And lead us not into temptation

Catholic Living Spirituality
#1

**I’d like to open a thread to make people agree to that, for it’s ever so clear.

I had in this forum opened a thread >THE LORDS PRAYER< but nobody answered, so I gave up. But in this prayer, we have the request: And “lead us not into temptation“. Of course God doesn’t lead us into temptation, but he allowed Satan to sift us like wheat, as Jesus told Petrus in Luke 22,31 (match also Matth 16,18; Joh 21,15-17; (31-34) and Joh 13,36-38).

Now, those who live far away from God, far off the one and only way, the truth and the life who is Jesus, just do what pleases Satan without caring a dime about how that doing reflects on others, on our next, on God, and they love money more than God. Satan doesn’t have to care about them. They are his anyway, adding sin on sin on their account – sometimes more by failing to do right, than by doing wrong.

Those however who are tempted, for instance with doubts and all sorts of things that are not right (and we jolly well know what’s right and what’s wrong) are found very interesting to Satan, for if he wins those or his league, he snatched away from God one more of Gods beloved.

It’s God, Satan wants to hit. Not us. We are of the least interest to Satan. We simply are “something” to help Satan fulfil his aggression against God, if we follow Satan’s request. To him, a piece of dirt he could provoke God with.
So, those who are with God, are first target to Satan.

If we feel temptation, let’s be proud of it and resist as now we know, we are on the way to God, but Satan feigns us a better way. This “way” shining bright, golden, beautiful, would be the way to hell.**

#2

Bruno… I believe I understand what you’re saying. I will watch this thread with interest, to see what the more learned people have to say.

I have found in my own life, that the closer I become to God… the closer I attempt to get to God… the more the enemy “steps up” it’s assaults… and tries to get me to fall again.

Does that sound right? That has been my own experience, anyway.

God bless.

#3

I just happened upon a comment on the Lord’s Prayer, as we pray it during Mass, in the How To Book of the Mass, browsing through it earlier this afternoon. The author quoted the prayer as it is in the Didache (as well as the gospels) the 2nd C. description of the Mass, and he made the point that these people were still expecting the Second Coming and end of the age, as described in the Book of Revelation, to be imminent. He interprets this prayer, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done as first and foremost an expression of readiness for the completion of the Kingdom, and obedience to Christ’s command to be ever watchful and vigilant for his coming.

The word temptation here is better translated in English to “save us from the test or trial”, referring to the trial that those alive when the last battle comes before the end of the age will have to endure. Jesus tells us woe to those alive in those times, they should pray to escape the trial or test.

#4

“lead us not into temptation”.

In the book Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI he has a four page commentary on this.

#5

**

You hit exactly the point.
A long time ago, I told a young man that I’ve asked God to allow me another, an extra guardian angel to fight Satans daemons harassing me. The guy asked back – >do you mean your “anyway-Angel” or an extra one?< “Anyway-Angel” was quite funny, but it showed, that he knew and not just kind of believed, we do have an Angel to guard and help IF we have faith in God.
This Jesus confirmed in Math 18:10 - "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven”.

Though Jesus refers to children here; “little ones” are those humble too. Little ones are we if we humble ourselves before God and our next: Mat 18:4 – “Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven”.

So, our angel sees God’s face every day. Let’s hope he never has to look upon God in an ashamed way over us.

So let’s ask our Guardan Angel, to help us fighting Satan’s temptation every day.
Little side story: When I lay naked on that operation table for my about 10th heart-catheter with all them Doctors around me, I suddenly laughed. The Docs where very astonished and asked why I laughed in that situation, and I told them the truth: “I just old my Guardian-Angel – <now here you see what’s up to you, as long as you are just a human>. Oh, I was surprised, that the Professor said: “I too believe strongly in God”.
I often in my clubs where surprised, that people agreed to believe in God. Very seldom I earned protests and annoyance on Christian talks.

Now back to temptation: Satan’s trick #17 is, to tempt us whilst praying, by giving us thoughts and ideas and rememberances of very different things.
My trick against this temptation is simple but it works and I told many friends:
Simply lay all this side-ideas into your prayer; into the hands of God and go on praying. In that case, we do not only attempt to get closer to God, but actually do get closer to God, just in spite of Satan’s wildest efforts to shift us like wheat.

I told my children in the 70th: When you live in God, God is whith you. Then you might even walk right through the hell and spit on Satan’s head, and the devil is unable even to skim you !
**

#6

**And don’t lead us into temptation, is easily misunderstood, for definitely God never leads us into temptation – it’s the devil who does that. This enemy of God is it though, who is allowed to sift us like wheat.
Though; whenever we ask God to lead us, to guide us past this temptation, we are led away from Satan’s pitfall and will take the right way, which is Jesus alone.
Why we might be sift like wheat by Mr. Devil is explained in the book Job. It’s an examination as to whether or not we are firm in God.

In the Lords Prayer we ask God to guide us away, off this temptations, just as loving parents lead their child away, off temptations for body and soul of the beloved.

Too often the temptation to put the commandment to love God and our Next, on the back of our own requirements, is huge. Sore the temptation, to judge our neighbour forwardly. Huge the temptation to draw own advantage, of my next’s disadvantage. Mighty the temptation, the commandment “love your next” to apply to those I know and like only. Enormous the temptation to set material pleasures above those of our soul and relation to God.

Dad told me when I was a child: Temptation is a ever so tasty niblet. You really want to have it. It looks great, smells lovely – you want it!
BUT IT IS POISON! The devil offers it to you! Don’t fall for his hook! His poison makes you his prey – which feels good at first, but is deadly at the end. It’s got but one purpose – to destroy you, with the aim to provoke God.

Yes, we re allowed to be sift by Satan, but when we pray to God not to lead us into that temptation, we ask God to show us the right way – bring us back on the track – which is Jesus. Just as a child expects his dad or mom to hold him when he slips, or is in danger to slide away into a wrong path through life.

That’s why we pray: And don’t lead us into temptation, but deliver us from this evil.
**
I’ll put same answer into the thread THE LORDS PRAYER

#7