The Devil Made Me Do It

Connie hosts a Kids Radio program about three ways Satan deceives people. She makes clear that the devil is not a cartoon figure with a red suit and pitchfork, but God’s enemy, who uses guilt, excuses, and temptation to draw people away from truth.

The first lesson appears as Guilt Trip Jeopardy. Two demons compete to remember every wrong act committed by sixth-grader Joey Niceworthy. The categories include lies, selfishness, gluttony, cheating in fourth grade, and a day Joey and some friends experimented with cigarettes. The demons recall even small or long-past failures and ridicule Joey before the audience.

Joey repeatedly explains that the wrongdoing has already been confessed, punished, or forgiven. The game-show host ignores every answer. Instead, he turns remembered sins into proof that Joey is worse than demons and suggests that God could never love someone who has failed so often. With twenty-three rounds planned, the game is designed not to correct Joey but to trap a forgiven person in endless shame.

Connie explains that Satan uses guilt to make people doubt both God’s forgiveness and His love. Confession does not make wrongdoing unimportant, but God promises to forgive confessed sin and never use it to separate His children from Him. Remembering a lesson is different from continuing to carry a charge God has removed.

The second lesson becomes a special report from the news program 2200. Jerry Harry Larry Gary Perry has broken into homes and stolen one hundred thousand dollars in property. In court, he pleads not guilty by reason of temptation, arguing that the devil suggested the crimes and therefore bears all responsibility. An investigative reporter examines whether a person can escape the consequences of a choice simply by blaming the tempter.

Adam and Eve provide an ancient example. Adam blames Eve for handing him the forbidden fruit, while Eve blames the serpent for suggesting that she eat it. Neither has been physically forced. A lawyer for the devil denies everything, despite testimony that Satan has tempted many people throughout Scripture. An undercover investigation then records Satan persuading a hungry customer to steal from an unattended hot-dog cart. The evidence confirms that temptation is real, but it does not prove that resistance is impossible.

At Perry’s trial, Melissa Markinson testifies that she once felt tempted to repeat hurtful gossip about a friend. She wanted to share it but knew the choice was wrong and refused. She points to the promise that God will not allow temptation beyond a person’s ability to endure and will provide a way of escape. The jury finds Perry guilty because Satan may have supplied the idea, but Perry chose the burglaries. Connie warns that blaming temptation is another deception: people remain responsible for whether they accept or reject a sinful suggestion.

The final presentation is the 2,500th annual Slimy Awards, where demons celebrate successful temptation. Nominees include the demon who helped frighten Peter into denying that he knew Jesus and the one who persuaded Ananias and Sapphira to keep part of their land money while pretending they had donated everything. In both cases, the temptation makes sin appear safe, reasonable, or too small to matter.

Satan himself is nominated for tempting Jesus in the wilderness. The awards show expects a triumph, but every clip reveals defeat. Satan urges the hungry Jesus to turn stones into bread, dares Him to throw Himself down, and offers Him earthly kingdoms in exchange for worship. Jesus answers each temptation with Scripture and commands Satan to leave. The embarrassed demons panic and halt the broadcast because their greatest nominee has lost every round.

Connie concludes that knowing God’s Word equips people to recognize lies and answer temptation with truth. Scripture exposes false guilt after forgiveness, removes the excuse that temptation controls a person, and supplies a defense when wrong choices seem appealing. Kids Radio signs off with the reminder that Satan’s suggestions are powerful, but they do not have the final authority over anyone who relies on God’s truth.