In the early 70’s, Flip Wilson coined the phrase, “The devil made me do it,” and created the character, Geraldine, who often said, “What you see is what you get.”  His popularity grew at a time when racism was running rampant, but he was gaining ground in the entertainment business as one of the first African Americans to break the race barrier by eventually hosting his own television show.

Everyone identified with his words about the devil.  It’s not easy taking responsibility for our actions, especially when we’re guilty as charged.  It’s much simpler to blame it on someone else, or  at least bring attention to their shortcomings.

The very first human beings proved this.  Adam blamed his wife – Eve blamed the devil and the devil blamed God, by creating doubt and desire in their minds.  So it was the devil’s fault all along.  Even though it may be an easy out for us, we’re still responsible for our own actions.  God gave us a free will when He created us.  We can choose to do right or wrong and many times we make the wrong choice.

When the buck stops at us, what do we do?  We own up to our mistakes, ask for forgiveness and move on.  The same is true when we sin against our God.  We confess our sin, ask for His cleansing, receive His gift of absolution and move on trying not to make the same mistakes.

It’s true – the devil is responsible for sin.  God grants our forgiveness.  It’s up to us to repent and dig deeper into His Word for ways to live according to His will.  The Bible will nourish us through this process, giving us the knowledge that even though we’re sinners, we’ve been bought back at a supreme price.