I remember a long time ago, it dawned on me that maybe Satan could hear my thoughts and attack me more.
He would know exactly what to do to attack me and have more information about me to use against me and it led to fear.
I started being afraid to think, afraid someone was listening that could harm me. Afraid of this big bully out to get me.
So…can the devil read your mind? Can he use that information to harm you?
The first (and best) way to combat fear is wisdom and knowledge. Let’s get to know Satan a little bit more so you can rest at ease!
Can the Devil Read Your Mind?
No. Satan does not know your thoughts. He cannot read your mind. He does not have that power.
1 Kings 8:39 says that only God knows the heart.
God is omniscient. He knows everything, past, present, and future.
Satan is a CREATED BEING, like the angels, like us. We are all created by God. Omniscience is an attribute that alone belongs to God.
Satan is not omniscient
So Satan (and his demons) cannot read your mind, hear your thoughts, or know your heart. However, since they’ve been around for a long time watching human activity (around 6,000 years), they are pretty good at predicting human behavior.
So it may SEEM like maybe someone evil is watching and they know all about you, but they don’t. If an evil presence is there, they cannot know your internal prayers to God (a private dialog in your mind to your Father), and they cannot know your heart. They can only predict what you’re thinking or what you will do next.
They’ve had a lot of practice and are good at it, but your prayers, your thoughts, and your heart belong to God and are safe with Him. There are no eavesdroppers in your personal, private prayer time.
With your mind more at ease, let’s dive more into who Satan is, to relieve your fears all the more!
We understand that Satan is a created being, He cannot listen into our minds.
Satan has to get approval to attack
Satan is not sovereign, nor is he omnipotent. He cannot attack us or harm us in ANY way without God’s approval! Think about the story of Job and how Satan was trying to attack him. He had to get God’s approval before doing so.
Christians are protected. Non-Christians are NOT protected. Satan can do what he wants to nonbelievers anytime he wants, but for the Christian, we are protected by God, having the Holy Spirit living inside of us, protecting us.
It’s like a big bubble of protection against evil.
In the story of Job, God DID allow Satan to harm Job, but it was for Job’s good and when all was said and done, Job was blessed more at the end of his life than at the beginning (Job 42:12).
Sometimes God will allow Satan to harm us, but if He does, it’s only for our good. To help us, to edify us, to sanctify us, to cleanse us, to make us better Christians, full of strength, purity, and faith. God never does anything to us without it being for our good (Romans 8:28). That is the promise to the Christian.
Satan is not everywhere at once
The chances of Satan himself spending time with YOU is 1 in 8.2 billion. The odds are just very, very low, right? But does that mean evil is not there?
It could be. Satan has demons (fallen angels like himself) and there are many. In Revelation 12:4, it tells us that when Satan rebelled, he took 1/3 of the angels with him. We don’t know a number count of how many that is but the Bible says there are a LOT of angels (Hebrews 12:22, Luke 2:13, Daniel 7:10, Revelation 5:11, Psalm 68:17). So the odds go up, considering all the fallen angels that could be watching, but again, lower odds.
So are all those bad angels running amok? No. Some are bound permanently (Jude and Peter talk about this) and some temporarily that will be released in the tribulation (Revelation 9).
Angels (and fallen angels) do watch us. The Bible tells us that in 1 Peter 1:12 how they are curious of us and want to learn about us. In Matthew 18:10, it alludes to humans having “their” angels, meaning angels (good angels) assigned to us. Good angels are assigned to us to protect us, to do the work of God on His behalf (think: servants), to help us, lead us, guide us, help keep us out of trouble, and to communicate with us on behalf of Christ. They do whatever God asks them to do. But their main mission is to protect us.
So not only do we have God protecting us, because He is living inside of us, but we have angel(s) who are solely dedicated to us, to protect us. If a fallen angel and Satan do not have authority or permission to harm us (Luke 22:31) or to even get near us, the good angel protects us from them.
So the question becomes, can good angels hear our thoughts?
Can good angels hear our thoughts?
Yes, if it’s for the purpose of God.
If we are praying privately, in our mind to God, and God has given them charge to help us (Daniel 6:22), protect us, (Psalm 91:11), minister to believers (Hebrews 1:14), and lead us (Acts 8:26-40; Acts 10:3-8), and yes, even have the power to kill enemies (Acts 12:21–23), then the good angel, on behalf of the Lord, can hear our thoughts and communicate with us during that time in which God has called them to serve.
