Lead Us Not Into Temptation
Temptation is one of the things that many people struggle against. For Christians, temptation is an attraction to act contrary to right reason and the commandments of God. Jesus Himself was tempted during His life on earth; He was put to the test, in order to manifest both the opposition between good and evil, and the triumph of His saving work over Satan.
When we pray the Lord’s Prayer and say “lead us not into temptation,” we ask God not to allow us to enter into temptation and not to yield to temptation. We ask God not to allow us to take the way that leads to sin. We implore God for discernment, moral strength, the grace to be vigilant and to persevere against temptation.
How can we deal with temptation? One thing we have to be careful about temptation is that the longer we allow it to linger, the more difficult it gets to fight it. Therefore, one of the best ways to deal with temptation is to avoid it. Here are 3 ways to avoid temptation:
- Avoid putting yourself in situations wherein you have been tempted before. For example, if a person has a drinking problem and had several times in the past drunk too much by going to a bar with certain friends, then he can try to avoid going to a bar with those friends.
- Try to ignore the temptation by focusing on something else. A person who is tempted has not yet committed a sin; but a person who entertains temptation willfully either by thought, word or deed commits a sin. When temptation comes knocking at your door, try to ignore it and occupy yourself with something else. For example, a person who is tempted with lustful thoughts can try to ignore it by being busy with work or other activities.
- Change the way you think about certain things. For example, a person overhears a remark or sees something, and immediately concludes the worst about someone. But most of the time, what we see or hear does not tell us the whole story. If we can admit that, then perhaps we can also avoid the temptation of making rash and unfair judgments about others.
Avoiding sin and temptation brings about a happier, more peaceful and fulfilling life!