In the Lord's Prayer, it says, "Lead me not into temptation."  Are we really asking God not to tempt us?  Does God tempt us?  In the Letter of James it says, "Never, when you are being put to the test, say 'God is tempting me.'  God cannot be tempted by evil and does not put anybody to the test.  "Everyone is put to the test by being attracted and seduced by that person's own wrong desire.  Then the desire conceives and gives birth to sin, and when sin reaches full growth, it gives birth to death."

When we accept the grace of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins we become a new person, pure and holy before God.  This is only the beginning.  We must then proclaim Christ as Lord and Savior of our life in our thoughts, words, actions, behaviors. 

Following Jesus is an active and not a passive journey.  Each day we must choose which path we will take.  Some days we are tempted to take our own path, an old familiar, well-worn path--even though it leads us in circles. 

We need to be intentional in our discipleship by keeping the lines of communication open between ourselves and God.  Prayer and Scripture.  We choose between our old way of reacting to the stresses, challenges and hurtfulness of the world or Jesus' way of responding to a wounded and broken world so badly in need of grace, love, mercy, and justice. 

Enlighten me, Lord Jesus, with the clarity of everlasting light and drive out of my heart all manner of darkness and all vain imaginations and violent temptation.  Fight strongly for me and drive away the evil beasts, that is, all my evil and wicked concupiscences, so that peace of conscience may enter and fully rule within me, and that an abundance of glory and prasie of your name may sound continually in the chamber of my soul in a pure and clean conscience.    Thomas a Kempis