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Luke 11:1-4

Sunday Morning Bible Study

February 21, 2016

Introduction

Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid to die? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved? Regular: 2900 words Communion: 2500 words Video=75wpm

Luke was a doctor and a traveling companion of the apostle Paul.

He wrote this book while Paul was in prison.

In writing this book about Jesus, Luke made use of other older documents like the Gospel of Mark, as well as extensive eyewitness accounts.

Jesus’ ministry is well under way, and the people have been amazed not just at the things He’s been teaching, but the things He’s been doing.

Today we’re going to talk about prayer.

11:1-4 Reasons to Pray

:1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

praying – proseuchomai – to offer prayers, to pray. Present participle.

ceased – pauo – to make to cease or desist; to restrain a thing or person from something; to cease, to leave off

teach – didasko – to teach; to hold discourse with others in order to instruct them, deliver didactic discourses; to impart instruction; to explain or expound a thing

:1 teach us to pray

The disciple doesn’t ask, “teach us how to pray”, but “teach us to pray”.

Lesson

Just do it

The section we’re going to look at today is often called “The Lord’s Prayer”

Luke’s account here is different from the fuller text of the Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew 6.

The reason some Bibles omit some lines in our passage has to do with the differences in some of the ancient Greek texts – but that’s not a topic I want to spend too much time in today, except to say that you don’t have to worry about the text of the Lord’s Prayer because the fuller version that you are familiar with is found in Matthew 6, with all the phrases intact.

I believe this passage takes place later than Mat. 6.

Jesus has already taught about prayer, but now after having watched Him over the last year or two actually praying, they now want Him to teach them TO PRAY.

Some of us are better at talking about prayer than actually praying.

We’re going to see SEVEN reasons why we should pray

Illustration

In the movie “War Room”, a young real estate agent is going to list the house of a new client.

Elizabeth and her husband Tony have been having problems in their marriage. When Elizabeth meets Miss Clara, she is encouraged to try a different approach to her marital problems.

Video: War Room – Miss Clara’s Closet

I don’t think you have to pray in a closet, though that may work for some of you.

I prefer to be out walking, with my prayer list on my phone.

My overall challenge for you today is simply to PRAY. We usually think of the following prayer as “how” to pray, but I’d like you to look at it today as “why” we pray.

Much of what we call the “Sermon on the Mount” (Mat. 6) was repeated with some slight alterations in the “Sermon on the Plain” (Luke 6)

And here, the “Lord’s Prayer” is mostly the same as what Jesus taught in Mat. 6, though it’s possible that this shorter form was spoken just the way Luke recorded it because Jesus is speaking at a different time than the moment of the Sermon on the Mount, so He may have actually given a shorter version here.

Be careful about making the “Lord’s Prayer” be something that you just quote by memory, like some sort of lucky charm.

I am bothered when I see people resort to memorized prayers because they don’t really understand prayer.

In the TV series, “The Bible”, they made it seem like the Lord’s Prayer was the one-size-fits-all prayer.

When the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost, they were praying the Lord’s Prayer.

When the disciples were being persecuted, they prayed the Lord’s Prayer.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus used this prayer as a pattern, to show what “manner” their prayers should be patterned after.

In our passage, there seems to be a slightly different reason for Jesus using this prayer.

:1 as John also taught his disciples

John the Baptist had a reputation of being a man of prayer.

(Luke 5:33 NKJV) Then they said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?”

Those that had been following John the Baptist were taught to fast and to pray.

They did this “often”.

This disciple wants Jesus to teach them to pray like that.

:1 as He was praying in a certain place

Jess is going to respond with several teachings about prayer, but some of them are things that the disciples had actually heard before.

The passage we look at today is called the “Lord’s Prayer”, and they would have heard Jesus teaching on it back at the beginning of His ministry. It was originally part of the “Sermon on the Mount” (Mat. 6)

(Matthew 6:9–13 NKJV) —9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Yet now as we’re in the middle of Jesus’ ministry, Jesus’ constant example of being a man of prayer has begun to hit home.

Lesson

An Example

Sometimes as we try to teach others, the ideas we are trying to communicate don’t always hit home.

Sometimes it’s not until people see US doing it over and over and over again that it begins to seep in as something that is important.

Peter told the elders:

(1 Peter 5:3 NKJV) nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;

Paul told Timothy:

(1 Timothy 4:12 NKJV) Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

example – tupos (“type”) – the mark of a stroke or blow, print; a figure formed by a blow or impression; an example

It’s the idea of leaving a mark, leaving an impression.

