Devil Made Me Do It

You ask, "Is it possible that the devil made me do it?"

• Yes: When you do not know Jesus and have not surrendered your life to Him, the devil has a lot more freedom and control over your life.

• No: When you do know Jesus (and He knows you), He may allow the devil to trip-you-up through your words and deeds but he (the devil) cannot 'make' you do anything  (thank you Jesus).

Do Not Know Jesus

When we are living our lives without Jesus, our own will (thoughts and desires) are exposed to both sides of the spirituality in life (good and evil).  The devil (Satan and evil forces) have a much easier time of leading you through challenges you face, anxieties, and even life-changing decisions.  Jesus always 'knows about us' but since we have not surrendered our lives, hearts, and will to His leading we are like a ship on the ocean without a rudder (being tossed to-and-fro, as the scripture reads) as Ephesians 4:14 points out, "...that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive."

Now, whether the devil makes you do something or not touches on demon possession.  That context is quite a bit more involved, but several times in Jesus' ministry on earth He was approached by demon possessed people. Matthew 8:28-29 reads; "And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?".  At another time, Jesus rebuked a demon possessed man (in the Synagogue, even).  Mark 1:23-24 Reads; "And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God."  So 'Yes, the devil can make you do things you do not want to do'.

Remember though, that our sinful flesh is already contrary to the ways of the Lord and His teaching.  Paul reminds us that our flesh and spirits are at war with each other.  Galatians 5:17 reads, "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.".  More times than not, the things of the Spirit will not make sense or 'resonate' with people because we are not in Jesus' fellowship, we are not connected, we are not surrendered to His leading.  We are reminded in 1 Corinthians 2:14, "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

Knowing Jesus or knowing 'about' Jesus is not enough.  It is critical that He knows us!

Jesus Knows You

At one point in Jesus' time on earth, he rebuke 'religious' people and even tells them, "depart from me, I never knew you". Matthew 7:21-23 reads, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

Frankly, this seems very contrary to the "come all ye that are thirsty and heaven laden" message that Jesus has been communicating through the ages.  But, we are reminded by this passage that even though you 'do' the good things, and sacrifices, and religious characteristics, it is critical that Jesus knows you, too.  Jesus helps clarify this in John 10:25-28, which reads, "Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."

Repentance or Regret

Please understand, whether you are committed to following Jesus' will for your life or not, you are still walking around this planet with fallibility, selfishness, and certainly built-in flaws (our sin-nature).  You will still do things you regret, things for which you are ashamed, things for which you are sorry and may even reach out to Jesus and the people asking for forgiveness.  James 3:5 reads, "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire."

Something wells up within our lives that causes our whole body to get involved!  We seem to do things we do not want to do (may not even remember doing) and cannot seem to stay on track and do the things Jesus wants us to do.  This struggle haunted Paul the Apostle, too and in Romans 7:19 he shared, "For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do."

The key point though is whether you regret it and repent.  After a tirade of yours, you may say, "I was so upset the entire next day about what everyone must be thinking".  Please bear in your mind and your heart what Jesus was thinking (not just the people), and check with Him for forgiveness and the strength and patience to reach out to them, too (those you feel you offended).  Going back to apologize 'of your own guilt' is much different than being led and nurtured by the Holy Spirit to do so.  1 Corinthians 13:11 reminds us, "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things", which is Paul's way of telling us that we 'do' say and 'do' things that are regrettable, childish, or at least immature.  

But, God's grace in our lives grows us into a more mature and 'model Christian' type place in our lives, and makes us over-comers.  Too often, we are ready to blame the devil, or blame our children/parents, or blame the politicians.  It always boils down to the individual (it is not a 'them' thing) and how 'you' react to a situation.  The reason (trigger) that caused you to react is external and a circumstance, but what is core in your life is where Jesus wants to meet you and fellowship with you. This means, "...for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.", which is what Jesus was pointing out the religious people in Matthew 12:34.  These 'dark spots in our lives' are the very thing that Jesus can cleanse from us...  if only we can surrender to Him and allow Him to lead us through.

Regret is a good thing (indicates sorrow and remorse for your actions), but Repentance means a 180-degree change and learning to control yourself from doing it again (repeating it). Only by His grace, mercy and love can we be 'cleansed from all unrighteousness'. But, we have to surrender to His leading, His Will, and His Spirit for our lives.