#DAY8 #WHM #SELF-CONTROL #PERSONALDEVOTIONAL
"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]"
Matthew 6:13 NASB1995
When Jesus was teaching His disciples to pray He uttered this last line. "Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil." The idea, as grammarians express it, (according to Robertson's Word Pictures) is the "permissive imperative" blah blah blah.🙂 What does that mean? It means the idea expressed in Jesus' words is, "Do not allow us to be led into temptation." How might God do that? Through self-control.
Christians should pray for self-control. Just like we pray for patience or faith or love. Christians can and should pray for self-control. How can God deliver us from evil? One way would be to help us with self-control. Jesus, the one who instructs us in this prayer, had complete self-control and also had an amazing connected prayer life to the Father. When we find ourselves lacking in self-control it is a legitimate question to ask ourselves if we are praying enough. Are we praying with zeal and integrity?
In Luke 18:1-8, Jesus tells the Parable of the Persistent Widow. She approaches the unrighteous judge continually on her behalf until he gives in. Jesus tells us that if an unrighteous man would answer the widow's request then how much more so a righteous God? Let us not pray for self-control casually or flippantly, but may it be with integrity and zeal.
Jesus, at the end of his life on this Earth, taught the Apostles to pray to guard against temptation. "Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”Mark 14:38 NASB1995 The flesh is weak, and although our spirit is desirous to have self-control, without God; how difficult is that? How much more successful can we be in guarding against sin with self-control when we appeal to our Creator? This was Jesus's teaching in both word and deed which is the example for us as disciples.
We know this truth, "Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone." James 1:13 NASB1995 The temptation we have is our own, but the ability and power to overcome it is best supplied by God. The more we humbly recognize our dependence upon the Lord and appeal to His grace and power to help us overcome through self-control, the better off we will find ourselves in life and in our standing before Him.
Now herein lies a problem: The more righteous we are the more effective our prayer is in helping us to live righteously. James 5:16, "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." However, 1 Peter 3:12 shows us it's much more difficult for the unrighteous to be effective in prayer. That means we might need to go to others to pray on our behalf. This is part of James 5:16 “pray for one another”. We might need the assistance of our fellow brethren to go to our God to help us begin to have self-control and live godly and righteously in this present age.
The more you exhibit self-control and resist temptation, the more righteous you will be, the more you will pray for self-control and your prayer will be heard, and you will exhibit more self-control to resist temptation. Be persistent in that prayerful request with zeal. Appeal to other righteous brethren to pray on your behalf and strengthen your resolve. Have a prayerful perspective each day when it comes to self-control and find out just how helpful the power of God is in your life in delivering you from evil!
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