Can the devil read minds? And other questions . . .

Phil asks an excellent question over at Thinklings:

Can The Devil Read Minds?

…or insert thoughts into your brain?

Any Scriptural suggestions are much appreciated…

Good question, and there are already some good answers in the comments thread.

This brings me to another long-standing conviction I’ve had about how we often talk about our enemy: Have you ever heard someone say the following (or something like it)?

“Satan has really been attacking me lately.”

I fully believe that fallen angels, what we call demons, are active in our world and are actively opposing God’s Kingdom. And I believe their chief is a demon we call Satan.

However, I do not believe Satan, as a created being, is omnipresent (everywhere at once). Or omniscient (all-knowing). Those are traits that only God possesses.

“The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” – Job 1:7 (ESV)

See. Not everywhere at once.

So I think we give the enemy way more credit than he deserves when we say “Satan has really been attacking me/tempting me/troubling me/etc., lately”.

I don’t think Satan knows who I am, most likely. He’s way too busy and way not like God to have knowledge of every Christian on earth. He has bigger fish to fry.

This doesn’t mean, of course, that some lesser demonic beings might from time to time cause me grief. I don’t know – my own flesh is the source of most of my failings, I believe.

Demonic influence is real. But don’t give God’s enemy too much credit. He’s not like God, at all, and doesn’t have near the power.

” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” – James 4:7 (ESV)

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7 thoughts on “Can the devil read minds? And other questions . . .

  1. Right on, Bro! This was exactly the point I was trying to make. And you said it way better than I could, and certainly better than I did, since all I did was raise the issue. 🙂

    I think you should post this over at thinklings.

    This is exactly the sort of thing I probably would have said in comments later, but now I don’t have to because you said it better! 🙂

  2. Hey Bill, I think you are hitting on such an important practical point to Christian life. I really believe any kind of attention we give to the enemy is received as worship, because it’s one more moment we are not focusing on God.

    I believe the correct response to a spiritual attack is not rebuking, rather praise to God for His gift life and the awesome wonder of His loving promises.

  3. I’m very much in agreement with you De. Matt, I agree with you too. My flesh gives me enough trouble. That and the increasing number of vectors from which temptation may come.

  4. “Hey Bill, I think you are hitting on such an important practical point to Christian life. I really believe any kind of attention we give to the enemy is received as worship, because it’s one more moment we are not focusing on God.

    I believe the correct response to a spiritual attack is not rebuking, rather praise to God for His gift life and the awesome wonder of His loving promises.”

    While we were having a group prayer at a Bible study the other night, one woman started rebuking Satan. It really bothered me because suddenly our prayers were no longer focused on God and what she was saying seemed inappropriate anyway. The Bible says we’re supposed to resist the devil, not talk trash to him.

  5. Another attribute I admire about De is he is always thinking and mostly about spiritual matters. Way to go, De!

    I agree with all the above commenters in that we should be focused on God and not Satan. Whenever we are focused on the Liar, he has won, because that is what he has always wanted is to have the spotlight on him. De’s verse “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” – James 4:7, has two actions for us, “Submit and Resist.” If we are totally “submitted to God”, that is all the resisting we need to do, the devil will flee.

  6. You know what this means, don’t you? I can’t blame the stupid stuff I do on Satan anymore. Not that he can’t cause me problems, but it’s probably not him 98% of the time…it’s just me and my selfish flesh, messing up yet again.

    :-/

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