By Summer Martin
Sometimes it’s not spiritual warfare. Sometimes it’s your flesh.
Come on, I’m going to say this, and there’s no way you haven’t heard it… the devil do be busy these days, huh? I’ve heard all sorts of things that he is responsible for lately: bad attitudes, poor decisions, unkind words, broken relationships, and just about every consequence we don’t particularly like. We snap at our spouse? The enemy is attacking our marriage. We lose our temper? Satan is surely testing us. We make foolish decision after foolish decision and have consequences we must live with? Welp, the enemy is trying to steal our peace. Are we sure that growing laundry pile isn’t the enemy’s fault, too, and not the fact that we hit snooze six times in the morning?
Now, before you go clutching your pearls and leave this article because of that first paragraph, hear me out, okay? Satan is real. Spiritual warfare is real. Temptation is real. Scripture does not leave any room for us to dismiss any of those things. First Peter 5:8 warns believers to be watchful because the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. We must do our due diligence to be mindful and watchful of what is going on. But are you ready for an uncomfortable question? What if Satan is not responsible for every sinful decision you’ve made? What if some of those decisions came from desires you willingly entertained, temptations you refused to flee, and behaviors you’ve become far too comfortable excusing?
Because, ladies, hear me out. Not everything is an attack from the enemy. Sometimes it’s disobedience.
The Devil Didn’t Make You Do It
James doesn’t exactly tiptoe around this subject: “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (James 1:14–15). Notice what James doesn’t say. He doesn’t attribute every temptation to Satan or suggest that the devil forces us to sin. Instead, he directs our attention to something much closer to home: our choices.
That’s uncomfortable, isn’t it? Because blaming Satan can feel considerably easier than acknowledging that we wanted something God had forbidden. We wanted to say the hurtful thing, we wanted to entertain the gossip, we wanted to hold on to bitterness, and we wanted to indulge the temptation, even when we knew it was wrong. And when the consequences came knocking, suddenly we were under a spiritual attack.
Satan certainly does tempt and deceive, but his involvement doesn’t erase our responsibility. Scripture identifies the world, the flesh, and the devil as enemies in the Christian life (Ephesians 2:1–3). We don’t need to minimize one to acknowledge another. Galatians 5:17 reminds us that the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit. So, even as believers, we experience an ongoing battle with remaining sin. We have been made new in Christ, but we have not yet been glorified. Sometimes we are so busy identifying external spiritual attacks that we neglect the sin Scripture calls us to put to death.
We want to have freedom from anger without practicing self-control. We want healthier relationships without examining our words. We want victory over temptation while continuing to make room for the very things that tempt us. Now hear me out… we cannot continually feed our flesh and then act surprised when it grows stronger.
Romans 8:13 teaches that it is by the Spirit that believers put to death the deeds of the body. Sanctification isn’t accomplished through sheer will and determination, but neither does God’s gracious work leave us passive. He calls us to actively pursue holiness through the power of His Spirit.
Satan Is NOT Sovereign. God Is.
One of my best friends, Jessie, once made a statement that has stuck with me. We are so quick to attribute everything that goes wrong to the devil, but in doing so, aren’t we sometimes giving him far more power than he actually has? Think about that. We talk about Satan as though he’s running around wreaking havoc without restraint, disrupting our lives, ruining our plans, and somehow catching God off guard.
But Satan is not sovereign. God is.
Consider Job. In Job 1:6–12, Satan appears before the Lord and challenges Job’s faithfulness, yet Satan doesn’t simply march off and do whatever he pleases. God establishes the boundaries of what Satan is permitted to do. When Satan returns in Job 2:1–6, those boundaries remain under God’s authority. Satan is powerful, but he is not all-powerful. He is active, but not autonomous. He is a created being who remains subject to the sovereign rule of Almighty God.
And let me be clear, God’s sovereign permission does not make Him the author of evil. Satan’s intentions were wicked, but God’s purposes were never threatened. Job eventually declares, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2). Why do we sometimes speak as though the devil has unrestricted authority over our circumstances? Why are we so quick to credit Satan with every inconvenience, struggle, and difficult season while forgetting that nothing falls outside the sovereign providence of God? We’ve become so busy giving the devil credit for everything going wrong that we’ve forgotten to give God glory for remaining sovereign over it all.