Angels throughout the Bible have been known to communicate with humans and to help them. Here are some examples…
- Mary (Luke 1:26-38)
- Paul (Acts 27:13–44)
- Abraham (Genesis 18)
- Philip (Acts 8:26-40)
- Lot (Genesis 19)
- Herod (killed him; Acts 12:21–23)
- Peter (Acts 12:6-11)
- Cornelius (Acts 10:3-8)
- Joseph (Matthew 1:20-25)
- Jesus (Mark 1:13; Luke 22:43)
While they do not show up “at our door” like they did in the Bible anymore (although they could if it’s God’s will – Hebrews 13:2), they can (again, if it is God’s will) communicate with us, giving us messages for God or leading us to the right path on behalf of God.
Since they are created beings and serve the Lord, it is always permission-based. God must give authority and permission to the angel to do His bidding (Psalm 103:20-21).
This is not something to be afraid of, since good angels are there to help us, lead us, and protect us. They mean us no harm, ever.
Should we pray to angels, then? Should we seek them out?
No. We pray to God and God alone. We should pray FOR angels. Pray that their work not be interrupted, that it be unhindered, and so on in the world and in our lives, but as a Christian, we do not pray to anyone other than God.
Some people, especially in Roman Catholicism worship angels, but the Bible warns us against that in Colossians 2:18.
Hebrews 4:14–16 tells us who to speak to and why (Jesus; because He can sympathize with our lives and sufferings).
1 Timothy 2:5 tells us that we are able to go to God directly. In the Bible days, before the Holy Spirit was given, people had to go to a priest to communicate with God (that’s why you see even kings having many advisors and priests), but since the giving of the Holy Spirit, we no longer need that and can go to Him in prayer directly.
If you are able to talk to God directly, the One who made the heavens and the earth and everything in it, the only One who has true power Himself to help your situation, why would you want to pray to someone lower than Him, a created being like yourself?
This would be like choosing to talk to an employee when the CEO and owner of the company is standing right there in front of you. It’s just foolish.
What’s the best way to get rid of Satan and his demons?
I’ve heard people say they will bind Satan or tell Satan to leave. Satan doesn’t listen to you any more than he listens to anyone else. He’s a rebel. Do rebels obey?????
And what power do YOU have? It is only GOD who has the power to bind Satan, not us. If God GIVES US that power to bind Satan, we could, but, is God really going to give you that power? What purpose would that accomplish? You’d only think it’s YOUR strength and might get cocky.
Does it say in the Bible to yell at Satan and tell him to leave? No.
What do you do with a bully? You yell at them and tell them to leave and it works? No way. Neither would it work with Satan. So what DOES the Bible say to do?
The Bible gives us very good directions on how to get rid of Satan and his demons!
1- Resist the devil and he will flee from you
James 4:7, calls us to resist the devil. Before that, it says to submit to God. So if we obey God, submit to God, and resist Satan, Satan will flee from us. Flee means run. Satan will RUN AWAY from us!
Listen, Satan’s not a patient being. If we are not doing what he wants us to do, he will not waste his time on us. He has PLENTY of other people who WILL give into temptation, give into his prompts, so if we are not, he’ll leave us alone, run away from us, and go find someone who WILL give into his temptations.
He’s not going to waste his precious time on us. His whole thing is to get as many people to sin as fast as he can. If he’s not getting anywhere with you, he’ll leave, and good riddance too!
But he IS crafty and clever (remember the Garden of Eden?! 2 Corinthians 11:3 makes that clear) so…
2- Be on guard
1 Peter 5:8 tells us to be on guard. Be sober, it says (which is why it’s stupid to drink, we cannot ward off the devil when we do!!!). Be watchful. Be sure we’re watching and being alert. Because the devil is a very REAL being and he seeks to destroy us. But we can protect ourselves by being watchful, not falling into sin, not stumbling, not going down the wrong path.
So what do we watch for?
We watch for sin in all ways. We watch for his schemes so we are not fooled (2 Corinthians 2:11).
One of the ways the Bible tells us that we give opportunity to the devil is by losing our tempers (Ephesians 4:26-27). Therefore, that is a major one to watch for. It gives him the opportunity to tempt you to do bad things.
Another thing to be on guard against is Satan’s lies. He is a liar (the father of lies: John 8:44; Garden of Eden) and masquerades as truth and light by using humans (1 John 4:1; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15) to do his bidding, as well as through his work in our lives. Therefore, we must watch out for false prophets, wolves in sheep’s clothing.
But it’s more than just watching out for false prophets, it’s about watching out for false doctrine too. Satan would love for you to believe some lies about God, things that would easily derail you in your spiritual walk should you believe them. We are to be like the Bereans (Acts 17:11) and study Scripture constantly.
You’ll even hear some people saying, I follow “this person” or I follow “this person”. Don’t do that; that is idolatry. We follow the Bible. The BIBLE alone is the authority, not a human! Not ANY human, no matter how good they are. The authority is the Bible.
