In Case of Emergency | God's Provision for Us

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Sign up at harvest.org. We cannot overcome the devil in our own strength. You and I need to pray. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Pastor Greg Laurie reminds us we're no match for the devil's supernatural strength, but he's no match against God Almighty. That should inform our prayers. Ever try to run up a downward escalator?

Sounds silly, but kids try it all the time, just to see if they can. When we try to fight against the lures of temptation on our own strength, we're running up a downward escalator. The momentum against us is just too much. Well, today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us change escalators and embrace the power and provision of God through prayer.

When we're moving in the same direction as the Spirit of God, the journey is a whole lot easier. Now mention if you could go to an elite university and have a class taught by the finest person in that field from all of history. For instance, you could study music under Beethoven. Have a drama class taught by Shakespeare. Be taught political science by Thomas Jefferson. How about a philosophy class taught by C.S.

Lewis? Well, we would like that because they're experts in the field. How about this? A class on prayer taught by Jesus Christ. That sounds good to me.

I'd be in that class. Who knows more about prayer than Jesus? And so that's what we're going to look at here. The disciples came to him. They said, Lord, we have a question. Would you teach us how to pray? Jesus gave them this prayer. I'm going to be reading from Matthew 6, verses 9 to 14.

And I'll tell you what. I want us all to do this out loud together. This is the New King James Version.

Let's read it together. In this manner, therefore, pray. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

Amen. But what does Jesus teach us in this template for prayer? When you pray, you say, our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Now, if we wrote the Lord's Prayer, it would probably sound like this. Our Father who art in heaven, give us this day our daily bread. Let's just get down to business.

Here's my list. Now, there's a place for petition. Nothing wrong with asking the Father in heaven for what you need. But notice that Jesus says, first, take time, effectively, to contemplate the greatness of God.

Now, there are exceptions. If you fell off a ladder and you're on your way down, help will do. Okay? You can't even finish the Lord's Prayer. God help. But as I think about the awesomeness of God, as I contemplate the greatness and bigness of God, it will cause me to see my problem, challenge, need in a different light. It won't change it necessarily, but it will change my perspective. I'll see it differently because, listen to this, God is bigger than your problem. Whatever it is, God is bigger. And so my Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name, set apart be your name, honored and glorified be your name. God wants us to bring our needs before Him each and every day.

God wants us to bring our needs before Him each and every day. Verse 11, give us this day our daily bread. What does this mean? Well, it's obvious that bread, bread was a staple of the first century diet, so it includes that, but bread speaks of everything. It speaks of your finances. It speaks of a roof over your head.

It speaks of your health. Just everything you need in life, my daily bread. And it's a reminder that everything I have in life is provided for me by God. Notice it says give me this day my daily bread.

It doesn't say give me this month my monthly bread or this year my yearly bread. The Lord will sometimes allow things to happen in our lives that will remind us we need Him every day. Maybe you are going through something like that right now. All of a sudden, oh wow, you have this financial crisis. All of a sudden you have this health scare. All of a sudden you have this problem in your marriage or you have this problem with your kids or you have this other problem and it is like, God help. That's ok. Sometimes He will allow these things to remind us that He is the provider and we need to come to Him each and every day not just asking for stuff but giving Him glory for the stuff He has already given.

When is the last time you just prayed a prayer? Thanks. Oh Lord thank You for this. Thank You for providing for this. Thank You for my wife. Thank You for my husband. Giving Him thanks.

But here is where it gets tricky. Forgive us our debts as we forgive those who are indebted to us. Wait. What?

Yeah. Forgive people. But Greg, this person, they hurt me. This person bullied me on social media. This person insulted me. This person did something that is so horrible I can't forgive them ever.

Really? Jesus said you better be praying not only for your daily bread but you better be praying in extending forgiveness every single day. It is a great concept forgiveness. I love forgiveness until it is time for me to forgive someone that doesn't deserve it. Now let's just concede the point.

They don't deserve it. Therefore I will not forgive them. Ok.

Hold on now. Do you deserve forgiveness? Well no. Ok. You don't deserve forgiveness yet God gave it to you. Why would you not extend it to another person as well? The Bible says you have been forgiven. Therefore be tenderhearted forgiving others.

