The Devil Made Me Do It

Monday, Jun. 27, 2011
The Devil Made Me Do It!

"Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD' - and you forgave the guilt of my sin." - King David from Psalm 32:5

Notice Adam's response when asked about his actions: "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate." So, the man blames the woman, and he also blames God - after all, He was the one who brought Eve into his life! Eve's defense? "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." (Here we have the first example of "The-Devil-Made-Me-Do-It" excuse.)

Well, the excuse is just as rampant in today's culture. We see feminists who blame men for trouble and men who blame all their problems on women. We see blacks who blame whites for the trouble in their life, and whites who blame blacks for trouble they're dealing with. Republicans blame Democrats, and Democrats blame Republicans. We have an entire industry, the media, where success seems to be measured by how many people they have adequately blamed. And so many criminals actually defend their actions by blaming the victim for the crime: "She wouldn't give up her purse, so I had to stab her." Or "She was asking for it by the way she was dressed." Our culture features this out-of-control blame game mindset. "It's not my fault! It's her fault! It's his fault! It wouldn't have happened without her; without him; without the snake!" Since the dawn of mankind, that is a classic unrepentant mindset of man when it comes to our sin.

Do you blame others for your mistakes and sins or do you confess your actions? The first step to forgiveness from God is acknowledgement of responsibility. Can you take that first step in acknowledging your own sinful deeds to the One who offers unlimited forgiveness? It will help you move away from the blame game to a life of maturity.