The three requests we dey middle of the Prayer we Our Lord teach us give us the means to reach the glorious goal wey God call us to: happiness wey no go end for God presence, as we dey give Him glory forever for His Kingdom. After we don surrender ourselves completely to receive forgiveness and forgive other people, receive wetin God dey provide as our daily bread, and make our life agree with His holy will, some things from outside still dey block our way, and we must pray for grace to overcome them.
First, we recognize say God dey allow us pass through different kinds of wahala wey dey test us—not to block our way or tempt us, but to help us grow for good character as we overcome them through grace. Second, we acknowledge say the evil one and his fallen angels dey, and dem dey try to stop our journey towards the highest heights of glory.
For this chapter, we go consider the first of these things wey dey block our way, as the Prayer we Our Lord teach us put am: “No lead us enter temptation.”
To Overcome Things wey Dey Block Our Way
Plenty people feel say the traditional English translation of this request dey confuse person small. God dey lead us enter temptation? Certainly not. The Greek phrase for “No lead us enter temptation” (kai mē eisenenkēs hēmas eis peirasmon) mean word for word, “No bring us enter temptation” or “enter testing.” The verb eisenenkēs mean “to lead enter” or “to carry enter,” and peirasmon fit mean trial, testing, or temptation. As the Catechism explain, “the Greek mean both ‘no allow us enter temptation’ and ‘no let us give in to temptation’” (CCC 2846). Na only this request for the Prayer we Our Lord teach us dem no express with the aorist imperative form (wey dem normally dey use to express an urgent request wey dey firm and clear). Instead, e use the aorist subjunctive, together with the negative particle mē—wey mean “not” or “do not”—a common Greek way to arrange words to express a humble request or to ask with reverence make something no happen.
Scripture talk am clearly say no be God dey cause temptation to come to us. Saint James write say:
“Blessing dey for the person wey stand firm for temptation, because after e don pass the test, e go receive the crown of life wey God promise people wey love Him. Nobody wey dey face temptation suppose talk say, ‘Na God dey tempt me’; because nobody fit tempt God to do evil, and He Himself no dey tempt anybody.
Instead, temptation dey come to each person when im own desire draw am and lure am. Then desire go get belle and give birth to sin, and when sin don mature, e go give birth to death. My dear brothers, make nobody deceive una: every good giving and every perfect gift come from above, as e dey come down from the Father of lights, wey no dey change and no get any shadow wey change dey cause.
Na His will to give us birth through the word of truth, so that we fit be like the firstfruits among the things wey He create” (James 1:12–18).
So, this request no dey express fear say God fit tempt us. Instead, na humble plea make God, as He dey care for us and direct everything, protect us so that dem no go lead us enter trials or tests wey pass our strength. E put us for His guidance and protection, as we dey ask make He no allow temptation overpower us, but make He strengthen us with His grace, because “every perfect gift come from above, as e dey come down from the Father of lights.” While desire wey no dey in proper order dey get belle and give birth to sin, our Father for Heaven dey offer wisdom, strength, and deliverance to everybody wey trust Him.
Trials, Temptations, and Tests
To understand this request more fully, e go help us to know the difference between trials wey come from outside and temptations wey dey inside us. Trials wey come from outside na the hardship, suffering, and affliction wey God allow us pass through for this life—sickness, persecution, poverty, loss, injustice, and other things like these. Even though these trials dey pain us, dem no be evil by themselves. Dem come from the fallen condition of our world because of Original Sin, and God, for His care and guidance, dey allow them so that we go grow for holiness and become more like Christ. Dem dey test our faith, purify our love, and free us from the way we hold on to worldly things. For this sense, God dey allow them for our good, even when dem come from evil situations, evil intentions, or our fallen condition.
Trials wey come from outside fit make us feel oppression—a spiritual weight wey dey heavy for the soul. This oppression, just like the trial itself, no be sin, but na part of the suffering wey God allow. When we endure these heavy burdens with God grace, we dey grow for good character and become more perfectly like Christ, Who endure the greatest afflictions of all.
But when we fail to rely on grace and instead give in to fear, desire for revenge, or pity for ourselves, we dey risk falling into obsession—when our mind hold on to the suffering itself in a way wey no dey in proper order. This kind of struggle inside us, wey often mix fear, selfishness, and relying only on ourselves together, fit lead the soul go down a dark and painful path. So, this request dey beg God to protect us from this kind of spiritual confusion. Na prayer make the way we respond to affliction remain rooted for grace, instead of allowing sin and weakness twist am—so that trials go make the soul holy instead of making am dark.
