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“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
These are the words of Jesus Himself in what we commonly call *the Lord’s Prayer* (Matthew 6:13).
Now let us look at what the Word of God says, especially in the key passage that undergirds these lyrics:
> “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man;
> but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able,
> but with the temptation will also make the way of escape,
> that you may be able to bear it.”
> — 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV)
This verse, together with the other passages (James 4:7; Ephesians 6:11; Matthew 26:41; Hebrews 4:15; 2 Peter 2:9), sets forth a powerful truth:
The song you have provided is essentially a sung confession of these truths. It links the prayer of Jesus, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one,” with the apostolic teaching on spiritual warfare, endurance, and divine rescue.
This is not merely about avoiding sin. It is about understanding how God has structured our spiritual life in Christ so that we can live in victory, not defeat; in alertness, not passivity; in dependence on grace, not confidence in the flesh.
---
We must see these verses in their contexts, because *scripture interprets scripture*.
### 1 Corinthians 10:13 – A Warning and a Comfort
Paul is writing to the church at Corinth—a church rich in spiritual gifts but weak in discipline and easily drawn into idolatry and immorality.
In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul reviews Israel’s history:
He then says:
> “Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.” (v. 6)
He lists specific sins: idolatry, sexual immorality, testing Christ, complaining. Then he warns:
> “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” (v. 12)
Immediately after this sober warning comes the promise:
> “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful…” (v. 13)
So 1 Corinthians 10:13 is not a verse for the careless or presumptuous. It is a promise for those who *take heed*, who recognize the danger of temptation and rely on God’s faithfulness.
### James 4:7 – Humility in Warfare
James writes to scattered believers who were experiencing conflict, worldliness, and divided hearts. He confronts:
Then he gives a sequence:
> “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
> Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:7–8)
The context is not a mystical formula but a call to humble surrender. Spiritual authority over the devil flows from genuine submission to God.
### Ephesians 6:11 – The Armor in Hostile Territory
Paul writes Ephesians from prison, to believers living in a deeply occult, idolatrous city. He tells them:
> “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11)
He explains that our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers in the heavenly realms (v. 12). The armor is not decorative. It is survival equipment in continuous warfare.
### Matthew 26:41 – Gethsemane and Human Weakness
In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus is in agony. He knows the cross is near. He takes Peter, James, and John with Him and tells them:
> “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.
> The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)
Soon after, Peter—who was willing—denies Jesus three times. This shows us: sincerity alone does not protect us from temptation. We must *watch* and *pray*.
### Hebrews 4:15 – A Sympathetic High Priest
The writer to the Hebrews addresses believers tempted to drift back, to let go, to compromise under pressure. He presents Christ as our high priest:
> “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses,
> but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)
This leads to a bold invitation:
> “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace,
> that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (v. 16)
### 2 Peter 2:9 – God Knows How to Rescue
Peter is describing false teachers and judgment. In that context he says:
> “Then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations
> and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.” (2 Peter 2:9)
Here we see two parallel certainties:
Deliverance from temptation is not uncertain. It is something God *knows how* to do perfectly.
---
### “Temptation” – *peirasmos* (Greek)
In 1 Corinthians 10:13 and much of the New Testament, the word translated “temptation” is πειρασμός (*peirasmos*).
This word has a broader range than our English “temptation.” It means:
Context determines whether it is primarily a trial (from circumstances) or a moral temptation (toward sin). Often it includes both.
So when the lyric says, “You never tempt us beyond what we can bear… When trials come, You always make a way out,” it rightly captures the dual sense:
God permits *tests* but never in such a way that sin becomes inevitable. Temptation is real, but it is never irresistible.
### “Deliver” – *rhuomai* (Greek)
In “deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13), the verb is ῥύομαι (*rhuomai*).
