Pray the Word with David Platt is a resource from Radical.net.

Deuteronomy chapter 23, verse 9, says,

When you are encamped against your enemies,

then you shall keep yourself from every evil thing.

So this is in the middle of a variety of laws

in Deuteronomy chapter 23 about cleanliness and about

holiness. And specifically here, as you can tell from the context, this is talking about when

God's people would be going into battle and they're encamped against their enemies. In those

moments, in in particular keep yourself

god says from every evil thing knowing that our greatest need before god is purity right think about

jesus's words blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

And knowing the context here in the Old Testament, that when God's people would go into foreign lands,

they would be tempted to worship foreign gods, to adopt foreign customs, to leave behind God's

word and God's worship for idols and practices and immorality in those places. And God is saying,

be pure in heart, be pure in every way. If God was calling his people to keep themselves from every evil thing, then is he not calling

us to do the exact same thing today?

And so we pray, God, keep us from evil.

Even as you taught us to pray, our Father in heaven, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil today.

God, we know every single one of us, praying right now, listening right now, as I'm speaking right now, every single one of us is tempted,

will be tempted to sin today, will be tempted to evil.

God, we pray, based on this picture in Deuteronomy chapter 23, verse 9, help us to keep ourselves

from every evil thing, Every evil thought, every evil

...