But listen to this. One person put it this way. Forgiveness is not about absolving the perpetrator. It is about healing the victim.

Here is another statement I like. Forgiveness isn't giving in to another person. It is getting free of that person.

Get it? See in a way it is even not about that person. Let's just say here is this person. He did this thing to me. I choose to forgive him. Doesn't deserve it. Did it anyway. Who is getting free now?

Him? Not really. But I am. Because that is not driving me crazy. So when he walks in a room I am not seething over in the side. Because I have let it go.

Let it go. And forgive as you have been forgiven. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of this. Pastor Greg the film Jesus Revolution reignited my passion for Christ. I am ready for more spiritual growth thanks to you Pastor Greg. What an encouraging story. Do you have something to share with Pastor Greg? If so email him and tell him about it. Send it to Greg at harvest dot org.

Do it today while you are thinking about it. Again that is Greg at harvest dot org. Well today Pastor Greg is offering practical help toward a more productive prayer life based on the Lord's Prayer. And our thanks to our Harvest partners and others who support this ministry for helping to make today's insight possible.

My last point. We cannot overcome the devil in our own strength. We cannot overcome the devil in our own strength. Verse four. Do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil. A better translation of this would be deliver us from the evil one.

And that would be Lucifer or the devil. We cannot completely remove ourselves from temptation otherwise we would have to leave the entire planet. And even if you did that and you are in space I am free. Oh you get tempted in space too. Walking around on the moon you will still have bad thoughts.

Come on. It is going to follow you wherever you go. So the point of it is is that I need God's help.

Really what I am praying is Lord don't allow me to walk into a situation that would overwhelm me and cause me to sin but deliver me from temptation and any trap the devil has set for me. It is really an acknowledgement of human weakness. One passage I memorized as a very young man I still remember today.

It is First Corinthians 10 13 and it says. Wait I forgot it. No I didn't. You were hoping I did though didn't you? But now I have forgotten.

No I haven't. First Corinthians 10 13. There is no temptation taking you but such as is common to man. But God who is faithful will not allow you to be tempted above which you are able but will with the temptation make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it.

Allow me to loosely paraphrase it. There is always a way out of every temptation. How many of you have ever been tempted to sin. Raise your hand. Okay.

How many of you ever have ever given into that temptation. Raise your hand. Okay. Well you're a wicked bunch of people. What's going on.

I'm kidding. So we've given in but there was always a way out wasn't there. And if you're honest the way I was sometimes as simple as the door.

I need to walk out of this door and it will be better. It would be like if you drive by Krispy Kreme donuts. Now I've eaten six in one city. Really. You're like oh.

Am I the only one. How many of you have eaten six Krispy Kreme donuts. Raise your hand. Okay. You're as bad as me. How many of you have eaten more than six.

Now I'm doing it to you. They're good though. Aren't they good.

They're good going down. I mean they literally melt in your mouth. Add some cold milk.

Yes. But they're not so good after they've been sitting in your stomach. I went there a while ago with some friends and actually a couple of years ago we were on motorcycles and I ate six and milked. And literally I'm on my motorcycle at night. It's freezing and I feel like I'm falling asleep. I'm in a food coma.

Because there's this sugar spike and then this sugar crash. Right. Okay. This is like sin. Apologies to Krispy Kreme.

I don't want letters from attorneys. Your donuts are awesome. Okay. But that's the problem. They're nice going down. But afterwards it's like what was I thinking.

Then you get in your scale and it breaks. Okay. That's not a good sign. There was a way out. I didn't have to say pull the car over. Get out of the car.

Walk in. But they always give you the first one free. They know you'll get hooked.

They're smart over there Krispy Kreme. There's always a way out of every temptation you face. Don't tell me you can't get out of the trap you're in.

Don't tell me you can't get out of that immoral relationship. Don't tell me you can't stop looking at porn. Don't tell me you can't control your temper. Don't tell me you can't stop drinking or stop using drugs or whatever it is you're doing. Don't tell me that because you can. And there's a way out if you want to take the way out.

