Dear reader, many believers are confused by this Bible verse. Here is the real meaning of “Lead us not into temptation”
God does not tempt anyone.
First, if God does not tempt anyone, why do we ask Him not to lead us into temptation?
Here is the truth.
Although God cannot lead anyone into temptation, He can lead us to the devil so that we may be tempted. In such a case, it is not God Himself who tempts us, but Satan who does.
This is precisely what happened to our Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says that God led Jesus Christ into the desert so that the devil would tempt Him.
Listen to what the Bible says:
4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil.
Matthew 4:1
This Bible verse means that God the Holy Spirit led Jesus to a place where he was tempted by Satan.
God permitted Satan to tempt Job.
If we go back to the book of Job, we realise that after Satan had sucessfuly legally challenged Job’s faithfulness in the Heavenly Court, God permitted him to tempt Job.
Listen to what God told Satan:
12 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”
Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
Job 1:12
After receiving God’s permission, Satan subjected Job to great trials and temptations. However, as you will see, Jesus later taught us how to prevent Satan from obtaining God’s permission.
The True Meaning of “Lead Us Not into Temptation”
When you ask our Heavenly Father not to lead you into temptation, you are actually pleading with God not to allow Satan to tempt you.
You are saying,
Father, do not give Satan permission to tempt me.
When you pray this way, God will deny Satan permission to tempt you. As a result, you will live a holy life, free from Satan’s temptations and trials.
