God's GPS

“…and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”—Matthew 6:13

One of the great inventions of the past several years is the Global Positioning System (GPS). GPS is a dynamic tool that allows for reliable navigation whereby men and women might know where they are, where they are headed, and the best possible route to get there. God has given us His GPS: God’s Word, Prayer, & His Spirit. When we read the Word of God or pray, we know where we are in our relationship to God. By our Lord Jesus’ example of prayer, we ask God the Father to guide our life. We ask that He give us direction and guide us so that we might avoid the potholes and pitfalls of sin while speeding along the highway of holiness (cf. Isaiah 35:8) on our way to the heavenly city of God (Hebrews 11:16).

When we try and guide ourselves by our own light, we are invariably led into temptation. Why? Because our natural desires have been perverted through the fall, and they lead us into sin, and then death. As James said,  

“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death”—James 1:14. 

Our hearts in their natural state are corrupt and will lead us astray, as the prophet Jeremiah wrote:  

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”—Jeremiah 17:9.

Left to our natural fallen state, our desires will lead us into sin, death and destruction. Sin is rebellion in the sight of God. The Christian bears God’s name, and when we sin we are bringing Christ’s name into disrepute (Romans 2:24, cf. 2 Timothy 2:19) because our conduct is not matching our Christian identity. So when we ask that we might not be led into sin, we do so in order to show the world Christ in us, rather than what is naturally within us.

Just as tomorrow’s sunrise, temptation is bound to come, and when it does come, we must realize that it doesn’t come from God (James 1:13). It comes from our own fallen desires (James 1:14). But we do not need to despair, because we are given a promise by God that when temptation does come to us, God has provided a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13).

God’s GPS not only leads us away from temptation, but whenever we find ourselves in temptation, that GPS also maps our way out. It is accurate and trustworthy, always giving the best directions for each and every situation. Our goal is to continually consult His GPS. When we fail to do so, we set ourselves up for massive failure. Only in seeking His guidance day in and day out can we live the way God intended, asking for His direction along paths of righteousness and away from sin and death.

Take the time to consult God’s GPS, knowing that He will always give you the best direction, leading you into righteousness and away from evil, for His glory and your joy. Amen.