Lead and Deliver

Happy Sunday! Did you ever have a friend that you had to get rid of because they were a bad influence? They were always in trouble, and you knew that if you're with them, they would lead you down the wrong path. I had a friend once who would say to young people, "Show me your friends, and I will show you your future." That can be true. We can all be led astray if we do not protect ourselves.

As we continue in our study of the Lord's Prayer, we are now at the part "and lead us not into temptation, but Deliver Us from Evil." When we allow God to lead us, when we pray for God to deliver us, we are much like the shepherd David. You know his words from the 23rd psalm. I won't give all of them, but a few. David said, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in Green Pastures; he leads me beside the Still Waters."

We all need leading. We need leading away from evil. Avoiding the wrong path should be one of the primary concerns of our Christian lives. Now, temptation is not a sin; yielding to it is the sin. We're all tempted. Jesus was tempted, as you know. He did not yield to the temptation.

Listen to what James says about Temptation in verses 12 to 16 of chapter 1: "Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. No one, when tempted, should say, 'I'm being tempted by God,' for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. But one is tempted by one owned by one's own desires, being lured and enticed by it. Then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death. Do not be deceived to my beloved."

Temptation can lead to horrible consequences. Temptation is also everywhere. That's why we need to pray. Do you pray before you travel? When we get into a car for a trip, we always pray. That's the idea here. Before starting your day, before you do anything, pray.

Why? First Peter 5:8 warns us. It says, "Discipline yourselves; keep alert. Like a roaring lion, your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour." Scripture warns us against the danger of yielding to temptation. It also encourages us. Second Thessalonians 3:3 says, "But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one."

First Corinthians 10:13 puts it this way: "The Temptations in your life are no different from what others experience, and God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure."

I began with psalm 23. Sometimes we don't want to be led. Sometimes we're bad sheep. The prophet Isaiah spoke of this in Isaiah 53:6 when he said, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we've all turned to our own way." Matthew 9:36 gives us a glimpse of how Jesus saw people. Matthew tells us, "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, just like sheep without a shepherd."

When we don't follow God's leading, we go places that we never should go. The good news today is that God is in the delivery business. He wants to Deliver Us from these difficulties, these Temptations. I want to share something with you today that has helped me over the years. When I am tempted, I respond in this way in my mind, four powerful words: don't let him in. Don't let him in.

Let me explain. I know that the Temptation is from the Devil, and I know none of us are immune. I know that I can be weak, and I also know that I can resist. This is how I resist: I tell myself, don't let him in. You get the picture?

Let me show you from how this works, or how it could have. We'll go to Genesis 3, verses 1 to 5, the original story of sin: "The serpent was the shrewdest of all of the animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, 'Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any tree that's in the garden?' 'Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,' the woman replied. 'It's only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we're not allowed to eat. God said, "You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die."' 'You won't die,' the serpent said to the woman. 'God knows that your eyes will be opened, and as soon as you eat it, and you'll be like God, knowing both Good and Evil.'"

Adam and Eve let the devil in. They had a choice, and they blew it, and the consequences of their yieldy to Temptation have caused chaos for this world. They let him in. We need to pray for God to protect us for Temptation and to Deliver Us from Evil. I encourage you to pray daily for God's protection. If you're not in the habit of asking God to lead you, I promise it will change your life. He's the best guide ever.

Pray with me. God, this is seen and listened to by people all over, and I thank you for each one of them. And all struggles are different; all Temptations are perhaps unique to the individual, but others go through it. I pray that they would seek your leadership and your guidance and your deliverance, and that we would do that every day. Thank you for being so good to us. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. God bless.