It's Up To You!

One of my concerns about some secular counseling is that so often when people come in for help, they try to uncover or blame some dark family secret.

Now I realize we need to know & understand how our relationship with our parents & siblings effect us. But too many times that becomes a scapegoat to excuse our own weaknesses & bad decisions.

But the Bible doesn't allow us to give that kind of excuse. It always says, "You are responsible for yourself." And we will be held accountable for our attitude & actions.

B. Others are prone to shift the blame to those around them. How many times have we heard, "I know that it is wrong, but everybody else is doing it."

SUM. We conveniently tend to find something or someone else to blame in almost every situation.

II. "THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT!"

A. Then, when we run out of excuses we say, "Well, the devil made me do it."

ILL. Jim Wright wrote an editorial in the Dallas Morning News a number of years ago about the Carter High School championship football team which saw a number of its players arrested for committing robberies & other crimes.

These were young men with bright futures. Most of them could have gone on to college & played football. Some of them, perhaps, could have played professional football & made lots of money.

But just for the fun of it, they started robbing convenience stores & doing burglaries & things like that.

Jim Wright quoted the quarterback of the team who said, "We did this to ourselves. No one made us hold up the stores. We can't blame anyone but ourselves." Interesting, isn't it?

Wright then wrote, "The thought that we have the freedom to choose our own path, & that having chosen, we are responsible for our choice isn't heard very much in the public forums today. Nowadays it seems the style is to look for ways to get the offender off the hook by finding somebody or something else to blame."

B. But I want you to notice that the Bible never teaches that the devil can force us to sin. Did you know that?

The Bible teaches that the devil is a deceiver, & he deceived Eve in the 3rd chapter of Genesis. In John 8:44, we are told that the devil is the "father of lies." So he lies to us & deceives us & manipulates & tempts us.

But "Why? Why does he lie & deceive & tempt & manipulate?" And the answer is, "Because he doesn't have the power to force us to sin." If he could force you to sin there would be no need for temptation or manipulation. He would just force you to do it.

But he can't force you to sin. You must choose to do it. And if you choose, then you are responsible.

SUM. You see, nobody tied Eve down & forced her to eat the forbidden fruit. And Satan doesn't force us. It's our choice. And if it's our choice, then we are responsible for our actions.

III. "IT'S GOD'S FAULT!"

A. So too often, when we find that we can't blame the devil, then we blame God. After all, God is responsible for everything, isn't He?