When You Pray
“And when you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites or keep babbling like the pagans, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed is your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts ( trespasses ), as we forgive our debtors ( trespassers ). And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever. Amen.” ( Matthew 6:5-15 ) .. The “Lord’s Prayer” or “the model prayer”, as it’s called…I fear it’s lost its power since Jesus wrote and quoted it so many years ago. Sure, we still hear Rudy and his teammates reciting it before the game ( on tv )…and some ballteams still recite it before or after a game…but dont you feel it’s more out of habit…like a ritual, than an actual plea for God to hear our hearts desire ? You know…like the, “God is great, God is good, let us thank him for our food” prayer, before meals ? Words without substance … words rehearsed and recited, but not felt…repetitious…not life-changing. Don’t get mad…just think about it for a minute. Let’s take one little part of the prayer … “ And lead us not into temptation”. Why would Jesus feel this was important enough to mention ? Didn’t he die so we could be free from sin ? Didn’t he rise from the grave to live again, as proof that the grave aint the “end” of life as we imagine it ? Didn’t he tell us that the kingdom of heaven is reserved for the pure of heart ,” …for they will see GOD” ( Matthew 5:8 ) ? Didn’t James tell us that God cannot be tempted with evil and he does not tempt anyone ( James 1:13 ) ? Then why in the world would Jesus say, “ And lead us not into temptation” ? Because he knows how weak we humans can be ! Maybe you don’t have a problem with alcohol, opioids or porn…maybe you don’t let that second slice of pizza or dessert entice you to overindulge…maybe your eyes don’t pursue what others have to the point you dig yourself deeper in debt…maybe your patience is perfected and you see traffic congestion as just more time to listen to your podcast or to finish puttin on your makeup. But, you have the propensity to sin, even AFTER you’ve surrendered by faith to Jesus Christ. Being saved…becoming a child of God…name recorded in the Lambsbook of Life, does not make you automatically sin-free or exempt from temptation. We’re still susceptible to it and you can bet your bottom dollar that Satan won’t stop trying to get you to sin. He’s actually looking for opportunities to slip in when you least expect him…get a foothold in the areas of your life that pose the best chance of causing chaos…and placing people in your path that will do your character the most damage, if they can. He’s crafty…he’s a liar…he’s the author and perfector of deception…and he’s willing to go to great lengths to bring you down. God ain’t gonna tempt us…and he’s ready and willing to lead us away from temptations IF we’re really wanting him to. He’s already told us that there ain’t a temptation out there that ain’t been heard of and given in to before ( 1 Corinthians 10:13 )…and He’s still able to lead us away from and around em, if we’re wanting him to. Giving “in to” temptations just get us deeper into trouble. They cause heartaches in our homes and prevent us from casting the light of Christ that’s within us. Nobody listens to someone that sins just as good as they do. If there’s still a tendency to sin, without a repentant heart, it stands a good chance there was never any “surrender”. And if there was no surrender, there was no salvation…and hell is still the final destination for the souls separated from God because of unrepentance. If this is you, aintcha tired ? Now’s the time to set things right. Today is the day of salvation ! ( 2 Corinthians 6:2 ) There’s no time like the present ! God’s ready to forgive you your debt and forgive your sins … all he’s waiting for is for you to ask. If you’ve already secured your name on His list, do whatever you need to, to walk worthy of your calling. Abide in Christ and walk in the Spirit … and pray…” lead me not into temptation and deliver me from the evil one”. I guarantee you He’ll do it !