Tuesday Reflection- July 2, 2019

David’s prayer is indeed one that is often on our lips, as we pray The Lord’s Prayer “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” It is a thought that many times we struggle with, hoping to stay on the narrow way. But David prays that he would be not be drawn to temptation. He asks God to protect him from every form of temptation, for godly correction that may continue to live the holy and sober life that we have been called to live.

Hear Psalm 141:3-5 from the Message Translation

“Post a guard at my mouth, God,
set a watch at the door of my lips.
Don’t let me so much as dream of evil
or thoughtlessly fall into bad company.
And these people who only do wrong—
don’t let them lure me with their sweet talk!
May the Just One set me straight,
may the Kind One correct me,
Don’t let sin anoint my head.
I’m praying hard against their evil ways!”

David’s earnest intention is that he would not fall into the trap of sin, and it is a prayer that we all would share as believers. We know, that the devil is as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour but David asks God to guard his thoughts, his words and his actions so that he may never ever yield to temptation.

My brothers and sisters, we will be tempted. In fact, Christ himself was. The sin is not being tempted, it is in yielding to the temptation. Christ was tempted but never fell to temptation. So, we guard our hearts against actions that are contrary to God’s standards and his will and purpose for our lives. But it’s not just saying, we need to yield to God, to his Holy Spirit to guard us against the wiles of the devil. David prayed as he asks God to help him, to guard him against temptation. We need Jesus on the inside, working on the outside to bring about that change in our lives.

Then my brothers and sisters, we strive to live as children of God. Paul puts it this way “You are dead to sin and alive to God.” (Romans 6:11) And you, may ask, how then do we do that? The Apostle Paul gives an answer to that question in Romans 6: 12-14 (MSG) “That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don’t give it the time of day. Don’t even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you’ve been raised from the dead!—into God’s way of doing things. Sin can’t tell you how to live.” We then have the power through Christ Jesus to be dead to sin and alive to God. David’ prayer is a request that he be so guarded so as to not slip. Not by his thoughts, his deeds or his lips. Then David in the latter text of Psalm 141 (MSG) writes;

“But God, dear Lord,
I only have eyes for you.

Since I’ve run for dear life to you,
take good care of me.
Protect me from their evil scheming,
from all their demonic subterfuge.
Let the wicked fall flat on their faces,
while I walk off without a scratch.”

Fix your eyes on Jesus on not on the things of this world. Keep focused on the things that are true, the things that are honest, the things that are just, the things that are pure, the things that are lovely, the things that are of good report; where there is virtue, or where there is praise. (Philippians 4:8) James says “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

Until next week, let our prayer be like David, “Lord, do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil.” May our song be “Jesus be a fence all around me, every day. “We cannot on our own, live this Christian life so let’s invite and allow Jesus to indwell us to show us the way. I leave with you today’s doctrinal text “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21) Then we can say with every authority “Get thee behind me Satan.”

Dominic J. Blair