It’s no surprise that when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, Jesus included ‘lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one’ (Matthew 6:13). In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus warned those He would soon charge with the responsibility of the Great Commission, to ‘watch and pray’ (Matthew 26:41) so that they would not fall into temptation. It’s easy to be complacent or blinded by pride, but temptation is real. So, watch out because pride can come before a fall!
Freedom is wonderful
I have always said to leaders when they step down from a position of responsibility, to be careful. Leaders get tired. The pressure can be relentless and the thought of releasing all responsibility is attractive. Freedom can be a wonderful thing, but when we lose that position of responsibility, freedom can be dangerous. Now we have left our denomination we find ourselves in a liminal space. Now ‘free’, without any formal position, responsibility, or accountability, we have experienced the reality of temptation. We have set our hearts on joining Jesus on mission, available and surrendered to serve, but it is so easy to ‘miss the target’ or ‘fall short’ in so many ways. This is the definition of what the Bible calls sin. Now we must ‘watch and pray’, acknowledging that often the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Now we must be alert and sober minded remembering our ‘enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour’ (1 Peter 5:8). Now we must be aware that sin is always ‘crouching at your door’ (Genesis 4:7). Above all we must understand ‘each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed’ (James 1:14). But we can’t just blame the devil and we certainly can’t point the finger at God, the root of temptation is our fallen nature.
A way out
According to James, we are tempted when we are dragged away from living surrendered lives in total obedience to Jesus by our own evil desires. It is this evil desire to place our desires above the will of God that gives birth to sin (James 1:13-15). This is when we ‘fall short’ or ‘miss the mark’ of God’s best for us. So, let’s not be foolish, temptation is real, but there is a remedy. In the Bible we are given a promise: ‘when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it’ (1 Corinthians 10:13). So, what is our ‘way out’?
Personal responsibility
Freedom sounds so attractive, but freedom can be overwhelming! I remember when I had the privilege of getting to know inmates at a local prison. I was a musician and part of the chapel team and co-produced ‘Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat’ with forty ‘lifers’. This prison worked hard to rehabilitate prisoners and equip them for release, but I was surprised by how many inmates grew in fear as their day of release approached. They had become so used to being told what to do, they had become institutionalised. They had lost their confidence in their own ability to make decisions. The thought of freedom was overwhelming. Some even planned to reoffend so they could escape personal responsibility and return to the ‘comfort’ of prison.
Viktor Frankl, the author of Man’s search for meaning wrote: ‘Freedom is only part of the story and half of the truth. Freedom is but the negative aspect of the whole phenomenon whose positive aspect is responsibleness. In fact, freedom is in danger of degenerating into mere arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness. That is why I recommend that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast.’
Slaves to righteousness
Jesus came to set us free, but freedom without a strong sense of responsibility can lead to temptation. I’m starting to more fully understand why the Bible teaches us to become ‘slaves to righteousness’ (Romans 6:18). We need responsibility. A call to live to a higher standard. To be held to account for our actions to save us from ourselves. This can’t be forced; it is a daily choice we must make. We’re not called back to prison, but to exercise our freedom by choosing to live accountable lives. It is a privilege not a burden.
Joining Jesus on mission
In 1 John 5 we read, ‘this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.’ Our sense of responsibility must come first from our love for God and seeking to live lives that please Him. If our sense of responsibility is first found in a position of leadership or in the people we serve, when we step down, sudden freedom can leave us vulnerable. But when our priority is to ‘seek first his kingdom and his righteousness’ (Matthew 6:33) and our responsibility is found in daily serving Jesus and joining Him on His mission, we will not be so easily enticed by temptation. That’s why Jesus taught His followers to pray ‘lead us not into temptation’, temptation is real!
Featured photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash
"Live to Serve" 