Lord’s Prayer: Temptation
LEARNING MODULE
NOTE: This resource is for group leaders only. It’s not meant to be a handout.
RAISE the NEED
Satan. Demons. An evil side of the spiritual world. All of these things are real and have
influence in our lives, but we rarely know how to respond. We are often tempted to land on
one of the extremes, where we either become fixated with it and allow it to derail us, or to
disbelieve that it exists. How do we have a healthy view of “the evil one”? It starts with
understanding his schemes. Last week the focus was on Accusation, and this week we turn to
Temptation. As accusation maximizes your sin and produces guilt, temptation tries to
convince you that sin is not really that bad. That you deserve it. How do we stand in the
midst of temptation? Is it possible to avoid temptation? This is an important discussion since
temptation can be very sly and cunning, and simply lead us to apathy. We need to be able to
recognize it and stand against it!
UP: We need to understand God’s love, and His intentions for us, to stand against temptations. He wants to
protect our greatest joys!
IN: Temptations feels the strongest in isolation. Community is vital to have the strength to resist temptation.
OUT: The world we are trying to heal can be the strongest tempter. How do we enter the world and not fall prey
to the temptations that have captured so many around us?
Prepare
Time of Reflection:
Say the Lord’s Prayer each morning this week. If you have not already, memorize it. Reflect on what it
means in your life, and the phrase that you desire to work on the most in this next season.
Gather:
Bucket List/Guilty Pleasure Ice Breaker
God has given us desires! They are not bad in themselves, but we need to learn how to direct them
and surrender them. In light of this, have each person share something that is on their bucket list.
What is one thing they would want to do before they died, if at all possible. You can go around the
large group, or creatively break into smaller groups.
Another option: have each person share a guilty pleasure in their lives. Could be a TV show, or a song,
or a food, etc. Something they know is not good for them, but they enjoy for some reason.
Learn
Option 1: Creative Prayer Exercise
Think of a creative way to enter into prayer as a group, which you may want to try to do all 6 weeks, just
to get people into the rhythm of praying. One idea for this week is go a bit traditional. Instead of
something new, go with a method they are probably used to (since no method of prayer is bad!). Have
them share an area where they need God’s strength this week. You can figure out a way to pray for
each other, whether you share as a big group and break up, or just have them share/pray in
pairs/smaller groups.
Option 2: Discussion
Matt mentioned one of the main ways that we can resist the Devil’s schemes is to understand his
tactics. He mentioned the two main tactics of Temptation and Accusation. Temptation tries to
minimize your sin and make you feel like it is not that big of a deal. Everybody is doing it, God will
forgive you, and you deserve to be happy. Accusation on the other end tries to magnify your sin. How
could you do that? God will never forgive you for that! You are not loved!
Temptation
This week’s focus is on the scheme of Temptation. What draws you away and distracts you from
pursuing God? What circumstances make you feel the most tempted (tired, stressed, isolated, etc)?
How does Satan minimize the sin and its effects on you/others?
Read 1 Cor. 10:12-13, Matthew 26:36-46, James 1:12-18
Sometimes we can feel that God is tempting us. We put the source of the temptation on Him. Why is
He allowing us experience this? Why will He not take this away?
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Matt made the statement, “God is a God who wants to protect our greatest joys.” Is it easy to
believe that truth? What is your current view of God?

What are possible reasons why trials come into our lives? (Our goal with this question is not to
figure out the why, but to prove how complex it is)
o
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If we focus on the “why”, we could destroy ourselves. Our job is to focus on how we will
respond. How can we turn our focus to that?
Our enemy is not pain, but evil. Pain and suffering is one of the greatest tools for our
character development. God does not cause the pain, but definitely uses it.
o
What are healthy ways for us to respond within trials?
o
How can we help each other in those times? How can we respond to others when they
are in that time?
We often respond to pain with anger, guilt or apathy. What is your normal response? What is
your default response? How can you transition into a response with more trust? How do you
meet God in the midst of the pain, and allow him to transform you?
Read Daniel 3. This is the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Their famous statement of,
“But even if he does not,”. How do we respond with that attitude?
o
What does it look like for God to deliver us, and pray for our desire, and yet serve God
even if he does not grant it?
o
Why is that so hard? How do we trust God in the midst of that?
Respond
Option 1: Lie and Truth Prompts
Have people think through the following two prompts. Give them space to process this with God.
Creatively get into pairs or groups that will allow them to share and pray for each other.
1. What is an area where I feel tempted? What area do you desire prayer for?
2. What do you need in the midst of this temptation? From God and from others?
Option 2: Prayer Exercise
You could use the prayer exercise from the Learn section as the Respond, as it ties in the first respond
option. You could end that prayer time with the Lord’s prayer, or you could just pray the Lord’s prayer
over your evening at the end.