THE DEVIL-MADE-ME-DO-IT!

This phrase became very popular in mainstream America thanks to the popular television character called “Geraldine,” created and played by comedian Flip Wilson.  Every time Geraldine got into trouble she would say, “The devil made me do it!”  Of course we would all laugh but I think part of that laughter was based in that we could relate to the character.  To be truthful with ourselves is there not a part in all of us who would like to blame someone or something else for the troubles we get in to?  I know part of me would like to pass on the blame.

The first recorded incidence of passing on the blame came from the first man, Adam, when confronted with his sin he said, “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat” (Genesis 3:12 KJV).  He first blamed God, “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me,” then he blamed Eve, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.”  It seems man has been placing the blame on someone or something else ever since.

Actually, “The devil-made-me-do-it” is not the first popular phrase of placing blame.  Another popular American phrase for putting the responsibility for something on someone else is, “Passing the Buck.”  We often think this means passing around a dollar, since “buck” is the nick-name for a dollar bill, but the origin of this phrase actually comes from the American Frontier when poker games in saloons were prevalent.  In this case the “buck” usually meant a knife with a buck-horn handle.

During the second half of the 19th century…players were highly suspicious of cheating or any form of bias and there's considerable folklore depicting gunslingers in shoot-outs based on accusations of dirty dealing. In order to avoid unfairness the deal changed hands during sessions. The person who was next in line to deal would be given a marker. This was often a knife, and knives often had handles made of buck's horn - hence the marker becoming known as a buck. When the dealer's turn was done he 'passed the buck'.  (http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/pass-the-buck.html)

One thing we need to realize is that we cannot “pass the buck” on our sinful decisions.  God is not fooled.  Adam tried to blame God and his wife Eve but bottom line he is the one who chose to eat the forbidden fruit.  Consider the Jews during Jeremiah’s time.  There were a lot of false prophets assuring Judah and Jerusalem of peace and prosperity (Jeremiah 13:13-15.)  This probably made Jeremiah very unwelcome as he prophesied about the coming war and famine.  When Jeremiah’s prophecies came true it would have been easy for the people to blame the false prophets for giving false information, but God made sure that they could not ‘pass the buck’ because Jeremiah prophesied:

“…for the people could not have been deceived except by their own consent.”  Jeremiah 14:15b AMP

The people could not blame anyone else for their sin and we cannot blame anyone for ours either.  Sin is sin, and if we commit it we have to own up to it.  It is time to quit passing the buck and say (like Harry S. Truman,) “The buck stops here!”

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  1 John 1:9 KJV

Have you blamed someone else for something you did?  That person did not make you do it; the devil did not make you do it; you chose to do it.  Own up to what you did.  Take it to your Heavenly Father, confess it and receive His forgiveness.  Let Him take away “everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action.”  (1 John 1:9b AMP)  He will, you know.

A THOUGHTLESS WORD

“And [Hannah] was in distress of soul, praying to the Lord and weeping bitterly.  She vowed, saying, O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your handmaid and [earnestly] remember, and not forget Your handmaid but will give me a son, I will give him to the Lord all his life; no razor shall touch his head.  And as she continued praying before the Lord, Eli noticed her mouth.  Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk.  Eli said to her, How long will you be intoxicated? Put wine away from you.”  1 Samuel 1; 2:1, 21 AMP

You have heard the phrase, “It’s a cruel, cruel world out there.”  How often have we been confronted by someone who did not understand us or what we were going through?  We are judged by unbelievers for what we believe.  We face ridicule by those who do not understand how we could have faith in Someone who lived so long ago.  Sometimes this prejudice comes from within the Church, and it hurts us to the core.  This is what I would like to address today, outspoken judgment in the Church.

I have had “well meaning” Christians from church come up to me and express doubt about what I was doing, “Now Linda, do you really think that is God’s will for you?”  Another hurting comment I heard often when I was younger was, “You know Linda, if you would loose some of that weight then you might be able to get a boyfriend.”  Sometimes the things spoken are not directly to us but about us disguised in the form of a prayer request from one member to another, “I think we ought to pray for Linda.  Can you believe what she did?  Oh, you haven’t heard?  Well let me tell you….”

Judgments and gossip seem to hurt more when they come from our fellow believers.  We feel they should know better, and they should!

Hanna was going through a very tough time in her life.  In her age and culture women were considered cursed by God when they did not have children.  To make matters worse, Hanna’s husband had another wife and “…her rival provoked her greatly to vex her, because the Lord had left her childless.”  (1 Sam. 1:6b AMP)  Then on her family’s yearly visit to Shiloh to worship the Lord she went to Temple (tent of the Lord) and cried out to God in her frustration and need and Eli priest accused her of being drunk.

