You know, I've been thinking (actually, I think quite often). In Pentecostal churches we love to sing. I remember bringing a visitor to church and she couldn't believe how many songs we sang (and that was a low key night!). But do you ever stop to think about the songs you sing? One song that got me on a thinking mission is one that says
"I went to the enemy's camp and I took back what he stole from me...he's under my feet, he's under my feet, Satan is under my feet."

Woo! Let the shouting and aisle running begin! But wait! Did Satan really steal your joy? Did he really bop you over the head with a baseball bat and steal your victory? You're telling me that Satan put you in a choke hold and stole your _______ (insert stolen item here)?

While I do believe that Satan is the father of lies, and is seeking to destroy us, I also maintain that whatever the devil has in his possession is because we willingly gave it to him. He didn't steal your joy, you gave him the opportunity to convince you that you had no need to be joyful. No, he didn't jump you for your victory; in a moment of weakness you caved and made the choice that having the victory wasn't worth it for anger, backbiting, etc.

We have a choice. We can choose to do right and we can choose to do wrong. I have chosen to do wrong things MANY times this week alone! Why, just this morning I made the choice not to read my Bible and decided to check my email instead. That supposed 2 minutes of time turned into 45 minutes and now I am here blogging. Did satan scream, "Chandra D., put your Bible down and run toward your laptop! I'm stealing this time from you!" No, he didn't. I had the opportunity to read the book of Proverbs or check my Gmail account. I went with the latter and the devil is quite happy with my selection.

I can go into a tirade about why we need to own up to our decisions, and why we need to stop casting blame, but the book of Proverbs is calling my name. The next time you feel the need to blame the devil for a choice you made, remember that you are an heir to the Kingdom and have the authority to rebuke the deceiver at anytime; no questions asked.