In verses Matthew 6:9 – 13, Jesus provides a model for believers to follow as they pray. He is speaking to crowds that have gathered around Him as He sits and preaches. Jesus is sharing that believers are not to pray to draw attention to ourselves or to just say Christian phrases so we sound good. He exhorts us to pray differently. He then shares what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus says, “Pray then like this:
“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 also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Credit: JC
The tenth and last line of the Lord’s prayer is, “but deliver us from evil.” There is evil all around us, every day. Sometimes evil is easy to identify, sometimes is it more subtle. There are believers who do not pay attention to the fact that we have an enemy and he has an army. The sole goal of that army is to steal, kill and destroy. John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I (Jesus) came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Once you profess your belief in Jesus as the Son of God, it does not mean that the enemy will be less active in your life or leave you alone altogether. It is the opposite many times.
If you are working for the Lord serving others by giving or praying, the enemy does not want you to advance the Kingdom of God. He hates God and wants to stop you from joining in the work of Jesus. The enemy does not have to try to hurt those people who do not believe in Jesus, the enemy already owns them. They are his to destroy and use however. That is why believers must fight for those who do not know Jesus as their Savior. We must go to war for their souls or they may die before they know Jesus. We are not promised tomorrow or even the next hour. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “. . .now is the time of God’s favor, today is the day of salvation.”
Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for showing us how to pray. Thank You for taking constant care of us and protecting us from evil. Help us to reflect Your love to everyone we meet. In Jesus name we pray, amen.
In verses Matthew 6:9 – 13, Jesus provides a model for believers to follow as they pray. He is speaking to crowds that have gathered around Him as He sits and preaches. Jesus is sharing that believers are not to pray to draw attention to ourselves or to just say Christian phrases so we sound good. He exhorts us to pray differently. He then shares what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus says, “Pray then like this:
“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 also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Credit: JC
The ninth line, “And lead us not into temptation,” sounds confusing. Why would God lead us into temptation? James 1:13 says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.” So if God does not tempt us, why would He lead us into temptation?
If we read on in James 1:14, “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” This verse means that we can place ourselves in situations where we are tempted, but I do not think this fully addresses what the line in the Lord’s prayer means.
When I cannot understand something or I want to go deeper with the Scriptures, I return to the original language of the Scriptures. The original word is “peirasmos”. This word means to make trial of or a putting to the test. In the context of the Lord’s prayer, the purpose of the temptation is to test us, to see if we will rely on God and His Word. To see if we will believe His promises even when we do not feel it or cannot see Him at work. The purpose of the test is for us to rely on His strength, not ours and ultimately increase our faith.
When God tests us, He is not trying to make us fail, but instead refine us and make us stronger. God is not tempting us, but He does allow us to be tempted. When we put ourselves in situations where we are tempted, God may allow the temptation to occur. 1 Corinthians 13 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.” We must pay attention to this last part of the verse, there is always a way of escape when we face temptation. Always. If you are being tempted and do not see a way of escape, pray and ask God to show you.
When the devil tempts us, he is trying to make us fail, his purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. When God allows us to be tempted, He is giving our faith the chance to grow and for us to learn tactics in spiritual warfare to resist the enemy. As long as there is breath in our lungs, the enemy will not leave us alone. So the sooner we learn how to resist the enemy, overcome temptation and know to look for the way of escape and use it, the better off we will be.
Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for showing us how to pray. Thank You for always providing us a way to escape temptation. We know that as long as we are on this earth, the enemy will continue to try to tempt us. Thank You for not leaving us and never forsaking us, even during times of temptation. Thank You for Your Son. Help us to place You first in everything so that we may reflect Your love to everyone we meet. In Jesus name we pray, amen.
In verses Matthew 6:9 – 13, Jesus provides a model for believers to follow as they pray. He is speaking to crowds that have gathered around Him as He sits and preaches. Jesus is sharing that believers are not to pray to draw attention to ourselves or to just say Christian phrases so we sound good. He exhorts us to pray differently. He then shares what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus says, “Pray then like this:
“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 also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Credit: JC
The eighth line is “as we also have forgiven our debtors.” This is a very deep part of the Lord’s prayer that should not be prayed lightly. In the prior line we are asking for God to forgive us of our sins and then we pray this – as we have forgiven our debtors. Notice that the sentence here is past tense, we are to forgive those that have sinned against us before we ask God for forgiveness. The reason for that is unforgiveness is a sin. So if we have not forgiven our debtors, those who have sinned against us, we are asking God for forgiveness while still sinning. Matthew 6:14 -15 says, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Please do not miss this.
