The Bible tells us, in no uncertain terms, that Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. His temptation was God-directed and enormously important. It was there that he was forced to make choices about his own identity. "If you are the Son of God..." the devil sneered more than once and Jesus was forced to come to grips with what that might really mean.

Likewise, is it not possible that we who claim to be children of God must discover what that really means, as well?

"I am a Christian," I boldly and far too easily claim to be...but what does that mean? What impact has it for the direction my life is taking? How can I know if I am not faced with choices just as Jesus was faced with choices?

Sometimes I wonder if the reason we so easily pray not to be led into temptation is because we are so very comfortable where we are.

In the midst of everything else going on in our lives, the last thing we want is to confront the possibility of change. "Lead us not into temptation" may be just another way of saying "Look, my life may not be perfect but at least it's familiar so please God don't complicate it with invitations into the unknown."

It is interesting to note that the choices Jesus faced weren't between bad and good but really between good and better. Feeding the hungry, using his authority to help others, preforming miracles are certainly not inherently bad but Jesus was forced to ask about their intention. To what end would these devil-inspired choices lead?

Surely we face similar temptations. We are tempted to convince ourselves that we are doing all we can for God and for others...and perhaps we are...but why then are we so afraid to hear of other possibilities? Why are we so uncomfortable when the invitation to change is placed before us?

Is it because we are afraid to discover who we really are?