Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it! For Encouragement Call 800-633-3446 ~ Love God And Love Others ~ Luke 10:27
THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT
The Devil Made Me Do It?
You can say the devil tempted me! But you can’t say the devil made me do it!
Could You Use Some Help In Fighting The Devil? Click Here!
Please contact us if you have questions or if you need some encouragement.
As Flip Wilson used to say, “The Devil Made Me Do It!” But the truth is that we have free will, and it’s up to us whether or not we choose to give in to temptation. Demons may try to use our past against us, but if we confess our sins to God andask for His forgiveness, we are protected by the blood of Christ on the cross.
We Are Not Robots Programmed To Only Do Good! God Has Given Us Free Will To Choose What We Want To Do, It Is Our Responsibility To Make The Right Choices! Yet, The Devil Will Always Be Tempting Us, But We Can Not Say, “The Devil Made Me Do It!”
However, with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit convicts us when we’re about to sin so that we can turn away from it before it happens. The devil has no power over us when we have Jesus in our hearts. Yes, there will be attacks from our flesh, the world, and the devil – but take heart! With God’s help, you can overcome anything that comes your way. Let’s stand firm in faith, knowing that God makes all things possible! ~ Bill Greguska
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Is It True When People Say, “The Devil Made Me Do It?”
Demons Can Distort The Truth!
When we focus on the wrong we can often have done, it often can fill us with shame and guilt. The question is, “How can we overcome the hunting feelings of shame and guilt? It says in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from our sin and all unrighteousness.” When we confess our sins to God, He makes us right again because His word is truth. Yet, why do we sometimes feel guilty and ashamed if the God of the universe has forgiven us? The answer is clear. It is spiritual warfare against us.
The way to fight that through this battle is by using prayer and God’s word against the forces of the enemy and the evil trying to damage us and our walk with the Lord. We must be aware of Satan and his demons and all their schemes against us. And to call on the Lord for his protection and victory over their tactics, trying to get into our heads to steal, kill, and destroy us.
Whose Voice Am I Listening To?
Remember that everything we have learned growing up and even to this day is not necessarily the truth. Kind of like what Satan said to Eve in Genesis 3:3-4 But God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. Those evil voices that get into our heads are not from God. We must remember that they are only trying to destroy us in our heads. This principle applied to my life many years ago when I was addicted to alcohol and drugs. I told myself I could handle my addictions; my friends said the same thing, society told me the same lie, and my flesh, of course, chimed right in, agreeing that what I was doing was not a problem. But when God prompted me, I finally acknowledged I was powerless over alcohol and drugs.
I needed to stop trying to fix things and allow God to take over.
I needed to learn what the truth was before I could move forward. Remember that the truth will set us free. I needed to learn to listen to God because God is God, and I am not. Jesus tells me to examine myself, not to condemn myself or others. I am responsible for my thoughts and actions, no one else’s. My goal is to realign my life to His will. We all have sinful natures inherited from Adam and Eve. Trusting and relying on God and His truth from the Bible, or we will struggle through life in our own strength. All I know for sure is if God says it, then that is the truth, no matter what Satan or others, the media, myself, or my flesh try to tell me. God is the only real source of truththat we need to listen to.
What To Do When We’re Tempted By The Devil?
Who Are You Trusting To Help You?
We make huge and costly mistakes when we try to solve things independently. Being the mere mortals that we are, we can not take on the demons in our lives alone. We need God’s help and the help of others. We set our minds on forgetting and moving ahead. Yes, we can be or do better for a while and make all things right in our strength. But then we find ourselves right back in a similar situation or relationship and are surprised and demoralized. We may not be at fault for what has been done to us, but if we fail to examine the things in our lives honestly and follow God’s word through His teaching on how to be healed and live a productive life, we will repeat sinful behaviors.
Holding on to the past often complicates everything in our lives, from our relationships with others to our relationship with God Himself. We are all ultimately responsible for every choice we make. If we rely on ourselves instead of God, we are falling into a trap set by Satan himself. But when we rely on God, He promises never to leave or forsake us and offers us hope for the future. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Even Satan Believes In God!
Did you realize that if you set up idols in your life, that can be either an unconscious or conscious way of replacing God? Idols come in different forms, some made out of wood or other materials, yet other idols are derived from things and people, such as celebrities, sports, sex, money, and technology. Wherever we spend most of our time and money is our idol. At some point, the things we set up as idols crumble to the ground inevitably. Entertainers and sports figures change almost at any moment. Our bodies grow old, weak, and wrinkled. Economies shift. Money evaporates. Possessions can be stolen or damaged. Your new cell phone or entertainment system is old news within months of purchasing, without any doubt. Idols offer empty promises to us all. When a tragic event comes, most people instinctively know to cry out to God. Only He is faithful. The question is: Will we stand firm as we walk in the Lord Jesus? Or waver and fall with the first temptation? If we stand firm and seek after God, He will make sure we find Him when we seek Him. And when we do, we will experience our true heart’s desire, which we instinctively find in God’s love, love from others, peace, contentment, plus eternal-lasting love.
Did The Devil Make You Do It?
The Devil can not make you or me do anything we don’t want to do, but he can tempt us, and when our flesh is weak, we can fall faster than you can blink your eye. To avoid the schemes of Satan, we need to walk close to God daily. I choose to read my Bible and pray in the morning. Otherwise, if I do not get to it right away, I tend not to do it. We all have sinful natures, which is why we need Jesus to help guide us, protect us, and deliver us from evil. Satan can possess non-believers, but Satan can not keep a Christian because Christians have the Holy Spirit inside us. Still, it is also true that Satan can influence or tempt a Christian, but again, not possess them. When we walk (follow Jesus), we are doing the will of God, which will help protect and guide us.
Charles Stanley Teaches Us How Satan Operates!
What About The Phrase “The Devil Made Me Do It.” Mean To You?
But as believers in Christ, we know that this is not true. While Satan can tempt and trick us, ultimately, we have free will to make our own decisions. However, if we haven’t confessed our sins to God and sought His protection through Jesus Christ, then demons may be able to use our past mistakes against us. The good news is that 1 John 1:9 promises that if we confess our sins, God will forgive us and purify us from all unrighteousness.
When we have Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and empowers us to turn away before acting on temptation. Of course, avoiding sin altogether is preferable! But when faced with adversity or weakness, let’s not give into defeatism by blaming the devil for our actions; instead, let’s rely on the power of Christ within us to overcome any obstacle thrown at us!
Some Specific Scriptures To Encourage You:
1 Peter 5:8 ESV
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
James 4:7 ESV
Submit yourselves, therefore, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
2 Corinthians 11:14 ESV
And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
John 8:44 ESV
You are of your father, the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Revelation 12:12 ESV
Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath because he knows that his time is short!”
1 John 5:18-19 ESV
We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
In 2007, my pastor Ron Sauer and his wife Sue encouraged me to encourage others, knowing that I was struggling in my own life. They were wise to know that if I reached out to help other people, my problems would be put into perspective. I did, and it helped! Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. And If you do not have a relationship with God, I encourage you to learn about Him here. I trust you will find the encouragement you need here on this website. You can also call 800-633-3446 or 877-772-4559 or you can text JESUS (53787) ~ God bless you! Bill Greguska
