In the model prayer, Jesus taught us to ask the Father not to lead us into temptation. One of the big questions is, is it God who tempts us or the devil? In this post, we will explore how temptation works and why we have them?

Who tempts us? God or the devil?

Matt 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

As we can see in the temptation of Jesus, it is indeed God who will lead us into temptation. However, God Himself will not tempt us but rather uses the devil to tempt us into all the things we desire.

And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.

Matt 6:13a

This is one of the reasons Jesus taught us to ask the Father not to lead us into temptation.

Why do we have temptations?

And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” … And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for [this] has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. … Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours. … Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.

Luke 4:3,6-7,9

Jesus is the Son of God who will be given all authority by the Father after He completes His mission on earth. If we look into how the devil tempted, he always want Jesus to prove that He is indeed the Son of God.

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

Matt 28:18

The devil also provided a shortcut for receiving authority on earth without any suffering which the Father will provide Jesus after He completed His mission on earth. In short, the devil tempted Jesus for who He is and what He will receive.

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

Jas 1:13-14

It is God who will lead us into temptations but God Himself will not tempt us but use the devil. The devil will use our own desires against ourselves for us to depart away from God and His commandments. God wants us to make sure we don’t fall into our desires.

Why do we fail?

But the ones on the rock [are those] who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.

Luke 8:13

Jesus is teaching us that we must not be rocky but a good ground and His Word must have rooted deep within us. Everyone will have a time of temptation and we must pray that we don’t fall away (Luke 22:40).

Blessed [is] the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Jas 1:12

Overcoming temptations is very important. We can claim that we love God but only after we endure temptations and approved, we receive the crown of life.

Conclusion

God who will lead us into temptations but He Himself will not tempt anyone but use the devil. The devil will use our own desires against ourselves for us to depart away from God and His commandments. God wants us to make sure we don’t fall into our desires before we receive the crown of life. To overcome temptations, Jesus taught that we must not be rocky but a good ground and His Word must have rooted deep within us.