"And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one." Matthew 6: 13
In Matthew’s last line given to us, about what has been called the Lord’s Prayer, we are told to pray that we are not brought to a time of trial (or temptation) and that we are delivered from the evil one (or from evil).
There is evil inside all of us and all around us, and there are more temptations and trials facing us every day than we can count. Sometimes it is easier to give in to these temptations then to resist them. We need the spiritual help of the Holy Spirit to aid with our physical and spiritual journey, and we are encouraged to pray for help. Sometimes it may be a long time until we are ready to accept the help and guidance from the Holy Spirit to do this, but it is still there. It took me many years regarding one aspect of my life before I realized I needed this help and was open to it.
One of my areas that has been a trial or temptation my entire life has been one of overeating, especially regarding the eating of sweets and foods high in carbohydrates. This issue is both a temptation for me and one where I can be overcome with the evil forces in me and around me to overdose on certain foods. I have been on more diets than I can count, and over the years I have lost and gained back more weight than I care to add up. This is because I have had times when I can watch what I eat, and have had times when I couldn’t control myself.
For example when I was a marketing representative in California my job was to travel around and visit the agents that sold our insurance, thus I was on my own during the day. I can remember stopping by a store or bakery to buy goodies and eat them all in my car, and a little while later would stop somewhere else to load up again. After years of positive thinking, prayer, and reading many books about my issues, it dawned on me that my physical make up wouldn’t allow me to eat just one of these foods. If I ate just one that was one too many, and I would be on the road to many more.
I realize that countless people have similar issues with other kinds of food, drugs, and alcohol, that once you start, you can’t stop, and I also understand that what I have may not be as life destroying and life changing as what others have had to deal with. However, this issue has caused me to have many moments of temptations, where the evil in me and around me can override what I know is best for me in the long run. Thus in my mind the best thing I can do is to not eat anything that will cause me to continue eating, and hopefully I will be able to do that more often than then not. However, I cannot do this alone, for my impulse is to eat up and enjoy the moment, thus I need this spiritual support to help out with my physical desires.
On your spiritual pilgrimage, continue to pray the Lord’s Prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to be with you and to lead you not into a time of trial, and pray that you may be delivered from the evil that is in you and all around you!
Gracious Lord, help me, guide me, and comfort me, and keep me from all harm and danger on this earthly journey! Amen. Vernon T.
Copyright © 2017 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved
In Matthew’s last line given to us, about what has been called the Lord’s Prayer, we are told to pray that we are not brought to a time of trial (or temptation) and that we are delivered from the evil one (or from evil).
There is evil inside all of us and all around us, and there are more temptations and trials facing us every day than we can count. Sometimes it is easier to give in to these temptations then to resist them. We need the spiritual help of the Holy Spirit to aid with our physical and spiritual journey, and we are encouraged to pray for help. Sometimes it may be a long time until we are ready to accept the help and guidance from the Holy Spirit to do this, but it is still there. It took me many years regarding one aspect of my life before I realized I needed this help and was open to it.
One of my areas that has been a trial or temptation my entire life has been one of overeating, especially regarding the eating of sweets and foods high in carbohydrates. This issue is both a temptation for me and one where I can be overcome with the evil forces in me and around me to overdose on certain foods. I have been on more diets than I can count, and over the years I have lost and gained back more weight than I care to add up. This is because I have had times when I can watch what I eat, and have had times when I couldn’t control myself.
For example when I was a marketing representative in California my job was to travel around and visit the agents that sold our insurance, thus I was on my own during the day. I can remember stopping by a store or bakery to buy goodies and eat them all in my car, and a little while later would stop somewhere else to load up again. After years of positive thinking, prayer, and reading many books about my issues, it dawned on me that my physical make up wouldn’t allow me to eat just one of these foods. If I ate just one that was one too many, and I would be on the road to many more.
I realize that countless people have similar issues with other kinds of food, drugs, and alcohol, that once you start, you can’t stop, and I also understand that what I have may not be as life destroying and life changing as what others have had to deal with. However, this issue has caused me to have many moments of temptations, where the evil in me and around me can override what I know is best for me in the long run. Thus in my mind the best thing I can do is to not eat anything that will cause me to continue eating, and hopefully I will be able to do that more often than then not. However, I cannot do this alone, for my impulse is to eat up and enjoy the moment, thus I need this spiritual support to help out with my physical desires.
On your spiritual pilgrimage, continue to pray the Lord’s Prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to be with you and to lead you not into a time of trial, and pray that you may be delivered from the evil that is in you and all around you!
Gracious Lord, help me, guide me, and comfort me, and keep me from all harm and danger on this earthly journey! Amen. Vernon T.
Copyright © 2017 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved
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