But then we'll say I can. I'm just the devil got hold of me. The devil made me do it. The devil's powerful but he needs your cooperation. So when I say deliver me from temptation I'm saying Lord help me to be smart and avoid those things that will bring me down. But ultimately Lord give me the strength I need to resist. Jesus gave us this template for prayer to encourage us to pray.

And the reason I chose this message today in particular is I just want to remind you. You need to pray about everything. Just pray about everything. Get into a habit of prayer. You know we make prayer very formal. Well it's time to ask the blessing. Sometimes it's even like you know you know you the foods are no one's eating.

No one asks the blessing. Oh everybody stop. Your mouth is full. And then you pray.

It's like you messed up. You didn't pray the little token prayer. I'm not saying it's a bad thing to give thanks but we get hung up. It becomes a rule. Or we pray with our kids before they go to bed. These are all good things.

But we need to expand way beyond that. And we need to get into a lifestyle of prayer. So when that burden hits me right then I pray. When I'm driving down the road and something comes to me. Troubles me.

Concerns me. I just turn it into a prayer right. Just keep your eyes open.

You're driving. Philippians 4 says don't worry about anything. Pray about everything.

And the peace of God that passes all human understanding will guard protect your mind in Christ Jesus. Pray. Cry out to God in your sorrow and pain. Call on the Lord for His provision.

His protection and His guidance. And give thanks to the Lord for your joys and His provision. Let me loop back to something I said earlier. I want to keep talking about Krispy Kreme donuts. No I don't.

I'm done with those. I want to loop back to that statement of Jesus. Forgive us our debts as we forgive those who are indebted to us.

That's interesting word. Debts. You think you'd just say forgive us our sins and it is translated that way in some translations. But debts is a really apropos word that is chosen here because the word that Jesus uses here for forgive means to cancel a debt specifically. Sin is a debt. And it is a debt I can't pay.

It'd be like if you found out you owed the IRS five million dollars and you had ten bucks in your account. There's no way you can pay that debt. Well you owe all these things because of your sin. Because of our sin. So I'm saying Lord pay my debt.

Pay my debt right now. And that's exactly what He did on the cross. The Bible says He cancelled the debt that you owed at the cross. And as I've often said He came to pay a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay. But He settled it at the cross.

Everything is paid for. Another way this is sometimes translated is trespasses. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

That's a good translation as well. You know the word trespass. Sometimes you see it maybe in a park. They just planted some grass and they have a little cord there and a sign hanging off of it. No trespassing.

They don't want you to be stomping on their new grass. And so when I trespass I'm breaking a commandment. I'm crossing a line.

Listen. Every one of us has crossed that line. Every one of us have sinned. Every one of us needs Jesus. And I want to close by asking you this. Have you asked Him to forgive you of your sin?

Listen. Only the Christian. Only the child of God can say my Father who art in heaven. Now if you are a nonbeliever you can say God up there somewhere. But for me for us He is our Father. And that is because of what Jesus did. After Jesus died on the cross and rose again from the dead He appeared to Mary Magdalene there at the tomb and He said I am going to go to my Father and to your Father. To my God and your God. Oh wait. Now it is not just that Jesus calls Him Father.

You can call Him Father too because of relationship. Only through Christ. Have you asked Jesus to forgive you of your sin? Are you still bound by the power of sin? Are you trapped by some vice? Some addiction?

Whatever it is. The root of it is sin. It may express itself in other ways but the root is sin. Only Christ can break the power of sin in your life and He can do it for you right here right now. But you have to reach out to Him and say God help me. Lord I know I have sinned.

I am sorry. I turn from it. Jesus rescue me. Come into my life and forgive me of all of my sin.

And that can happen for you as well. Because Jesus who died on the cross rose again from the dead three days later. And He is right here right now. Standing at the door of your life and He is knocking.

And He is saying if you will hear His voice and open the door He will come in. Would you like Jesus to come into your life? Would you like to know God as your Father? Would you like your sin forgiven today?

It can happen. Let's all pray together. Let's all pray together. Father I ask you to speak to the hearts here and those that are listening wherever they are. Help them to see their need for you. Help them to come to you.

