# Be Ready - Monday, 2025.12.01 ## And lead us not into temptation - Part II Father, as usual I have more questions than answers. And as usual, I trust that You will provide the answers if and when I need to know. Is it possible for God to lead us into temptation? If so, what does it look like? If not, then why did Jesus teach the disciples (and us) to pray to the Father to "cease and desist?" {Matthew 6.13} Was God "leading into temptation" or was He just an accessory when He twice challenged Satan to a duel over Job {Job 1.8, 2.3} How about the temptation of Jesus? For those who believe the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are all "God", then it would seem that God directed God to lead God into the wilderness to be tempted. {Matthew 4.1-11, Mark 1.12-13, Luke 4.1-13} Based on the two examples above, it would appear that God can and does lead into temptation. In Job's case, Satan accused God of surrounding Job with a "hedge of protection"(HOP) that protected Job from Satan. I know from personal experience there are times when it seems easy to avoid temptation and I am guessing that God has surrounded me with an HOP. However, there are other times when it feels like the HOP is gone and it is impossible to avoid temptation leading to sin. {Job 1.10} One of a multitude of things I haven't figured out yet; if God is doing the leading into temptation and if He is the entity providing (or not) the hedge of protection then how does the "way of escape" figure into all of this? {1 Corinthians 10.13} Father, as stated at the top, even though I don't understand most of this stuff, I trust You will explain it when and if I need to know. ## Disciple's Prayer & Epilogue So then, this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours. {Matthew 6.9-15 (BSB)}