How often are our words (meant to correct an issue we see in the Church or in another believer) cutting and unnecessary?   It was Eli’s job to watch over the Temple (see to its upkeep, minister the sacrifices, and lead the people in their worship of the Lord).  Maybe He thought he was addressing some drunken lady who could become disruptive.  No matter the reason, he made a rash judgment and literally called her a drunk in God’s house.  How quickly we believers tend to judge a situation that we think we have some say or control over and then our mouths blurt out something hurtful like Eli did.  It is no wonder that James wrote:

“But the human tongue can be tamed by no man. It is a restless (undisciplined, irreconcilable) evil, full of deadly poison.  With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who were made in God’s likeness!  Out of the same mouth come forth blessing and cursing. These things, my brethren, ought not to be so.”  James 3:8-10 AMP

How easily thoughtless unloving words of ours can give sorrow to others.  How absolutely necessary it is for us to guard our tongues!  James also tells us that no man can tame the tongue (James 3:8).  The only way to tame the tongue is God’s way:

“But He gives us more and more grace (power of the Holy Spirit, to meet this evil tendency and all others fully). That is why He says, God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace [continually] to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it).”  James 4:6 AMP

Go hard after God (Psalm 63:8) and dig into His Word every day (Psalm 119:11).  When you do, I promise you, you will receive more and more of His grace and you will find hurtful judgments and words no longer spring into your mind and mouth but instead what you speak will be the grace of God.

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

“But what will you do when the end comes?”  Jeremiah 5:31b AMP

In the 1970’s you could find men standing on corners with signs stating “It’s the end of the world.”  People were appalled at the amount of violence and war after war in those days.  That decade brought famine after famine and saw the end of one war and the beginning of civil wars in Africa.  Christians thought that the end of the world was near and that the Antichrist would manifest himself any day.  Yet it did not happen.

Today we are appalled at the increase of violence since that decade and one war is not even finished before another begins.  There are not only famines but increasing natural disasters all over the world in the form of hurricanes, tsunamis, and earthquakes, yet the end of the world has not come.  The Bible tells us that all this is not the end but only the beginning of the end.

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened or troubled, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in place after place; all this is but the beginning [the early pains] of the birth pangs [of the intolerable anguish].”  Matthew 24:6-8 AMP

This is a hard thing to grasp.  We think times are tough, but this is only the beginning of tough times.  Things are going to get harder.  Many believers will stumble and fall away from their faith to the point of betraying one another in hatred.  Some people will become so popular they will draw many people into following what they say instead of the word of God and a large number of the Body of Christ will become cold (heartless and uncaring) because of increasing lawlessness and sin.

“And many false prophets will rise up and deceive and lead many into error.  And the love of the great body of people will grow cold because of the multiplied lawlessness and iniquity.”  Matthew 24:10-12 AMP

What then can we do about all this?   Biblical prophecy has always come true.  It seems inevitable it will all happen.  Are we just stuck in such a sad outcome?  No we are not!  We have not only an opportunity but a responsibility to not go along with the “status quo”.

“But he who endures to the end will be saved.  And this good news of the kingdom (the Gospel) will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then will come the end.”  Matthew 24:13-14 AMP

This is not the time to give up.  As we face more wars, famines, earthquakes and even imprisonment, we need to press in harder and closer to the Lord.  We need to endure to the end!  When we endure to the end we will see the fulfillment of God’s promise found in Isaiah 25:8-9.

“He will swallow up death [in victory; He will abolish death forever].  And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; and the reproach of His people He will take away from off all the earth; for the Lord has spoken it.  It shall be said in that day, Behold our God upon Whom we have waited and hoped, that He might save us!  This is the Lord, we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”   AMP

So, in the light of what God has planned, what you will do?

THE THRILL OF VICTORY OR THE AGONY OF DEFEAT

If you are young this phrase may not mean much to you but for a number of us that watched TV during the 1970’s this phrase brings the image of skier in the Winter Olympics sliding off the side of a ski jump and tumbling askew end-over-end.  The image of this skier is indelibly burned in my mind with the announcer’s “voice-over” promising me that in watching the network’s “Wide World of Sports” show I would see “…the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat.”

What is victory anyway?  Webster’s tells us that it is “success in a contest or conflict.”  With the Summer Olympics going on right now victory puts us in mind of the American Gymnastics Team or the American swimmers gaining gold medals.  They won their contests.  They gained the victory and we share in it because they represent us.  It is a good feeling.  Contests, like the Olympics, are good and healthy to compete in but conflict, on the other hand, is not.  There are still victories in conflict but the losers of conflict often loose more than their prize; they tend to loose either their spiritual or physical lives.

Conflict is no fun; that is for sure, but we are faced with it every day.  Satan introduced conflict in the beginning by inducing Eve and Adam to sin (Gen. 3).  It reared its ugly head again when Cain slew his brother Able (Gen. 4).  Not long after that the wickedness of man began to multiply as fast as his progeny did (Gen. 6).  I could go on and on reciting instances of conflict for you but I think you get the picture.  Suffice it to say that conflict still rears its ugly head today from wars with other countries to arguing in the Church.  It is the later subject I would like to address today:  conflict in the Church.

