To Be Delivered From Evil

God's children ask their heavenly Father to strengthen them by His Holy Spirit so that they can resist temptation. 

Q.  What does the sixth request mean?

A. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 

That is: 

In ourselves we are so weak that we cannot stand even for a moment. Moreover, our sworn enemies - the devil,  the world, and our own flesh do not cease to attack us. 

• sworn enemies — the enemies we face are not minor, easy going enemies. They are out to destroy you. 
• devil — our main enemy and the source of all evil 
• world — that part of creation that is temporarily under the domain of the evil one. 
• our own flesh — the enemy is also within us; in our sinful nature

Will You, therefore, uphold and strengthen us by the power of Your Holy Spirit, so that in this spiritual war we may not go down to defeat, but always firmly resist our enemies, until we finally obtain the complete victory. 

• spiritual war — this is first of all a war not against your body but a war against your faith in God. This is what is attacked. 

For the Bible Tells Me So...

2 Corinthians 11:14 — And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 

1 Peter 5:8,9 — Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 

James 4:7,8 — Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 

John 15:18 — If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 

Ephesians 6:11 — Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 

Romans 7:23 — …but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.

The Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 52