The Devil Made Me Do It!!

Have you ever thought about how often we give more credit to the devil or evil forces than we do to God?

For example: I have heard Christians say I am being spiritually attacked and I believe we can be spiritually attacked. When I ask them what is going on they tell me they suddenly came down with a tooth ache or they had am important meeting at church but were late because of traffic.

Now I fully believe that we can experience spiritual attacks and even these the examples above could be a result of one. But what I am talking about is when we give credit to Satan for every problem or situation we find ourselves in. I truly believe if we really looked at some of the things we blame on the devil we would find that much of it is the result of either our or someone's poor choices, a lack of planning or just natural causes.

I believe we should be instead focusing mainly on those things that God has caused to happen in our lives and minimizing those things Satan or his kingdom brings into our lives. If we don't we will become like Flip Wilson's character "Geraldine".


I believe it is important to realize Satan and his kingdom can only do what God allows them do to and we find an example of this in Job.

Job 1: 6-7 One day when the angels came to report to God, Satan, who was the Designated Accuser, came along with them. God singled out Satan and said, "What have you been up to?"

Satan answered God, "Going here and there, checking things out on earth."

8 God said to Satan, "Have you noticed my friend Job? There's no one quite like him—honest and true to his word, totally devoted to God and hating evil."

9-10 Satan retorted, "So do you think Job does all that out of the sheer goodness of his heart? Why, no one ever had it so good! You pamper him like a pet, make sure nothing bad ever happens to him or his family or his possessions, bless everything he does—he can't lose!

11 "But what do you think would happen if you reached down and took away everything that is his? He'd curse you right to your face, that's what."

12 God replied, "We'll see. Go ahead—do what you want with all that is his. Just don't hurt him." Then Satan left the presence of God.

I think too often we are giving credit to Satan for messing with us when in reality we did not plan good enough, counsel long enough or life happened to us. I would rather focus on giving God the credit for the good things that happen to me and be equipped to battle when Satan does bring his forces against me. We find how to do that in Ephesians 6: 10-18.

A Fight to the Finish

10-12 And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

13-18 Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

I encourage you to focus more on giving praise to God and less on giving credit to Satan for the hassles of life.