His fault! My fault!

I hate him! I do, I can't stand him! He can take the most perfect day that was meant to be a great day with the Lord and totally ruin it with stupid stuff!  Do you know what I mean?
He has put misery into the lives of everyone I know and love.  He literally roams around looking for ways to make us miserable and to destroy our testimonies.  Why do we listen to him? Why do we cave?
There is not one single divorce, insecurity, illness, lie, deceit, manipulation, gossip, theft, murder, back-biting, depression, suicide, sex outside of marriage, pornography, drugs, drunkenness, apathy, gambling, etc. etc. that he is not a part of!  Life on this earth before him, was ideal. Then he entered, enticed, we listened and we fell.
Its Satan, and no, we can't keep blaming Adam and Eve; when what they did, we continue to do every day.  They were not with God and they listened to him, and failed.
Its his fault! All of it! Well, that is what I was thinking earlier anyway, but then I listened to God.  I sat before Him, our Lord, feeling so unworthy, yet again.  I had failed once again.  I had listened to the king of lies once again. I had failed to take the time to put on my armor, His armor, once again. And of course, we always look for someone to blame, so I blamed Satan, once again!
For several hours I went around my house blaming him, until the ears of my heart heard God say, "My child, I was here. I was ready to spend time with you. I was ready to equip you to fight those fiery darts he was going to throw. I was ready to put my power in you to withstand anything he could throw your way. I wanted to fill you, fill you to overflowing. I wanted to pour down My grace and mercy so you could be a light to all those whom you come in contact with and by doing that glorify My Son. I was here, Child. Waiting. And waiting. Always ready to love you. To hold you.  Don't feel unworthy. My Son died for you. You are priceless to me. You are precious to me. And you are right, he does seek to ruin you, but I am stronger. Take the time to come to me. Read my love letters to you. Read them again and again. Memorize them. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in this world. I'm breaking your heart for those things that break mine. Its going to hurt, my child, but I'll hold you. You're never out of My hands. Stand strong! Your armor is on. I'm equipping. I'm pouring. I'm filling. Go shine. Go fight. Go glorify My Name in all you say and do. And above all, just love."
Well hello! It was MY fault! I chose not to seek Him first and without that daily armor being put on, I'm too weak to fight. The armor has too many holes, but Nehemiah 4:20 promises that the Lord will fight for us! How awesome is that! We only have to seek Him.
And as a cherry on top, my devotional reading began with this paragraph:
"Whenever we find favor with someone, we feel their support. In everything we do, we are encouraged. Its not that we feel we can do no wrong, but we feel that we will always do right. Verses pepper the Bible with ways we can find favor with God. The most basic of ways begins with opening God's Word and instilling it into our hearts and minds."  (Charles Stanley, Pathways to His Presence)
"Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart." (Proverbs 3:3)
Everything is sweeter after time spent with Him. Why do we struggle with this? I challenge you to spend some time with our Creator today. Savor His goodness and His love!