Can Satan read our minds and thoughts?

Neostarwcc

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Have you ever prayed to God in your mind before? Like if you're in a public place and don't want to disturb anyone? You know for sure that God is listening because God is omnipresent and God can read our minds and thoughts. But what about Satan? Can Satan read our minds and thoughts too and tempt us accordingly? I watched a sermon on YouTube recently that said that Satan cannot. But he never gave any verses to back up his claim. Are there verses in the bible that prove whether or not Satan can read our minds and thoughts? Or is it all just conjecture?

Because sometimes it seems like Satan can read our thoughts.
 
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Ken Rank

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Have you ever prayed to God in your mind before? Like if you're in a public place and don't want to disturb anyone? You know for sure that God is listening because God is omnipresent and God can read our minds and thoughts. But what about Satan? Can Satan read our minds and thoughts too and tempt us accordingly? I watched a sermon on YouTube recently that said that Satan cannot. But he never gave any verses to back up his claim. Are there verses in the bible that prove whether or not Satan can read our minds and thoughts? Or is it all just conjecture?

Because sometimes it seems like Satan can read our thoughts.
Satan cannot read thoughts and he is not as powerful as we often make him out to be. What I do believe, though, is that we might speak our problems out loud (to ourselves, friends, loved ones, etc.) and then go pray. When we made the problem or need (whatever) known by saying it to others... foul spirits might have heard it.
 
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Neostarwcc

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I am not aware of any verses that speak directly on this issue, so I think it is all conjecture.


Oh okay I wasn't sure. I haven't read the Bible all the way through. But... Like... Sometimes it seems like Satan answers your thoughts. Like for example if you think is God real? Or does God love me? And a voice says in your head "no". That could be our consciences but it could also be the devil reading our mind and trying to get us to believe that God isn't real or that he doesnt love us. See what I'm saying?
 
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Emli

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Have you ever prayed to God in your mind before? Like if you're in a public place and don't want to disturb anyone? You know for sure that God is listening because God is omnipresent and God can read our minds and thoughts. But what about Satan? Can Satan read our minds and thoughts too and tempt us accordingly? I watched a sermon on YouTube recently that said that Satan cannot. But he never gave any verses to back up his claim. Are there verses in the bible that prove whether or not Satan can read our minds and thoughts? Or is it all just conjecture?

Because sometimes it seems like Satan can read our thoughts.
I cannot give Scripture, but I can speak from experience and sound reasoning.

Have you ever felt like another human can read your mind? They can't, but they can watch your facial expressions and study you. Demons do too. And I believe that they can see much more than we can, because they follow us around (familiar spirits and/or thorns in the flesh) and they can see our souls and our spirits. So it can seem like they can hear our thoughts, but they aren't really. They can also whisper lies to us and make us feel like they are our own thoughts, and then they will know what we are thinking, because the thoughts were planted there.

If a spirit is inside a person, which is demonization or if you want to call it possession, then the spirits still cannot read their thoughts, but they can hear their thoughts if the person speaks to them in their minds, whether they know they are (sorcery) or not (schizophrenia).
 
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joshua 1 9

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Have you ever prayed to God in your mind before? Like if you're in a public place and don't want to disturb anyone? You know for sure that God is listening because God is omnipresent and God can read our minds and thoughts. But what about Satan? Can Satan read our minds and thoughts too and tempt us accordingly? I watched a sermon on YouTube recently that said that Satan cannot. But he never gave any verses to back up his claim. Are there verses in the bible that prove whether or not Satan can read our minds and thoughts? Or is it all just conjecture?

Because sometimes it seems like Satan can read our thoughts.
Satan can try to put his thoughts into our mind. But he does not have the Mind of Christ. Sometimes I wonder if he even knows how defeated he is.
 
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Dave G.

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Well if you think about this, Satan walks to and fro across the earth looking for someone to devour. If he could read minds why all the gymnastics ?