Something fit hold person mind down more because of temptation wey dey come from inside—the pull towards sin wey dey rise from inside the heart, and wey the world, the flesh, or the devil dey often stir up. God no dey ever cause temptation, but sometimes He dey allow am so that we fit grow for good character, humility, and deeper dependence on His grace.
For spiritual life, trials and temptations na tests wey dey give us chance to grow for good character, as dem dey strengthen us to resist sin and remain faithful to grace. When we pray, “No lead us enter temptation” or “No let us give in to temptation,” we dey ask the Father make He no let the tests wey we dey face—whether na trials and temptations from outside or from inside—turn to things wey go destroy our spiritual life. We no dey ask make we escape every suffering, because suffering wey we join to Christ dey help for the work of redemption. Instead, we dey pray make our own weakness no waste or twist our sufferings, come make something hold our mind down, make we lose all hope, rebel, or fall into sin.
Testing as Way to Make Us Holy
When we face trial, we dey often pray at once make God remove am. When e still remain, we fit begin wonder why e dey happen to us and lose heart. For that kind time, e dey help to remember say God, for His wisdom wey no get end, know wetin each soul need to become holy. He know wetin to allow and wetin to hold back. All through Sacred Scripture, we dey see say God dey allow the children wey He love to face tests, so that their trust go strong, their good character go grow, and dem go ready for glory.
Think about Abraham. God test am by asking am to sacrifice Isaac, im only son. Even though this command must have pierced im heart, Abraham obey with courage and faith, as e trust say God still fit fulfil His promise. E hard to imagine how deep Abraham trust for God must have been for that moment. For the end, God no allow the sacrifice to happen. Instead, He reward Abraham for im obedience and declare: “Now I know say you fear God, because you no hold your son back from Me, your only son” (Genesis 22:12). The test show say Abraham faith na genuine faith and make am pure, and so e become our Father for Faith.
Saint Peter write about the value of our trials: “For this, una dey rejoice, even though now, for small time, una fit need to suffer different kinds of trials, so that una faith wey don prove genuine—wey precious pass gold wey fit perish even though fire don test am—fit bring praise, glory, and honour when Jesus Christ reveal Himself” (1 Peter 1:6–7). Just as fire dey purify gold, na so trials dey purify the soul too. This purification dey help us carry out our highest duty more fully: to glorify God.
To endure testing na one truth from God wey look like contradiction—e dey reflect the greatest truth wey look like contradiction: the Cross. The trials and temptations wey God allow dey humble us by showing our weakness, but dem still get power to lift us up by drawing us to depend on Him more deeply. Through testing, we dey see say to depend on our own strength no fit help us, and we dey learn to trust only for God strength. This dey give us share for Christ Resurrection after we don join ourselves to His Cross.
When we talk say, “No lead us enter temptation,” na grace to persevere we dey seek, so that we fit fulfil the five petitions wey come before this one more perfectly. When grace fill our souls for the middle of suffering, we fit forgive as God don forgive us, trust for God care and provision—especially as He dey offer am for the Eucharist—and bring ourselves into line with His holy will, even for suffering. For this way, our trials dey become means wey His Kingdom take come, and wey His holiness take show for inside us and through us.
Our Example and Source of Strength
Our Lord human life na the source of all grace and mercy, and na our perfect example for holiness too. The Father no expect anything from us apart from wetin He expect from His Son. All through Jesus human life, He show us how to endure trials and temptations. One of the clearest examples happen for the beginning of His public ministry, when He willingly enter the desert to fast and pray, and to face temptation from the devil for forty days and nights.
“Then the Spirit lead Jesus enter the desert for the devil to tempt Him. He fast for forty days and forty nights, and after that, hunger catch Him. The tempter come near and tell Him, ‘If You be the Son of God, command make these stones turn to loaves of bread’” (Matthew 4:1–3).
The first thing to note for this passage na say na “the Spirit” lead Jesus enter the desert, no be the devil. Nobody force the trial and temptations for the desert on Him; Jesus freely choose dem in line with wetin His Father will allow. Even though God get only one divine will, theologians dey distinguish between His will wey directly desire wetin good—wey He take directly will good—and His will wey allow things to happen, wey He take allow some evils or trials to happen, no be as the final purpose, but as means to reach greater good: to make us holy and bring Him glory.
God one will cover everything wey true, good and perfect. When wetin good for us involve to overcome trial or temptation, we dey call am God permissive will—wetin God allow make e happen. This one dey always lead to the highest good: make His Kingdom come and make His glory grow greater.
For the beginning of Jesus public ministry, the Father permissive will drive Jesus enter desert to overcome temptation—no be because Jesus dey in danger to sin, but because He come redeem our human nature wey don fall, as He face every temptation and overcome all of them with complete faithfulness to the Father.
