https://christianchat.com/bible-discussion-forum/tongues.145129/page-50#post-4739276
Where does the Bible say Satan or demons put thoughts in your mind?
Where does the Bible say Satan or demons put thoughts in your mind?
Where does the Bible say Satan or demons put thoughts in your mind?
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It doesn't say that specifically but you have to remember we fight against the things of the spirit not the flesh every temptation every dark thought every drop of hatred we can harbor is not from God and while it is true that we ourselves cannot always blame the devil as we are more than capable of doing all this on our own it is also true that the enemy whispers to us just as God does.
2 Corinthians 10:
…4The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ
Matthew 16
…22Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. “Far be it from You, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to You!” 23But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
Satan injected the thoughts into Peter's mind which Peter accepted and repeated.
Some logic will help. Do you choose every thought that comes into your mind? Do you ever wonder why you thought something that was obviously not in line with your will? Do you have a song that you can't get out of your mind? Do you have images that you cannot shake?
If you did not originate those thoughts, where did they come from? There is only one other source. God does not speak directly to the mind and He won't speak of things that are contrary to His word and nature.
Ephesians 2:
1And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath.
Satan is the ruler of the power of the air. He works to incite the flesh to sin. The world is his puppet. Things that were illegal 50 years ago are now normalised. How? By the power of words.
As someone else has said, "War on the Saints" is excellent. Joyce Meyer, "The mind the battlefield" is probably an easier read but not as comprehensive.
There's examples of how it is possible for Satan to influence people. In the passage below, the man Peter spoke but Jesus addressed Satan in His response.
Matthew 16:21-23
21From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
There are some other verses of interest, too, that maybe you want to see: Luke 22:3, John 13:27
satan influences those who are "of the wicked one" who then spread lies in the form of ideas ... spiritual wickedness in high places (religion, government, finance, legal/court system, educational system, entertainment industry, etc., etc.)
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Paul, speaking to Agrippa: Acts 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
Ephesians 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive
I also find it interesting that when the Lord Jesus Christ went into the wilderness after He was baptized by John Baptist, we read in Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them ... in Luke 4:5 it says the devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
Matt 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them
Luke 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
There's no actual mountain from which you can see all of Israel, let alone, all the kingdoms of the earth and the glory of them, especially in a single moment of time. It seems pretty clear to me Satan gives him a vision- it's a lot more likely than Satan taking some corporeal form and hauling Jesus around the world.
Luke 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
There's no actual mountain from which you can see all of Israel, let alone, all the kingdoms of the earth and the glory of them, especially in a single moment of time. It seems pretty clear to me Satan gives him a vision- it's a lot more likely than Satan taking some corporeal form and hauling Jesus around the world.
He tries to influence everyone, including the ones you mentioned. That is why Christians are warned to be on guard.
true and the believer is to hold to the Lord Jesus Christ and to the Word of God.
When Jesus was in the wilderness, His words to satan were "it is written" ... God's Word is just as valid and trustworthy for us today. We may be sought after by the adversary ... however, as we steadfastly endure satan's onslaught, God is working within us to perfect, establish, strengthen, settle us (1 Peter 5:10).
1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
God's written Word -- the Holy Bible -- is the Sword of the Spirit given to Christians to cut down all the lies and deception which come from Satan and his minions. "Thy Word is Truth". However, we cannot leave it at that, since we must insist that there is only one faithful and reliable translation of the Word into English. That is the Authorized Version also known as the King James Bible. There are equivalents in other languages.
The false knowledge being written about was Gnosticism, Not using one's mind to gain truth in all things ---be it spiritual or secular. If people followed your odd logic they would not even learn to read or write.
I tried to read it years ago. It had poor grammar. Likely, a difference in when it was written and modern language at that time. Thanks for the suggestion friend.
The word Satan there and also in Acts 5 Ananias and Sapphira simply means adversary not the being we call Satan. In fact, Satan is a created being and it is impossible for him to be everywhere at the same time. This is the problem C.S. Lewis identified as seeing Satan under each rock and others denying he exists.
"
erm used in the Bible with the general connotation of "adversary," being applied (1) to an enemy in war (I Kings v. 18 [A. V. 4]; xi. 14, 23, 25), from which use is developed the concept of a traitor in battle (I Sam. xxix. 4); (2) to an accuser before the judgment-seat (Ps. cix. 6); and (3) to any opponent (II Sam. xix. 23 [A. V. 22]). The word is likewise used to denote an antagonist who puts obstacles in the way, as in Num. xxii. 32, where the angel of God is described as opposing Balaam in the guise of a satan or adversary; so that the concept of Satan as a distinct being was not then known. Such a view is found, however, in the prologue to the Book of Job, where Satan appears, together with other celestial beings or "sons of God," before the Deity, replying to the inquiry of God as to whence he had come, with the words: "From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it" (Job i. 7). Both question and answer, as well as the dialogue which follows, characterize Satan as that member of the divine council who watches over human activity, but with the evil purpose of searching out men's sins and appearing as their accuser. He is, therefore, the celestial prosecutor, who sees only iniquity; for he persists in his evil opinion of Job even after the man of Uz has passed successfully through his first trial by surrendering to the will of God, whereupon Satan demands another test through physical suffering (ib. ii. 3-5).
