Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–

 February 9– Evening

by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and edited by W. C. Neff

“Don’t lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” 

—Luke 11:4

What the Lord teaches us to seek or shun in prayer we should equally pursue or avoid in action. Very earnestly, therefore, should we avoid temptation, seeking to walk so guardedly in the path of obedience that we may never tempt the devil to tempt us. We should not enter the jungle to search for the lion, or we will pay for such presumption. The lion may cross our path or leap upon us from a tree, but we don’t go out hunting for him. The one who encounters him, even though he may win the battle, will find it a stern struggle. Let the Christian pray that he may be spared the encounter. Our Savior, who knew what it was to be tempted, earnestly admonished his disciples– “Pray that you do not encounter temptation.”

But no matter what we do, we will be tempted; so our prayer must continue, “Deliver us from evil.” God had one Son without sin, but he has no son without temptation. The natural man is born to trouble like sparks fly upward, and the Christian man is given to temptation just as certainly. We must be always on our watch against Satan, because, like a thief, he gives no forewarning of his approach. Believers who have had experience in the ways of Satan know that there are certain seasons when he will most probably attack, just as at certain seasons of the year destructive winds may be expected; so the Christian is to put up a double-guard against danger. And, in this way, the danger is averted by preparing to meet it.

Prevention is better than cure: it is better to be so well-armed that the devil will not attack you than to endure the perils of the fight, even though you come away as the victor. Pray this evening first that you may not be tempted; and then, if and when temptation comes, that you may be delivered from evil. [M&E]