NO EXCUSES

Excuses are simply the devil’s tactic to get us to avoid responsibility for our actions or keep us from taking the right actions. Excuses are as old as Adam and Eve. When God asked Adam why he had eaten the fruit God told him not to eat, Adam had a very good excuse. It was the woman God gave him that made him do it. In other words, I am not responsible for what happened, someone else is to blame. When God asked Eve why she ate the fruit, she had the ‘perfect’ excuse. According to her, ordinarily she wouldn’t have done anything like this, it was the serpent that deceived her. So, she can’t be held responsible for her actions, someone else is to blame (Genesis 3: 1-13). Their excuses were unacceptable to God.

Like Eve did, many people blame the devil for sins they have committed or wrong steps they have taken in life. They fail to take responsibility for their actions. Some others heap all the blame on other people. Their parents, spouse, friends, boss or colleagues. The more people we meet, the more the list of those who should be held responsible for wrong choices we have made in life increases.

When Aaron built a golden calf for the Israelites to worship in place of God and Moses confronted Aaron, his excuse was that the people’s hearts are set on evil, they are a people prone to sin. Aaron was in essence saying that if you are going to get angry with anyone, it should be the people, not me (Exodus 32:21-24). I can’t be held responsible for what has happened.

God didn’t buy Moses’ excuse that he couldn’t lead the people of Israel as he wasn’t eloquent and lacked public speaking skills (Exodus 4:10). Jeremiah’s excuse to God that he was too young for the assignment didn’t fly (Jeremiah 1:6). God found most unsatisfactory Gideon’s excuse that he was the wrong man for the job as his family didn’t belong to the rich, well-known upper echelons of society (Judges 6 :15). God didn’t accept the excuses of those that said they couldn’t attend the Banquet because of prior work and family commitments (Luke 14:15-24).

Excuses hold no water with God. Romans 1:20 tells us no one has no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God or following God. John 15:22 tells us that there is no excuse for sin. So, the sooner we quit making excuses and step into what God wants us to do, the better for us.

Excuses proceed from our heart. An unwillingly heart and spirit is actually the manufacturing ground for excuses. When we are unwillingly to do what we ought to, there will always be a good excuse to justify our delay in taking the appropriate action, our inactivity or our lack of involvement and commitment. A willingly heart will make you give to the work of God and help others in need, but when there’s an unwillingness, excuses like this is not a good time for me or this person doesn’t deserve to be helped will keep popping up (Exodus 35:5, 21, 29). A willingly heart will make you get up and pray, but when there’s an unwillingness, you find yourself saying things like I usually get home late or I’ve been very busy so I haven’t had time to pray (Matthew 26:41). An unwillingness to yield to God’s standard, obey His Word will tell you the reason why you fell for that sexual sin, why you slept with that lady is because she dresses seductively. It’s her dressing that caused it, she not you, should be blamed.

A willing heart stirs us up and prompts us to do the things we ought to, an unwilling heart just gives us weak, lame, popular, ‘good’ and ‘genuine’ excuses why we can’t and shouldn’t obey God’s Word and do God’s work. God doesn’t force us to do anything and for us to do anything for God or take steps that will improve our lives and make us better people, we must have a willing heart. Our actions and inactions all spring from our heart and whether there is a willingness or an unwillingness deep down in our hearts. We can’t move beyond the willingness of our heart. No wonder David prayed to God to give him a willing spirit (Psalm 51:12).

May the Lord give us a willing heart so right from the inside our hearts, we debunk and deflate all excuses.

PHOTO CREDIT: Google