This doesn’t mean every hardship is punishment or that we can always identify why God permits suffering. Job’s friends made the mistake of assuming they understood the reasons behind his suffering, and God rebuked them. But it does mean that we can rest in something far greater than our ability to identify the source of every struggle.
God reigns.
And here are two more biblical truths for you: God’s sovereignty does not eliminate our responsibility, and our responsibility does not diminish God’s sovereignty.
God rules over all things, yet we remain accountable for our decisions.
The Grace That Forgives Also Transforms
Consequences. Let’s talk about them because we are quick to identify the devil’s involvement, right? But if you have spoken harshly to someone and the relationship becomes strained, is that Satan necessarily attacking that relationship? Or are you experiencing the consequences of your words? If you have been dishonest and someone struggles to trust you, is the enemy stealing your relationship, or has your dishonesty damaged trust? Galatians 6:7 reminds us that whatever a person sows, they will also reap.
Not every hardship results from personal sin, as Job’s suffering clearly demonstrates, but we shouldn’t automatically label the consequences of our decisions as spiritual attacks either. And there’s another distinction worth making: temptation itself is not sin. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus was tempted as we are, yet without sin. Being tempted doesn’t mean you failed, but what you do with temptation matters.
Sometimes resisting temptation looks far less dramatic than we imagine. Sometimes it means closing the app, walking away from the conversation, holding your tongue, confessing your sin, or establishing boundaries that help you avoid compromise. James 4:7 instructs believers to submit themselves to God and resist the devil. Notice the order. Submit to God. Resist the devil.
We cannot claim to be resisting the enemy while knowingly embracing the very sin God commands us to forsake. We are quick to rebuke the devil, but are we equally quick to repent?
And wait, wait, wait, before anyone walks away thinking this is simply a call to pull yourself together and make better decisions, let’s remember the gospel.
If we could overcome sin through sheer determination alone, we wouldn’t need a Savior. BUT, we do. Desperately.
Through His perfect obedience, substitutionary death, and victorious resurrection, Jesus Christ has accomplished what we never could. Those united to Him are no longer under sin’s dominion (Romans 6:14). That doesn’t mean that believers will never stumble, but sin is no longer our master.
Titus 2:11–12 teaches that God’s grace not only brings salvation but also trains us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives.
Did you catch it? Grace doesn’t simply pardon us. It trains us.
That same sweet grace teaches us to turn away from the sin we once embraced. When we stumble, we don’t have to manufacture an excuse, construct a defense, or find someone else to blame. We can confess our sins, trusting God’s promise of forgiveness and cleansing through Christ (1 John 1:9).
Perhaps the next time we find ourselves facing the consequences of a sinful decision, we should examine our hearts before immediately declaring spiritual warfare, asking ourselves: Did I ignore what Scripture teaches? Did I willingly entertain a sinful desire? Am I blaming the enemy because acknowledging my responsibility would require repentance?
And if the answer is yes, there is no need to despair. There is a Savior who is sufficient for sinners.
Yes, friend, Satan is real. His schemes are real. Spiritual warfare is real. But he is not sovereign, and we cannot keep blaming him for choices we refuse to take accountability for.
Sometimes the most faithful response isn’t announcing another spiritual attack. Sometimes it’s bowing low before the Lord and confessing, “Father, I have sinned. I chose what I wanted over what You commanded. Forgive me, change my desires, and help me walk in obedience.”
Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Beautiful words to hear.
So yes, resist the devil. Stand firm in the faith. Put on the whole armor of God.
But while you are watching for the enemy’s schemes, don’t neglect the sin in your own heart. And while you are acknowledging the reality of spiritual warfare, don’t forget the sovereignty of God who reigns over it all.
Because sometimes the devil didn’t make you do it.
You chose it.
And by God’s grace, you can repent of it.
