Monday, November 3, 2025
And do not bring us into temptation… Matthew 6:13
The Lord’s prayer is a model Jesus gave us to help us pray in the right way – a way that will help us live and look more and more like him every day. In the sermon series on the Lord’s Prayer, titled “Pray Like This,” yesterday we looked at Matthew 6:13, And do not bring us into temptation.
When we become Christians, the urge to sin does not magically disappear. We still have to fight our sin nature for the rest of our mortal lives. God gives us free choice every day in everything we say and do. The deeper our relationship grows with him, the greater the probability we will make choices that glorify him in our lives.
Trials and temptations are a part of life here on earth. Jesus promised us in John 16:33 - I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” As believers we can find great peace in this verse and know that anything we experience on this earth- he has already conquered! We can lean into him and trust him for peace and protection when we find ourselves in the middle of trials. We can pray for strength to react to trials or temptations in ways that glorify him.
Temptations come our way and entice us to sin. Satan is crafty and he knows what our weaknesses are. He loves to see us take our eyes off of Jesus and stumble into sin. The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 5:8 - Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. He looks for us in our weak moments. He can whisper lies into our ears like “Just this once it will be okay…”, or “You can have one drink…”, or “It won’t hurt anything to watch just this once…”. If we are vulnerable or not being “sober-minded”, we can get caught off guard, making it easier for us to give in to temptation. This verse is a warning for us to be aware and to not put ourselves into situations where we will be tempted.
Trials are times in our lives where we might be more vulnerable due to the season. The temptations we have inside that we fight can become a vice we turn to during a trial if we are not vigilant. Turning to a temptation to make ourselves feel better during a difficult season is an example of how we turn to other things to find comfort and satisfaction that we should be only getting from God. We might give ourselves a pass - telling ourselves it is okay because we are going through a difficult time, and we need to feel better. In the end we just feel worse than when we started. Idols fall in the midst of suffering, but God meets us where we are, mess and all, and walks us through to the other side.
What is a proper understanding of how to pray for God’s protection in the mist of trials and temptations?
Abiding in Christ, remaining in him can help us overcome the temptations that come our way. As we abide in him, we make choices that glorify him in all we do and say. As we remain in him, we are saturated with his words and commands that inform our every move. We can call out to him to protect us when tempted and keep us from giving in to temptation. Only through his strength are we able to resist. Abiding in him brings strength, joy and peace in any circumstance.
The most important part of any prayer we pray to God is to submit to God. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us 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. We can submit to him in our weakness and he will not only give us the strength to overcome, but also a way of escape that we may be able to endure it. God promised us to be with us, and he is bigger than our pain, loss, temptations and suffering.
Are you abiding in him?
Are you remaining in him day by day, hour by hour, and minute by minute?
