I was again reminded this week of the importance of prayer. As Christians, it is easy to fall into the temptation of taking God for granted. This leads to letting our guards down and falling to the wiles of Satan. Jesus’ reminder to pray regularly against temptation reminds us just how prevalent and dangerous the appeal of sin can be in the Christian life. Once again the issue of kingdom and kingship is front and center.

In our country, we still are seen as under a monarch. The Queen of England is still seen as our ultimate “authority” albeit for the most part symbolically. But as Jesus tells us, and the “prophet” Bob Dylan, we cannot serve two masters… you “gotta serve somebody. The reality is, sin and temptation are harsh masters.”

When you go back to Genesis 4, we see the story of Cain and his story reminds us that sin doesn’t just want to play a minor role in our life, rather it wants to “rule” over us. Most people in the world are unaware of whom they serve. Many are under the delusion that they are the “masters” of their own destiny. They do not see the choices they are making as being wrong or askew of some higher ideal.

So when we talk about those asking to be delivered from sin and temptation, we recognize it is a cry that emerges only from the heart of a citizen of God’s kingdom. As followers of Jesus, we desire to submit to the rule and reign of God and not the dominion of sin. This petition is one of kingdom warfare, asking that God conquer the powers of sin, Satan, and the demons so that we might live for His heavenly Kingdom.

This petition also reminds us of several other very important points. Firstly, Christians must recognize that temptations are a real and daily threat to communion with God and life with Christ. The most dangerous thing a Christian can ever do is believe that he is somehow immune to temptation. I’ve met many from different faith traditions who have the view that they can achieve this level of “sinless perfection.” They believe they can become so sanctified that sin is no longer an issue that they need worry about when in fact, failing to account for the dangers of temptation reveals a poor misunderstanding of the gospel. In the gospel, we come to recognize both the depravity of our hearts and the freedom of God’s grace in Christ.

If we, at any point, think that we are somehow freed up from fighting temptation, then we have both overestimated our own spiritual state and grossly underestimated our need for God’s grace. Secondly, this petition reminds us that we are not able to resist temptation by our own power. Most people know by experience that our willpower is not quite as strong as we would like to think. Anyone who has ever struggled to keep up with a diet plan knows just how weak-willed we can be. Even as we work to achieve our goals through sheer willpower, we find ourselves incapable of willing more willpower!

Paul speaks about how we handle temptation in 1 Corinthians 10:13. He says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” He recognizes that temptation is universal but even if we find ourselves struggling, God always provides a way out.

When we read the words of Jesus, He too tells us our help is not in ourselves, rather it is found in the strength of another. Jesus does not teach us to pray, “Lord, give me more willpower in the fight against sin.” He teaches us to ask for shepherding and deliverance. “Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil.” These words express a heart of dependence, not self-sufficiency.

In fact, think about the phrase “deliver us.” These are words of desperation and powerlessness, not self-sufficiency. Jesus does not teach us to pray that God might “help a bit” or “give strength.” We do not meet God halfway and trust Him to do the rest. Rather, God does it all! He is the Deliverer; we are the delivered. He is the Savior; we are the saved.

There is a great myth that is rampant in Christendom that Algernon Sidney first coined and Benjamin Franklin reused that say, “God helps those who help themselves.” If you asked Christians, many of them would say these were in the Bible. When in fact, the Bible does not teach that God helps those who help themselves; instead, God helps those who are at the end of themselves.

The Gospel teaches that only by God’s grace can we truly overcome the temptations of the world, the wickedness of our own hearts, and the power of the Devil. It is by grace we have been saved and it is the same grace that keeps us. Thirdly, Christians must pray for endurance in the fight against temptation. Remember, Jesus is giving us a model prayer, which means these are the types of petitions that should characterize our prayer life every day. Christians should pray this petition, as well as for the grace to overcome temptation all the way to the grave.

We are constantly being bombarded with temptation. It comes in many forms from Satan, the media, and other people. But the one constant we have that can protect from giving in is God Himself. When we feel ourselves being led astray, call on Him and He will answer!