It means:
It is not a passive word. It implies active intervention. When we pray, “Deliver us from the evil one,” we are asking God to *intervene, to snatch us out from under Satan’s power and schemes.*
This deepens the sense of the lyrics:
“In Him we stand delivered, free, and safe.”
Deliverance is not just a change of feelings. It is a change of spiritual position—out of Satan’s domain, into Christ’s victory.
---
Now let us walk through the themes of the lyrics and align them with the Word of God.
### A. “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one”
Some struggle with this phrase. Does God *lead* us into temptation? Scripture is clear:
> “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.”
> — James 1:13
So what does “lead us not into temptation” mean?
It is a prayer of *dependence* and *alignment*:
The second line, “But deliver us from the evil one,” clarifies the focus. The evil one is a person, not an impersonal force. The Greek is *apo tou ponērou*—“from the evil one.”
So we see:
Yet, Jesus places on our lips a bold prayer:
Ask the Father for daily deliverance from this evil one.
This is part of normal Christian prayer, not an exceptional emergency measure.
### B. “You never tempt us beyond what we can bear… When trials come, You always make a way out… So we can stand strong under it”
This is a paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 10:13. Notice the three declarations about God:
1. Temptation is common:
“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man.”
The devil wants you to believe your struggle is unique, shameful, hopeless. God says: it is common, not unique. Others have faced it and overcome.
2. God is faithful:
The foundation is not our strength but His covenant reliability. He does not change. He does not abandon.
3. He sets a limit and provides an escape:
“He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able.”
“With the temptation will also make the way of escape.”
Notice:
The way of escape may be:
But the promise stands:
If you yielded, it was because you did not take God’s way of escape. The temptation itself was not irresistible.
This removes our excuses and establishes our hope.
### C. “Keep us safe from the enemy’s schemes”
Ephesians 6:11:
> “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles (*methodeia* – methods, schemes) of the devil.”
The devil has *methods*—calculated strategies:
But God has provided armor that, when put on, enables us to stand.
The lyric prays for safety from the enemy’s schemes. Scripture shows that God’s method of providing that safety is not to remove the battle, but to equip the believer.
### D. “No temptation has overtaken you… God is faithful… He’ll provide the way of escape”
Repetition in the lyrics mirrors repetition in Scripture. Why? Because faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17). These truths must move from doctrine to declaration.
The way of escape is not automatic. It must be recognized and chosen.
This is why 1 Corinthians 10:14 immediately says:
> “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”
The way of escape, in that case, was physical and decisive: *flee*.
### E. “Submit yourselves to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you”
Here we meet the divine order:
1. Submit to God
2. Resist the devil
3. He will flee from you
Many want to resist the devil without submission to God. That will never work.
Submission (*hupotassō*) means:
This includes:
Only then does your resistance carry divine authority. Then:
> “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)
The devil does not flee because you are loud or emotional. He flees because he recognizes the authority of God behind your stance.
### F. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you”
Temptation thrives in distance from God.
Intimacy with God weakens the pull of temptation.
James 4:8 gives a promise with a condition:
This connection is vital in warfare:
Deliverance from temptation is not just about saying “no” to sin; it is about saying “yes” to God, drawing near, filling your inner life with His presence and Word.
### G. “Put on the full armor of God… Stand firm with truth, righteousness, and faith… The shield that puts out all the flaming arrows”
Ephesians 6 lists the armor:
The flaming arrows (or darts) are:
The shield of faith extinguishes them. How? Faith says:
Notice the lyric’s emphasis: “Stand firm.”
In Ephesians 6:11–14, Paul repeats: “stand… withstand… having done all, to stand.”
Victory often consists not in dramatic movement but in steady, stubborn standing on what God has said.
### H. “Watch and pray so you don’t fall into temptation… The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”
Here Jesus diagnoses the root problem:
The remedy: Watch and pray.
To *watch* is to stay spiritually alert:
To *pray* is to draw on God’s strength, not your own.
Peter failed here. He slept when he should have watched and prayed. The result was denial.
