Page 93 - The Prophetic Word Newsletter Archive 2009

“…DO NOT SIN…NOR GIVE PLACE TO THE DEVIL.”
Eph. 4:26-27

T1ETTMTEhMHeTPssHETP3EET:5RER “…LEST SATAN SHOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF US, AAD1DVYPOVEYeRtOEU. S5RUR:A8SRARYRY
FOR WE ARE NOT IGNORANT OF HIS DEVICES.”
1 Thess 3:5 2 Cor. 2:11 1 Pet. 5:8

“LEAD US NOT The point needful to grasp is that the devil is going to
INTO TEMPTATION…” be in your life one way or the other. We are to shut

him down in our lives when it comes to his ability to

temp us to sin. However, seek to draw near to God

and he will be in your face as your Adversary. “ AND DELIVER US

And so we must pray: FROM THE EVIL ONE.”

Perhaps you think it strange that we are to pray to God, “lead us not into temptation” when it is the devil
who is the Tempter. Temptation is only effective when there are desires in our heart that would make
Satan’s temptation effective. James reminds us:

“LET NO ONE SAY WHEN HE IS TEMPTED,’I AM TEMPTED BY GOD’, FOR GOD CANNOT BE TEMPTED BY
EVIL, NOT DOES HE HIMSELF TEMPT ANYONE. BUT EACH ONE IS TEMPTED WHEN HE IS DRAWN AWAY BY

HIS OWN DESIRES AND ENTICED. THEN, WHEN DESIRE HAS CONCEIVED, IT GIVES BIRTH TO SIN…”
James 1:13-15

The Tempter is only effective where we have pockets of enticing desires still abiding in our heart. What
Jesus means by telling us to pray, “lead us not into temptation”, is best understood as, “Lord, let there
not be in me anything that would allow the devil to draw me astray.” God does not CAUSE temptation
but he certainly will ALLOW temptation to confront un-yielded areas of the flesh nature that still abide in
our heart. Temptation is Satan’s invitation to sin. James reveals that it becomes sin when we are
“drawn away by (one’s) own desires and enticed.” The act of temptation can also prove that we love
God, and for this reason God will allow temptation in the life of any believer:

BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO ENDURES TEMPTATION; FOR WHEN HE HAS BEEN PROVED,
HE WILL RECEIVE THE CROWN OF LIFE WHICH THE LORD HAS PROMISED TO THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”

James 1:12

Perhaps you are thinking that I am spending too much time on the subject of temptation. This
emphasis is because temptation is the main area in which Satan seeks to entrap the people of God.
If he can keep us in bondage to our flesh nature through his role as the Tempter, then there is little
need for him to function in the role of our Adversary. Failing repeatedly the test of temptation will keep
a believer from drawing near to God.

Think about Jesus’ interaction with Satan. The first opportunity Satan had at Jesus was in the
wilderness in which, as “the Tempter” (Matt. 4:3) he tempted Jesus forty days and forty nights seeking to
cause Him to sin. The Scriptures record that Jesus was “…in all points tempted as we are, yet without
sin” (Heb. 4:15).

Jesus’ “…THE PRINCE, (EVIL GENIUS, RULER)
victory OF THE WORLD IS COMING.
over
temptation AND HE HAS NO CLAIM ON ME. …
is because HE HAS NOTHING IN COMMON WITH ME;
of this truth:
THERE IS NOTHING IN ME
THAT BELONGS TO HIM,

…HE HAS NO POWER OVER ME”
John 14:30 Amplified

As long as God’s people have things within their heart that is in common with Satan, he will have claim
on them and he will have power over them. As long as there are things abiding in the believer’s heart
that do belong to Satan, there will be the basis for common ground to exist between Satan and
God’s people. Temptation reveals the areas in which we must gird up the walls of our soul so that our
confession can be the same as our master as stated above. Therefore we must pray to God
continually, “…and lead us not into temptation.”