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In Focus: (Matthew 6:13)

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I know that most of you are never tempted with anything but I am just going to be honest and say that I've been tempted once or twice or a thousand times in my life, ok this year...month?!? WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH THAT! I know what I should do and I truly want to do that which I am supposed to do...yet I still am tempted to procrastinate, to drink one too many sodas (and then I'm tempted to lie about how many sodas is too many :O). Talk about frustrations! The first person to know how tempted I am is me and when I fall into that temptation AAGGH! I just want to please God with my life. I want to make Him happy and yet I continue to do things that make even me mad.

I think Paul said it best when he wrote in Romans 6:18-25

And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power, Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.

Jesus Christ is the is the answer! He delivered us from the sin and the grip it had on our life. Sin is no longer our master telling us what to do. Instead we often volunteer for the job its offering. So here in Matthew He really describes a means of escape and refuge for the believer when He says in Matthew 6:13:

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

This again is another understanding of God's overarching influence and direction in the lives of His followers. The statements are a request in contrast. The first aspect is the person praying asking God to lead them on a road not filled with temptation. Remember this is a prayer for the time at hand...at most for the day. This was not a request that was to have a lasting impact on the rest of the believer's life. Instead it us a petition for protection during this day. It is as simple as saying "Lord I want to please you...I can NOT handle this temptation. Remove me from this so I can remain clean and in your presence."

Deliverance is what we seek from "The Evil One" and OF COURSE we would and should. Scripture defines him (The Evil) one as powerful, cunning and manipulative. From the early psalmist to the writers of the New Testament, we are to run for cover with the Father.

Man this is an awesome (yes Tracy awesome) section of Scripture as we get to this verse.

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2 Responses to "In Focus: (Matthew 6:13)"

  1. Anonymous Says:
  2. Yes, I agree, it IS awesome because it has to do with our AWESOME God! :)
  3. Frontline Student Ministries Says:
  4. AWESOME! I've reduced the number of times I have said that word by almost half now. I almost feel like I'm taking the Lord's name in vain when I say it :-0

    For those who feel like they are coming in the middle of a conversation, you kind of are. Tracy is one of the FSM leaders and she has oft reminded us that a word like awesome really doesn't apply to anything but God. Not that it's blasphemous to use it otherwise but after getting a clear picture of who God is, is anything else even truly close?

    God is AWESOME!