The disciples were aware of Jesus’ example of praying.

They even had an idea of where He prayed.

Some people prefer to pray in a closet.

Follow Jesus’ example of regular prayer, but also set an example for others of regular prayer.

:2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

pray – proseuchomai – to offer prayers, to pray

say – lego – to say, to speak

:2 Our Father

Lesson

Papa (#1)

When you become a Christian, you become “born again”, and God becomes your Father.

If ever there was a reason to pray, this is it.

When Jesus addressed God, He even called Him “Abba”, sort of like our “Daddy” or “Papa”. (Mark 14:36)

(Mark 14:36 NKJV) And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”

We too are allowed to call God “Abba”.

(Romans 8:15 NKJV) For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

They say that one of the secrets to success in life is not about what you do, but about who you know.

God Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, is our “Papa”.

Martin Lloyd Jones said, “Of all of the blessings of a Christian’s salvation, none is greater than this. We have access to God in prayer.”

Growing in prayer is learning about who you are talking to.

We aren’t just saying words out into the air.

We aren’t addressing it to “whomever hears this in heaven”.

When you have a relationship with God, He is your “Father”.

I think we need to be careful that we don’t over do this idea and think of God as our “buddy” in heaven. There is plenty of room for awe and respect of God as we pray.

Solomon wrote,

(Ecclesiastes 5:2 NKJV) Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few.

:2 Hallowed be Your name

Lesson

To be holy (#2)

We need to treat God’s name as holy, as different.

The Jews had a concept of this. As they copied the Old Testament manuscripts, instead of writing out the actual name, Yahweh, they felt they were too unclean to be able to even mention let alone write God’s name, and so they would write the consonants of “Yahweh”, but they would pronounce “Adonai”, or, “Lord”.

Though I don’t think we ought to be afraid of saying God’s name, I think we could use a little more awe and reverence towards God’s name.

Hallowed – hagiadzomai – To make holy, consecrate, sanctify; To purify; To treat as holy

Aorist passive imperative.

“Let Your name be holy”

God is holy. God is pure. God wants us to be holy as well.

(1 Peter 1:15–16 NKJV) —15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

When Isaiah had a vision of God on His throne, he heard angels …

(Isaiah 6:3 NKJV) And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”

Isaiah was so overcome with his vision, that his response was…

(Isaiah 6:5 NKJV) So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.”

He became aware of his own un-holiness.

Isaiah’s story didn’t end there. God heard Isaiah’s cry of repentance and sent an angel…

(Isaiah 6:7 NKJV) And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.”

As a result of being in God’s presence, Isaiah became a little more holy as well.

We are changed when we spend time in God’s presence. Paul wrote,

(2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT) So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

:2 Your kingdom come

or literally, “Let Your kingdom come.”

Lesson

He is coming (#3)

come – erchomai – to come

Aorist active imperative.

Jesus is coming back. Are you ready for this?

I think we see this prayer beginning to be answered in:

(Revelation 8:3–6 NKJV) —3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. 6 So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

We are watching events happen all around the world that are lining up with the ancient prophecies of His return.

For two thousand years the church has been praying, “Your kingdom come”.

And it is about to happen.

Jesus said,

(Luke 18:8b NKJV) …Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

One of the ways He will find faith on the earth is if He finds people of prayer.

(Revelation 22:20 NKJV) He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

When you hear He is coming, do you respond with “Even so, come!”

:2 Your will be done

This is not in some of the Greek texts, though it is in Matthew 6.

Lesson

Submit to God’s will

be done – ginomai – to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being

Aorist passive imperative.

“Let it be done”

will – thelema – what one wishes or has determined shall be done; will, choice, inclination, desire, pleasure

“Let Your will be done as in heaven also upon the earth”

There are people who teach that it lacks faith to say, “Not my will, but Yours be done”. Yet, that is exactly what Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane.

The true purpose of prayer is to get God’s will done on earth, not yours or mine.

John wrote,

(1 John 5:14–15 NKJV) —14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

I think that one of the processes that occur in prayer is a sort of sifting.

As we honestly place our requests under the control of God’s will, we can find out that our request is not His will. As we bring our request into the light, we find that our request has all sorts of mud and yucky motives coating it. As we wash off our request in God’s Word, we can find that there’s really nothing left.

Sometimes the process of praying helps us to understand what God’s will is and what it isn’t.

