James 1:13–14 (ESV)

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil neither tempted he any man. But notice the warning: let no man say—what is that? Let nobody give the excuse: God tempts me; or better yet, that the temptation is coming from outside myself and I am a victim. In other words, there is no excuse. Do not make the excuse I am tempted by something outside of myself. This is known as blame shifting and is in itself sin. When we read Genesis 3:1–24, we read of the fall of Adam and Eve. What happened when God confronted Adam and Eve, and what was Adam's response? The woman that you gave me... What did the woman say? The serpent that you made… What did God do? Did he confront the serpent, the woman, the man? No! It is you. It is you. It is you! That temptation to blame shift goes all the way back to the garden. James says, let no one say when he is tempted, God made me do it, or the devil made me do it, or you made me do it. No, what does James say? I made me do it; acknowledging, confessing our sin.1

Michael Voytek