Many times I’ve heard Christians say “Satan tempted me.” They’ll get angry sometimes and say “I let the devil get the better of me.” “That’s the devil talking.”
I think that’s a convenient excuse, and it’s a cop out. Why admit your own weakness when you can cop out by saying you were manipulated by an invisible being?
Look at these two statements about gluttony:
“I failed to exert self-control, and ate the whole cake.”
“Satan tempted me, and manipulated me into eating the whole cake.”
Which of these statements to you seems more honest? The former is clearly honest, and more true to what actually happened. You weren’t manipulated, and you weren’t tricked. You saw a cake, and you wanted it. And you couldn’t stop yourself. Before you knew it, the whole cake was gone, because you could not exert self-control. That’s what actually happened, no matter what you want to believe.
Every human has at least some kind of weakness of willpower. To place blame on another being for your own lack of strength is cowardly. It shows that you refuse to take responsibility for your actions.
And the truth is even if there really was a temptation and manipulation by an invisible being, you’re still weak for falling for it. Instead of blaming Satan for your shortcoming, how about instead you say “Satan tempted me, and manipulated me, and I was a fool for believing him. I lacked the willpower to fight his temptation, and lacked the reflective thinking that would have stopped his manipulation.” At least then it’s a bit more honest…
I still go back to the original statement… You weren’t manipulated… You felt tempted, but only by your own desire to receieve pleasure. You were not manipulated… You were not fooled into doing anything. You knew exactly what you were doing the whole time, and could not stop yourself.
I urge anyone out there who believes in negative spirits and negative beings to instead look at what’s real. It’s ok to admit that you were weak… If anything, it’s better if you did. Being able to admit the real problem is a huge step towards solving it. If you can correctly identify what’s wrong, you can easily begin the steps needed to fix the problem. If you lie to yourself about the problem by using “Satan” as the scapegoat, you’ll take the wrong steps, and you’ll only be lead down the wrong path. I think this is a perfect mindset for people who truly believe in Satan. Satan is tricky and manipulating, is he not? Your steps to combat his manipulation is perfect proof that you’re being manipulated. You’re attacking the wrong problem… which is just what he wants, isn’t it?
Be brave, and own it. It takes a strong person to admit when they’re weak, and when they’re wrong. It proves their strength of character, which is inspiration to just about anyone. Hold firm, and look at changing yourself. Leave Satan out of the equation. At the very least, if he’s as terrible as everyone says he is, then by focusing on yourself you give him less and less importance. Satan doesn’t deserve any mention, nor any blame. He’s irrelevant. He’s meaningless. He’s not real.