“And Lead Us Not Into Temptation”
In Jesus’ sermon on the mount, He taught the people how to pray. He didn’t just give them words to repeat — He was teaching them how to approach God in a way that’s honest and real. He warned them not to be like the hypocrites, the ones who pray out loud just to be seen. That’s not the kind of prayer God is after.
One part of the prayer He gave them stands out to me:
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
We usually think about temptation as the obvious stuff — lust, greed, envy, anger. But the more I’ve thought about it, the more I realize: temptation can also come in the form of things that look like blessings.
The Temptation of a “Perfect Life”
You might pray for financial success, a better job, or more influence. And none of that is wrong in itself — but what happens if those things actually pull your heart away from Jesus?
We don’t always think about it like that, but it happens. Sometimes we ask God for things that, if we’re being honest, would make us more self-reliant, more prideful, or more distracted. That’s temptation too — just dressed up in a way we don’t recognize.
King David had the right perspective. He said, “Don’t give me riches, or I might forget You. Don’t give me poverty, or I might steal and dishonor You. Just give me what’s necessary.” That’s wisdom. That’s humility. A lot of us would do well to pray the same way.
When We Pray Without Surrender
Jesus said, “Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it.” But that promise wasn’t meant to be taken out of context. Right after that, He said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
In other words — the prayer He answers comes from a heart that’s submitted to Him.
Jesus taught us to say, “Thy will be done.” That line shifts your entire mindset. It reminds you — God doesn’t owe you anything. And sometimes, He’s going to say no.
Not because He’s holding back. But because He knows that certain things we want would only do damage. And if He gave it to us anyway, that wouldn’t be love. That would be judgment.
So when I hear preachers say, “God’s about to bless everyone financially next week,” I shake my head. That kind of message sounds good, but it’s reckless. Because if God gave someone everything they asked for, without first cleaning out their heart, it wouldn’t be a blessing — it would be a trap.
Growth in the Inner Man
Before we ask for more, we need to ask for a clean heart. A right spirit. Integrity that matches the blessing.
If God increased us outwardly without first building us inwardly, that’s not grace — that’s danger. That’s why many people who rise fast fall even faster. They weren’t built for the weight of the platform. Their character couldn’t carry the blessing.
It’s not that God doesn’t want to give — it’s that He wants to give at the right time. And in the right measure.
Prayer Should Come After Reflection
One more thing I’ve been thinking about: we shouldn’t just rush into prayer. We need to sit quietly first. Think. Ask ourselves: Why am I praying this? What’s my motivation?
If we’d take the time to search our hearts before we start talking, we’d pray differently. We’d pray more honestly. We’d let the Holy Spirit guide what we say — instead of trying to use prayer as a tool to get what we want.
And I believe more of our prayers would be answered — not because we said the right words, but because we came to God with the right posture.
The Lord’s Prayer is a pattern — and a filter. It reminds us to glorify God before we ask for anything. It reminds us to seek His will above our own. And it reminds us that sometimes, not getting what we want is the best thing God can do for us.
So when we pray, let’s come with a clean heart. Let’s ask God to lead us away from anything that would pull us from Him — even if it looks good on the surface.
And let’s be willing to say,
“Lord, if it’s not Your will… don’t let it happen.”