Have you ever said or heard someone say, “The Devil made me do it?” This is a phrase made popular by comedian Flip Wilson years ago in a comedy routine. We may have the mistaken idea that this statement is actually true about our Spiritual lives. We may actually believe that the Devil has the ability to “make” us sin or to cause us to rebel against God. We may think that we have no power to resist the temptations that we face. It may certainly feel that way at times! The Bible makes it very clear that this is not the truth. Romans chapter 8 clearly teaches that Jesus crushed the power of Satan at the cross. He is a defeated foe. This is true because there is a new power unleashed in the believer that tells us that we no longer have to live as slaves to sin! The Spirit of Christ lives in us, and we have His power to overcome sin. We are not doomed to sin, because Christ now lives in us! So when the enemy comes at us with temptation, we can boldly say, “I don’t have to” because Jesus has defeated Satan’s ability to keep us enslaved. So, next time you are tempted to say, “The Devil made me do it,” in the power of the Holy Spirit say, “I don’t have to!” Romans 8:3
