I was shopping in the Acme and found laying on the floor in one of the aisles a bank envelope. It was the kind of envelope that bank tellers put your money in when you cash your check. The envelope had a bulge to it so I picked it up. The envelope was filled with several hundred dollars. It was apparent that someone had just cashed their check.

I don’t care who you are when you find something of value two thoughts go through your mind. One is I wonder who this belongs to. The other is this is my lucky day.

At that point your moral struggle begins. You feel like you are in one of those comic strips with the devil on one shoulder and God on the other. God is saying, “Take the money to the customer service counter.” The devil is saying, “How do you know the person behind the counter won’t keep it?” God is saying, “It isn’t yours.” The devil is saying, “Finders keepers, losers weepers.” For what seems like forever the internal battle continues. If God didn’t want me to have the money He would not have had me find it. God had me find it because He knew I could be trusted with it. If someone else found it would they keep it and not turn it in? I am sorry the person lost his money but I could use the extra cash.

In every tempting situation we attempt to make excuses. We try to shift blame. We even pass responsibility on to the other person and or God. The internal battle you are fighting is actually an eternal battle.  It is a battle of wills, yours and God’s.

I know you are all wondering what I did with the money so let me ask you, what would you say if I told you I put it in the offering plate. I kept it and gave it to a family in need. Does that make it any different than if I kept it and spent it?

In this particular situation the person's pay stub was in the envelope. I went to the customer service counter asked if they could page this person. They did and the money was returned to the rightful owner.

The truth is we are all tempted. We are tempted by food, money, power, sex, but never by God. As James states, “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;”

Which brings me to the point, why is it necessary to pray, Lead us not into temptation if God does not tempt anyone? It appears pointless. God does not tempt anyone so God would not lead me into temptation. So why is it necessary to pray, Lead us not into temptation?

The Greek word peirasmos can be translated as temptation and testing. When we pray "lead us not into temptation" what we are asking God for is relief from testing OR that our testing does not become an occasion for temptation. Our prayer is similar in nature to Jesus’ prayer for his disciples in the garden of Gethsemane the night he was betrayed. Jesus prayed,

“Watch and pray
so that you will not fall into temptation.
The spirit is willing,
but the body is weak.”

Jesus calls us to be watchful and prayerful in order to overcome temptation. If we are going to overcome temptation we need to be aware of the possibilities of temptation. We must be sensitive to what makes us vulnerable. What kind of life situations or experiences will test my moral stamina and my walk with Christ?  Each test brings with it a choice.  The choice is to resist or give in.

A person with an addiction to smoking, alcohol, drugs, pornography, or something else who comes face to face with whatever his or her addiction is has a choice to feed his addiction or not.

A person who hears a juicy bit of gossip has a choice to ignore it or destroy the reputation of another.

A person who is faced with an illegal way of making a financial killing or an athlete who is faced with using a steroid has a choice.

A person faced with sneaking a cookie out of the cookie jar or obey his/her parent who said, “No" to their request for a cookie. Has a choice.

Temptation strikes and we are all vulnerable. We are all rebellious in nature. Who here has seen a sign stating WET PAINT and hasn’t touched the area painted.

God knows I can find enough temptation all by myself.  I don’t need his help. I do, however need God’s help in resisting temptation. We cannot resist it alone. Praying "lead us not into temptation" is essential. We are asking God for strength. We are asking God to lead us. We are asking God for victory. We are asking God for release from bondage of our sin. We are asking to restore our self respect. We are recognizing how our past sins caused us to lose our temper, our friends, our jobs, our marriages and more. We are recognizing what sin has done and can do and we are saying “I don’t want to go back there again.”

Temptation to sin is the greatest test you will ever face. It is greater than final exams, entrance exams, bar exams, you name it. Temptation is a test to determine if you will be faithful to God or deny Him.

Jesus gives us the key to resisting temptation. When he was tempted in the wilderness He turned to God for strength and chose to obey God’s Word.

Matthew 4:1-11,

Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.[" Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only. Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

We can resist temptation by depending on the Word and Spirit of God. Temptation can refine our faith and help us grow in our dependence on Christ. We can do this when we put in to practice the Word of God found in Psalm 119.

 9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
       By living according to your word.
 10 I seek you with all my heart;
       do not let me stray from your commands.
 11 I have hidden your word in my heart
       that I might not sin against you.
 12 Praise be to you, O LORD;
       teach me your decrees.
 13 With my lips I recount
       all the laws that come from your mouth.
 14 I rejoice in following your statutes
       as one rejoices in great riches.
 15 I meditate on your precepts
       and consider your ways.
 16 I delight in your decrees;
       I will not neglect your word.

AMEN