The blame game

From the beginning of time humans have found someone to blame when something goes wrong.  Genesis 3 tells the story of Adam and Eve going against God’s instruction in the Garden of Eden. 

As we recall the story, Eve blames the serpent for tempting her to eat the forbidden fruit.  When God confronts Adam, he blames Eve for tempting him to partake.  Everybody blamed someone else.

We are always trying to find someone or something to blame when things go wrong.  Even as children, we blame our siblings or sometimes even make- believe friends.

Eve was, in fact, tempted by Satan and Adam by Eve.  There is no disputing that.  However, God created us with our own minds and our own free will.  We can be tempted but how we deal with the temptation is up to us. Jesus was perfect and still wasn't free from being tempted by Satan (Matthew 4).  Although Jesus never fell to temptation, he was not immune from it.

God doesn't allow more temptation  than we can handle with His help.  All we have to do is call on Him.   I have found myself calling on Jesus, in the moment I am being tempted, and am immediately released from it. There are other times that I wished I had trusted enough to call on Him and tried to trust my own strength. Epic fail, I might add.

There may be circumstances that lead us to the sin but WE are ultimately responsible when we fall into it.  If you look back to where you stumbled, you might be able to easily say that you fell because someone else in your life fell short.  Satan will trap us into passing blame so that we won't come clean with God.  Let me let you in on a secret...you can't hide anything from God.  Confessing to God, bowing in repentance, brings us into closer fellowship-a more intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Although someone might have had a part in your sin (can take some blame, if you will) whether it's a spouse, friend, Satan-God expects us to call on His strength to avoid the fall.  He set us apart to be so focused on Him that we don't have room left for falling for Satan's schemes.  As God's child, we have a higher standard to live by if we are trying to be like Jesus.  We can't be responsible for what someone else did or didn't do that led you into being sinful.  We have to BE who God wants US to BE!

But let me say this...
God knows we are not perfect and that temptation will sometimes cause us to fall in our weakness.  He promises that He will love us the same if we ask for forgiveness and turn away.  He redeems us and can use the fall to strengthen us for the next time we are tempted-seduced by Satan.  He can turn the weakness into strength.  If you let him, Satan will use the weakness against you, over and over, until you do surrender it to God. Don't let Satan win!

We have to be who God wants us to be, individually, so that we can win the battle against temptation.  When it would be so much easier to point fingers, we have to have the courage to take credit for falling so that God can heal us of the cracks in our  foundation.  God has a special putty called GRACE that He can put on those cracks.

Studying God's Word, praying, fellowship with true God-fearing believers and having an accountability partner are ways to beat Satan at this game of temptation.  Calling on the name of Jesus is the greatest weapon you can use against him. 

I pray that you will get to know God intimately so that you feel secure enough to call on Him when you face your next battle with temptation.  If you fail, call on God to help with revovery. He is a number one Healer.