Jesus forty days of fasting, temptation and trial correspond to the forty years wey Israel waka about for desert, but the difference between them clear well-well. Unlike the Israelites wey grumble, doubt and rebel, Jesus remain completely obedient. Hunger catch Him, but He resist the temptation to turn stones to bread. Dem challenge Him to test how the Father dey provide and how the angels dey care for Him, but He refuse to put His Father to the test. Dem offer Him all the kingdoms for the world, but He choose the Kingdom of Heaven. For every trial, He conquer no be by power, but by love, humility and complete obedience to the Father.
Jesus victory for desert na our victory, if we remain united with Him. He no avoid temptation; He enter inside am and show us the way to pass through am, as He give us His divine strength to do as He do. When temptation come to us—whether na through disorder inside us or trial from outside—we must remember say our Lord don go before us. He know the desert. He don waka for there, fast for there, suffer for there and make am holy. And now He dey follow us for our own deserts, dey strengthen us with His grace, dey feed us with His Word and dey guard us with His angels.
When we pray, “No lead us enter temptation,” we no dey ask to avoid the desert completely. We dey ask for strength to endure am well, to resist the devil lies and to come out of am with more faithfulness, more humility and life wey resemble Christ more. Desert no be place of defeat; na place of purification and victory when we waka through am with Jesus.
As we endure the desert, united with our Lord, this one remove the first of two big obstacles wey we face as we dey try to fulfil our highest and most glorious mission: to cry out for all eternity, “Holy, Holy, Holy na the Lord God Almighty.” The second obstacle—evil itself—na wetin we go consider for the next and final petition of the Our Father prayer. For now, we dey pray make God give us power to overcome every temptation and trial wey He allow, as we know say victory dey give Him glory and make sure say we belong to His Kingdom.
Gift from Holy Spirit: To Understand
Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas connect “No lead us enter temptation” with the Gift to Understand, one of the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. This divine gift dey give us deep spiritual understanding, so we fit:
- See wetin temptation really be.
- Know the difference between wetin truly good and wetin only look like say e good.
- Recognize the enemy cunning ways to deceive us.
We no fit resist temptation and endure trials by human effort alone—we need divine light. The Gift to Understand:
- Dey give the mind light to recognize sin and wetin sin dey cause.
- Dey strengthen the heart with divine Truth so we no go give in to temptation.
- Dey direct our will away from situations wey fit lead us to sin, where the enemy fit use our weakness against us.
Many times, temptation dey disguise sin as something good. Without Understanding, we fit:
- Give reasons to justify sinful behaviour.
- Compromise the virtues wey dey help us do wetin right.
- Fail to understand the eternal consequences of choices wey look small or wey look like say dem no good or bad.
With the Gift to Understand, our minds dey receive light. We dey see temptation as wetin e truly be: trap wey dey try draw us away from God and His glory.
Understanding dey necessary for our spiritual battles every day—but especially to persevere reach the end. As Saint Paul testify: “I don compete well; I don finish the race; I don keep the faith. From now on, the crown of righteousness dey wait for me…” (2 Timothy 4:7–8)
When we pray, “No lead us enter temptation,” we dey ask for:
- The grace to remain firm.
- The ability to discern, so we fit recognize the enemy traps.
- Strength to run the race with our eyes fixed on Christ.
Na this grace too we dey ask for inside the Hail Mary prayer: “…now and for the hour of our death.” For the hour of our death, we go face deep temptation—but God go also offer us grace wey nothing fit compare with: the grace to persevere reach the end, with the Gift to Understand dey guide us.
The Beatitude: “Blessed Na Those Wey Their Heart Clean”
Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas connect the sixth petition of the Our Father prayer with the sixth Beatitude: “Blessed na those wey their heart clean, because dem go see God” (Matthew 5:8). Many times, dem dey translate “clean of heart” as “pure of heart,” wey mean to focus on God alone, without the heart dividing among plenty other desires wey dey tempt us to turn away from God.
This request—“No lead us enter temptation”—agree completely with the purity of heart wey the Beatitude describe. To get clean heart mean say our devotion to God no divide: make we desire Him pass everything else and reject anything wey fit lead us away from Him.
People wey get clean heart na people wey fix their eyes on God alone. Impurity no cover their hearts, attachment wey no dey proper order no divide their hearts, and sin wey don become habit no weaken them. Instead, dem dey try keep the holy place inside their souls pure, dey guard their desires and intentions from everything wey fit spoil their communion with God.
The Gift of Understanding dey make this purity possible as e dey give the soul light to recognise temptation, see beyond the false appearance of sin, and stand firm to choose wetin dey lead to union with God. E dey help us discern wetin good pass for us—the Kingdom of Heaven and the eternal glory of the Father—and purify every affection wey no dey lead to that goal.