Revelation 12:9 says he deceives the whole world. One of the ways he does that is by helping people believe they are saved, when they are really not. We make sure that WE ourselves are saved and that our friends, family, and everyone we know is also genuinely saved.
Satan tries to get us on the wrong path, so we must always be lining our hearts and souls up to God and His will, making absolute SURE we are on HIS path at all times, not being deceived or stumbling. It’s so easy to get on the wrong path too, so we must be very diligent to remain submissive to God and on His path of where He’s leading us.
He tries to prevent the gospel from spreading (Luke 8:12 in the parable of the seeds), so we do our diligent work, each one of us to SPREAD the gospel, to help other Christians be edified and strengthened in their faith and for non-believers to hear the gospel in a real way. You can spread the gospel by teaching your kids about God, having God-honoring conversations with friends, starting a Christian blog as I’ve done, and in a myriad of other ways. Whatever it is that YOU want to do and that fits with your personality and your life, that is a good way to start. 😊
The devil tries to infiltrate governments and people of great influence. Continually be praying for the leaders of this country, leaders where you are, politicians, Hollywood, and even blogging and social media influencers. Lift them up, encourage them, and help them with your prayers and support.
He loves to hinder our service for Christ (1 Thessalonians 2:18). Making us too busy to serve in the name of Christ, making our lives chaotic, not full of peace, making us doubt ourselves, etc. The more effective we are in ministry, the more he and his demons try to thwart those good works. This is his playground and we need to be aware of it.
Do not deprive your spouse of intimacy because it allows the devil a foothold (1 Corinthians 7:5). He desires to use a lack of self-control in humans against you, so be aware of that and take guard against it.
Satan wants to get you to love the world, his place of play, to get you to leave your Father (1 John 2:15; 2 Timothy 4:10).
He wants you to be prideful (something God hates). 1 Timothy 3:6; Proverbs 6:16-19. There is nothing that DETRACTS from the gospel MORE than pride! Ever listened to a prideful Pastor speak? It’s soooo offputting, right? This is Satan’s desire. To get us to be prideful because it does more harm for the gospel than we realize and when a person is prideful, they often do not even realize they are being prideful. It’s the perfect scam for Satan.
3- Do what they hate
Personally, I listen to the Word of God being read to me on Bible Gateway (audio Bible).
Listening to a sermon can help too, but many Pastors are not offending evil spirits, which is saying a lot. It is the Word of GOD that offends the demon. So listening to the Word of God is best. Listen to it for as long as you need to and do not stop.
Evil spirits hate God, they hate you, good angels, and they hate the Bible. Anything that has to do with God, they hate. Remember that this is war.
It’s not some fun-time little thing that you need to ward off some bad presence. We’re talking about someone who wants to destroy you. It’s not a time for fun and games. Be serious. Be vigilant. Be on guard. Destroy. It’s war! Satan is a murderer (John 8:44, 1 John 3:12). Don’t forget that.
You need not be afraid of your enemy, your enemy still answers to God, but you do need to understand that this is spiritual warfare and take steps accordingly.
4- Make sure you’re always acting godly
Satan is called the accuser (Revelation 12:10).
This is an interesting verse because it goes along with the devil not being able to be everywhere at once. If he is accusing us continually, day and night before God, as the Bible clearly states, he cannot be running around himself destroying everything. He has his demons do that for him, but as you know, a follower or servant is never as good as his master.
And while God CAN BE everywhere at once, Satan cannot be.
But while Satan is accusing us to God, we need to make sure that we do not give him anything to accuse us of.
Obviously, we are all sinners saved by grace and we cannot be perfect, but it is yet another reason we should try our absolute best to BE perfect. Because we love God, because we’re thankful for everything He has done and does do for us, but also because of our desire to lighten the load on God. To give our enemy nothing to accuse of us.
5- By putting on the armor of God
Ephesians 6:10-20 tells us plainly to put on the armor of God to stand against the schemes of Satan (vs. 11).
We are to put on the…
- Belt of truth (Satan is the father of lies)
- Breastplate of righteousness (there is nothing righteous in the devil)
- Shoes – readiness for the gospel of peace (Satan loves turmoil and chaos)
- Shield of faith – extinguish the flaming darts of Satan (doubts, etc.)
- Helmet of salvation – knowing for SURE that you are a genuine believer, protected, loved, and redeemed by our great God
- Sword of the spirit – the Bible; knowing it thwarts lots of the enemy’s lies
- Praying at all times in the spirit (James 5:16) for ourselves, for other believers in Christ, and for those who proclaim the gospel for it to go out unhindered