Our church teaches he can not read minds. In my experience I sometimes wonder about that but then if we read Job we see Satan searching for someone and God assigning someone. Job ! Ya know, I'm a married man, one time I had a thought about another woman, like any woman, just a passing thought. Son of a gun it wasn't 20 minutes later a forward acting woman just happened to show up and very attentive to me, in the course of events that day. I did not respond. Now was that Satan hearing me or was it God testing me using Satan to put that woman in my path ? Either way I passed the test and I remain devoted to my wife but wow, do we have to watch our thoughts. So my advise is just that watch your thoughts, we don't know how the spiritual realm really works or interacts. Best to pay attention to Christ Jesus, give Satan no credit , all the more so no place to fester in ! Whether he hears us or not, once he has found us and focuses on us it's not going to be fun.
 
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food4thought

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Oh okay I wasn't sure. I haven't read the Bible all the way through. But... Like... Sometimes it seems like Satan answers your thoughts. Like for example if you think is God real? Or does God love me? And a voice says in your head "no". That could be our consciences but it could also be the devil reading our mind and trying to get us to believe that God isn't real or that he loves us. See what I'm saying?

I know what you mean. Remember:

Jeremiah 17:9-10 NASB "The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? (10) "I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.

It could just be our own sick hearts lying to us. The LORD says that it is He who searches the heart and tests the mind. I don't know for sure, but it seems to me that if evil spirits could read our minds the Bible would warn us.

Just my 2 cents worth.
 
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Neostarwcc

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I cannot give Scripture, but I can speak from experience and sound reasoning.

Have you ever felt like another human can read your mind? They can't, but they can watch your facial expressions and study you. Demons do too. And I believe that they can see much more than we can, because they follow us around (familiar spirits and/or thorns in the flesh) and they can see our souls and our spirits. So it can seem like they can hear our thoughts, but they aren't really. They can also whisper lies to us and make us feel like they are our own thoughts, and then they will know what we are thinking, because the thoughts were planted there.

If a spirit is inside a person, which is demonization or if you want to call it possession, then the spirits still cannot read their thoughts, but they can hear their thoughts if the person speaks to them in their minds, whether they know they are (sorcery) or not (schizophrenia).

Good point. I didn't think of it that way. I just wasn't sure if an Angel could hear or read thoughts. I mean it seems like something only God can do? Like raise the dead.
 
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Richard T

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A great question though I do not think there is a definitive answer, I would lean toward Satan not being able to read minds. From what we know how demons operate, it is familiar spirits that gather intel on people. From observing (and hopefully not interacting) they understand behavior patterns, and so too often we are predictable in our struggles making it seem like Satan can read our mind, though I know of no scripture to support that.

Psalm 55 is a prayer for the destruction of the treacherous. To some this includes demonic activity. Specifically, it says:
Psalm 55:9 (NASB77) Confuse, O Lord, divide their tongues, For I have seen violence and strife in the city.
I have heard and believe myself that one can use this scripture to pray that those against you are confused and divided. It would only work when you are in or attempting God's will. One can ask demonic spirits to leave your presence too, but there is no scripture that would seem to keep them from observing you, they do seem to roam seeking whom they may devour, accuse the brethren and give trials and temptations. Along with other answers for Neostar's question, I wonder how effective annointing your house and praying that no demon can enter is?
 
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Emli

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Good point. I didn't think of it that way. I just wasn't sure if an Angel could hear or read thoughts. I mean it seems like something only God can do? Like raise the dead.
I don't think that even God's Holy Angels can read our thoughts. If the Holy Spirit reveals our thoughts to them maybe they could know them. The Holy Spirit searches our hearts, and I don't believe that God would give that power to any creature.

Demons tend to communicate with humans through words, or through impulses, and if they could read our thoughts, they wouldn't have to get people to speak. They can get us thinking about things so we start expressing those memories, to spy, and to get us to dwell on the past, impure thoughts etc to hurt us (which is why we must bridle our tongues and taking our thoughts captive), but they cannot just look into our minds to see our thoughts.
 
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Emli

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Along with other answers for Neostar's question, I wonder how effective annointing your house and praying that no demon can enter is?
I believe that works, if we do it to cleanse it from evil influences that we have invited and close doors that we have opened. That would remove oppression. But it won't work when God allows a demon to tempt us in order to test us.
 
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icxn

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I don't think that even God's Holy Angels can read our thoughts. If the Holy Spirit reveals our thoughts to them maybe they could know them. The Holy Spirit searches our hearts, and I don't believe that God would give that power to any creature.
This power or gift is 'common' among Orthodox Monastic Elders. Some recently deceased Elders that had this gift were Elder Porphyrios and Elder Paisios, both monks of Mount Athos. That God bestows such gift to His servants is attested in 1 Corinthians 14:25.
 
