The Protection of Prayer

What God you must change your Dr. Tony Evans is allowing yourself to be distracted from God's consequences focusing determine what control.

This is the alternative Dr. Tony, author, speaker and pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas Texas and president of the alternative, we often pray to God to help us get out of difficult situation or circumstances today. Dr. Evans will talk about the kind of prayer that can help us avoid them altogether.

Let's join story is told of a minister was in a hurry to make the meeting on time. When he arrived at the facility where the meeting was going to take place. There were no parking spaces available. Any really needed to be on time. The only space that had an opening was a no parking place. He pulled into no parking area and parked his car. He wrote a note on the car desperately needed to get to the meeting on time.

Forgive us our debts, he came back a few hours later about the second note on his car from the police officer I've been traveling this area for 10 years. If I do not give you a ticket. I could lose my job.

Lead us not into temptation, we come to this the Lord's prayer.

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. We ought to follow his name we ought to submit to his rule by kingdom come. We are to honor his will, and that qualifies us to receive his provision of daily bread while we exercise forgiveness to others that we wish to receive from cell and now he says and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil misaligned of the Lord's prayer is a request for protection.

So this is a request to be protected from the devil to understand that you must understand that when the devil brought sin into the world not only affected people he infected and affected the systems of this world talking about an educational system and environmental system and economic system, a political system and human system nutritional system, what systems exist in the world, including our own humanity has been infiltrated by the virus of satanic influence, leading to sin. So you and I need to be protected from every kind of influence that the devil has in every system, to which he is associated and he is associated with every system that exist. We are disease because of sin, we have murder because of sin, we have emotional breakdown because of sin. It comes in all these ways affected all of these systems that affect all of our well-being. So you need protection is not into temptation.

Now the concept of temptation in Scripture can be positive or negative. When we try to make the distinction. We use the word to describe positive and we use the word temptation and generally we need something negative. What God leads you into our trials. Trials are those circumstances negative things that happen that are designed to develop you spiritually. A trial is a negative event that God causes all God allows every trial is only for one purpose and that is to grow you spiritually to mature you spiritually to drive you to God.

At another level, and to take you to the next spiritual place. God has for you.

But if God let it throw to. And you are wanting to walk with God. All settlements, a trial that the trial the Bible is clear in Isaiah 38 verse 17 elections for your good. First Peter one verses six and seven and a trial, God is calling your faith to the witness stand so you could say amen and charge all you want but you put you on try and when he put you on try to see what your testimony is like now he wants to see whether your testimony on the stand of your trial is the same as your testimony in the service when you were listening to the sermon singing the song in getting appraisal to a trial is designed to develop you, not a temptation by capital is designed to defeat you. God is designed the negative experience to develop. You Satan brings Tim Tatian in order to defeat you spiritually and separate you from a minimum, farther from God. Now here is the problem. Trials and temptations often happen around the same event was most of the things we deal with is not a trial but you temptation over there now we know certain things you know that this is obvious that the temptations, but what Satan does is he piggybacks on a child to try to turn it into a temptation.

He will take something legitimate and try to take a legitimate and make it illegitimate take food and try to turn in the gluttony Celtic sex and gratitude and immorality will take money until the degree or fast, or debt, so he will take something that God make legitimate mixed with it messes with it that God wanted to develop us into a temptation in order to defeat us so you say what I don't know whether this is a trial or temptation assumes both because God will often use the devil for trial. And when God uses the devil for trial. The devil takes God use of them for trial.

The try to use it for himself or temptation to validate God will use the devil for trial. No abatement. Matthew chapter 4 verse one the spirit of the Lord Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. The spirit of the law, that the son of God into the drive place of testing on her for the devil to tempt him. So God put Jesus in Satan's territory Satan to mess with Jesus, God's goal was to show Jesus passing the test, Satan's goal was to make Jesus fail the test, but it was the same test at the same time in the same place job chapter 1 Satan said the only reason Joe serves you is because you give them stuff you take away staff and I bet you he will curse you, God said, let you casting but Satan tempted him to curse God.