Help them to believe in you. Right now we ask. Amen. Pastor Greg Laurie with an important prayer. And if you'd like to make a change today in your relationship with the Lord, Pastor Greg will help you do that in just a moment before today's edition of A New Beginning concludes. Well Pastor Greg just a few hours ago now you sent a comment to me.

You forwarded it to me. It was from one of our listeners. Right. And I thought I'd read it for the rest of our listeners. Okay.

It says this. I think she had been listening to today's program and she said love this message Greg. Here I am 50 years after first meeting Jesus then shunning Him and now back in the fold and using your online classes to help others know Him.

See what we all started back then brother. Me the worst prodigal with a messy messy past finally helping others know the love and forgiveness of our Abba. Nice. Yeah it is really great and you know I don't know if you know about this but we have a lot of resources in addition to our radio program or our podcast A New Beginning.

If you go to harvest.org it's a whole world of great tools. We have a daily devotion. We have linked to our television program. We have online classes as she mentioned that we will take you through to help you get equipped in the faith. We have online small groups where we go through books of the Bible together and so much more. So this is something we're very passionate about because our mission statement is to know Him and to make Him known. In other words we want to make Him known that is bringing the gospel to people like we do here in A New Beginning but we also want to know Him and the way we know Him is through prayer and Bible study and that's why we have such a focus on that here at A New Beginning and at Harvest Ministries. So there are people that have fallen away prodigal sons and daughters that's why I'll often say maybe you need to make a recommitment to Christ. If so pray this prayer with me because I know there are prodigals who have strayed and maybe they've made some bad choices and they don't know how to get right with God and they come across our broadcast and we throw them a lifeline and I want to keep throwing that lifeline out to as many people as possible and that will happen with your help with your prayers and with your financial investment in A New Beginning so we can continue to reach people like this lady that wrote and the many others that are impacted by this ministry each and every day. So would you prayerfully consider making a generous year-end gift to us here at A New Beginning so more people can be changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yeah that's right and you can take care of all the details easily by calling 1-800-821-3300.

That's a 24-7 phone number again 1-800-821-3300 or write A New Beginning Box 4000 Riverside California 92514 or just go online to harvest.org. And then Pastor Greg just before we go would you mind praying with the person listening who wants to make a change today in their relationship with the Lord. I'd be happy to Dave you know as you've been listening to this today maybe you've heard another voice by that I mean yeah you heard me say a few things but you heard God's voice speak to you deep in the recesses of your heart and it suddenly dawned on you this is what I need or to state it more accurately this is who I need I need Jesus and I want Jesus but maybe you don't know how to make that connection let me help you pray this after me right now if you want Jesus Christ to come into your life Lord Jesus I know I am a sinner and I am sorry for my sin and I need your forgiveness right now would you come into my heart in my life as Savior as God as friend I choose to follow you from this moment forward thank you for calling me and accepting me and forgiving me in Jesus name I pray amen. I know that was a relatively short prayer maybe you felt something as you prayed it maybe you felt nothing that doesn't really matter because God's word says these things we write to you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life it doesn't say so you may think you have it or you may hope you have it if God's in a good mood no that you can know it and I want you to know if you pray that prayer in minute Jesus Christ the Son of God has come into your life so congratulations you're now a Christian now continue to follow the Lord and to help you we'd like to send an important resource to help you get started it's Pastor Greg's New Believers Bible through hundreds of helps Pastor Greg has included it'll answer many of the questions you might have and get you started off right in your new relationship with the Lord so get in touch and ask for it the New Believers Bible we'll send it free of charge call us at 1-800-821-3300 we can take your call anytime 1-800-821-3300 or write us at a new beginning box 4000 Riverside California 92514 or go online to harvest.org and click know God well next time we'll dig into God's Word to see the best way to grow spiritually it's good insight for new believers and also for those who've been walking with the Lord for a long time join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher Greg Lord Hey everybody thanks for listening to A New Beginning this is a podcast made possible by Harvest Partners so for more content that can help you know God and equip you to make him known to others or to learn more about how you can become a Harvest Partner just go to harvest.org