Matt 6:9-13
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.   -KJV

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-“Lead Us Not into Temptation, But Deliver Us From Evil”

–Matt. 6:13:

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

Greek Text:

καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ.   (kai mē eisenenkēs hēmas eis peirasmon alla rhysai hēmas apo tou ponērou)

And not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil.

I have heard preachers declare that the Lord never leads any Christian into temptation. The current Pope even wants to change the prayer. But Matthew 4:1 is still in the bible and part of the New Testament:

-Matt. 4:1:

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. –ESV

When Jesus was in the wilderness—Satan quoted scripture and tried to get him to act on his own initiative—many times he tempts us to do the same. Doing our own thing dethrones God—Kingdom of God is the rule of God—Seek first His Kingdom and a relationship with the Lord in everything you do.

Here are a few NT scripture about us being ‘tested’ and tempted:

-1 Peter 1:6-7:

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold – though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. –NLT

-James 1:12:

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. -NIV

-1 Peter 4:12-13:

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. –ESV

-1 Peter 4:14 & 16b:

 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. -NIV

-1 Corinthians 10:13:

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 also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. –ESV

Who really leads us into temptation? Sadly most of the time we lead ourselves into temptation. Here’s one of my favorite quotes on this issue from –John Paul Jackson:

“How we live opens or closes the door for Satan to legally afflict us..”

If we tolerate sin in our lives we open the door—sometimes by our very actions and attitudes we allow the devil and his guys to get at us.

Sometimes it is what was in the previous verse in the Lord’s Prayer:  We forget to ask for forgiveness and help from the Lord to change our lives. Also we continue to hold on to unforgiveness and anger towards others that have mistreated us and forget to forgive. This gives place the Devil and his cohorts in our lives. He is able to accuse us in those areas we have not submitted to the Lord for forgiveness. Also unforgiveness gives the enemy a legal place to continue to bother us and even can block us from receiving healing.

Fact is, every day we are either walking in the Kingdom of God or by default in the dominion of Satan. It happens by our intension or inattention. If by intention we bring the Lord with us where ever we go then it is really hard for the Devil to get to us. If we live by the teaching and commandments of Jesus we shut the door on temptation.

But we live in a fallen world and we are subject to a culture which condones a whole lot of things which are contrary to the scriptures and teaching of Jesus.

Sometimes just watching TV can be hazardous to our spiritual health and our very thinking.

Over and over again sex outside of marriage is condoned and presented as natural. More and more TV shows are now promoting same-sex relationships as normal and those who do not accept that lifestyle are characterized as being intolerant ‘haters.’ Even great family stations like Hallmark are beginning to go down that road.

In the 50’s and 60’s when I was growing up married couples weren’t even shown in bed together now we see far more than we should and sometimes it is hard to get those visuals out of our minds. Have you ever been blind-sided by nudity?

Then there is pornography. That is clearly in the dominion of Satan and will open the door to places and thinking that Christians have no business going down. I was shocked a couple of years ago when one poll showed that over 50% of evangelical Christian men viewed prono sites occasionally and even more shocking–  40 % of pastors.

Nearly every minister that I know about that fell into sexual sin in the last few years freely admit that it all began with pornography—a supposed secret sin.

If you don’t want to be messed with by the devil—close the door. Don’t click on that link and change the channel. The enemy and his cohorts weasel their way into our lives in the space between us and God and his ways It is time to close the doors.

Sometimes the enemy sends other people our way that influence us to be involved in stuff we shouldn’t be; or come against us to bring us down. But it is not those folks that are our real enemies—it is the Devil and his cohorts:

–Ephesians 6:12:

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. –ESV

We need to love and forgive people that come against us regardless.

Sometimes the enemy even uses folks in our own family to get to us.—put the blame where it really needs to be—always bless and never curse and try not to get angry or say things you can’t take back. That is exactly what the enemy wants you to do.

Remember to pray for them instead.

Besides addressing sin in our lives and forgiving others, another way we can shut the door on our evil enemy is to put on the full Armor of God:

-Ephesians 6:10-18:

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. –NIV

I have heard many good Christians counsel that their life changed for the better when by intention they prayed and asked the Lord to help them put on each piece of armor on Daily. Better yet, continue to pray throughout the day. If we remember to take the Lord with us in include him in everything we do all day long, it makes it very hard for the enemy to get to us and tempt us.

Read the Word –the Bible daily and the Holy Spirit will be able to provide us with the very scripture we will need when the enemy comes calling and does try to tempt us. That is exactly what Jesus did when he was tempted by the Devil in the wilderness. He quoted scripture to defeat the devil and we should do the same.

Next lesson #10: -10. Victory in ‘Living’ The Lord’s Prayer: “For Thine is The Kingdom…”