Many times it is Satan. He is on the prowl to destroy us.
Many times it is our own stupid decisions or choices that lead to painful circumstances. You sow selfishness you will reap loneliness.. You play with fire long enough you will get burnt.
Many times we are living in disobedience to our Father's will (sin) and there are consequences to be paid. You want to rob God of your tithes? Ok, your car and water heater might be left outside his protection.
These are just a couple of lame examples but hopefully you get my point. Frequently I hear that Satan is attacking, but what it often appears to be is reaping what was sown, or discipline for disobedience.
I believe we like to blame Satan so we don't have to shoulder the responsibility. If we would sow good seeds and walk in obedience, we wouldn't be giving "the enemy" more credit than he deserves.
3 comments:
I think that sometimes we just want someone to blame for our bad choices and unwise decisions. Who better than Satan? He probably loves the attention.
I know people that blame every bad thing on Satan and attribute everything they view as positive to God. I think it's overstepping a lot of time. I bet if God is doing something to teach us something, and we blame the Devil for giving us grief, it upsets God.
I agree…sort of. A number of years ago, I completely gave up the concept of “bad” things happening.
Every single thing that happens to me, every moment of every day, is an opportunity. It may be to learn from past mistakes, it may be to practice true forgiveness (of others or myself), it may be that I’m overtly flirting with sin, or it may be that I’m resisting taking a new step/turning in a new direction that He wants me to go. Whatever the cause – the answer is always the same – seek the Father. Seek His counsel, His forgiveness, His love, His protection, His compass, His wisdom, His comfort, His perspective… Sometimes I end up saying, “Lord, I have absolutely no idea why this is happening, but I trust you. Help me hear what you want me to hear. Help me see what you want me to see. And, Lord, if I seem to be having trouble focusing, please smack me with the proverbial 2x4 to get my attention (so this won’t last one second longer than it has to).”
I need to believe that God is in complete control, of everything, at all times. If I truly believe that, then whether God caused something, or allowed something, to happen is irrelevant…He is in control. A discussion of why He allowed something to happen, whether it’s a harmful seed to grow, or Satan to tempt me, is relevant only to the extent of how He will use the experience in my life.
Even this post and way-too-long response is one of those moments, because it’s the 2nd time I’ve had this “conversation” this morning. OK. You’ve got my attention Lord. Teach me.
And thanks for using Kenny & his blog for helping me see today's opportunity!
(Kenny - feel free NOT to post this due to its length, but thanks for the forum for me to work through this today.)
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