Unpacking Prayer Temptation and the Trinity of Evil Part 9: Temptation and the Trinity of Evil

May we not be led into temptation But rather You deliver us from the evil one! Matthew 6:13 “And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.“ – a confession of our weakness. – an expression of our dependence.

Temptation - peirasmos (πειρασμός), a test, an experiment, trial, proving, a testing of one’s integrity through difficulty. Temptation can lead us through a series of steps where we may eventually give into our fallen existence and do that which is against God’s design for us. Temptation can lead to sin, but temptation in itself is not sin.

James 1:12-14 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 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. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

Who or what then would lead us into temptation?

The devil and his demons The sin nature in us The Trinity of Evil The predisposition to sin The motivation for sin The flesh and its desires The architect of sin

The devil and his demons ● The father of sin (John 8:44)

John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

The devil and his demons ● The architect of sin ● The father of sin (John 8:44) ● The aficionado of sin

The sin nature in us ● Our predisposition to sin, before Christ ● The “law” in our members (Rom. 7:21-23)

Romans 7:21-23 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

The sin nature in us ● Our predisposition to sin, before Christ ● The “law” in our members (Rom. 7:21-23) ● The counterpart to the indwelling Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16-25)

Galatians 5:16-18, and 25 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

The sin nature in us ● Our predisposition to sin, before Christ ● The “law” in our members (Rom. 7:21-23) ● The counterpart to the indwelling Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16-25) ● The battle ground for control is in the mind.

The flesh and its desires ● Appetites that are selfishly fulfilled (Rom. 13:13-14).

Romans 13:13-14 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

The flesh and its desires ● Appetites that are selfishly fulfilled (Rom. 13:13-14). ● Defense mechanisms that hide ungodly fear. ● Living for the lie that our comfort is the priority (James 4:1-3).

James 4:1-3 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

The flesh and its desires ● Appetites that are selfishly fulfilled (Rom. 13:13-14). ● Defense mechanisms that hide ungodly fear. ● Living for the lie that our comfort is the priority (James 4:1-3).

How does the trinity of evil influence human beings?

The devil and his demons attack us with sinful opportunities and sinful thoughts. Non-ChristianChristian The flesh wants to be satisfied. It is our nature to sin against God. In the Holy Spirit, we have a new nature that wants to please God.

By the renewing of the mind we are able to reject the ungodly opportunities and thoughts. The devil and his demons attack us with sinful opportunities and sinful thoughts. Now the members of our body are used for righteousness (Rom. 6:12-14). Our new nature in the Holy Spirit makes us more and more like Christ as we embrace the love of the Father.

Romans 6:12-14 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

1 Peter 2:11-12 But can we still operate from our old nature as Christians?

1 Peter 2:11-12 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

How do I combat this trinity of evil?

1. The solution for the devil and his tactics: - Bind in authority - Know your enemy 2. The solution for the sin nature: - Walk in the Spirit - Know God’s Word 3. The solution for the flesh: - Self-discipline - Follow Christ’s example

When your prayers are hindered due to temptation, identify the source and take the steps to not be led into sin. In Christ we have the victory!