You Can't Always Blame The Enemy
I ask, if everything GOD does is of good and is of love, then why do bad things happen to us? Why do we encounter bad relationships? Why are there so many bad things happening in the world? Why are people hurting one another? How did people get so lost (unable to find one's way)?
The answer lies within you/me. When I look back on my life, I realize most of the things I did or didn't do, were my own personal choices. One of my favorite television shows is Iyanla Vanzant show (Fix My Life) on OWN. On the show, she often tells the person {who the show is about} they must sit in their mess. She is telling us we must own (admit or acknowledge that something is the case) our past mistakes, deal with where we are in life now, see what we can learn from the past and how to move in a more positive way in the present. The choices we make affect us in so many ways without us even realizing it. We must learn to deal with the negative effects of our choices and how our choices may have affected someone else in our lives, ie. children, family, spouse, etc. GOD gives us free will. Free will to do the things we choose to do on our own as well as free will to live by God's word/commandments.
Proverbs 16:9 (NLT) "We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps"
See these two paths. (See illustration above) You get to the fork of the road, but you are undecided as to which way is the right way to go. You know what lies ahead when you know where you are going. (MESSAGE) However, one of these paths will lead you to your known destination, the other will take you to an unknown destination. This is sometimes the route (s) we take in life. There will be times when we walk the path alone. There may be other times where people will accompany us down the path of the known/unknown. If you choose the path of the unknown, you never know what awaits you. Oh, yes you do! Danger and the tricks of the enemy await you.
I reflect on some of the choices I made in life and see how those choices didn't just start now. It started when I was a teenager. As a teenager, I was all over the place, doing the most as some of you are right now. Overall, I just wanted to have fun but being responsible for making certain life decisions at such a young age, without proper guidance, can have a negative effect on you.
Life circumstances can also play a part in having a negative influence on your life. Here are some examples of life circumstances that may have a negative effect on your life. Things such as tragic events; other negative things you may have witnessed or known about; the neighborhood you grew up in/your surroundings; what you are exposed to as a child/adult; your family members/family upbringing; the type of people/friends you associate with; and your education, etc.
Ephesians 5:15-18
(15) Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, (16) making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil, (17) Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. (18) Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead be filled with the Spirit
God's Will/Our Choices
As we begin to seek God and to establish a personal relationship with God we begin to realize that God's will for our life is far greater than we can ever imagine. With knowing this, we know that God is not instructing us to do things are against his word. For example: in relationships, God is not instructing you to stay in an abusive relationship. Abusive in every which way. I'm talking physically, verbally, emotionally and/or spiritually. Driving drunk is another perfect example of our actions and how they may affect another person negatively. Shooting someone is also an example of how actions can affect you and another person negatively. Here are more examples: God will never instruct you (direct or command someone to do something) to use drugs, drink alcoholic beverages excessively, shoot someone, cheat on your spouse, bully people, rob or steal from people, etc. (you get where I'm going with this). That is not his will for our life. These are all our personal choices.
Even when it comes to our diet and health, we make bad choices at a young age that affect us, only to find out years later that we are sick. And sometimes, as parents, what we eat (knowing it is unhealthy), we feed to our children. We don't know how the food is being manufactured/handled, yet we still eat horribly and wonder how the diseases and sicknesses have developed in the body.
Taking Ownership
Taking responsibility for your actions is a step in the right direction of moving forward. Proverbs 28:13 (ESV) "Whoever conceals his transgressions (wrongdoings) will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy." With that being said, I take full ownership of the choices I made in my life. I repent and ask God for forgiveness. I realize, I can't blame the enemy for the things I did things that were by my own choice. I'm not saying that you will not experience life hardships and go through things that may feel beyond your control. Yes, you will and that too is a part of life. And yes, you will experience attacks of the enemy when you give your life to God. Being attacked and suffering is part of the process. Going forward, instead of looking to blame someone for your bad choices, you first take responsibility, if there is any. There may be something to learn from your situation. Think and ask yourself, is this a situation where God is trying to prepare me for something? (or) Is this a storm I created? Yes, we do create our own storms! We create our own storm by our choices.
Galations 6:5-8 (NIV)
(5) For each one should carry their own load. (6) Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the world should share all good things with their instructor. (7) Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. (8) Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please their Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
As you can see in the scripture, God’s word says whatever a man reaps, he shall sow. If you reap of the flesh, you will reap destruction. This is an answer to why things may not be working out for you the way you intended them to. Our bad choices have come back to haunt us. The next time you may be feeling down or depressed about life and the hand it’s dealt you, think back and wonder how did you get where you are? Remember God’s word, we shall reap what we sow. Ask yourself what have you been sowing?
Acts 3:19 (NIV)
Repent, then turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times if refreshing may come from the Lord.
I'm here to tell you, I have made some terrible choices. Having gone through these situations, I know it was nothing but God's grace, mercy, and salvation that allowed me to come out the situation looking unscathed. God can turn your mess into a message. Those very same things you thought you couldn't recover from, with God, there is recovery, if we repent and turn to away from our sins.
Do Something Different
When previously faced with an obstacle, we may have reacted based on our emotions. Now that we know how our choices can get us caught up in negative ways, we should try to react differently. Know your worth. When we know our worth, we don’t entertain things that are not beneficial to our lives. When you know your worth, we try not to put ourselves in certain situations that will cause us stress. Walking away and choosing not to engage does not make you a coward. Let us try to stop allowing our emotions to control our choices and actions.
Each new day you awake get a new beginning, a fresh start to a new day. Pray and ask God to guide you throughout the day. When we allow God, to guide us, we have contentment. When we choose to sin and go our own way, we cannot blame God for the environment we create for ourselves. God, our shepherd, knows the "green meadows" and "peaceful streams" that will restore us. We will reach these places only by following him obediently. Rebelling against God's will for your life is rebelling against our own best interests. Let us remember this the next time we are tempted to go our own way rather seek God's guidance.
