There was a flu crisis over the winter 2017 in England, with thousands of operations cancelled because the virus resulted in massive uptake of hospital beds by the sufferers. One might have assumed that the “leaders would lead” and find a way to solve this problem. However, the government maintained that they had “given the National Health Service more money than it has ever received in its history” to buy in more beds and staff, (so it wasn’t their fault). Then the president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine was reported as blaming the government for its “failure to prioritise the need to increase funding” for the NHS, (so it wasn’t their fault either).

When God confronted Adam about the eating of the forbidden fruit, Adam blamed both Eve and God. “The woman you gave me, gave me the fruit …” (it wasn’t his fault). When God turned to Eve she blamed Satan, “The serpent deceived me …” (so it wasn’t her fault either). (Genesis 3:11-13)

Shifting the blame onto others and not taking responsibility result in two things:

1. Our problems don’t get solved.
2. We become weak and ineffective.

This is true both in the natural world and in our spiritual life.

I know this, but I still behaved exactly in the same way as Adam a few weeks ago.

A similar incident

We are faced with a similar situation in this year 2020 with the outbreak of the Coronavirus “covid 19”. Every country is passing the blame on another and the internal governments and finding someone to blame rather than approaching the problem head-on.

The Caribbean Islands have many different approaches to the same issue and the blame is passing from one to the other while they try to keep their economy afloat. No one is taking the blame while people are getting sick and dying. It is understood that this epidemic started in China and before it could be contained is now a worldwide problem. It is going to get worst before it gets better and each of us can work to resolve the situation if we do not blame the other person. It has now become a political problem where the various parties war against each other to see who will come out on the top of the PR scandal.

The simple things to practice like handwashing can help to spread the virus from place to place or person to person. There is a solution and it lies within us. Remember it did not start today but get out of control. Pray that a solution is found soon to contain the spread of this virus further. Someone needs to be honest and take the blame and apologise. We need to humble ourself before God and admit our wrong and stop trying to protect our reputation.

The truth shall make you free

We do not need to be afraid of doing the right thing. When we get ourselves into a mess we mustn’t dig ourselves in deeper to avoid the consequences. If we accept the blame for problems that are our responsibility, we gain the strength of character and we cleanse out the root of sin that is still in use, even as disciples. God can’t use people who hide from the truth about themselves.

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; ³² And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32 

The result of this continual cleansing is that we remain close to God, and we learn how to hear and obey the Spirit in every detail of our daily lives. We become merciless against our own thoughts and feelings that go against Gods’ will and become people whom Satan fears because he knows we will not compromise the truth and have nothing of our own selves to protect.