The Devil Made Me Do It

One of the dangers of believing that Satan and his demons are real is the tendency to blame all our failings on them. Now I do believe it is good for us to know we are in a battle, and we must be willing to stand firm against the attacks of the enemy (Ephesians 6:10-13; 2 Corinthians 2:11; 11:1-3). But we should not use this as an excuse to avoid taking responsibility for our own actions. Our sins come from within us, and it is wrong to try to shift the blame to others (James 1:13-15; Romans 7:14-25; Jeremiah 17:9). And we must remember that when we stop hiding and excusing our sin and admit to it, then we can experience God's forgiveness   (1 John 1:9; Proverbs 28:13; 2 Corinthians 7:10).