Joe was being tested by God. Are you gonna praise me when things are going well. Are you gonna praise great when things are going. Are you going to let my test that I allowed Satan to Cause you to curse me.

So when life hits you and your being tested and tempted. The question is which way are you going to go.

Are you going to go with God as a test, I would. Satan has attempted because they often both happen at the same time so what God is after is in a test how serious your commitment is and to when you pass the test take you to the next spiritual level, Satan simultaneously will use that or something else in order to drive a wedge between us and the Lord so that we do not have the full presence and power of him without so yes, I hate to tell you this but God does use the devil to grow and so he says not into any situation we can handle. That's what leaders not the temptation.

Don't put me don't give me a trial where I will be overrun by a temptation. Well, now that means we need to learn how temptation works. How does it work James chapter 1 verses 14 to 15 lays it out.

He says that each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death in those two verses he gives you the pattern of temptation. The pattern up temptation always starts with desire enticed by his lust. Lord loves me desire what Satan does is he creates a craving for something outside of the will of God. He wants you to know what it in Adam and Eve in the garden.

He told them. God told Donita the fruit of the mitzvah. God. But when Satan taught the even says when she saw it was delightful and desirable and was able to make one wise, she hated because he created desire. Those of you go fishing know that you put the worm on the hook you don't put the hook in the water without the worm because you don't want to – to see you want the fish to entice the were so you don't want the child of the fish thinks it's getting a worm when it winds up being hooked up by something that was enticed by Satan always has time to the delicious he happens to be offering you but Satan is not going show you the go show you how well it takes until he gets you. And when it gets you who derails UN and on the slides you have to make it look good on the front when Satan is doing his work is price is always low that the actual cost and some of us can testify about the devil we been with the evil one that was a smooth talking to look like it was the right person until you got real and not stop so it is absolutely critical that you have the perspective of desire and leads. He says to the disobedience. Dr. Evans will have more on how we can find protection in prayer returns in just a moment to continue this message from his current series, the Lord's prayer. This eight part collection will teach you how to develop the same kind of intimacy Jesus had with the father when he prayed, you can get a copy of this powerful series is her gift when you make a donation to help keep Tony's teaching here on the station and as a special bonus through Monday only will include a copy of Tony's popular book God is more than enough in it. Dr. Evans explore Psalm 23 in the piece you can experience when you accept God as your shepherd and allow him to meet all your needs. Again, this offer is only available for a few more days, so be sure to contact us right away.

Visit us@tonyevans.org to get the details and make the arrangements or call us. They are night at 1-800-800-3222 let one of our team members help you with your resource request. I repeat that information for you after part two of today's message in this when you're facing a decision or the laminates not to ask what would Jesus do, but first you have to know what Jesus did and what God has to say about the situation you face wealth building your biblical foundation is your goal to help you need is as close as your computer or mobile device. Thanks to Tony Evans training center is packed with online courses covering core concepts of faith and in that scripture studies you can work through anytime you want and anyplace you want along the way you'll explore key teachings and learn how to apply them in real world situations. There's lots of exclusive content interested and motivated in an online form. We can ask questions and answers and collaborate with other students.

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Tony Evans.org today and connect with Tony Evans training center we can explore the kingdom anytime, anywhere. Please notice in verse 15 says when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin talk about pregnancy conceiving notice he didn't call the desires one chocolate cake is not the problem.

Don't gain weight from one chocolate cake away from chocolate cake when the flesh wants to send the flesh wants to do. But when you make the decision to wanted. He says that when it's complete. So that raises a question. What do I do the prayer is pretty lead me not anything I can whenever you lately. Make sure I can handle it and it's already gotten caught by the devil. So my mouth to talk about them addicted. I'm struggling whatever it is, what do I do when we first to you which you don't you don't give sin, the attention that because all you're doing is reinforcing the problem you just as you want to deal with what he will make a mistake if they spend so much time on the sin that they don't get proper time to the solution because the sin is sin is all all over them.

