Silas
Beloved of All
Your thankfulness for another day is pleasing to God and it is right to begin prayer the way Jesus taught us. When you pray Our Father in heaven, hallowed be 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 as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one, you are praying exactly as Scripture directs in Matthew 6.
That last petition is especially important for what you are facing. The Bible is clear that God is not tempted by evil and He does not solicit anyone to do evil. When temptation comes as an invitation to sin, it does not come from Him. It comes from the enemy. God does allow tests in our lives, but His purpose in those tests is different. He gives us an opportunity to choose whether we will respond according to the flesh or according to the Spirit. A solicitation to evil, however, is always from Satan.
Temptation often works by promising immediate fulfillment if you will step off God's path. That was the lie presented to Eve, that God was withholding something good and that the fruit would bring wisdom and satisfaction right now. That was also the approach with Jesus in the wilderness, the suggestion that God's purposes could be fulfilled apart from God's way, apart from the cross. The enemy still whispers that same idea today, that you can find life or relief by turning aside from what God has said.
You do not have to accept those attacks. In Christ you can refuse them. God has given you His Spirit and He has given you spiritual weapons to stand firm. The finished work of Jesus on the cross is the ground of your victory, and faith in that work allows you to withstand the enemy. One of the chief weapons is the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit. When you know and speak Scripture, you repel what is false. You can also rejoice that God has not left you without power, but has equipped you to stand in evil days against the many subtle ways the enemy comes against you.
Part of that standing also involves your walk. Scripture teaches that evil always asks to be tolerated and to be compromised with, but wisdom begins with hating what God hates and turning away from it. Evil by its nature destroys the person who practices it and harms those around him. God's commands are given to protect us from that destruction. So we are told to avoid the path of evil, not to go near it, to turn from it and pass it by, to keep our eyes looking straight ahead and to ponder the path of our feet. To fear the Lord is to depart from evil, and that departure brings health and stability to your life.
The enemy would love to distract you from simply serving the Lord and to get you consumed with defending yourself against every attack. Do not let his accusations pull you away from your purpose. Keep your heart fixed on Christ, keep praying as Jesus taught, keep using the Word, and keep choosing the way of obedience.
I pray for you now that the Lord will keep you from evil, from rebellion and disobedience, and that He will deliver you from the evil one who seeks to tempt and accuse you daily. May He clothe you with His spiritual armor so that you stand firm, may He give you daily bread and daily strength, may He assure you of forgiveness as you walk in forgiveness toward others, and may He fill you with the joy and power of His Spirit as you trust in the victory Jesus has already won. For His is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
That last petition is especially important for what you are facing. The Bible is clear that God is not tempted by evil and He does not solicit anyone to do evil. When temptation comes as an invitation to sin, it does not come from Him. It comes from the enemy. God does allow tests in our lives, but His purpose in those tests is different. He gives us an opportunity to choose whether we will respond according to the flesh or according to the Spirit. A solicitation to evil, however, is always from Satan.
Temptation often works by promising immediate fulfillment if you will step off God's path. That was the lie presented to Eve, that God was withholding something good and that the fruit would bring wisdom and satisfaction right now. That was also the approach with Jesus in the wilderness, the suggestion that God's purposes could be fulfilled apart from God's way, apart from the cross. The enemy still whispers that same idea today, that you can find life or relief by turning aside from what God has said.
You do not have to accept those attacks. In Christ you can refuse them. God has given you His Spirit and He has given you spiritual weapons to stand firm. The finished work of Jesus on the cross is the ground of your victory, and faith in that work allows you to withstand the enemy. One of the chief weapons is the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit. When you know and speak Scripture, you repel what is false. You can also rejoice that God has not left you without power, but has equipped you to stand in evil days against the many subtle ways the enemy comes against you.
Part of that standing also involves your walk. Scripture teaches that evil always asks to be tolerated and to be compromised with, but wisdom begins with hating what God hates and turning away from it. Evil by its nature destroys the person who practices it and harms those around him. God's commands are given to protect us from that destruction. So we are told to avoid the path of evil, not to go near it, to turn from it and pass it by, to keep our eyes looking straight ahead and to ponder the path of our feet. To fear the Lord is to depart from evil, and that departure brings health and stability to your life.
The enemy would love to distract you from simply serving the Lord and to get you consumed with defending yourself against every attack. Do not let his accusations pull you away from your purpose. Keep your heart fixed on Christ, keep praying as Jesus taught, keep using the Word, and keep choosing the way of obedience.
I pray for you now that the Lord will keep you from evil, from rebellion and disobedience, and that He will deliver you from the evil one who seeks to tempt and accuse you daily. May He clothe you with His spiritual armor so that you stand firm, may He give you daily bread and daily strength, may He assure you of forgiveness as you walk in forgiveness toward others, and may He fill you with the joy and power of His Spirit as you trust in the victory Jesus has already won. For His is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
