One of my son’s favorite expressions is, “We need someone to hold us accountable.” Those words are so true. I maintain that not only do we need someone to hold us accountable, but we must take responsibility for our own actions. God holds us accountable; we cannot plead ignorance or blame someone else for what we do or say. We have free will. The devil does put things in our minds and hearts, but even when he does, we must still take responsibility for our actions. In Genesis 3:12, we find these words:

“The man replied, ‘It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.’”

We know the story of how God blessed Adam and Eve in the garden. He gave them all they needed and told them not to eat the fruit of the tree. They disobeyed, and instead of Adam taking responsibility, he blamed Eve. Then Eve blamed the serpent. It is my prayer today that we will take full responsibility for our actions. We should not blame our family, friends, or anyone but ourselves. We should be willing to acknowledge our own sins and shortcomings, then ask God to strengthen and forgive us. Once we ask Him to forgive us, He will. Therefore, there is no reason for us to not take responsibility.