INSPIRATIONAL SHORT NARRATIVE
When I was a young boy, my father watched the Flip Wilson Show, and there was a character he played that said this famous catchphrase: "The Devil Made Me Do It." Then, just as it is now, we tend to redirect what our fleshly desires and flaws cause us to do and place them on someone else, even God. Indeed, the devil is ever-present, causing havoc, but some actions are just plain old human character flaws, and we all have them.
In today's narrative, I want to address the reciprocal, when our flesh rises because of an offense, disappointment, disagreement, hardship, or otherwise, resulting in a change of direction previously have said to have come from the Lord. If this sounds familiar, it is prevalent in the Christian community, hence today's title: "Don't Put That on God." Have you ever heard a friend, family member, or fellow Christian say: "God sent me here or there, or asked me to do this or that," and then as quickly as they said it, they've heard another word from the Lord undoing the very thing they said came from the Lord. If that sounds confusing, it can be, but it happens more often than you think. Truth be told, if people were being honest with themselves, when situations like these occur, they are usually preceded by an offense whereby someone's feelings have been hurt by someone or something. So, operating in the flesh is not shameful but part of being human; we're not perfect and sometimes prone to this type of behavior every once in a while.
However, as Christians, we need to be very careful not to associate the things done by our flesh as hearing from God. Don't get me wrong; I am not challenging anyone's position that God is speaking a word of instruction to them, merely bringing awareness that we need to look within and try the spirit by the spirit. Per the bible, you can quickly put your actions and words to the test evaluating if it is your flesh in operation or your spirit. Galatians 5: 16-26 is an excellent starting point.
Additionally, in God's Word, it was very rare for God to instruct someone to do something and then change it as quickly as he gave the instruction. God told Abraham to go and did not change that direction but did have him make a couple of pit stops along the way. When He sent Moses to free the enslaved Israelites and Moses challenged whether he was best suited to go, He did not change His mind or direction. Furthermore, consider this; if there was one time God had every right to change His mind or direction He set in motion, it was after sending His Son Jesus to die for humanity while we were yet in our sin. When Jesus cried out on the cross, any one of us may have changed our mind, but God did not. If you elect to do something in your flesh, "Don't Put That on God."