Yet it is also evident from the prologue that Satan has no power of independent action, but requires the permission of God, which he may not transgress.He can not be regarded, therefore, as an opponent of the Deity; and the doctrine of monotheism is disturbed by his existence no more than by the presence of other beings before the face of God. This view is also retained in Zech. iii. 1-2, where Satan is described as the adversary of the high priest Joshua, and of the people of God whose representative the hierarch is; and he there opposes the "angel of the Lord," who bids him be silent in the name of God. In both of these passages Satan is a mere accuser who acts only according to the permission of the Deity; but in I Chron. xxi. 1 he appears as one who is able to provoke David to destroy Israel. The Chronicler (third century B.C.) regards Satan as an independent agent, a view which is the more striking since the source whence he drew his account (II Sam. xxiv. 1) speaks of God Himself as the one who moved David against the children of Israel. Since the older conception refers all events, whether good or bad, to God alone (I Sam. xvi. 14; I Kings xxii. 22; Isa. xlv. 7; etc.), it is possible that the Chronicler, and perhaps even Zechariah, were influenced by Zoroastrianism, even though in the case of the prophet Jewish monism strongly opposed Iranian dualism (Stave, "Einfluss des Parsismus auf das Judenthum," pp. 253 et seq.). An immediate influence of the Babylonian concept of the "accuser, persecutor, and oppressor" (Schrader, "K. A. T." 3d ed., p. 463) is impossible, since traces of such an influence, if it had existed, would have appeared in the earlier portions of the Bible.
In the Apocrypha.
The evolution of the theory of Satan keeps pace with the development of Jewish angelology and demonology. In Wisdom ii. 24 he is represented, with reference to Gen. iii., as the author of all evil, who brought death into the world; he is apparently mentioned also in Ecclus. (Sirach) xxi. 27, and the fact that his name does not occur in Daniel is doubtless due merely to chance. Satan was the seducer and the paramour of Eve, and was hurled from heaven together with other angels because of his iniquity (Slavonic Book of Enoch, xxix. 4 et seq.). Since that time he has been called "Satan," although previously he had been termed "Satanel" (ib. xxxi. 3 et seq.). The doctrine of the fall of Satan, as well as of the fall of the angels, is found also in Babylonia (Schrader, l.c. p. 464), and is mentioned several times in the New Testament. Satan rules over an entire host of angels (Martyrdom of Isaiah, ii. 2; Vita Adæ et Evæ, xvi.). Mastema, who induced God to test Abraham through the sacrifice of Isaac, is identical with Satan in both name and nature (Book of Jubilees, xvii. 18), and the Asmodeus of the Book of Tobit is likewise to be identified with him, especially in view of his licentiousness. As the lord of satans he not infrequently bears the special name Samael. It is difficult to identify Satan in any other passages of the Apocrypha, since the originals in which his name occurred have been lost, and the translations employ various equivalents. An "argumentum a silentio" can not, therefore, be adduced as proof that concepts of Satan were not wide-spread; but it must rather be assumed that reference to him and his realm is implied in the mention of evil spirits of every sort (comp. Demonology, and Kautzsch, "Apokryphen," Index)."
https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13219-satan
God said the truth
“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
Genesis 2:16-17 KJV
“You may but Thou shalt no lest ye die “
“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
(This is where you see him offer her a thought )
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
( this is where you see them accept this contrary thought to what God had clearly said you can see it affect thier minds thiughts )
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”
Genesis 3:1-6 KJV
she had the right thoughts first but he gave her the wrong thoughts this part all came from Satan other than it was pleasant to the eyes
the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise,
they had to reject what God had said to them d accept what Satan said to them for that to happen thiughts when they are outside of a person are words and when they go in the become thoughts and perceptions that’s all Satan can do to Man corrupt the mind God has created in us by his word
Satan has never physically assaulted anyone or don’t any action itself to us he puts his evil thinking in peoples minds and hearts d they serve his Will that’s how it works
if we have a mind full of what God said and believe that stuff Satan has no power no ploy that can get to us it’s all about faith and Gods word meant to give us life and and rejecting the enemies lies and deceptions meant to curse us with death
that one moment of accepting a lie sent creation into a curse that’s being redeemed through the truth and believing
In my experience demons rarely talk directly to people today. you have a nice example that does not apply to modern life.
Hello @TheLearner, I haven't read through this thread yet, but I saw this comment of yours ...
IOW, how do you ~know~ that demons "rarely talk directly to people today" How do you know that they're not talking to all of us all of the time, or that they never talk to anyone anymore instead
Wouldn't that kind of knowledge require you to have a kind of insight into the spiritual realm that we simply are not privy to
Thanks
~Deut
p.s. - as for your OP question about demons putting thoughts in our minds, I'll have to get back to you about that, though Ephesians 6:11 does come to mind as an indirect statement that seems to support that idea.
... and was wondering what you meant by it
IOW, how do you ~know~ that demons "rarely talk directly to people today" How do you know that they're not talking to all of us all of the time, or that they never talk to anyone anymore instead Wouldn't that kind of knowledge require you to have a kind of insight into the spiritual realm that we simply are not privy to
Thanks
~Deut
p.s. - as for your OP question about demons putting thoughts in our minds, I'll have to get back to you about that, though Ephesians 6:11 does come to mind as an indirect statement that seems to support that idea.