In Psalm 140, David worried about his enemy’s lying tongue. In Psalm 141, his concern is his tongue, as well as temptation. It’s a prayer that we should pray to God every day. Only HE can help us not to be drawn to evil. Let’s dig in…
Psalm 141
I call to you, Lord, come quickly to me;
hear me when I call to you.
2 May my prayer be set before you like incense;
may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.3 Set a guard over my mouth, Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil
so that I take part in wicked deeds
along with those who are evildoers;
do not let me eat their delicacies.5 Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness;
let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head.
My head will not refuse it,
for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.6 Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs,
and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.
7 They will say, “As one plows and breaks up the earth,
so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave.”8 But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord;
Psalm 141 NIV
in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death.
9 Keep me safe from the traps set by evildoers,
from the snares they have laid for me.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I pass by in safety.
Guarding Our Hearts Not to Be Drawn to Evil
Paul wrote in 2 Timothy…
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.
2 Timothy 3:1-9 NIV
We are living in the Last Days! They began with Jesus’ triumphal entry on Palm Sunday. However, the Birth Pains started accelerating in 1948 when the nation of Israel was born. Like birth pains, they start mild and are few and far between. Then they get stronger, more painful, and come quicker. What birth pains? They are the ones that Jesus talks about in His Olivet Discourse. Here’s a video…
Jesus taught us to pray for God’s help…
And lead us not into temptation,
Matthew 6:13 NIV
but deliver us from the evil one.
Peter warned us…
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8 NIV
Back before God saved me from myself, I used to drink a lot. Alcohol not only numbed my senses, but it also removed my self-discipline and self-control. Ultimately, once I surrendered my whole life to Christ, I no longer had the desire to get drunk, party, and go to bars. I always say that God had a purpose for my life. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have survived my prodigal years. (See my testimony video below.)
Paul wrote…
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7 NLT
Additionally, self-control is part of the Fruit of the Spirit…
Living by the Spirit’s Power
16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
Galatians 5:16-24 NLT
Do Not Be Drawn to Evil!
You may be thinking that you’re not strong enough to withstand Satan’s lies and temptations. Nevertheless, with the power of the Holy Spirit, we can say no to the devil and his evil temptations. You can have this power if you are born again — SAVED.
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
