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Discussion Forum : Scriptures and Doctrine : The Devil Made Me Do It.... NOT!

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roadsign
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Joined: 2005/5/2
Posts: 3777


 The Devil Made Me Do It.... NOT!

[b][size=small][color=993300]The Devil Made Me Do It …... NOT![/color][/size][/b]
[color=993300]Reclaiming our Power to Choose[/color]
An Article by Diane Eaton

In the Garden of Eden, when God asked Eve to give an account for her wrong doing, she responded, “The serpent deceived me…”

This infamous conversation has been repeated throughout history. Who of us hasn’t heard such words as, “The devil made me do it,” or some other form of blame. Such statements of accusation cover up a hidden desire.......


Eve was not force-fed. But neither was Adam. Yet Adam blamed her for his actions. Now really, did Eve have so much power over him that he was unable to choose!!! .....

Read the rest of this on this page: [url=http://www.thewayback.net/articles/devil.htm]The Devil Made Me Do It.... NOT![/url]


_________________
Diane

 2005/9/10 14:42Profile
letsgetbusy
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Joined: 2004/9/28
Posts: 957
Cleveland, Georgia

 Re: The Devil Made Me Do It.... NOT!

"Now really, did Eve have so much power over him that he was unable to choose!!! ....."

A little humor: There's an old saying that the husband is the head of the wife, but the wife is the neck. And the neck can turn the head any way she wants.


_________________
Hal Bachman

 2005/9/10 15:43Profile
roadsign
Member



Joined: 2005/5/2
Posts: 3777


 Re: deception on deception

Quote:
And the neck can turn the head any way she wants


I've heard that too. That's part of the deception. Isn't if "funny" how these realities find their way into our humor. D'ya read on?
Diane


_________________
Diane

 2005/9/10 17:17Profile









 Re: The Devil Made Me Do It.... NOT!

This subject is definitely worthy of our attention. It's amazing how we pick up ideas of cause and effect, as we grow up.

Of course, we should never forget that prayer changes things, including how we atribute blame -which at times, should indeed be placed elsewhere - not on ourselves - or, at the feet of sin and the flesh.

There is a verse I'd like to share, which always comes to mind when 'the will' is being considered.

Mark 11:4
And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.

In this snapshot, the colt represents the will. This was a colt on whom no man had ever sat. It had always done what it liked, but, Jesus was soon to be taking control of it, and it would be doing what [u]He liked[/u]. How happy are we when Jesus wants to control our will?

The colt was living at a place of choices - the two ways. I wonder which way it would have chosen had it not been tied up? We can be sure that if Jesus had come to the colt, He would have taken it on the 'right' road.

In fact, the colt had to go somewhere else to meet Jesus - neutral territory. Before that though, it had to be loosed. This reminds me of what Jesus told those who met Lazarus as he came out of the tomb, bound up in death-clothes - 'loose him'. These words should be music to our ears, if we have been so locked in the death grip of our own will, it represents a tomb to us.

The man called Legion, who chose to live in the tombs in Gadarene country, knew about that kind of living death. He also knew what was wrong with him 'we are many' but could not get free. However, he did have some willpower left to him.

Mark 5
2 And when He was come out of the ship, [b]immediately there met Him[/b] out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any tame him.
5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
6 [b]But [u]when he saw Jesus[/u] [i]afar off[/i], [u]he ran and worshipped Him[/u],
7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not[/b].

Notice too, not only could he run towards Jesus in this condition, he knew who He was and was able to [b]worship Him[/b] WHILE HE WAS STILL DEMON-POSSESSED. Learn from this. You can follow after the Lord and [u]His[/u] righteousness and demons [i]will leave you[/i].

But not until the word of God sent his inner tormentors away, could he be in his 'right mind'.

 2005/9/12 14:28
roadsign
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Joined: 2005/5/2
Posts: 3777


 Re:

Dorcas, your thoughts remind me of Christ who WILLINGLY chose to do the Father's will in every aspect of his life. He said, "Not my will but thine" And it cost him his life. And that is the mark of a true follower of Christ - one who surrenders their will to God's will, regardless of the cost.

