The God Shot: Luke 11:4b

"Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation." (Luke 11:4)In Matthew's account of the Lord's Prayer, he includes the phrase "but deliver us from evil." When Jesus is teaching His disciples how to talk to God, He has them start by acknowledging God as their Father, remembering His character, then confessing their commitment to advancing his kingdom, not their own. He says we can ask God for things, then reminds us that we can and should talk to God about our sins. Since God cares deeply about our hearts, He wants us to avoid the sins and trials that lead us astray. Both our flesh and the enemy of our souls have a way of lying to us about God. They try to convince us that He's holding out on us and we fall into all kinds of sin when we believe the lies. But knowing God and relying on His truth and His strength serve to guide us away from sin and into wisdom and joy, because He is where the joy is!