Genesis 3:11-13 – “And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” 12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” 

13 And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”  The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”  NKJV

 

I find this account arresting, alarming and amusing for I have encountered the same kinds of excuses regarding behavior through the years.  I am unable to count the number of times I’ve had someone say as justification or excuse, “The devil made me do it.” 

I notice that when God came to Adam, the first in line for responsibility and Adam blamed God indirectly and Eve directly for his failure saying, “The woman whom You gave me…”  It’s your fault God because You gave me a flawed vessel as my companion.  I’m not responsible!  Then when God went to Eve she continued in the same vein but she could not blame Adam because she offered him the fruit.  She could not blame God directly so she took the path that humans have taken since that time blaming the Serpent or the devil.  In essence, she said, “The devil made me do it.”  God was buying none of it for His directive or command required obedience and choice and they had failed.  Adam could not blame Eve, Eve could not blame the serpent and none of them could blame God.

Does the devil tempt?  Of course, he does and is incredibly good at it.  James declared in 1:4, “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires…”  Paul gives a list of the “works of the flesh” in Galatians 5 and that list does not include “the works of the devil”. It is our personal responsibility and in truth, the devil cannot MAKE us do anything UNLESS there is full demon possession.  You really do not want to make that your defense.

When I am angry, I have the choice to speak or act out or take control of my emotions and allow the Holy Spirit to bring a calmness to my heart and mind.  If I am tempted I have the choice to succumb to that temptation gratifying whatever desire or yearning it seeks to feed or satisfy or resist.

• God Does Not Tempt – He Tests.

That is a clear message in the Bible and especially in the account of the Wilderness Temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4.  James tells us that when our faith is tested it produces perseverance or patience and enables us to weather the storms of life.

• The Word Is Our Defense.

If we follow the pattern and example of Jesus and have invested ourselves in consuming the Word of God we can also say, “…it is written…” and ward off the assaults, uncover the lies, and thwart the temptation of the devil.  We are told to resist the devil and he will flee from us.  If he had the power to make us do things that would invalidate that truth.

It is a cop-out to say, “The devil made me do it.”  It is seeking to transfer the blame for our choices to someone or something else.  We are commanded to “resist temptation” and that is facilitated by having those you can turn to in times of temptation who will give you sound biblical advice.  Making prayer and Bible study a daily part of your life will give you the information to resist.  Surrendering your life totally and “seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” will open the door for the power of the Spirit of God to come and when you have done all to stand He enables you to stand.  No, the devil did not make you do it, you cooperated with him, took his suggestion and did it.  YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE!

          God bless you as you go through this day!