God doesn't try to gain control over our will like Satan does. God frees our will so that we can choose, but Satan tries to put it in bondage so that we cannot choose.


An article by Austin Sparks reminded me that those who have not committed themselves (their wills) to God tend to take control and pull an organization or project the way they think it should go. It can be very frustrating. He wrote:

Quote:
Men in the flesh have taken possession of the Lord's territory and the Lord's things. Do we not find ourselves up against difficulties like that? from [url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7211&forum=31&0]Concerning Jerusalem[/url]


I say, Amen, However, we can't use controlling means to pull things in another direction. We must allow God to work supernaturally. And praise God, he will reclaim his territory - which is the will of those he calls!

Diane


_________________
Diane

 2005/9/12 14:49Profile
ZekeO
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Joined: 2004/7/4
Posts: 1014
Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

 Re: The Devil Made Me Do It.... NOT!

I don't know if anyone has heard this before, but their eyes were only opened once Adam ate of the fruit. Some responsibility for these lumps of clay.


_________________
Zeke Oosthuis

 2005/9/12 14:53Profile









 Re: The Devil made me do it - NOT!


Diane,

I too noticed in the article brought to our attention by crsschk in his 'letter to the church at SI', that Austin Sparks mentions the business of strong people pulling things [i]within the church[/i] off-course from what God wants. It sounded uncomfortably familiar.... :-(

I see that this ties in with true authority - that Jesus had authority because His will was submitted, and if we truly want to do things God's way, there is no escape from yielding up our own wills to HIM.

 2005/9/12 15:00
roadsign
Member



Joined: 2005/5/2
Posts: 3777


 Re:

Quote:
I don't know if anyone has heard this before, but their eyes were only opened once Adam ate of the fruit. Some responsibility for these lumps of clay.


Zeke, I think that you are on to something, but I'n not sure if I get it. Did they become aware of the wrong of their own CHOICE only when their their eyes were opened (conscience)

In other words, we cannot see our need for salvation until OUR EYES ARE OPENED and we see that we stand guilty before
God. Does that track with you?

______________________
Here's another thought: We are not accountable for the fall, because we didn't choose to be sinners. However, we are responsibile for accepting or rejecting God's escape plan (salvation). That is something over which we have been given a free will to choose.

Diane


_________________
Diane

 2005/9/13 12:53Profile









 Re: The Devil made me do it...... NOT!

Zeke,

I'm not sure what you're getting at. I hope you'll explain more of the thinking behind your short comment.


Separately, I had some other thoughts about the difficulties that people face when trying to take responsibility for their own choices - or, to get out of taking responsibility.

A 'will' which [u]works properly[/u] is a necessity, if it is going to be turned from serving self, to [i]serving God[/i] and [u]taking up the cross[/u] [i]to follow Jesus Christ[/i]. Not everyone who struggles with making right choices, has [i]strength[/i] in their 'willpower' to assist them - which is not to say they should not do their best.... We have probably all prayed 'Lord, please make me willing to be willing', but this doesn't always work.

A person may have an inability to make a correct choice (to please God) even when the person knows what that choice should be. Reasons such as Legion's, may keep a will 'in bondage', but, also willpower can be damaged through actions of others. Leanne Payne mentions in one of her books that occasionally, she has prayed for the [u]healing[/u] of a 'will', before a person can move forward.

Even if their own sin has contributed to the condition, until they have been strengthened by the healing compassion and love of the Saviour, when they may then have to 'confess sin', they don't have to find the strength to [i]repent[/i] until they are more whole. [i]Then[/i], choosing aright will be within their reach and more naturally bring the person out of failure and defeat, into victory and going forward in God.

(Some of the quietest people you will ever meet, who don't push themselves forward in coversation, have an extremely [i]strong[/i] will. They get what they want! I'm not meaning one could judge a broken will by quietness, shyness or timidity.)

 2005/9/14 17:59









 Re:

Something about all'a this, reminds me of something said on this page ....

https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic_id=7090&forum=36&start=30&viewmode=flat&order=0


Live and Learn until He Returns.
that's my saying for today by the way.

Love y'all.
Annie

 2005/9/15 0:49





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