“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” ~ Dr. Seuss
“The devil made me do it” just will not stand as justification for actions taken in life. Other people would not believe us if we said that. God sure will not believe us if we try to use that as a justification for our actions. God knows that would be false because God knows that He is the one who gave us free will.
When it comes to sin, we choose. We are not forced. We are the ones who consider the temptation. We are the ones who weigh the desire. We are the ones who opt for temptation or opt to reject temptation. We can steer ourselves toward temptation and sin or we can steer ourselves away from temptation and sin. It is that simple.
Of course, “simple” and “easy” are two entirely different things. It might be simple to state that we are the ones who steer ourselves toward or away from something; however, making that choice might not be so easy. The choice is weighted against many variables: need, desire, understanding, and a whole host of other things.
Sometimes we choose the wrong thing because we did not have the proper understanding of a situation. We may not have used our brains when making the decision. We may have allowed our heart or our gut to get in the way. Use your brains.
Sometimes we choose the wrong thing because we decided to follow the path of others. We may have allowed peer pressure to influence our choice. We may have walked in the footsteps of others rather than on the path we should have chosen. Use your own feet.
If we realize that we are easily influenced, we should surround ourselves with people who are good influences so that we would make appropriate decisions based upon their good example. If we do not have anyone like that in mind, turn to the New Testament and read about Jesus Christ. He is the quintessential pathfinder. He is, after all, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Steer toward Jesus and you will never go astray.
FAITH ACTION: Set a course for yourself and make sure that you continue to steer toward it. If obstacles come your way today, ask God to guide you around or through them.