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Dave G.

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Good point. I didn't think of it that way. I just wasn't sure if an Angel could hear or read thoughts. I mean it seems like something only God can do? Like raise the dead.
Angels are assigned to a task, they can't read thoughts.. Often the task is to deliver a message.
 
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Emli

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Angels are assigned to a task, they can't read thoughts.. Often the task is to deliver a message.
Or, if we are talking about Holy Angels, to protect the saints. Psalms 34:7, Psalms 91:11
 
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Emli

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This power or gift is 'common' among Orthodox Monastic Elders. Some recently deceased Elders that had this gift were Elder Porphyrios and Elder Paisios, both monks of Mount Athos. That God bestows such gift to His servants is attested in 1 Corinthians 14:25.
Though I do believe that God can tell a person what is in another person's heart, and He has told me sometimes for the purpose of helping them, I don't believe that He would give someone the gift of searching another person's heart. All gifts of the Holy Spirit is always Him acting in His Power and never us acting on our own.
 
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Greg J.

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Have you ever prayed to God in your mind before? Like if you're in a public place and don't want to disturb anyone? You know for sure that God is listening because God is omnipresent and God can read our minds and thoughts. But what about Satan? Can Satan read our minds and thoughts too and tempt us accordingly? I watched a sermon on YouTube recently that said that Satan cannot. But he never gave any verses to back up his claim. Are there verses in the bible that prove whether or not Satan can read our minds and thoughts? Or is it all just conjecture?

Because sometimes it seems like Satan can read our thoughts.
Something to think about: It doesn't matter. You have no way to defend yourself against Satan whether he can read your mind or not.

When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. (Matthew 13:19, 1984 NIV) (Our heart is the source of our thoughts, Matthew 15:19.)

God is your only protection against Satan either way. Ask God to protect/deliver you from Satan, just as Jesus taught (Matthew 6:13). Also note Jesus' prayer to the Father for us in John 17:15. Also,

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7, 1984 NIV)

Note that peace is a fruit of sanctification (Galatians 5:22-23).
 
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A_Thinker

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Have you ever prayed to God in your mind before? Like if you're in a public place and don't want to disturb anyone? You know for sure that God is listening because God is omnipresent and God can read our minds and thoughts. But what about Satan? Can Satan read our minds and thoughts too and tempt us accordingly? I watched a sermon on YouTube recently that said that Satan cannot. But he never gave any verses to back up his claim. Are there verses in the bible that prove whether or not Satan can read our minds and thoughts? Or is it all just conjecture?

Because sometimes it seems like Satan can read our thoughts.

The scriptures say that God knows our thoughts.

Scripture does not say that anyone else does (including Satan).

You know ... this has gotten me to thinking. There are times in scripture study where I wonder why God is not more forthcoming about His detailed plans.

For instance, God's plan to foil Satan (via the crucifixion) is kind of shrouded in mystery ... until it comes to pass. Jesus speaks to certain elements of it, ... but some things aren't explicitly spoken.

For instance, His own divinity is something which Jesus seems to tend to downplay ... to the extent that He only gives hints here and there. He seems to almost exclusively refer to Himself as the Son of Man. And certainly Satan never seems to respect Him as God. Except, perhaps, in the instance of Jesus' casting out demons, but Jesus' disciples did so as well, so maybe this wasn't a significant indicator. Perhaps part of the plan was to keep Satan guessing as to what God was going to do ... which indicates that Satan cannot read thoughts.

I, also, consider that Satan, in his role as the great accuser, ... would have a field day with our thoughts. Even as God and Satan discussed Job, they spoke of his external behaviors, (i.e. piety, prayer, obedience, etc.) ... rather than his thoughts. And the story of Job concludes with the observation that Job, while under his test, did not sin with his mouth.

So, I stick with my conclusion that Satan cannot, actually, read our thoughts. Though, as has been stated, He probably has an amazing comprehension of our postures, facial expressions, and the like. This all fits with the scriptures admonitions for us to be careful what we say ... for in speaking unwisely or without faith, we may be abetting and giving aid to the enemy.
 
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