When the Enemy is Me

“When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” –James 1:13-14

There is no question that Satan is at work in our world. There are times when I have clearly seen spiritual warfare come against people and churches, especially during times when God is doing something great within his people. However, we cannot blame everything evil on him. The simple truth is that if we blame him for everything, then we are giving him way too much credit. It is fascinating that James never even mentions Satan in the midst of this passage on temptation. But he does mention us.

Too often our theology comes very close to dualism—a belief system that is centered upon God and Satan having equal powers. The simple truth is that Satan is not omnipresent—he cannot be everywhere at once. He is not omniscient—he does not know everything. He is not omnipotent—he does not have all the power in the world. Thus we cannot blame everything evil on him.

This leads me to believe that I have to be willing to take personal responsibility for my sin. While there are times when Satan tempts us, just as he tempted Jesus, I must take responsibility for both temptation and sin. Granted, it is not as easy as simply saying, “The devil made me do it.” However, as hundreds of thousands who have gone through 12 step programs have confessed, personal responsibility is essential to healing.

I have to come to grips with the fact that Satan is not the only enemy in my life. I must also grasp that way too often the enemy is me.