Matthew 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil.
And lead us not
into temptation, but deliver us from evil. That is a big favor to ask, and if
you pray this prayer then you are asking God please, don’t lead me into
temptation, but if I get there on my own…..deliver me from evil. Sort of like
when you Mom told you not to stick that fork in the outlet, but you did it
anyway…..yeah, Each day we looked to our parents to save us from ourselves, but
hey, Mom, Dad, keep an eye on me, because when I end up doing what you told me
not to do…..will you PLEASE come knock me off the outlet!? Just like our
parents, God would never lead us into temptation, however He will watch us walk
right into it. Temptation is not just what we think of right off the top of our
head. The opposite sex…yes that can be temptation, how about a pile of cash,
and no one is around….sure that is temptation. But what about the failure to
move? That is a temptation of fear, What about difficult people in our lives,
is that not a temptation to slander, and belittle? If we put some thought into
it we find that we walk right into temptations that will draw us away from God
every hour of every day. Often I think that it is the temptation to do nothing
that sometimes is the most damaging. We keep plugging away, doing the same
thing, and we wonder why nothing changes.
When I read 1
Corinthians 10:13 It reminds me of how foolish I can be sometimes….how we
all can be sometimes. “No temptation has overtaken you except what is
common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be temptedbeyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,
he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” A friend
reminded me of this verse last night, and I don’t think she realized just how
much I needed to hear it, and I think at the same time, she needed to be
reminded of it as well. The temptation to continue on a path that has worn out
can prove to be futile. As I was walking in to the office this morning I
flushed out a group of dove that were in a tree. Now this is the third morning
that I have flushed that same group, and every morning, one dove hits the
window on the office…not once, but it regroups and tries to fly through the
window again…. then flies off dazed and flying crooked. Sometimes I think I am
that dove, sometimes I think a lot of us are that dove. We get up, hit the
ground running, and fly into the window…we bounce off, and fly right into it
again. This verse reminds me that we need to quit looking at the window that is
closed, and look for the one that God has opened. We will walk into temptation,
but when we find ourselves there, we don’t have to keep walking, we don’t have
to keep running into the same window over and over again. That door (or window)
is now closed, but that does not mean it is time to stand still, it does not
mean that it is time to give in, it most certainly does not mean it is time to
give up. It means that just like that bird, we need to turn and look to see
there is an entire world of alternatives behind us. You might be tempted, but the
Lord will not force you to stay there, only you can do that. Her has
opened a window, a door, it might just be a crawlspace, but know this, the way
out is there.
Why does the Lord
do that? Why would he only allow us to go so far before giving us a way out? We
find that the answer is once again love. Paul reminds us in Hebrews 2:18 that
“Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help
those who are being tempted.” Like a parent will go out of their way to protect
their child, like a brother will defend his brother with His very last breath,
Christ knows all too well what temptation feels like, and He will give you a
way to deal with it. Christ was tempted by the devil, we all know the story, we
all know how it went down. However do you spend much time thinking of the last
time Christ was tempted? When Jesus hung on the cross, He was tempted in the
most personal way. “if you are the Son of God, then come down off that
cross”….wow! you think Jesus was tempted? Oh man, you know it had to of ran
through His mind…”what, you don’t believe me? Let me hop down off this cross,
and show you a little something something!” OK maybe that is what
I would think….I am sure Christ would have said it a little differently.
But still, He must have been tempted. Yet He did not. HE endured, HE saw the
way that His Father had already prepared, and he found that window that was
already opened for Him. AS a result, HE saved you. He was tempted, yet
resisted. That is what we are called to do. Remember just because we can does
not mean that we should, and just because we think we can’t, does not mean we
should not try. Temptation comes in all shapes and sizes, quit running into the
window, and look around for the way out that God has provided.
God Bless,
Brian Thetford
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About Brian Thetford
I am merely what God has created, a person who is here to help with his plan, a cog in the wheel of life. That is where I find my worth, not in what I do for a living, or what I have accomplished in life, but what I have done that extends the Lord’s plan and expands his will, that being said, this is a little about me.I am a husband to a wonderful wife for the last 17 years. I have two outstanding daughters who help keep my heart soft, and young. For a living I am the Logistics Director for a foodservice company. For my love, I write about and minister on behalf of the Lord. It is here that I find my peace, purpose, and balance. I spend a lot of my free time, writing, reading, studying, or talking about the Lord and his teachings. I am working on starting a church in Leander, TX and if the Lord is willing it will be the beginning of a great journey. The rest of the free time goes to my family. As a result, I do not know what the score was for the latest game, no matter the sport, and I really do not care what Brittany Spears did yesterday. Some call me boring. I like to think of it as focused on what is important, my God, and my family.I believe that the Lord has intertwined all of the above into the perfect life for me, a balance of reality, fun, sorrow, and spiritual awakening. I find that for me, the journey is not about going up the road and trying to find the end; it is more about heading back down and helping others get past the same obstacles that I had to get around. I spent the first thirty years of my life on the run, usually in the wrong direction; I will spend the balance on my journey home, picking up as many as I can that are as lost as I was, doubling back when I hear a cry for help.
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