Many believers fall into recurring patterns of sin not because God’s grace is insufficient, but because they disregard Jesus’ simple instruction: “Watch and pray.”
### I. “Jesus Himself was tempted in every way, yet never sinned… He understands our struggle… He’s our high priest, full of mercy and grace… Run to Him for help”
Hebrews 4:15–16 is central:
He is not a distant high priest. He is:
“Run to Him for help in your time of need”—that is exactly what Hebrews commands:
> “Come boldly to the throne of grace… to find grace to help in time of need.”
The time of need is often the moment *before* you fall.
In that moment, run to Jesus, not away from Him.
### J. “The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from every trial and every snare… Stay alert, keep watching, keep praying… Victory is ours through the One who overcame… He crushed the enemy, broke the power of sin… In Him we stand delivered, free, and safe”
2 Peter 2:9 assures us:
The lyric then rightly points to the finished work of Christ:
> “that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.”
> “that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.”
Our standing is:
But we must *stay alert* and *keep watching* and *keep praying*.
Victory has been won, but it must be *enforced* and *walked out*.
---
Let us make this intensely practical. How do we cooperate with God’s deliverance from temptation?
### 1. Align with God’s Order: Submission → Resistance
First, we must submit to God.
Then, resist the devil.
Proclamation is key. Spiritual warfare is not waged in silence.
### 2. Use the Way of Escape Immediately
Second, we must recognize and act on God’s way of escape.
When you sense temptation rising:
Do not argue with temptation. Flee.
Delayed obedience usually means defeat.
### 3. Put On the Armor Daily
Third, we must put on the whole armor of God.
This can be done consciously, preferably in prayer:
Do not wait for a crisis. Dress for battle before the battle intensifies.
### 4. Develop a Lifestyle of Watching, Praying, and Drawing Near
Fourth, we must live in spiritual alertness and intimacy.
The closer you are to God, the less attractive sin becomes and the clearer the way of escape is.
Make this part of your daily life, not an occasional exercise.
---
### Proclamation
Say this aloud, thoughtfully and firmly:
> In the name of Jesus, I declare the Word of God over my life.
> No temptation has overtaken me except what is common to man.
> God is faithful. He will not allow me to be tempted beyond what I am able.
> With every temptation, He provides a way of escape,
> that I may be able to stand and endure it.
>
> I submit myself to God.
> I resist the devil, and he must flee from me.
> I draw near to God, and He draws near to me.
>
> I put on the whole armor of God:
> truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation,
> and the Word of God as my sword.
> I quench every flaming arrow of the evil one.
>
> Jesus is my High Priest.
> He was tempted in every way as I am, yet without sin.
> He understands my weakness and gives me mercy and grace
> to help in time of need.
>
> The Lord knows how to deliver me out of temptation.
> Jesus has crushed the enemy and broken the power of sin.
> In Him I stand delivered, free, and safe.
>
> I say: “Lead me not into temptation,
> but deliver me from the evil one,”
> and I receive God’s protection and victory today.
> Amen.
### Prayer
Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You that You are faithful.
You have not left me alone in a world of temptation and spiritual danger.
You have given me Your Word, Your Spirit, and the victory of the cross.
I ask You today: order my steps.
Do not let me walk into situations where my weakness and the enemy’s schemes would cause me to fall.
Show me, clearly and swiftly, the way of escape in every test.
I submit myself to You—spirit, soul, and body.
Where I have resisted Your will, forgive me and correct me.
Clothe me now with the full armor of God.
Strengthen my inner man by Your Spirit.
Lord Jesus, my High Priest,
You know what it is to be tempted.
I come to You for mercy and for grace to help in my time of need.
Deliver me from the evil one.
Keep me watching, praying, and standing firm in Your victory.
I receive Your deliverance from temptation,
and I choose to walk in obedience and faith today.
In Jesus’ mighty name,
Amen.
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