Conflict in the Church is the most destructive kind of conflict.  Who has the victory in this kind of battle where one part of a family fights the other part?  I can tell you who:  Satan.  If there is any way, shape or form that Satan can use to tear apart God’s family he will use it because no matter which side wins, Satan is the victor because he gains the destruction of part of Christ’s body.  It would be like your left foot wanting to go one direction and your right foot another.  You are not going to be able to go anywhere until both feet work in unison.  Any time Satan can break apart the unity of Christ’s body, Jesus’ work on earth will be stalled.  Is it any wonder that one of the last things Jesus prayed for us before his death was that we would be "one"?

“And (now) I am no more in the world, but these are still in the world and I am coming to You, Holy Father, keep in Your Name [in the knowledge of Yourself] those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We (are one).” –John 17:11 AMP

He did not just pray it that one time, He prayed it again:

Neither for these alone do I pray [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for all those who will ever come to believe in (trust in, cling to, rely on) Me through their word and teaching.  That they all may be one, [just] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us…” –John 17:20-21a AMP

And again:

“I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one:” –John 17:22 AMP

And again:

“I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and [definitely] recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me.” –John 17:23 AMP

Is there conflict in your Church?  Are there cliques?  Have people stated that they are leaving because others do not see things the way they do?  The answer is not to try to break up the fights.  The answer is not to try desegregation of the cliques.  The answer is not in trying to reconcile the divisions or keep people from leaving.  These are all human efforts to a spiritual problem:  Satan induced conflict.  The answer to the conflict in your Church is to do what Jesus did.  Pray.

Pray the scriptures Jesus prayed (John 17).  Use the authority Jesus has given you and stand against Satan’s work of conflict in your Church (Ephesians 6).  Send Satan off the ski ramp end over end in “the agony of defeat” and claim your “thrill of victory”!

 “But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory (making us conquerors) through our Lord Jesus Christ.” -1 Corinthians 15:57 AMP

IS THE DECK STACKED AGAINST US?

On May 17, 2012 I published an article called Missing The Mark.  I wholeheartedly recommend you review that article then read this one, but for those of you who cannot review the article let me explain briefly:

What is sin?  Sin is “missing the mark,” (Luke 17:3, 1 Tim.  6:21).  To help understand what missing the mark is, consider the sport of archery. You gain the best points hitting the bulls-eye, then a little less if your arrow hits in the ring just around the bulls-eye, and a little less in the next ring around that.  There are a total of ten rings around the bulls-eye.  The bulls-eye is the mark to hit. When you hit any other part of or miss the target altogether you are missing the mark.

What helps an archer become accurate in hitting the mark?  Practice, practice, practice!  And just when the archer is hitting the mark all the time then the target gets moved farther away.  The archer has to adjust for the greater distance and finds he is missing the mark again.  Practice, practice, practice!  The archer becomes proficient in hitting the mark and then the target is moved again.  Does the archer give up?  No, he starts again to practice, practice, and practice!

Dealing with sin is just like the archer having to adjust and practice with a moving target.  Just when we think we have a way of dealing with temptation we find it eludes us.  The target moved.  Now, who do we know that is good at moving targets?  Satan likes to use misdirection to make us sin.  Consider what he did with Eve.  She and Adam were told by God to not eat any fruit from the tree of knowledge or on that day they would die (Genesis 2:17).  Did he outright lie to Eve?  Yes he told her she would not die and reasoned that it would be OK to eat the forbidden fruit so she would be “like God”(Genesis 3:4-5).  (Was it not ironic that satan used the same sin he himself was guilty of to tempt man?  Isaiah 14:12-14).

With satan always moving the target how are we ever going to stop missing the mark?  It feels like the deck is stacked against us.  Praise God it is not!  He provided a way to nail the target down!  Psalm 119:10-12 KJV states,

“With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.  Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.  Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes.”

A preacher once told me that this verse means that you should memorize passages of scripture, but taking these three in context it sure does not sound like it only means memorizing God’s Word.  Do you want to be a blessing to God Himself?  Do you want to start hitting your mark?  Grab the Word of God.  Do not just memorize it; read it, study it!  Think about what you read.  Ask God to reveal Himself to you through it.  When you do this, it will become alive to you, really alive!  I know because I do this on a regular basis and it has become alive to me.  In fact I was struggling with a temptation just the other day.  Will power is just not strong enough against temptation.  Believe me I was just barely holding on.  I cried out to God to help me and in my usual Bible reading that morning I came across a verse in Isaiah that spoke directly to my heart.  I wrote that verse down on a note and put it in my purse.  Now, every time that temptation comes around I grab that note and read it.  Temptation flees, and I hit the mark.  It is just that easy, so you see, the deck is not stacked against you if you have the Word of God and use it.

“Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”  Hebrews 12:1-2 AMP