I remember a time when it was fashionable to put the blame on the devil, “the devil made me do it.” The Flip Wilson show popularized this saying. Flip Wilson wasn’t the first to say this.
Eve did this in the garden of Eden. Eve said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Genesis 3:13). She shifted the blame. She did not take ownership of her wrongdoing. This lack of acknowledgement of her sin, guilt, opened up the door for the enemy and judgement. Her excuse did not get her off the hook, and it won’t help us much, either.
Take ownership, repent, give no place to the devil.
“Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:27-30 KJV
Resist him and he will flee. “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 NIV
The first part of this verse is to submit to God, then resist. When we submit to God’s