to as “the flesh.” As you will hear in the sermon this week, the corruption of our first parents was passed down to all subsequent people on the earth. Every person is born into a state of moral corruption. We are not born basically good or tending toward good. We are born corrupt and must be trained to do good. This process is only truly possible after a person comes to salvation and the heart is born again unto spiritual life. Even after salvation, when spiritual life has begun in us, it will not be made perfect until heaven. While we live on earth there is still a real struggle in our soul between resident corruption and ever-growing godliness.
Second, temptation comes to us from the world. The world is the sum total of billions of individually sinful and corrupt people living together. The pressure and effect of combined wickedness can feel overwhelming and exert tremendous influence upon us to sin. This is partly where the local community of the church is so important. The local church is a community of people together pressing back against the darkness and corruption of this lost world. Temptation or encouragement toward godliness comes from the company we keep. The world, or bad company, corrupts good character (1 Corinthians 15:33).
Third, real spiritual forces of evil bring temptation and corruption to us. However, these spiritual beings are not all-present or all-powerful. They are influential, but all are subject to the power and purposes of Jesus our Lord. We are clearly directed by Jesus to pray against temptation and to be delivered from evil. This quotation is taken from the Lord’s prayer, a pattern of how our prayers ought to be offered up on a daily basis. The spirit and direction of this prayer are the opposite of seeking evil or placing oneself directly in the way of temptation. We should be actively purging our lives of evil influences and praying for the Lord to guard us from unseen evil influences.
In the end, we are to submit ourselves humbly to the protecting power of the Lord Jesus. He is the Good Shepherd. The Shepherd watches over and protects the sheep. We are the sheep of His pasture. We cannot successfully go our own way in our own strength. We are dependent creatures. Yet, in our humility there is striving. We submit ourselves unto God and resist the devil. We ask for God’s strength and strive to put to death resident evil and to keep untangled from outside evil influences. We keep our eyes on Jesus, casting off the sin that so easily entangles, and run the race of the Christian life (Hebrews 12). By God’s grace, and for His glory, we will make progress and one day fully enter His kingdom.
Lord, deliver us from evil,
Pastor Vic