Tempting the Devil

“Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” — Luke 11:4

There is a quiet danger in the Christian life that we often underestimate—not the danger of being tempted, but the danger of inviting temptation. Jesus teaches us to pray against it, yet many of us walk straight toward the very things we ask God to keep us from. What we pray for in the secret place must be matched by the choices we make in the open.

Temptation is not something we are called to explore, test, or flirt with. Scripture never asks us to prove our strength; it asks us to guard our steps. We are not lion hunters. The enemy is described as a roaring lion, but nowhere are we told to go looking for him. Presumption is expensive. Curiosity can be costly. And spiritual pride—“I can handle this”—has toppled many who once thought they stood firm.

Jesus Himself warned His disciples, “Pray that you enter not into temptation.” He spoke as One who had walked through the wilderness, felt the sting of Satan’s whispers, and understood the weight of spiritual warfare. If the sinless Son of God urged His followers to pray this way, how much more should we?

Yet even with our best efforts, temptation will come. Not because God is unkind, but because we live in a world where evil is real and the enemy is relentless. God has one Son without sin, but none without temptation. Sparks fly upward, and temptations rise just as naturally. This is why Jesus pairs the first request with a second: “Deliver us from evil.”

We are not helpless. We are not alone. But we must be watchful.

There are seasons when the enemy presses harder—moments of weariness, loneliness, success, disappointment, or spiritual dryness. Just as cold winds return in their season, so do certain temptations. The wise believer learns to recognize these patterns, or triggers, and prepares accordingly. Prevention is better than cure; it is better to be so spiritually guarded that the enemy hesitates to attack than to fight a battle we could have avoided.

So today, let your prayer be twofold:

Lord, keep me from the paths where temptation waits.

And if temptation must come, deliver me from the evil one.

May God give you discernment to avoid looking for the lion in the thicket!