Let’s talk about this. I know this idea is in the Lord’s prayer that is written in the Gospels, but does our heavenly Father who loves us actually lead us into temptation? Matthew 6:13. Follow my logic here please. The scriptures say with every temptation He makes a way of escape for us. 1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

So would you as a parent lead your child to a hot stove and tempt the child to touch something that would cause him/her great harm? I don’t think so! As a loving parent, you would warn your child away. That’s what God does for us too. Not only do we have the promise from 1 Corinthians regarding temptation, but in 2 Timothy 2:22, we are exhorted to “flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart,” indicating that we can make a choice about that. There is action to be taken. It’s not terribly hard to understand, unless we spend our whole life blaming something or someone else for our actions. We need to own up to it when we get in trouble for something we have done. We can “fall” into temptation through ignorance also, but there is always a reason for giving in to temptation.

Let’s look at a few other scriptures that may help us get a more complete picture. James 1:13-15 seems to be most definitive…”Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” That seems pretty conclusive and clear. God cannot be tempted by evil and God does not tempt anyone.

We also read that Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted (or tested) of the devil. Scripture makes this statement that the purpose of Him going in to the desert was to be tempted or tested, depending on which bible version you read.

Let’s start with this premise: We live in a war zone where a devil roams about looking for whom he may devour. If man has been given authority over the devil, then it would seem that man gets a say in the matter. It would appear he can make the choice to, a) do what the devil wants, or b) do what God wants. I believe that every day of our lives we are tested by events that come before us. If someone comes to us and gossips about other people, do we join in? Or do we resist speaking evil of others? Now there’s a test! There are all kinds of situations where we can choose to do the right thing or the wrong thing. That is testing, that is temptation. We are always being tempted to do evil, but I don’t believe God is involved in that. It is because we live in a war zone with a rebel spirit on the loose. He is always looking to see who he can tempt to sin.

How can two men walk into a bar and only one gets drunk? One may have a drink or two and then walk away but the other man remains until he can no longer think. I would maintain they both made a choice, one to get drunk or not stay sober, the other to not get drunk. So is the bar the source of temptation? I would maintain that it is not. Situations come to everyone, but not everyone responds the same. Why? Because we are not robots. We are people with free will and the power to choose. But there is sin inside of us. Yes, we are born with a sin nature. In that sense sin can be involuntary. We had no choice in whether we were born sinners or not. It was a fixed thing. Everyone comes into the earth born into sin. However, once a person becomes old enough to understand right from wrong, that is where he begins to make choices. He begins to exercise his will and his power to choose, whether for good or evil.

I like James’s definition of temptation…each one is tempted when he is carried away by HIS OWN lust. We must own our sin…..whatever traps we fall into or whatever lifestyle we may be living, we must own it. We made choices. We have the right to make those choices. What we don’t have the right to do is to blame others for our choices. That is not being honest. If we can make the choice to sin, we can also make the choice to not sin. We have the right to do that. For the unregenerated person though, this is not easy. Even once a person becomes regenerated, there are battles to be made with the flesh that has been trained in sin. The flesh wants its way.

Praise God, there is victory to be gained. We have a Helper to keep us from sin, to help us make right choices. Jesus paid the price for all of your sins, past, present and future ones. His death paid to set you free from sin and to be filled with His Spirit, so now you don’t HAVE to choose to sin. It’s a much better life. You can have victory!

Testing is allowed and needed. A test you might take in school shows your abilities and the areas you need to improve. Spiritual testing reveals the same things. I love the passage in Ezekiel 36:26-27 that promises this: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.“

This promise is made specifically to Israel here in Ezekiel, but it is what Jesus Christ, through the sacrifice of Himself, has given to all who believe, no matter what their ethnicity is. He has made the way for all of us to follow Him and obey His word. We can set our minds and hearts upon His promises and pursue Him for everything we need. A heart set on pleasing God will always fight against sin.