Comedian, Flip Wilson, coined a phrase back in the 70's, that every one when around saying.
"The Devil made me do it!" That was his standard answer anytime he got caught doing something wrong. "The Devil made me do it!:"
I wonder how true that actually is? Does the devil have an incredible power to "make" you do things you don't want to do? I mean, doesn't the apostle Paul state in Romans 7 (paraphrase) The things I want to do, I don't do, and the very things I don't want to do.....those I do. Of course if you study on, you'll see that Paul is talking about being and living under a nature that is bent toward sin/rebellion against God. So, we have this nature...or defect of character, or ever how you wish to define it, that does not like to be told what to do, especially by God. This nature is in all of us, but in my estimation, is played out in varying degrees among all people. You see some who are just rebellious x 10 toward any authority. They could sneeze and someone return to them with a "God bless you", and they go ballistic..."I don't need no stinkin' blessing from no God." Every person on this planet is born with this nature to sin. So where does the free will thing fall into all of this? No different that the first couple that God placed in the garden.
Adam and Eve had the run of the whole garden. "Eat anything you want...except for that tree over there in the middle....the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Hands off that bad boy, it will mess you, and everything around you, up." You know the funny part in all of this? God gave the couple dominion over every tree, shrub, plant and grass that grew in the garden. Genesis 1:29 - And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields see.; to you it shall be for food. Very subtle, but there it is. "Hey guys...it's all here in this garden, I am giving it to you. Every thing that grows that yields seed, shall be food for you." Then in Genesis 2:17, God told Adam that even though he had dominion, he needed to be careful, because this one tree is off limits. At that point, Adam's free will was activated. The choice was in Adam's court, so to speak. God had defined the limits, God had given them authority and dominion. Now what would they do with it. In the end, exercising this choice cost them everything. That part hasn't changed at all, When we exercise our will against God's will, we loose every time. We cannot get around this, yet we still keep banging our heads against that wall trying to figure out how we can live outside of God's good and perfect will.
Some cry, "It isn't fair...God's not fair!" To which I would agree (my old nature would agree)...it isn't fair that I don't get to do what I want to do without there being consequences for my actions. But then again, it really wasn't fair that Jesus had to come down here to planet and earth, and be nailed to a cross to pay the price for my exercise of free will. If life was truly fair, Jesus never would have come down here and I would receive hell as my just reward for my little sin tirades that have punctuated my existence since day one.
Step # 3 of the Twelve Steps is the turning point in what has been a long, dark journey of futility.
Step # 3 is the ultimate exercise of free will. We recognize the choice has been given to us, just as the first couple in the garden was given a choice. We can continue to "eat from that old tree of destruction", or we can turn will and life over to God's care, and eat from the tree of life.
So take a long, hard look at Step # 3. See it as you have never seen it before. Don't just let the words roll by as you read it, chew on them, taste them and get it all down inside. Don't exercise that free will under the influence of "I want to do what I want to do, and I don't want anyone telling me what to do." So tell me.....living that way of doing what you want to do.........how's that working out.
God on you....
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