"The devil Made Me Do It!" A Convenient Untruth

Each of us has had the opportunity to hear someone credit the devil for his influence over something they have done wrong.

This is an acceptable claim for the unredeemed, but for a believer to make such a proclamation it must ring as the highest of insults to our King of Glory.

Jesus died a tragic, painful, shameful, inglorious death. He went to heaven and sprinkled His blood in the Most Holy Place (Hebrews 9:11-14). He "...disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it" (Colossians 2:13-15). His victory is complete and redemption, for the believer, is a fact!

Do we really want to credit the devil, this defeated foe, with a "victory" in our redeemed life? The enemy is a "...prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience..." (Ephesians 2:1-3). But he doesn't work in me. Not in a believer.

Here's the point: When we acknowledge God as the One Who gives us victory, we are giving Him glory for what He is able to do in and through us.

Tragically, when we credit the enemy for our sin we are glorifying him and minimizing the absolute victory obtained for us on the cross, through the Most Holy Place, and at the throne.

What an insult to the One Who gave it all for us! Shame on us when we glorify the enemy for our sin! In this, we are proclaiming the enemy's power and greatness in our lives! We are elevating him to a position to which he has no right!

If Jesus saved us, sanctified us, healed us, delivered us, redeemed us, why can't we accept that He has disallowed any influence by the enemy toward us?

Peter instructs us to, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). This is wise instruction. We must remain sober and vigilant. But a lion "walking", "roaring", and "seeking" never made anyone bleed! And this "disarmed" foe is helpless in devouring a believer!

So why do we confess such foolishness?

Because in our pride, our laziness, our immaturity, and our resistance to acknowledging our sin, it is much easier to blame someone else. Adam's weak excuse in the garden ("The woman...gave me of the tree, and I ate"), along with Eve's weak excuse in the garden, (“The serpent deceived me, and I ate”) is our weak excuse today ("The devil made me do it!").

As long as we have someone to blame we escape accepting our part, and we avoid making the necessary changes or making right where we've made wrong.

God has nothing to give us in exchange for our excuses. But for our repentance He has forgiveness.

Take responsibility for your sin. Don't blame a foe that was defeated for you.

Sound the A.L.A.R.M.

Accept your part in your sin and face the truth squarely. No excuses. It is the first step toward changing.
Lift it up to God, don't deflect it to your enemy.
Ask for forgiveness. Absolute repentance before God and to anyone you've harmed.
Repay what you owe, where possible. Maybe up to seven times.
Move on. The same One Who saved you made the way for your return to right-standing.