Jesus’ words were not random when He prayed what we now know as the Lord’s Prayer. His prayers were logical and sequential petitions that ended with this last prayer: “Deliver us from the evil one” (Matt. 6:13b, NIV).
As the chief angel in heaven, Lucifer thought he could take God’s rightful throne. It was pride that turned the chief angel into the chief devil. It was pride that took him out of the courts of heaven and put him into the pit of hell. And it is pride that he is always trying to replicate in us.
This particular petition has to do with our wills. Satan’s original sin was the sin of pride, and pride attacks the will. We can memorize Scripture and read it for hours on end, but if it is not permeating our minds and changing our hearts—aligning our wills with the will of God—then our efforts are fruitless.
The death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ did not only deliver us from the penalty of sin, which is eternal torment, but it delivered us from the power of sin in our lives. Whenever we feel that we are unable to overcome the power of sin in our lives, it is because 1) we are not asking for God’s power by faith, 2) we do not want God’s power to work in us completely or 3) we have believed Satan’s lie that we cannot have power over sin.
In order to be victorious in Jesus, we must choose to walk in the freedom He has given us. Paul said that our old self has been crucified on the cross of Christ, “that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin” (Rom. 6:6-7). Our prayer must then be, “Lord, You have delivered me from the evil one eternally—now deliver me daily.”
Hebrews 7:24 tells us, “Because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.” Scripture is saying that the Lord Jesus Christ is able, for all time, to save those who draw near to God through Him. He is making intercession for us right now. So when we are under the gun and cry out for God to deliver us from evil, we can be sure that He has not only heard us, but He has answered us
Prayer: Heavenly Father, to You my heart is open and all my desires are known. Cleanse the thoughts of my heart by Your Holy Spirit. Help me to trust that Your sanctifying power is greater than the power of sin in my life. Thank You for Your intercession for me. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). {eoa}
Michael Youssef, Ph.D., is the founder and president of Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, a worldwide ministry that leads the way for people living in spiritual darkness to discover the light of Christ through the creative use of media and on-the-ground ministry teams. Youssef was born in Egypt.
This article originally appeared at ltw.org.
