The Blame Game

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”  Jeremiah 17:9 NIV

Our disobedience is often disguised as necessity.

When we were growing up, comedian Flip Wilson’s character Geraldine used to quip, “The devil made me do it.” It was hilarious at the time. These days, we’re too sophisticated to blame the devil, so instead, we often blame God.

In some Christian circles, it’s become common to hear “God told me” used as a trump card to justify decisions and silence any challenge. In Evangelical culture, it’s often swapped out with “I prayed about it,” though the actual listening part is suspiciously absent. Sadly, much heartache has stemmed from this kind of spiritual name-dropping.

“I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.”
—Susan B. Anthony

Jeremiah’s words remain timeless. The heart is deceitful—and it’s deceptively good at disguising self-will as spiritual obedience.

Scripture is full of “God told me” gone wrong. Adam blames Eve (and by extension, God). Abraham passes off his wife as his sister. Saul justifies sparing the Amalekites. David aligns with the Philistines—his former enemies. Each instance is a failure to trust, dressed up as necessity.

“Our difficulty is not that we don’t know God’s will. Our discomfort comes from the fact that we do know His will, but we do not want to do it.”
—Henry Blackaby

Nothing new under the sun.

Natural law—sowing and reaping—always applies, whether we acknowledge it or not. Gravity doesn’t need our agreement to function. The same goes for spiritual laws. When we ignore God’s guardrails, regret usually follows.

A friend of mine often says, “God is in the outcome business. We are in the obedience business.” But we prefer to manage both. My best moments—without exception—came when I let go of my agenda and clung to His.

David inspires us when he stands before Goliath in bold faith. He consoles us when he falters. Both are part of the story

One way to keep from self-deception? Wise counsel. How many missteps could we have avoided if we had invited others to speak into our decisions?

We all need people who love us, and have our permission to contradict us.

Run the play: Who has permission to tell you the truth?

“When we ignore God’s guardrails, regret usually follows. “

💬 Finding Our Place in the Story …

1. Have I ever used “God told me or I prayed about it” to avoid wise counsel or accountability?
   
2. What spiritual “guardrails” am I currently tempted to ignore?
   
3. Who in my life has permission to challenge my decisions in love?