Did The Devil Really Do It? - Soul Choice Ministries

Too often, Christians blame the devil for the problems they face. The truth is that many times it’s the result of our own bad choices. We don’t slow down to pray and listen for the Holy Spirit’s direction. We don’t seek wisdom and godly counsel before making life-altering decisions. We then wonder why some evil thing has happened to us. Is it always the devil behind our “bad luck” or is it sometimes our own doing?

In order to remove responsibility from ourselves, we blame our negative situation on the devil’s attacks. In this way we feel justified, and possibly even more spiritual. It is actually prideful to think we are “so spiritually important” that the devil is trying to take us out. Most of us don’t warrant that kind of attention from the devil. We need to learn to recognize when we are being attacked by the devil, and when it is our own fault. That requires intent and spiritual growth to mature, take ownership, and repent.

Yes, at times our trial may certainly be a demonic attack. The Bible tells us we are in a spiritual war. Just one way the enemy works is through people, and those people can attempt to hurt us. The Bible gives us clear instruction to recognize whether an attack is the devil or not. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

If a situation is stealing, killing, or destroying something or someone, it’s from the devil. Sickness steals money, time and health, and aims to eventually kill therefore it’s not from God. God can allow a person to be chastised so they will repent but God DOES NOT inflict us with sickness to teach us something. We can open ourselves up to the devil’s attacks by our wrong decisions and/or rebellion to God’s commands. We could be reaping the results of our own bad choices.

Even Job, who was called blameless, said in Job 6:24-25, “Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred. How forcible are right words!” Before we falsely accuse God or even the devil, let’s examine ourselves first.

To be clear, I am not suggesting that we won’t all go through tests that can be from God. We certainly will but they are not the destruction, sickness, and death many experience. Tests that come from God are meant to reveal what’s in our heart. Will He find faith and obedience?

One specific avenue of attack is our own mouth. What is coming out of your mouth? This is an area of extreme neglect by most Christians. James 3:4-6 says, “Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. Just as the small rudder steers the huge ship, so does our tongue our whole life.” This verse is very informative. Our tongue affects our entire life, and our life is the sum total of what we say and do.

Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” That is a powerful statement! We might have expected it to say that life and death are in God’s power but the Bible says it’s in our own mouth. This shows how much authority we possess and how much our actual words matter. Never mock those who teach us to guard our tongue, and to speak only God’s Word over our lives. This is a life-long, life-giving practice. This is just one of the many important biblical instructions we must obey in order to live a life more pleasing to God and free from chaos.

God wants us to use wisdom and discernment in every area of our life. Read your Bible, pray about every decision, examine your own behavior and what you may or may not be doing, and be keenly tuned into the Holy Spirit for guidance.