February 21 2025

Friday February 21

“Do Not Lead Us Into Temptation”

Luke 11:1-4

1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." 2 So He said to them, "When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one." 

Today, before we discuss this pattern of prayer that the Lord was teaching to His disciples, I need to ask all our friends to once again pray for our grandson, Luke as he is scheduled to go back into surgery this morning at the University of Virginia Medical Center. Yesterday while at a doctor’s appointment with Luke, Kimberly noticed the place was extremely swollen on his head where a shunt valve is located. She immediately took Luke to the hospital ED where the MRI showed that there was a lot of fluid around the valve indicating something was broken.

After our visit and consultation with the doctor at the Children’s Hospital in Boston a couple weeks ago, they had already decided if something like this happened Luke would go to UVA Medical Center for his next surgery. I’m not sure at this point exactly what time that surgery will take place this morning, but we sure would appreciate all your special prayers for wisdom for the surgeons and medical personnel that will be working with Luke. We are convinced that your prayers have taken care of him this far and will continue to carry him through this time too. Again, we can’t thank you enough for your prayers and support for Luke, Kimberly, Chris and our family during this time!

Kimberly is pretty good with keeping us all updated with her Facebook post at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/744992976946015

Today, I also want to take a couple minutes with this post to ask you to celebrate my spiritual birthday! It was on this day, 54 years ago, February 21, 1971, at about 4 o’clock on a Sunday afternoon, in Cincinnati Ohio, that the most important thing in my life happened. For several weeks I had been under Holy Spirit conviction for my sin and the burden and guilt of them had been very heavy upon me. After church that morning, I finally found the courage to call Dr. Harold Rawlings and ask him if I could come by his house and talk with him.

I honestly can’t remember all the details of our conversation except telling him that I was a wicked sinner and was going to hell. He asked, what did I want to do. I do remember breaking down weeping and saying, “I don’t want to go to hell.” We got on our knees, and I really can’t recall what I prayed but I’ll never forget getting up and immediately experiencing a peace with God, forgiveness for my sin, and a joy I never had before. The big empty spot down in my soul was gone and has never come back!

I recall walking out of his house feeling like for the first time in my life I was not walking in darkness and could see! I’ll never ever forget that day and I’m so thankful for Dr. Harold Rawlings taking the time to be there and in his kind and gentle way lead me to my faith in Jesus Christ and the cross! One of the first evidences of my salvation was that my foul mouth was transformed. The cussing stopped immediately. With a new heart I received a new mouth! It was amazing! I went to church that evening and at the end of the service I was baptized by one of the pastors named Bill Talley, (that as a teenager I never particularly cared for). But that didn’t matter anymore! I wanted to be obedient and let the world know that Jesus saved me with this public testimony of baptism!

As a new believer, only 19 years old, working on a construction job with a large group of my very ungodly and wicked men, I knew my great challenge would be dealing with the old temptations of the flesh and sin. That is why this portion of the Lord’s Prayer is so special to me, and that we learn to pray, “Lead us not into temptation.” The very first verse in the Bible that I memorized was: 1 Corinthians 10:13; “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

This promise assured me that no temptation would come my way that I would not be able with God’s grace to face and deal with. I am so thankful for God’s faithfulness in my life. I’m sorry to have to admit that I have failed the Lord many many times, but He has never failed me!

Thanks for your prayers today: (I just received word that Luke’s surgery is scheduled for 7:30 this morning.)

God bless!