“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil …” Matthew 6: 13

James 1:13 clearly states “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.”  We are naturally vulnerable to temptation through what John called the lust of the eye, the flesh, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16).  Satan, the soon to be dethroned prince of the world, uses the thorns of fear, pleasure, and ambition to tempt us.  He is like the wizard behind the curtain using all the modern tools of technology to bring temptation right into our homes, and not just to us, but to our children.

I Corinthians 10:13 assures us that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can endure and that He will make a way of escape from the traps that have been set for us. But Jesus tells us to ask God daily to protect us from being led to temptation. For years I prayed that I would never be tempted to have feelings for any man other than my husband.  And God protected our marriage.

This morning God led me to read chapters 5 and 6 of the book of Nehemiah.  Nehemiah had returned to Jerusalem to help God’s people rebuild the city walls. The enemies of the Jews did not want them to take back their city and lands. There were many plots and threats against Nehemiah and the people doing the work.  Among the Jewish leaders there were those who were fraternizing with the enemy, leaking information, exploiting the poor families that were doing the building, and even proclaiming false prophecies. Sounds a lot like today, doesn’t it?  Nehemiah asked God to reveal the enemies’ plans and then he did what was necessary to protect the people and the walls.  And it says that when Sanballat realized that his plans were thwarted, he gave up. James 4:7 puts it this way, “Therefore, submit to God.  Resist the Devil and he will flee from you.”

When my children were little, we prayed together every morning before school and every night before they went to bed. Each prayer ended by putting on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).  They wore costumes for Halloween and All Saints Day, and they knew those verses by heart.  Years later, my son confessed to me that he had never had a bad thought until he stopped putting on the armor. Just recently one of my daughters asked me to text her that prayer.  Matthew 6:13 finishes with “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”  God has the power but as James tells us in 4:2, we do not have if we do not ask.