There was a comedian years ago who partly became famous for a phrase he used in his act: “The devil made me do it.” His act made many people laugh. Unfortunately, many individuals today seriously make such a claim. They do not want to take responsibility for any action they take. They may say that the Devil made them do it. Or, they may say society made them do it. Or, they may say that their parents made them do it. Or, they may say their friends made them do it.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:22, we read, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” The word ‘abstain’ in the Greek is a word that means “to hold back” or “to keep off.” This word is in the middle voice in this verse. That means it could be translated as “to hold one’s self off.”
God says we have responsibility for our actions. We are not made to act a certain way by anyone. We make the choice to act. Therefore, we must accept responsibility for our actions. God will not accept the excuse that someone else made us do it. We are to keep ourselves from every appearance of evil.
Study your Bible. Learn all you can from it so that you can obey God. Learn to do what is right. Keep yourself, and hold back yourself from all evil. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
