Justifying Sinful Behavior: How to stop using Excuses for sin

Have you ever gone through an experience during which you know that what you are doing is not what God wants, but you justify yourself to continue?

I have.

I guess you have also.

As human beings, we can become experts at justifying ourselves and making excuses for our wrong actions.

One bible story that has made me reflect on this is the story of Saul.

God had commanded Saul to attack the Amalekites, a neighboring nation that had tormented the people of Israel in the past.

The mission that God had entrusted to him was that he should destroy everything the Amalekites had, along with them.

However, even though Saul went to attack them, he decided to keep the king alive and not destroy the best of the spoil, but keep it for himself and the army.

These things were contrary to what God had commanded him to do.

Additionally, instead of giving glory to God for the victory, he made for himself a monument celebrating victory in his own honor.

At that moment, God communicated with the prophet Samuel and told him that he had decided to take the kingdom away from Saul because of his disobedience.

Samuel, grieving, goes to meet Saul to give him the message from God.

Upon arrival, the first thing Saul tells him is that he has already accomplished the mission entrusted to him.

Samuel reproaches him by saying that this is not the case, for he has kept the spoils, and with this, he has sinned against God.

Let’s look at what the Bible presents as Saul’s answer:

“I have obeyed the Lord! “Saul insisted.”

I have fulfilled the mission he entrusted to me.

I took Agag, king of Amalek, prisoner, but destroyed the Amalekites.

And from the spoils, the soldiers took sheep and cows for the purpose of offering them in Guilgal to the Lord your God.

1 Samuel 15:20 – 21

I would like us to notice Saul’s attitude to the rebuke.

God Himself is sending him a message through the prophet.

Instead of accepting it with humility, he decides to justify his actions and even blame others for his responsibility.

He also blatantly lied that the spoils were for making sacrifices to the Lord.

This behavior had an explanation: self-confidence, rather than trusting God.

Dear reader, a problem in Saul’s life was that he had not understood that everything he had, all that he had achieved, everything he could do, and become was the result of God’s favor.

Saul failed to understand that the success of his reign was not about himself and his qualities or abilities, but about God’s blessing.

Therefore, thinking that the results depended on himself, he did not trust God and his instructions.

He thought God wouldn’t give him everything he wanted, so he thought he should take it for himself.

He thought God wouldn’t keep his kingdom, so he had to keep it.

But he was wrong.

If he had bowed his head and let God be God in his life, then his story would have been different.

I think this story teaches us that the antidote to stop justifying ourselves when we act wrong is a humility rooted in a trust in God and not in ourselves.

If we ask God to help us understand that He loves and directs us.

If we ask God to help us understand that He knows what is best for our lives.

If we ask God to help us trust him and not ourselves.

Then we’re not going to need to justify ourselves when we do wrong, because we probably won’t make those mistakes in the first place.

And f we make them, then we’ll have enough humility to accept them and ask for forgiveness.

The secret is to live a life close to the heart of God, from there all things are seen from the right perspective, including you and me.

I hope these words have been a blessing to your life.


And what do you think? Do you justify yourself when you do wrong? Do you blame others? Share it in the comments.

A hug, God bless you.

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