Na this be the reward of the Beatitude: “Because dem go see God.” To get clean heart mean say we don already dey live as people wey dey expect the Beatific Vision, dey see God even now through the veil of faith, and dey long for the day when that veil go lift and we go see Him face to face.
Make Our Desires Agree with God’s Own
Temptation dey increase for heart wey divide. When our desires no dey proper order, the enemy fit easily catch us for im traps. When our desires dey proper order, temptation dey lose im power. Na this be the goal of the sixth request: make our desires become pure, come into proper order and grow strong, so that we go remain faithful even inside trials.
Your heart divide, and your desires no dey proper order?
- I dey long for comfort pass holiness?
- I dey seek make people approve of me pass to stand for truth?
- I dey pursue satisfaction wey I fit get now-now pass eternal reward?
To put our desires for proper order mean say we dey strive to get clean heart—pure heart—wey focus only on God, His glory, and how we go share for that glory. When temptations and trials come, people wey get pure heart dey see them as opportunities wey grace dey work through, to become holy as dem unite themselves with Christ and come out victorious with Him.
- I dey long for clean heart wey focus only on God and the ways to reach union with Him?
- I dey pray make the Holy Spirit give my mind light through the Gift of Understanding, so that I fit discern wetin truly good from the deception of sin?
- I dey hold my will firmly to God will and reject everything wey dey against the building of His Kingdom?
Suffering and afflictions na part of life for this condition wey sin don put us. No be because we fear trials and suffering make we dey pray, “No lead us enter temptation.” We dey pray am because we humbly accept say we weak and we need grace. This humble acceptance dey change how we understand both afflictions wey come from outside and the ones wey dey inside us. E dey help us see them, no be as obstacles wey we suppose run from, but as steps wey dey lead us towards holiness.
Which trials wey come from outside dey tempt you pass?
- Sickness?
- Persecution?
- Poverty?
- Loss?
- Injustice?
- Something else?
Just because something dey cause pain no mean say we suppose remove am completely. Think about Christ Passion. Both the pain for His body and the pain for His spirit pass wetin we fit imagine. He for offer His life any way wey He choose, but He choose the way wey pain pass, so that He go enter our most painful moments and give them the grace wey dem need to turn into signs of God glory and our happiness—beatitude.
This request dey call us to stay watchful and persevere for this goal. We dey bring our desires into line with this request when we strive to live with spiritual watchfulness, as we know say the enemy dey prowl like lion wey dey roar (cf. 1 Peter 5:8), and say even our strongest intentions need the support of regular prayer, sacramental grace, and love wey get discipline.
Sin fit overtake us for one moment if we no stay watchful. And we must continue this watchfulness till the end, even for our final hour—make we finish the race to win the crown of righteousness for God Kingdom.
The easiest way to achieve this na when to endure every trial with hope and willing heart, and to overcome every temptation, don become our habit. When this happen, we dey find joy for the sacrifices wey we make, we dey see value for the trials wey we endure, and we dey discover the wisdom for rejecting every foolish thing wey temptation dey draw us to accept.
- I dey find joy for sacrifice?
- I dey see the value of enduring every trial with love?
- I dey see the foolishness of temptation and long to reject am immediately and with all my heart?
This joy, value, and longing dey shape our desires, dey give us no be only share for Christ Passion, but also His strong desires—the zeal and determination wey dey move Him. This prayer wey involve our whole being dey make us courageous and strong people wey overcome evil, true sons and daughters of the Father for Heaven.
Pray this request for yourself and for all the people wey join for the “us” inside that prayer, for everybody wey be member of Christ Mystical Body, the Church:
Lord, give us strength make we win every divine test wey You allow.
As you dey pray, look forward to the time when your inner life go dey in line with God so well that even temptation go become chance to grow for holiness. Pray make you love God with heart wey clean well, with faithfulness wey strong well, and with devotion from heart wey no divide, so that wetin you desire pass everything na to glorify Am—and make nothing ever draw you away from Am.
Make We Pray:
Our Father, God wey holy pass all and full of glory, guide us, Your children, make we pass safely through every temptation, suffering, and trial wey You, for Your wisdom and perfect love, allow to make us holy. Help us understand every trial and temptation well, so that we fit recognise Your will wey dey expose every deception. Free us from thoughts wey dey weigh us down, and give us strength for where we weak. Protect us from everything wey fit overpower us, and give us the strength of Your Son wey be God, so that with joy and all our heart, we fit endure every trial wey we dey face now and until the end when all trials go stop.
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