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Pray Against Temptation
Andrea Lende • June 12, 2021
Luke 4:6-8
Pray Against Temptation
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Pray-Against-Temptation-e12kkoc
Luke 4:6-8
“And he said to Him, To You I will give all this power and authority and their glory, for it has been turned over to me, and I give it to whomever I will.”
“Therefore, if You will do homage to and worship me [just once], it shall all be Yours.”
“And Jesus replied to him, Get behind Me, Satan! It is written, You shall do homage to and worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.”
Jesus was tempted by the enemy several times while He was in the desert.
The enemy tempted Jesus with power, authority, and glory.
Satan told Him he had been given all power in the world and he could give it to whomever he chose.
Jesus just had to worship him.
Just once, the enemy said.
If Jesus would worship him just once, then the enemy would give him the power on this earth.
Of course, Jesus was not tempted.
He said, “Get behind Me, Satan!”
He said He would only worship God.
As I read this scripture, I took notice of the enemy’s lie.
The ‘just once’ lie.
Jesus knew it was a lie, but do we?
Do we know that when we bow down to the enemy’s lie just once, he will try and steal us away from the Lord?
There is no doubt that He will tempt us often.
The Word says he left Jesus until a more opportune time.
Knowing the enemy will be coming to tempt us gives us valuable information.
We can prepare.
We can prepare as Jesus taught His disciples.
In Luke 22:40 Jesus said, “Pray that you may not [at all] enter into temptation.”
Just a few verses later He said the same thing, “Why do you sleep? Get up and pray that you may enter [at all] into temptation.”
And in Matthew 6:13 Jesus taught us to pray saying, “Lead (bring) us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.”
Today I choose to pray against all temptation and believe the Lord will deliver me from all evil.
May you find the Lord will keep you from temptation as well.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing me how to avert the enemy’s advances. Thank You for showing me yet another one of his lies. Thank You for showing me how to pray against temptation, Lord. Keep me from the enemy and his quest to take me from You. Keep me Yours, Lord. Keep me Yours. May You put wisdom in my heart and mind, so I can be led by You. Set a lamp unto my feet and guide me to You and Your perfect plan. Strengthen my faith and belief in You, Lord. Keep my eyes on You until I worship You in eternity. Thank You for making a way for me to be Yours forever. Thank You for choosing me to be Yours. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM the Great I AM, you are Mine, and no one can snatch you out of My hand.
Response: Undeservedly Yours, Lord, thank You.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.