"To say 'lead us not into temptation' does not. . .mean that God himself causes people to be tempted. . . . First, it means 'let us escape the great tribulation, the great testing, that is coming on all the world.' [Second], it means 'do not let us be led into temptation that we will be unable to bear.' . . . Finally, it means 'Enable us to pass safely through this testing of our faith." - N. T. Wright
"Many assure us that Jesus really means 'keep us away from temptation,' or 'lead us out of temptation,' or 'remind us that you never tempt us.' Of couse none of these things is what Jesus actually said. He told us to beg God not to put us to a test, presumably because we would fail it. What a vote of confidence in us! What a vote of confidence in God! What a way to conclude a conversation!" - Telford Work
"If we spend all our effort on our own white-knuckled struggle against a temptation, it grows bigger and bigger." - Glen H. Stassen
"The way we tinker with our temptations and tweak our reasons for acting on them are indications that we actually enjoy dancing the tango with the Devil." - Albert Haase
"In praying to God to deliver us we acknowledge that God is greater than any foe of God. The power of evil must be admitted and taken seriously, yet not too seriously. Perhaps that is why, though the Lord's Prayer honestly focuses upon trial, temptation, and evil, it never mentions Satan by name." - William H. Willimon and Stanley Hauerwas
"There is no resistance to Satan other than flight. . . . Flee--that can indeed only mean, flee to that place where you find protection and help, flee to the Crucified." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
