THE WORD FOR TODAY. SATURDAY 12 MAY, 2018. STOP BLAMING OTHERS AND ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY (2)

“The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me.’” Genesis 3:13 NKJV

ADAM TOLD God, “Eve made me do it.” And Eve told God, “The Devil made me do it.” Excuse-making and blame-placing are built into our DNA, and until you get beyond them you’ll never make progress or find real happiness. Here’s a statement worth stopping to think about: We are the people we’ve been waiting for—no one else is coming! If you’re willing to accept responsibility for your life, you’ll discover that no matter what other people do or don’t do, to or for you, you’re accountable to yourself. You decide how to respond. You decide to continue to move toward your dreams—or not. The truth is that Prince Charming isn’t waiting for you around the next corner. Your ship isn’t coming in. The tide isn’t about to turn. The odds are against your winning the lottery in this lifetime. So what are you going to do? When you’ve been hurt by someone else’s actions, you can do one of two things: (1) Sit like a leper, and die at the gate of blame and complaint (See 2Kings 7:3). (2) Emerge with a strategy that enables you to say, “I’m too valuable to die, too tenacious to wait on anyone’s mercy, and too creative to accept your neglect as my destiny.” Only when you’re willing to stop blaming yourself and others, and take responsibility for your life and your situation, will God empower you to change things. This approach puts the thermostat within your reach and control. Instead of freezing to death or sweating in discomfort, you can set the temperature for your life and change the terms for your future.

Bible In A Year: Deut. 25-27, Mark. 8:1-13, Ps. 44:9-16, Pro. 12:10-11