Temptation.
Temptation
is making a choice, it is having things to choose between. You can't be tempted
without having at least two things, if not more to choose from. Temptation is
an offer. Temptation is an opportunity. We are tempted- offered an opportunity
to either do the thing we know is contrary to God's will, or do God's will.
Daily temptations will make themselves available to us, we can't escape them.
These words - 'lead us not into temptation' are very familiar words from the
prayer of Jesus as He instructed the apostles on the form of prayer.
Being led
by God we do not want to be caught up in temptations to be led astray. We want
to be delivered from evil, not caught up in it. We need God to lead us away
from anything that would cause us to despair of His love, of His grace.
So why
then does it seem as if we are lead into temptation daily, hourly, minutely? Is
God leading us towards these temptations? We are to pray NOT to be led towards
temptations yet find ourselves led there, why? What is happening for this to
occur?
Jesus
prayed this-
Mar
14:35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed
that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
Mar
14:36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take
away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.
Jesus
wanted His trial to be taken from Him, He did not want to go through what was
to come- the horror he knew waiting for Him. He told His Father that ALL things
are possible with Him, meaning, it was possible for His Father to prevent what
was to come upon Him- the extreme mental, physical, emotional torture. All of
it could be avoided if the Father wanted to take the horror away from Him.
Jesus KNEW he needn't suffer, yet to fulfil the plan of salvation He submitted
to the will of His Father. There was a REASON for His Father allowing the
trial, the pain, the agony, and that reason was worth whatever was to come.
Jesus trusted the Father, even as the cup remained in His hand to drink from
and was not taken from Him.
When we
pray not to be led into temptation we are praying that we are able to endure
whatever will come our way and that we will prevail through God. Lead us not
into temptation but deliver us from evil. We don't want to be tempted to stray
from God, we want to be delivered from all evil in our lives. And we NEED the
FATHER to do this for us, we recognize that we are powerless in the face of our
adversary and all his evil ways. The Father is NOT powerless and we run to Him
for constant deliverance- trusting that whatever we are called to go through
that it is ultimately for our good. Our
good is learning to depend solely upon God, trusting in Him for all things. Our
good is learning we are saved by Christ, not by ourselves. Our good is learning
to obey the will of God, not our own will. Our good is choosing God over all
else, through the Holy Spirit's power. Our good is recognizing the evil from
the good and NOT calling evil good, or good evil. Our good is taking up the
cross daily comprehending that following our Savior is not going to be having
any cups taken from us, but submitting to the will of God.
1Co
10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:
but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are
able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be
able to bear it.
We are NOT
tempted above that we are able- we are NOT tempted so much that we are forced
to give into the despair Satan wants us to- of ever trusting in God to save us.
The failure lies in believing there is no escape, no Savior. As we struggle
with our temptations- DAILY- for it is a daily prayer Jesus taught to us- we
must believe that the temptation will be overcome if not instantaneously then
eventually through unending perseverance in the belief that there is a way to
escape so we can bear what is taking place in our lives.
A way to
escape. He is the way to escape. He is the choice we must choose. He is the
answer. May HIS WILL BE DONE, not ours.
In any
temptation we face may we ultimately choose God's will over our own.
All
through the love of our LORD GOD THE FATHER, and all through the LORD SAVIOR, JESUS
CHRIST, all through the HOLY SPIRIT now
and forever!
AMEN.
