“And lead us not into temptation” (NIV)

“Do not bring us to hard testing” (Good News)

Greg Nixon writes:

I quite often pause at “and lead us...”, to ask that my Father would lead me into what is good, to lead me in His ways, in His wisdom; before then continuing “…not into temptation”. Writing this reminds me I should remember to broaden my focus: it’s not just about God leading me, but about Him leading all of us. Our strength and prayers can support others through their trials, and vice-versa.

God’s guidance comes in many ways and from many people, and is more available than I realise. I sometimes forget that all wisdom comes from God. This leads to self-reliance – thinking my own natural inclination to discuss, debate and question things will lead me the right way – when by taking the time to pause and listen I may see God leading in a different direction, and notice or hear things that challenge my preconceived view.

“Temptation” here is the Greek πειρασμόν (pei-ras-mon), which can translate as trial, testing, temptation, affliction or calamity. So if I’m going my own way – ignoring or unaware of God’s leading – then I shouldn’t be surprised if I find myself in one of these situations.

How much better to seek out and follow the way of our brother Jesus, whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light? As we are encouraged by Peter in 2 Peter 1v5-8, let us make every effort to supplement our faith with virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love, that we may be effective and fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“And lead us not into temptation” (NIV)

“Do not bring us to hard testing” (Good News)

This week, we are praying along with the Watts family - parents Jen and Rick with children Abbie and Nathan.

Jen says:

For me, this is the hardest part of the prayer to understand and seems to contradict everything I think I know about the nature and character of God. Does God deliberately tempt us? Is there some kind of test that we need to pass? The story of Job seems to suggest so.

The verse in The Street Bible puts it this way:

‘Please pull as back from the edge of evil, if we’re falling, or being thrown.’

This feels a more helpful translation for me. Regardless of who is doing the pushing – us, God or the devil, the point is that we ask God to pull us back. We have our part to play too of course – we shouldn’t venture towards that metaphorical edge whatever that looks like for us. We can ask God to give us the strength to make good choices and break bad habits.

“And lead us not into temptation” (NIV)

“Do not bring us to hard testing” (Good News)

Mark Wallace writes:

When I read this verse, my mind immediately highlights some flaw or ‘stronghold of temptation’ that I have been wrestling with over the past little bit. This week it would be endless procrastination (as a student knows too well) though from week to week, this varies.

Despite that, I would say that I don’t spend enough time praying into those areas of need. I can get caught in my struggle, and defensively, ignore it, which often doesn’t fix things. However, turning to Jesus is precisely what the Bible calls us to do in our weakness.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 says:

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

We have the authority to dismantle the strongholds that keep us from a deeper relationship with Jesus. That’s an amazing promise!

I feel challenged this week to ‘appropriate my freedom’. We are saved, but we still follow the ways of the world in our temptation. Instead, we need to take hold of this promise of authority over temptation and live in the hope of the Bible, drawing near to Jesus.

Where do you need to be renewed?

This is a helpful prayer model from Karl Martin’s Stand for use against your Stronghold of temptation.

• Ask god to make clear patterns of wrongdoing.

• Confront and resist. Pray with authority. This is so tough!

• Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Ask him for courage, for security and for healing.

• Receive the Holy Spirit to fill you with His fruits

Amen

“And lead us not into temptation” (NIV)

“Do not bring us to hard testing” (Good News)

Dan Green writes:

Karen and my girls love watching ‘kids temptation challenge’ videos on Youtube, so for something a bit different today we thought it would be fun to invite you to watch this hilarious video where children try to resist eating a marshmallow when they’ve been told not to!

The Marshmallow Test - YouTube

Which of those kids do you think you are most like?? What’s your approach and your track record when it comes to resisting things that you’re tempted by?

As we munched on our dinner (burgers and chips today!), we chatted about whether we think God leads us towards temptation or away from it (is he like the woman in the video who puts temptation in front of us and then leaves the room?) and also the way that many people see the Bible as a book of rules telling them what they can’t do (rather than seeing it as a way to get ‘the second marshmallow’!).

