January 13 Revival

Luke 11:4b “And lead us not into temptation.”
 
I confess. For many years I had thought this fifth petition of the Lord’s teaching on prayer to be a bit odd. “Why,” I wondered, “would we have to pray that God will not lead us to be tempted? Surely, he doesn’t let sin get close to us, does he?” Apparently, I had much to learn of God and his Word. Scripture is very clear I was mistaken. Since Genesis 3, sin has consistently intruded into our lives, confronting and tempting us away from God and toward spiritual death. Peter’s words, too, are an unmistakable warning against sin’s threat: 1 Peter 5:8-9 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
   Does this cause you to shudder? It should. Such words must turn your warning systems to full alert. A deadly terrorist is at war with your soul! Evil pursues you with various methods. It may be to pursue pleasure to distrust God’s commands or through persecution to doubt God’s love. 
   Jesus knows we all will walk into temptation’s dangers. He watched mankind’s soul die in the Garden of Eden. He witnessed sin’s separating jealousies influence Jacob’s family. He shuddered to watch Israel’s idolatrous child sacrifice. Then the incarnate God experienced temptation face-to-face in the desert (Luke 4). Jesus, the man, fully knew temptation’s physical and emotional distress. The loving Son of God, rabbi, teacher and friend, wants to save us from sin’s strife, anxiety, pain and emotional agony. His purpose is to keep us from sin’s death.
   Thus, he tells us to pray, “Do not lead me to temptation, Spirit. Keep me safe where you are. When sin stands before me, turn my eyes to Jesus’ sacrificial love. Protect me in Jesus’ blood in the power of the cross.”
   Pray this type of prayer. Be alert. Be reminded of the temptation in your daily life. Faithfully turn your eyes from the many immoral images assaulting you each day. Close your ears to the atrocious language that minimizes and criticizes others. Keep away from the places where you might say, “No.” to God’s Word.
   Prayer is the key to ignite change in our lives and in the Kingdom of God. Tomorrow I’ll share evidence of prayaer’s power to revive people, churches and nations into a loving life with   
 
Prayer: My Father in Heaven, I pray you keep your name holy and incorruptible. Your kingdom come, so your will is fully accomplished in my life, in my family, in my neighborhood, in my church, in my city and in my state. Bring Heaven to earth, Lord, so we live in your great wonder and love. Keep me from temptation and sin. Forgive my sin. May my heart always forgive others. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.