Lead Us Out of Temptation

“and lead us not into temptation,” – Matthew 6:13

“God tempts no one to sin, but we ask in this prayer that God would watch over us and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful self may not deceive us and draw us into false belief, despair, and other great and shameful sins. And we pray that even though we are so tempted we may still win the final victory.” – Luther’s Small Catechism

We all face temptation. Here we are praying for help and protection from that temptation. First, however, let’s start by recognizing the source of our temptation. It isn’t God. I’ve heard people say it was God. How can God blame me for this sin when He put XYZ in front of me or when he made me with this desire or that. When we put the blame of temptation on God, we are blaming the wrong person.

“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;” – James 1:13

Temptation is all around us, every day. You can’t turn on the TV, log onto the internet, or walk out the door without seeing or hearing something that leads us into temptation. Your car isn’t as nice as your neighbor’s. The attractive guy or girl jogs by. Did you hear the latest about that celebrity?

Even if we staying locked in our house with no tech, our own sinful nature would come along and lead us astray through our own prideful thoughts. Plus, we wouldn’t be going out and loving our neighbor.

We are tempted by the devil, the world, and our own sinful nature. We can’t escape it, but we can resist and not give in to temptation. Thus, we pray for God to help us when we are tempted. God wants us to pray for His help when we are tempted. He will hear us and He will help.

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” – 1 Corinthians 10:13

Unfortunately, we don’t always follow that way of escape. Sometimes we even intentionally avoid praying when tempted because we want to do the sin. Thankfully, Jesus provides a way out of our sin as well as the temptation. We confess our sins in faith and He will forgive us.

This is why Luther, when writing the Small Catechism, focused on the temptations of false belief and despair. For as long as we have faith, there is forgiveness and grace. So, we especially pray that God will deliver us from any temptation to walk away from that faith. This is a prayer God loves to hear and is happy to act on.

Heavenly Father,

We are surrounded by temptation every day, both from so much around us and from our sinful nature within. Protect us. Lead us out of those temptations. Forgiven us when we fall into temptation. Hold us true in the faith until the day of Your return.

Amen

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Lead Us Out of Temptation

Faith Lutheran Church in Wesley Chapel, FL serving Lutz, Zephyrhills, Land O’ Lakes, and New Tampa, FL