:3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

give – didomi – to give; to give something to someone; to grant or permit one; Present active imperative.

daily – epiousios – “for the coming day” (Robertson)

bread – artos – food composed of flour mixed with water and baked

:3 Give us day by day our daily bread

Lesson

Today’s needs (#4)

In Jesus’ day, most kitchens had a common appliance, a flour mill.

Ancient flour mills didn’t grind a week’s worth of flour, but only a days’ worth.

Each day you baked bread for the family.

Jesus is reminding the disciples to connect their need of prayer to their needs for the day.

It’s not a bad thing to be praying about tomorrow and the things you are facing in your future.

But the emphasis here is on today.

Jesus said,

(Matthew 6:34 NKJV) Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

What are your needs for today?

When you look at your needs, do you realize you need God involved? Do you need to pray?

When I’m praying, I’m not just praying about things that will impact “today”, but I am also praying for the long term requests as well.

There are some things that are going to require days, weeks, years of prayer.

It’s like sending up a missile that’s not going to hit it’s target for three weeks.

I send one up today that will hit in 21 days.

Tomorrow I send one up that won’t hit for 20 days.

The next day I send one up that won’t hit for 19 days.

And so on.

When that big day arrives, I don’t just see the impact of one day’s prayers, but 21 days hitting all at the same time.

:4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”

:4 forgive us our sins

forgive – aphiemi – to send away; to bid going away or depart; to let go, give up a debt, forgive, to remit

sins – hamartia – to miss the mark; to wander from the law of God, violate God’s law, sin

Lesson

I need forgiveness (#5)

A good reason to pray is because I need forgiveness.

The Bible says that we are all sinners.

(Romans 3:23 NLT) For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

The Bible tells us that Jesus came to die in order to pay for our sins.

That’s why the Bible says that we can find forgiveness from God when we learn to confess our sins because our sins have been paid for.

(1 John 1:9 NKJV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

This is that first step we take to open up our heart to the Lord.

It’s also a step we continue to take every day. We need forgiveness.

:4 For we also forgive everyone

forgive – aphiemi – to send away; to bid going away or depart; to let go, give up a debt, forgive, to remit

every one – pas – individually; each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything

indebted – opheilo – to owe; to owe money, be in debt for; that which is due, the debt

Lesson

I need to forgive (#6)

Another reason to pray is because I need to learn to forgive.

Illustration

(twelve minutes to read)

The following is a post from a pastor named Craig Groeschel who has written a book titled, “The Christian Atheist: Believing in God But Living as if He Doesn't Exist”. Craig uses the term “Christian Atheist” for a person who claims to be a Christian, but doesn’t really do what the Bible teaches and lives their life as if God doesn’t exist.

This is Craig’s story:

When my little sister, Lisa, was born on my third birthday, my parents told me that she was my birthday present from God. We’ve been inseparable ever since. Of course we endured occasional sibling rivalries and conflicts, but she was always my baby sis, whom I loved as much as anyone else in the world. She still is.

I always believed I was her protector. Like a mother lion protecting her cubs, I was the big brother looking out for his little sis.

You can imagine how I felt when I learned of the tragedy. I found out that my little sister had been molested for years by a close family friend. Max had been Lisa’s sixth-grade teacher. He taught me to play racquetball, shopped at my dad’s retail store, and often cheered for my sister at her school drill-team performances. At the time, this single man in his mid-thirties seemed like a nice person looking for friends. Our family readily accepted him, unaware that behind the supportive teacher facade was a very sick man who repeatedly abused numerous girls over many years.

To say that I wanted Max to die and burn in hell doesn’t even begin to convey how much I wanted him to suffer. Although the words rage, hate, and revenge come to mind when I think about Max, the English language simply doesn’t have a word for what I felt.

We all know Christians are supposed to forgive. But many of us Christian Atheists think that there are exceptions to this rule. Sure, we should forgive most of the time — maybe even almost all of the time. But forgive a guy like Max?

Forget about it.

(Bitterness)

Hopefully you’ve never experienced something that hurt you as deeply as Max hurt our family. Unfortunately, chances are good that you have or that someone you know has. Sexual abuse is one of countless different kinds of betrayal. You might have confided in someone who betrayed your trust. Perhaps a close friend gossiped about you or cheated you out of money. Maybe your spouse lived a secret life and crushed you. If you’re like many, one or both of your parents did something that deeply disappointed you. Perhaps right now you’re reeling in pain from being trampled by someone you loved and trusted.

After the raw shock of discovering Max’s abuse of my sister, one feeling festered inside me: bitterness. Truthfully, feeling bitter felt right. What else should I feel? After what he did to so many innocent little girls, he should suffer like they suffered, right? One day Max will get what’s coming to him.