Why does forgiving others matter to God? He loves them just as He loves you. He died for them, just as He died for you. His precious Son, Jesus, shed His blood for them, just as He did for you. If they believe in Jesus, their sins are washed away, it is the same for you. It matters to God that you forgive others because He forgave you.
Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for showing us how to pray. Thank You for the promise we have of Your forgiveness if we confess our sins. Help us to forgive those who have sinned agsinst us. Give us the strength to see them as sinful, broken people in need of love and forgiveness as You see them. Help us to place You first in everything so that we may reflect Your love to everyone we meet. In Jesus name we pray, amen.
In verses Matthew 6:9 – 13, Jesus provides a model for believers to follow as they pray. He is speaking to crowds that have gathered around Him as He sits and preaches. Jesus is sharing that believers are not to pray to draw attention to ourselves or to just say Christian phrases so we sound good. He exhorts us to pray differently. He then shares what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus says, “Pray then like this:
“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 also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Credit: JC
The seventh line, “and forgive us our debts,,” is our confession to the Lord that we are sinners and our debts (or sins) are many. God promises to forgive us, 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Why does asking God for forgiveness matter? If we believe in Jesus as the Son of God who died for our sins, then we are going to heaven. And we are humans, so we are going to keep sinning every day that we are still here on earth. God knows we love Jesus even when we sin, so why do we have to ask for His forgiveness?
There are many verses in the Bible about what happens if confess our sins. James 5:16 says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” How do we become righteous so our prayers are powerful and effective? We confess our sins, we ask God for forgiveness and He purifies us from all unrighteousness. We are healed through the process of asking for forgiveness. That means asking God for forgiveness when we sin, because all sin is a direct attack on God. If we sin against someone, we should ask for their forgiveness. In both cases, we will be healed from the burdens of guilt and shame that we carry when we sin because we have obeyed Scriptures.
Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” When we ask for forgiveness, we find healing and mercy and God cleanses us with the precious blood of Jesus so we are made righteous and our prayers are powerful and effective once again. If your prayers feel ineffective, reflect on whether there is unconfessed sin in your life. Reflect on whether you need to ask God and/or someone to forgive you of your debts. Freedom, mercy and forgiveness are waiting.
Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for showing us how to pray. Thank You for the promise we have of Your forgiveness if we confess our sins. Help us to see the places in our lives where we need to ask for forgiveness and where we need strength to turn from sin so our debts do not keep growing. Help us to place You first in everything so that we may reflect Your love to everyone we meet. In Jesus name we pray, amen.
It seems that everyone is looking for the secrets to life to increase happiness, joy, peace, love or to attain some other positive state of mind. Each week, a secret to life has been revealed that is intended to lead you to a more peaceful, love-filled and joyous state of being. This week, the fourth secret to life is revealed.
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Forgiveness. When you forgive someone, it does not mean that you agree with what they did or that you deserve whatever they did to you. Instead, forgiving them means that you are taking back the control that you gave them.
When someone hurts us and we carry around a grudge, they have the control over our emotions. We hand them our freedom and they do not deserve it. They do not deserve to have any power over you. When you forgive them, you are removing the grip they have on you – your peace, your joy, your love. . .your emotions.
Sometimes it is hard to forgive. Pray for the strength to be able to forgive and ask God to heal you like only He can. Forgiveness is about you and your journey, not the person who hurt you. While forgiving someone may not be easy, you deserve it.
Let’s pray.
Father, we thank You that You love us more than we can ever understand. You see every scar and every hurt or grudge that we carry. Please give us the strength to forgive. Please heal us and make us stronger than we have ever been. In Your Word, You tell us to leave vengeance to You. Help us to believe You in cases where an injustice has occurred. Help us to focus on Your promise to right the wrongs. Thank You for Your love, grace, mercy and peace. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
My former spouse made choices that unfortunately impact the lives of my children to this day. It is because of these choices that we cannot have “normal” experiences. There are huge barriers for us complicating what should be everyday tasks. Things that others can take care of in 30 minutes take my children weeks and sometimes months if the government has to be involved to address the barriers. I have to keep forgiving my former spouse every time one of these incidents arises as the enemy works hard to fill me with resentment. I can now understand when Jesus says to forgive someone “seventy times seven.”
“Then Peter came to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I forgive him, up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I tell you, not seven times but seventy times seven!'” Matthew 18:21 – 22 NLV
When I first read these verses, I thought, “That is a lot of forgiveness for one person, and why would I be such a ‘welcome mat’ to allow that person to keep sinning against me?” The Lord has since shown me that forgiveness may not be one specific moment in time and then it is done. The enemy will continue to try to bring up what has been done to us to cause us to retreat to places of unforgiveness. We must take those thoughts captive.
