“The Devil made me do it.” Those words became a national catch phrase in the 1970s, when comedian Flip Wilson coined them. But listen to this one: Woody Smith, a Kentucky man accused of strangling his wife, claimed that excessive caffeine from sodas, energy drinks and diet pills left him so mentally unstable he couldn’t have knowingly killed her. Excuse making has been around for a long time. When Adam, our first father, was confronted about his disobedience blamed Eve, saying “it was the woman whom You gave to be with me…” But John warned, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” But thankfully, John wrote this in the very next verse, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” So let’s stop blaming the devil or someone else. Let’s be honest, admit our wrong-doing and accept God’s forgiveness and cleansing.

Pastor Alex Rockwell