But our main take away point from this line in the Lord’s Prayer was that it reminds us of the need for humility – the need for us to recognise our own weakness, to recognise the fact that in the right circumstances and without God’s intervention we are all prone to make poor choices that will harm us or will cause us to miss out on what’s best.

So our prayer today is a simple one; that whichever of those kids we’re like, and whatever our ‘marshmallow’ might be today, that God would give us the wisdom, the strength and the grace to choose what’s best.

“And lead us not into temptation” (NIV)

“Do not bring us to hard testing” (Good News)

Andrew Kerr writes:

I'm not great at resisting temptation. Mrs Doyle from Father Ted, with her encouragement to "Go on! Go on! Go on!”, would have me drinking tea and eating sandwiches until I keeled over.

What I am good at is trying to do it by myself. I’ll be alright. I’ll give it a go. What could do wrong? I can keep myself in line, surely?

But yet again all three of us were struck that Jesus' teaching on how to pray isn't a meek request. It isn't a prayer for God to strengthen us to resist temptation ourselves. It's a bold cry to the Creator of the world to lead us away from the things around us that distract us from Him.

There are so many temptations that surround us; so many things that could draw us away from God and the plans that He has for us. When life is going swimmingly perhaps it's easier to see where God wants us to go. Easier to have the headspace and time to sit and listen to His voice, hear His plan, and follow His way.

But, as Joanna noted, when things are harder and we are being pulled through the wringer of life, sometimes we reach for the easy option, the numbing balm, a quick fix, or perhaps something that others have suggested or done before us. We'll give it a go, as that seems the right way. "I got into this mess so I'll sort it myself.” I don’t have time for anything else.

Deep down though, I know that if I got into a mess, I'm rarely able to get out by myself. I need others to help me. What better person to help us back up than God who always knows what's best. It is, as Laura said, a collaborative process. The process is that we acknowledge we can’t do it and ask God to work in us!

So today I am going to take a deep breath and admit that I don't know how to sort myself out. I know that I get pulled in all sorts of directions. Sometimes I resist but perhaps sometimes I like the easy fix or the quick hit. God help me today to follow you. Help me not to be distracted. Thank you that your way is everlasting.

“And lead us not into temptation” (NIV)

“Do not bring us to hard testing” (Good News)

“Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil” (The Message)

Bern Leckie writes:

Would God lead us into temptation? If not, why pray like this?

When I prayed about this, I remembered a few bits from the Bible. In Old Testament times, people didn’t separate “God” things from “natural” things the way we often do and tended to accept God’s involvement with everything. But this didn’t mean that God caused everything to happen in our lives. Job suffered and his friends assumed that God must have been addressing some unconfessed sin in his life, but the story shows us that it’s wise not to make assumptions about what God is or isn’t doing like this.

In New Testament times, people still linked their troubles and temptations with a belief that God must be doing something. But James wrote that, “when tempted, no-one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’” In his view, temptation is never from God. It’s purely a product of our own desire. Having a desire isn’t sinful but, given enough nurturing, an evil or harmful desire “gives birth to sin” which, in turn, “gives birth to death.”

We are all sure that our loving Father God doesn’t muck around with tempting us towards harm and death! Why would he? So we talked about times when we might really want to do the wrong thing, and how we could ask God to protect us from those times.

Is that it, then? Should Jesus simply have been better translated as “protect us” or “lead us away from temptation?” Maybe!

Or maybe it’s good to feel that tension, knowing that I find it harder that I would like to admit to separate good from bad, such as an appreciation for tasty food, and an unhealthy appetite for too much.

I want to get better at being led by God. I also want to see more of God’s involvement with my whole life, not just the bits that fit into the categories of faith and church stuff. So when I do feel tempted, I don’t want to blame God, but I do want to remember that God is close and with me for the whole of my life's journey. He knows how temptation to me is not always stuff to avoid but how I learn to regard it, such as whether I believe it will satisfy me when it won't. God never misdirects, but he is always involved and able to lead me.