Truth #13 from Lies Women Believe (I warned you that I was catching up!) is that I am responsible before God for my behavior, responses, and choices. God does not hold me accountable for the actions of others, but I am responsible for how I respond to them. We can control how we respond to the circumstances that He allows to come into our lives. When I stop blaming other people or circumstances for my sinful behaviors or negative patterns in my life, I will be free to obey God, regardless of my circumstances.
Ezekiel 18: 20"The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of his son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him." God looks at people individually and judges them accordingly.
It's very hard to control our responses when we feel that we have been wronged or we are the victim of a situation. But Jesus gave us the ultimate example. 1 Peter 2:23 "When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered he made no threats. Instead he entrusted himself to him who judges justly."
This has been a huge lesson for me over the past few years. I am not responsible for the decisions and actions of others--my family, my friends, even my husband and children. Obviously, I should be living my life in a way to point them to Christ and not cause any stumbling blocks for them. I should allow God to use me in my relationships with them. But I am not responsible for their sin; I am not their Holy Spirit. I am only required to be faithful and obedient in my response to the circumstances God has placed me in. That is very freeing.
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