Forgiving someone does not mean condoning or agreeing with the behavior. Forgiving means shedding our chains of resentment versus carrying them around when we do not forgive. I need to forgive my former spouse literally every day and sometimes multiple times a day. As a result, I have forgiven him hundreds of times. For clarity, I have taken every step necessary to protect myself and my children from further harm; Jesus does not condone anyone repeatedly hurting anyone.
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If constantly forgiving those who hurt us is not enough, we have an enemy who knows exactly how to attack us. Recently, I lied because I felt like I had to protect my child from my former spouse. Lies are a sin, and all sin is a statement to God indicating, “I do not trust You to make this work.” In the moment, I thought the lie was the best way to protect my child. After the lie occurred, I confessed it to God and thought about why I lied. One thought was that if my former spouse had not done the things he did, I would not have had to lie. But that thought is, in fact, another lie. It is irrelevant what my former spouse did; God is capable and powerful enough to protect my child from anything. And I did not “have” to lie. None of us “have” to lie. We choose to lie because we think it is easier, better, faster, etc. Perhaps sometimes it is easier to lie, but followers of Jesus are not called to take the easy path.
“Since Christ has suffered in His body, we must be ready to suffer also. Suffering puts an end to sin. You should no longer spend the rest of your life giving in to the sinful desires of the flesh. But do what God wants as long as you live in this world.” 1 Peter 4:1–2 NLV
Following Jesus can result in suffering of all kinds. However, whether it is forgiving someone 490 times or trusting God even when a lie is easier, we are to obey what God commands us to do. While any suffering is limited to our brief time in the earthly realm, our eternal reward for following Jesus is His love. No matter what the enemy or former spouses or other dark influences may try to throw at us, we fight from victory.
“Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, ‘For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.’) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” Romans 8:35-37 NLT
When abuse occurs, tell someone immediately please. If that person does not believe you, try another person – please. I know this is very hard, it takes tremendous courage. Please do not do what I did and stay silent. Remember that we have the Holy Spirit in us who raised Jesus from the dead. In Him, we can do this! He wants you to begin the journey of healing. If you are not comfortable telling anyone in your life, The Victim Connect Resource Center lists many hotlines that are situation-specific (children, military, women, teens, rape, domestic violence, trafficking, etc).
After you tell someone that listens, find time and give yourself space to truly understand and process that what happened to you does not define you. What does define you is how you react to what happened to you. Pray a lot. Pray specifically. Find a prayer partner to pray for you. This journey to healing takes time and there are days when you do not want to or feel like praying. This is where you need at least one prayer partner who will pray for you faithfully daily.
Realizing that God does love you, despite what happened, was also a journey for me. I had index cards with prayers and verses to help me when I needed reminders. Examples include:
“May you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” Ephesians 3:18-19
You are created in His image (Genesis 1:27). You are precious in His sight.
“Long ago the LORD said to Israel: ‘I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.'” Jeremiah 31:3
“And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. […] But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Romans 5:5,8
“Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, ‘For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.’) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39
The prayer I pray:
“Lord, I submit every corner of my life to You. Show me what I have yet to submit to You. Help me to release my need for this to feel fair or to see (him/her/them) punished. Rip out any bitterness in me. Show me what I can learn and how to grow closer to You through this. I need your peace. Help me to heal and forgive. Rain down on me the powerful healing of the Holy Spirit. Replace my pain with a focus on You and Your love. In Jesus’ precious name, amen.”
When I first started to pray this prayer, I meant only a few of the words. I begrudgingly prayed it every morning. I did not want to forget or let the ones who hurt me “off the hook.” I had to keep reminding myself that God will take revenge. I needed to focus on His love for me and who He wanted me to become as a result of all this. I had to believe that this was not my fault. I also had to see that dragging around unforgiveness was only robbing me of the abundant life that God came to bring to me. In John 10:10, Jesus says, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” As for the people who hurt me, I can tell you that they did not care what they did to me. They never thought about it again; I was the one who was caught in my cycle of reliving it and not healing.
As I forced myself to pray this prayer, I began to mean more of the words. Any step towards obedience, God will bless. It is okay to pray a prayer like the above one if you do not quite mean every word; you are obeying by crying out to God, trying to release the hurt and trying to forgive. Healing takes time and patience. It takes help from God, prayer partners, professionals and support circles. I read books, I journaled, I cried, I was angry and felt every other emotion you can think of. There is no right way to heal. There is no timeframe that you “should” heal by. But heal, brothers and sisters, please heal. Allow yourselves to heal.
Image Credit: JC
Please contact Wounded Butterflies if you are in need of personal prayer. Thank you, Esther, for having the courage to share your story.
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