As a Christian Atheist, I felt justified in my bitter hatred, but the Bible clearly illustrates the danger of this natural response. One verse in Hebrews is easy to miss. It’s tucked between one verse about holiness and another about sexual purity. Hebrews 12:15 says,

See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

The root of bitterness grows in the soil of hurt that has not been dealt with properly. Unknown to me, a root of bitterness started to grow in my heart. Roots absorb and store, and my heart absorbed and stored hurt, anger, hatred, and thoughts of revenge. Love keeps no record of wrongs, but bitterness keeps detailed accounts. And that’s what I did. Over and over I played the story in my mind. Each time I pictured Max, my hatred grew.

Soon the root of bitterness started to push shoots out into my life. The verse in Hebrews warns that this bitter root can “cause trouble and defile many.” My sister was permanently scarred by this cruel offense. As her brother, I took her offense as my own and allowed her wound to stain, pollute, and contaminate my heart. Bitterness is frighteningly easy to justify. Since I’ve been wronged, I have a right to feel this way.

When the target of our bitterness suffers, we celebrate their misfortunes. After all, they are getting what they deserve.

When we found out that Max had been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, I naturally concluded God was giving him his due. But when anyone celebrates another person’s being diagnosed with a crippling disease, it’s time for a heart check. The longer I allowed the root of bitterness to live, the harder it was to kill. The root bored deeper, and the poison spread.

(Killing the Root)

When you pull a weed from the ground, if you don’t get the roots, the weed will return. So it is with bitterness. Fortunately, Scripture shows us how to kill the root of bitterness. And unfortunately, we Christian Atheists are often skilled at avoiding this spiritual medicine. According to Ephesians 4:31-32, the only way to eliminate the root of bitterness is forgiveness.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Forgiving is easier said than done, of course. Only God’s power can bring us to a place of being willing to forgive. How could human willpower even begin to want to forgive someone like Max?

(Praying for the Miracle)

As I sat in church one Sunday, my pastor preached a convicting message on forgiveness, explaining how we should release those who’ve wronged us. As he read the words from Scripture commanding me to forgive, everything in me screamed, No! I don’t want to forgive Max! I refuse to release him!

My pastor preached on. And God ever-so-slowly chipped away at the rough edges of my heart. As church neared its end, I walked alone to the altar to ask God for His help to forgive. I remember telling God that I knew I should forgive this man I hated, but I didn’t want to. And even if I did want to, I wouldn’t know how to forgive such a wrong.

The next week, in my personal Bible study, I came across a verse that helped to soften my heart a bit more. In Luke 6:28, Jesus teaches us to

bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

I’m supposed to pray for those who mistreat me? Sure, I’ll pray for Max. I’ll ask God to give him a case of eternal hemorrhoids. I certainly wasn’t ready to pray for anything good.

Later I stumbled across another one of Jesus’ annoying commands. This one is found in Matthew 5:43-44, where Jesus says,

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

There it was again — love and pray for your enemies!

Knowing I couldn’t ignore this command any longer, I tried to pray for Max. In sheer obedience to God, I simply prayed a grudging but obedient three-second prayer: “God, I pray you work in his life.”

Over the weeks and months, I continued uttering those same words. At first it was as painful as walking barefoot on burning coals. But eventually it became more bearable. Then I actually started to mean what I was praying. God, work in his life.

When we’re told to pray for those who’ve hurt us, I’m convinced our prayers are as much for ourselves as they are for the offender. As God has helped me move beyond my Christian Atheist doubts about prayer, now I see an added value of praying for those who hurt me. My prayers for others may or may not change them. But my prayers always change me.

Praying for Max over time changed me. It made me a different person, so different that I began to contemplate the impossible: asking God to help me forgive Max.

(Reluctant Forgiveness)

I knew I was supposed to forgive Max for what he did to my sister, but I honestly didn’t have a clue how to do it. God had convicted me and convinced me to begin but Max’s actions still seemed unforgivable.

The answer is simple, but the farthest thing from easy. Colossians 3:13 teaches us to “forgive as the Lord forgave you.” God has forgiven us freely and completely, without any strings attached. And that’s how we’re supposed to forgive others. In what’s now known as the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray,

Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. - Luke 11:4

Nothing in me felt like forgiving, but I still made the choice to try.

By faith, I asked God to help me forgive Max for what he’d done to my sister. By faith, I told God that I released Max from his sin. My prayer didn’t feel sincere, but at least I was trying. Daily I bounced between wanting to forgive and wanting revenge. By nothing short of the power of God, I finally started to believe forgiveness was possible.

