Lead Us Not into Temptation

ONE

In the Our Father we pray; “Lead us not into temptation”

God does not lead us into temptation.

The original Greek text means “Do not allow us to give into temptation and sin.”

The Apostle James writes; “Never, when you have been tempted, say, 'God sent the temptation'; God cannot be tempted to do anything wrong, and He does not tempt anybody. Everyone who is tempted is attracted and seduced by his own wrong desire. Then the desire conceives and gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it too has a child, and the child is death.”

It is our vices or disordered desires that propel us to sin.

Pride, vain ambition, envy, sloth, anger, greed, gluttony, and lust.

Every person is dominated by two or three of these. If we want to avoid falling into sin, then we need to know ourselves and which of these vices we struggle with.

Do you know which deadly sins you fall into most often? If you don’t, do a brief examination of conscience each day for the next week. Look at when you have done wrong or failed to do right. Then ask, which of the deadly sins was at the root. It won't take long to see a habit. Then make a concrete game-plan to deal with them ahead of time.

TWO

We pray that God will help us remove sinful temptations from our life, but we don’t want God to remove all trials.

Some trials are necessary for our growth in virtue and spiritual maturity. Again the Apostle James writes; “My brothers, you will always have your trials but, when they come, try to treat them as a happy privilege; you understand that your faith is only put to the test to make you patient, but patience too is to have its practical results so that you will become fully-developed, complete, with nothing missing… Happy the man who stands firm when trials come. He has proved himself, and will win the prize of life, the crown that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

In strength training, you must add weight or resistance to get stronger. God allows trials to make his children grow in virtue and merit. God allows us to face trials that call for courage; so that we grow in courage. He allows trials that call for honesty; so that we grow in honesty. He allows trials that call for fidelity; so that we grow in fidelity.

If God is allowing some trial in your life, there is only one reason. He is exercising his chosen athletes to become glorious. So let us not ask that we spared the trials that perfect us. Let us not ask that we be left mediocre. Rather, pray that we be made glorious sons and daughters of God by means of the trials Our Father allows and His grace that strengthens us!

We must know the difference between two things:

Temptation which leads to sin and death: avoid this.

Trials which are necessary for our growth in the likeness of God: embrace that.

THREE

St. Paul writes; “You can trust God not to let you be tried beyond your strength, and with any trial he will give you a way out of it and the strength to bear it.”

The problem is that God thinks I can handle way more than I think I can.

Pride is self-reliance. To heal us of the root of all sin, God stretches way beyond our self-reliance to heal us. He wants to stretch us beyond our breaking point so that we stop relying on our limited power and begin to rely on His divine life dwelling in us.

So, the next time you are angry with God for pushing you beyond your limit. Remember this. And say to him; “Well, this is beyond me. So I surrender to you Lord, you take over.”

FOUR

Jesus put the Apostles to the test.

Before entering the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said to Peter, James and John: “Pray you will not enter into temptation.”

They did not pray, they slept.

When the trial broke, they forsook him and fled.

The Catechism says: Such a battle and such a victory become possible only through prayer.

The Rosary is our Weapon to gain victory over temptation.

FIVE

Many of the trials we go through are not from God but self-inflicted.

Emotional and physical pain or anxiety can be a message from our body and soul to stop or change something.

Stop and reflect

Are we putting undue pressure upon ourselves?

Are we over-working, over-scheduling, taking on too much?

Are we eating and drinking too much?

Are we watching too much news and commentators about things that are beyond our zone of responsibility and control leaving us anxious or angry?

We have self-destructive behaviors that cause us emotional and physical pain. It is a message to stop and change something.

Are we humble enough to listen and convert?

Lord, what change do you want me to make in my life?