Lead Us Not Into Temptation

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:13

I’m pretty sure that most of us are familiar with this passage, what I’m not so sure about is the fact that we pray this but continue to put ourselves in temptations way. It’s funny once you start coming to the Lord the things he reveals to you about yourself. In so many ways we are still like children who need constant correction and guidance. It’s humbling to know that if we continue to run our own lives without surrendering it to God we are ultimately headed for destruction. Matthew retells us the words of our Lord, "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." We may have every good intention of resisting temptation but when we think that ‘we’ can do it on our own steam we fail. If we are not on constant guard and conscience of the world around us we are vulnerable to the enemy. In Luke 22:46 Jesus told the disciples, "Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation." We don’t want to be caught spiritually asleep, because it alters our perception, our decisions, our morals, our attitude, and our priorities. Being asleep also blocks our vision of God and allows our flesh to overcome us. If we call out to Him He listens. If we reach out to Him, He draws us in. If we trust in Him, He conquers for us! We know that this battle between good and evil is not ours, but we are caught in the middle. “The battle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). Guard yourself with the armor of God trust in Him and He will provide for you a way. Don’t continue to put yourself in temptations door but if you are tempted (and you will be) rely on the Lord to deliver you, this is the promise of our Lord.

“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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 stand up under it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

What do you Treasure?

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

In our daily living, we hardly pay any mind to our mind. Our thoughts tend to be uncontrolled and under no clear submission. I used to think that my mind was my only real sanctuary. To me it was a place where I could think about how I really felt and about what I could or should have done. My mind was full of should of, would of, could of, and if only. I used to dwell on things that I couldn’t change or simply should have let go. The mind is filled with passion, raw, and untamed. Until you learn to bring it under the obedience of Christ you will always be slave to it. My very favorite passage is in Matthew 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” The things we seek after effect our ‘heart’ and how our whole demeanor is perceived. Our earthly treasures will pass away and what we work so hard for is mostly in vein. When we ‘keep our eyes on the prize’ which is Christ, he rewards us with providing us with our needs. What we hold dear here and what we dwell on, is where our heart is. Do we dwell on things of the Lord and store our treasures in heaven instead of earth, or do we still chose to be slave to the ways of the world?

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

There is None Good But One

"There is none good but one, that is God." Matthew 19:17

I have heard this passage many times in my life. I have agreed with the statement and also have quoted it before, but to actually know the meaning is something completely different. I had a dream awhile back. I dreamt that I was in a tall building and I was looking outside among many other people. It was gray outside and seemed like there was a storm about to come in. I saw the clouds across the sky and they were moving quickly, as I focused in on them I realized that it was actually a massive flock of birds. The number of them was substantial and quite scary to say the least. As the crowd of people where all drawn to the windows, one bird spotted us and started to fly towards us. As it approached, its size grew and its features were evil. The bird caught my eye and marked me as its target. I was terrified that I was going to be overcome by this creature. Then without a thought going through my mind, I grabbed the closest person and shielded myself behind him. The bird was distracted and flew away. As I stood trembling with fear I suddenly realized that I had just put someone in front of me to save myself. I had put someone else in harms way and that realization made me feel sick. There is none good but one. When I woke up my first thought was I would never put someone in harms way, but that’s not true. My initial reaction without any thought was to save myself. In daily situations in life we have the chance to ‘think before we react.’ Think!? We can say that we do that all we want but most of the times our actions are reactions without any mind to consequence. In result we upset our spouses, children, friends, co-workers, and yes Christ. There is none good but who? Christ. When we truly accept Him and He dwells within us, He works out our selfish desires. The way to eliminate our initial reaction of selfishness and negative reactions is to dwell on his word day and night, to be in constant fellowship with Him, and to pray always. Then the goodness that radiates from within you will not be your goodness; but the goodness that is in Christ, who dwells in you.