February 25, 2002

DO NOT LEAD US INTO TEMPTATION, Part II

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" (Matthew 6:13, NKJV).

"The prayer, 'Do not lead us into temptation,' is itself a promise. If we commit ourselves to God we have the assurance, He 'will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it' (1 Corinthians 10:13).

"The only safeguard against evil is the indwelling of Christ in the heart through faith in His righteousness. It is because selfishness exists in our hearts that temptation has power over us. But when we behold the great love of God, selfishness appears to us in its hideous and repulsive character, and we desire to have it expelled from the soul. As the Holy Spirit glorifies Christ, our hearts are softened and subdued, the temptation loses its power, and the grace of Christ transforms the character.

"Christ will never abandon the soul for whom He has died. The soul may leave Him and be overwhelmed with temptation, but Christ can never turn from one for whom He has paid the ransom of His own life. Could our spiritual vision be quickened, we should see souls bowed under oppression and burdened with grief, pressed as a cart beneath sheaves and ready to die in discouragement. We should see angels flying swiftly to aid those tempted ones, who are standing as on the brink of a precipice. The angels from heaven force back the hosts of evil that encompass these souls, and guide them to plant their feet on the sure foundation. The battles waging between the two armies are as real as those fought by the armies of this world, and on the issue of the spiritual conflict eternal destinies depend.

"To us, as to Peter, the word is spoken, 'Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not' (Luke 22:31, 32). Thank God, we are not left alone. He who 'so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life' (John 3:16), will not desert us in the battle with the adversary of God and man. 'Behold,' He says, 'I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you' (Luke 10:19).

"Live in contact with the living Christ, and He will hold you firmly by the hand that will never let go. Know and believe the love that God has to us, and you are secure; that love is a fortress impregnable to all the delusions and assaults of Satan. 'The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous run to it and are safe' (Proverbs 18:10).--Thoughts From The Mount Of Blessing, pp., 118, 119.