Lead Us Not Into Temptation

James says no one can say God has tempted him or her. This request, then, is for God to keep us from situations where we might fall. Put another way: "As we put you first, as we rely on you, lead us to more of You, not us."This request involves a recognition of the dangerous, bait-riddled, sin-inducing nature of this world. Yet it is also a repudiation of the twisted, wrong-headed inclinations inside us. If we were invincibly pure/strong we would not need to avoid tempting circumstances!How comforting to know, then, that Jesus promises -- in the context of this very prayer -- to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask. Jesus is teaching us to pray to our Father for deliverance from temptation and from evil, because our Father is committed to helping us do exactly that!