I can’t overstate what God had to do in my heart to get me to this point. This predator never apologized. He never attempted to right his wrongs. He never begged for our forgiveness.

My heart was stone hard. And only God could soften it to the point that I could even consider forgiving this molester. Miraculously, that’s what God did. To this day, I don’t know exactly how or when it happened. But it did. By God’s grace, I had forgiven Max for his sin and abuse. With God’s help I’d done the humanly impossible, and I felt as though a spiritual weight had been lifted. The Bible became clearer. God seemed nearer. My heart was purer.

One Christmas, when I was visiting my parents, I decided to write Max a letter expressing my forgiveness. The task wasn’t easy, but that’s often par for the course. In the letter, I explained how much God had forgiven me. I told Max the story of Jesus and His love for us. I explained that I had forgiven him and that God could as well. I included a short prayer he might pray, asking Jesus to heal his heart and forgive his sins.

I didn’t realize that Max’s sickness had advanced. He was losing the battle with muscular dystrophy. In fact, at the time he received the letter, Max was under the care of a hospice nurse, waiting for inevitable death.

Months after Max passed away, his nurse sent us a letter asking if she could talk to us. When we agreed, she told us about the last days of Max’s life, believing we needed to know. The caregiver explained that Max’s eyesight had deteriorated and that he had asked her to read him my note. Although she wasn’t aware of what he had done (and I never told her), it was obvious to her that he had done something grievously wrong. According to the nurse, he listened with tears streaming down his face. He asked her to pray the prayer with him. She recalled that his whole countenance changed as he asked Christ to forgive him and make him new. He died a few days later.

We Christian Atheists can rationalize as many excuses as we need to avoid forgiving. We Christians, however, can find in God the sheer strength to battle through the feelings of anger, hatred, and bitterness, and fight our way back to the cross. That’s where Christ forgave us. And that’s where, by faith, we can find the ability to forgive those who’ve wronged us.

I need to pray because I need to forgive.

:4 do not lead us into temptation

lead us – eisphero – to bring into, in or to; to lead into

temptation – peirasmos – an experiment, attempt, trial, proving; the trial of man’s fidelity, integrity, virtue, constancy; an enticement to sin, temptation, whether arising from the desires or from the outward circumstances

Keep in mind, God does not lead people into temptation. God does not tempt us.

(James 1:13 NKJV) Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

A better translation would be, “Do not allow us to be led into temptation”.

Lesson

Ready for temptation (#7)

Be careful of what you expect from this prayer.

God is not going to eliminate temptation from your life.

Illustration

There’s a story about a fellow who was having trouble with his diet. He prayed, “Oh Lord, if it be your will for me to not have donuts, please don’t let there be any parking spaces in front of Krispy Kreme.” But alas he did eat a dozen donuts that day because there was a parking space in front, on the twelfth time around the block.

I need to remember that I’m going to face temptations today.

I’m in a much healthier place if I’m willing to acknowledge before God that I know I’m weak.

Don’t be ignorant of the temptations that you are susceptible to.

If you find that you are tempted in a certain place, or at a certain time of day, or with a certain person – ask God’s help.

God wants to answer those prayers and lead you AWAY from the place of temptation.

Illustration

A little boy always went next door to play even though his mom had warned him against doing so. This worried the mom so badly that she asked him why he was so disobedient. He replied that Satan tempted him so bad and he did not know what to do. The mom then advised him to say ‘get thee behind me Satan’ whenever he was tempted. She then built a fence around the house. This worked for a week, then one sunny afternoon the mom looked over the window and there was her son playing on the neighbor’s lawn having cut a hole in the fence. “John”, she yelled, “Come here!” She then said “did I not tell you to say ‘get thee behind me Satan’ whenever he tempted you?” “Yes”, the boy replied, “I said, ‘get thee behind me Satan’, then he went behind me and pushed me through the hole in the fence.”

If you pray “lead me not into temptation”, then you ought to be learning to stay as far from that place of temptation as possible.

I need to pray because I am weak when it comes to temptation.

I pray that God will teach us to pray.

Video: War Room – Prayer Scene

:4 But deliver us from the evil one

This is not in all the manuscripts, though it is in Matthew 6.

deliver – rhoumai – to draw to one’s self, to rescue, to deliver

evil – poneros – full of labors, annoyances, hardships; bad, of a bad nature or condition; in an ethical sense: evil wicked, bad; the evil one