DELIVER US FROM EVIL
Matt.6:13 – And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
It’s good to remember where we came from when we spend time with the Lord. We were once children of darkness (as Paul said) but we are now children of light. We were once without hope and without God but we have become His sons and daughters. In those dark days of our lives we were trapped by the evil one, held captive by temptations and the promise of pleasure we found indulging in the desires of the flesh. We have been born of the Spirit, forgiven and set free from the bondages of sin. Here is how Matthew Henry describes this prayer.
“This petition begins negatively: not into temptation. Having prayed that the guilt of sin may be removed, we pray, as is right, that we may never return again to foolishness, that we may not be tempted to it. The petition concludes positively: But deliver us from evil, “from the Evil One,” the Devil, the tempter; keep us so that we may not be attacked. Or “from the evil thing,” sin, the worst of evils, the only evil, the evil that God hates and that Satan tempts people to and destroys them by.”
When we pray “deliver us from evil” we are acknowledging the power of God and its supremacy over the power of sin. The greater One lives in us and everyday we draw strength from the Lord so that we do not fall into the traps of sin again. Paul said something quite amazing in Romans 8:13, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Spending time saturating in prayer is exactly how we stay free from the temptation to fall back into our old sinful behavior. This is one of the great functions of praying in the Spirit. Praying for extended times in tongues allows the kingdom to be formed in us so that we are able to live free from the lusts of the flesh. So after we pray “forgive us our sins” we look to the Lord so that we can walk in the power of God never to fall back into those traps of sin again. Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.
2 thoughts on “DELIVER US FROM EVIL”
In this world but not of this world, we are passing through like a child seated in a grocery basket with our parent walking us , us facing Him as He loads our basket. Keep your hands within the frame of the basket and your focus away from what may be on the shelves or near the check out, we only need trust Him to provide all we need.
Awesome word Pastor