Lead me not into temptation

The disciples of our Lord Jesus requested Him to teach them how to pray and He did. A part of that prayer is, “Lead us not into temptation”. Some people, in error, call it, “The Lord’s prayer”. It is not. It is rather the disciples’ prayer, the type you and I should be praying. The Bible prayer of our Lord Jesus is in John 17. That was how He prayed for us. From these two prayer patterns, we should also be praying. 

The prayer that God should not lead us into temptation is for us, God’s children, and not for unbelievers. If they pray, it is a wasted effort. “God heareth not sinners,” the Bible tells us in John 9:31. It does not matter how many months they fast, or how they twist their faces in pretended holiness, and how long they roll on the ground. The truth remains that God does not answer sinners when they pray and the Scripture cannot contradict itself. If a sinner, however, is convicted of his evil deeds and repents, and pleads for forgiveness, God will oblige. It requires no ceremony. We should note that He is the all-knowing God, and He alone, that knows, when someone has repented. He needs no witness of any man.

The prayer that God should not lead us into temptation should be our prayer request so that He will be protecting us from the snares of Satan and all his evil forces. God will not lead us really into temptation. No good father will do so. His Word is clear on the things we should do and also on what we should avoid. He made us in His image and being His children, He gave us free will so that we will be exercising our choice. He does not choose for us the path to follow, but makes clear to us, the implication of following the various paths at our disposal. When we run into problems for not heeding to His Word, instead of accepting our error and repenting of it, we blame Him rather than blaming ourselves.

The problem is with us. We are to make up our minds never to be going to the places of temptation. There, Satan, the deceiver, will make evil things to appear to be good. If we did not know from the beginning, we should leave that place as soon as the truth dawns on us. I have read from the newspapers, how someone arrested by the Police with his fellow criminals, would be complaining that he was invited for a business meeting in a hotel by his friend, not knowing that they were going to kidnap someone, until they were arrested in the process. The Police will not set him free for making the disclosure, even if he was right, because he could have left them when he knew their mission.

Imagine a young lady in skimpy dress, praying that God will not lead her into temptation, when she is the one tempting the men around her! That dress, which is inviting men for immoral relationships with her, is what is leading her into temptation. A good prayer is for her to point her fingers at the dress, which advertises her immoral trade, and then tells it that it will not lead her into temptation. She pulls it out, smears kerosene on it and burns it! No matter what Satan does or will do, that dress will not lead her to temptation.

When I was the Board Chairman of a certain Christian Limited Liability Company, the first day I visited the Head office, the General Manager gave me a bag of rice from one of the contractors. I smiled and told him to tell the contractor that I would eat his rice but must do my work. And I did! For six years I was in that position, I did not see one cup of rice from anybody, not even from the ‘benevolent’ donor! One of the contractors of my wife’s company gave her a fat envelope and she gave it back to him. The man was surprised. He confessed to her that it was the second time, in his life, he was meeting someone, who saw money and refused it. “From today, you are my mum,” he told her and he has been playing that role in her life, even after seven years she has retired.

The best way to avoid being led into temptation is for you to understand immediately, the intension of the other person and then to resist him or her. As a lady, why should your Oga or another man, tell you that you are beautiful and he starts to touch you and you keep quiet or even respond by smiling? You should bolt out from him and later warn him for his misdeeds. He may claim that it was a joke but you must tell him that you do not accept such jokes. You are a man and one day, your Madam starts immoral conversation before you, you must frown or obtain her permission to go somewhere. If she repeats the costly joke any day, warn her of it. When Uncle Joseph realized that nothing could dissuade his mistress, Portipher’s wife, from her evil desire, he took to his heels. Call it weakness, it did not bother him!

You are a wife, and your husband travelled. One of his friend’s, who was aware of it, and might have been at the Airport with you to see him off, may visit you one evening. He may start from one story to the other and does not care to go home, though, it is getting late. You must dismiss him politely. When leaving, let someone else, not you, go out to open the gate for him! In New York, in 1980, a White lady took me to an evening service and held my hand as if we had just wedded. Sensing her evil desire, I tapped at her shoulder and wished her ‘Good night. I left, without looking back.

We thank God that kissing is not our culture. It is okay for the Whiteman. May you not accept it as a form of greeting with someone, who is not your spouse. Most of the unimagined and unplanned sexual relationships start that way and by the time you recover yourself, the havoc has been done. You may weep but the deed has been done. ‘Prevention is better than cure,’ I was taught in school. A lady’s smile is an encouragement for further advances. It is good to respect people but when a man has abused that respect, the lady should warn him seriously.

You are the treasurer of your Town, Church, Fellowship, et cetera, may you not borrow any kobo from the money in your custody! It is easy to believe that you can use it to meet a pressing need and then you will replace it. Most of the time, such monies are never replaced until the auditor undertakes a spot check and your personality will be in jeopardy.

To avoid temptation, we do not allow intending couples to be visiting each other without a third party. God will not lead us into temptation, but we should not lead ourselves into it.

For further comment, Please contact: Osondu Anyalechi:     0802 3002-471; [email protected]