The addiction is all over the problems all over the thing about Thomas a little depth so that actually be the problem there feeding the sin.

So here it is. Here is the secret, so to speak. Overcoming temptation leads to sin or getting out of the sin you've already gotten caught in his in the same chapter. Chapter 1 of James he says in verse 16 do not be deceived, my beloved brother so you talking to Christians, my beloved brother.

This is for Christians. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of lights with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow in the exercise of his will, he brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of firstfruits among his creatures, you must change your focus what you are focusing more on will determine what will control you focus.

He says focus on four things. Number one focus on the goodness of God.

Every good and perfect dear, from above when you see sin on trying to chapter decision on your part in sin, he says, recognizing but that's not what you put your focus.

We want you to put your focus on how good God has been to you. You're gonna save the goodness of God. Focus on the goodness of God. You enter into a time of thanksgiving, thank you that you did this. Thank you that when I was almost killed you saved my life back.

Thank you for this. Thank you for that. I want to thank you for your project.the sin problem. I got the same problem, look at God. I just want to see of thanksgiving on the goodness of God.

Number two. Focus on the faithfulness of God.

He said because in God there is no shifting shadow Firebirds. You need to memorize and recite all over and over and over again is first Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13 it says and God is faithful will will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but will with the temptation provide you a way of escape, so that you will be able to with the temptation will come the way of escape, not the temptation. He says I'm going to give you when I give you the temptation at the very same time, I'm going to give you an exit sign all way to test want to get victory in the temptation he says is you must go through which you can get from where you to where God wants you without going through the development you can't get to without going through the wilderness you go through the testing and as you go through the temptation he knows where the writing down that he knows when to get water out the rock. He knows when the throne so that you can get some great no lead you to the springs of response along the way.

As long as you don't let the devil the third thing you focus on is good that you focus on many says you focus on his word. Verse 18 in the exercise of his will, he brought us forth by the word of truth.

You focus on what God says not how you feel. You focus on what God says not how you think you focus on what God says when everybody else has to say.

And finally the fourth thing you focus on his perspective. Look, I don't want to miss this. This perspective uses so that verse 18 we would be a kind of firstfruits among his creatures.

All firstfruits, we normally took my firstfruits were giving giving your time firstfruits, money he says you are the firstfruits, the firstfruits of the cream of the crop is what you offered God first because it was viewed as the most precious.

It was honoring God to give God it gives him honor so he says he says that you are firstfruits.

In other words, don't let the devil down back your dignity you not just another man or another woman.

Another born prima crop that made you a prince or princess walkway.

Don't let the devil treat you like you were nothing to nobody. God's special person to the king of the Lord of Lord is trying to dumb down when I view you as my claim says you got vessel like you special like dispensing like you special like you special. Not even your view of you think you are not going no, that God is the delivery guy. Chapter 50 verse 15 says he delivered second to chapter 4 verses 17 and 18. Paul says I'm looking for God to deliberately deliver you from the situation. People Dr. Tony Evans with an encouraging reminder of God's presence and protection is part of his current teaching series. The Lord's prayer and you can get the complete compilation of messages on CD and digital download is our thank you gift when you make a contribution to help keep Tony's ministry here and on other stations around the world.

As I mentioned earlier, if you contact us and make a donation before the end of the day Monday will also be able to include a copy of his powerful book, God is more than enough just get in touch and make your request for this special offer runs out you can get all the information and make your donation online@tonyevans.org or call us at 1-800-800-3222 our resource center is open 24 seven so there's no need to wait again that's 1-800-800-3222. We often picture prayer is something we do with our head bowed, her eyes closed and her hands neatly folded.

Dr. Evan says Jesus painted a very different picture with the Lord's prayer and he'll tell us about that on Monday I hope the alternative with Dr. Tony have you fighting urban alternative is made possible by the generous confusions of listeners like