Giving Credit Where It’s Due
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how, as Christians, we often don’t give ourselves the credit we deserve—and I don’t necessarily mean that in a positive way. I’m talking about how quick we are to place the blame for our sinful actions elsewhere, especially on Satan.
It’s easy to say, “The devil made me do it,” and while I’ve heard that phrase used jokingly, I think there’s an underlying truth in how we actually perceive our own actions. We tend to believe that every bad decision we make is a result of Satan’s direct temptation, but the reality is that a lot of the time, it’s not Satan—it's us. We still have free will, and sometimes we choose to sin because, deep down, it’s what we want to do.
James 1:14-15 tells us, “But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” This scripture makes it clear that temptation doesn’t always come from an external source. Our own desires can lead us down the wrong path. We have a sin nature, and even though we’ve been made new in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), that old nature doesn’t disappear overnight. It still rears up, and sometimes we give in because it’s easier or because it’s what we really want in that moment.
We often focus so much on the idea that Satan is the one tempting us that we forget our own role in the process. And by doing that, we risk something even more dangerous—we risk attributing qualities to Satan that belong to God alone.
Satan is powerful, but he is not all-knowing, all-seeing, or all-present. Only God holds those attributes. In the book of Job, we see a clear example of Satan’s limitations. Job 1:6-12 shows Satan asking permission from God to test Job. This demonstrates that Satan cannot act outside of the boundaries God sets for him. He does not have authority over us unless God allows it, and even then, God provides the power we need to overcome those temptations (1 Corinthians 10:13).
But here’s the thing: If we place all the blame on Satan, we may never deal with the real issue—the sinful desires of our own hearts. It’s like covering a wound without treating the infection underneath. We need to face the fact that sometimes our hearts don’t align with God’s will, and that’s okay to admit. Some of the greatest men in the Bible—David, Solomon, and even Paul—had to pray for God to continually renew their hearts.
David, for example, chose his own desires over God’s when he sinned with Bathsheba. He didn’t blame Satan for that decision; instead, he took responsibility and prayed, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). David’s prayer wasn’t a one-time thing. It was a recognition that his heart needed ongoing transformation. And that’s where we need to be too—admitting our desires and asking God to change us.
The first step to overcoming the temptations we face—whether they’re from Satan or from our own desires—is owning up to them. If we constantly blame the devil, we’ll never confront the real issue within ourselves. But when we recognize our own sinful tendencies, we can bring them to God and ask for His strength to change. As it says in Philippians 2:13, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” God is the one who transforms our hearts, but we must first be willing to admit that our hearts need changing.
So, give credit where it’s deserved. Acknowledge the desires of your own heart that lead you away from God. Only then can we start to experience real change. Only then can we begin to see the transformation that comes from truly surrendering to His will and His power.
