Have fears in the night? Know your prayer line is secure...

Some where in this wilderness Satan Tempted Jesus,
an easy place to get lost.

This week I have taken myself up with the question that came from a reading Screwtape Letters from CS Lewis. In Lewis' letter Screwtape the master demon is instructing his prodigy a Wormwood about keeping his client from knowing the truth and acting on it. In Lewis first letter Screwtape is able to understand the thoughts of the client Wormwood is working with. "saw a train of thought in his mind beginning to go the wrong way."...The Enemy (God) presumably made the counter suggestion (you know how one never quite over hear What He says to them)"The demon is not so clear on what God is saying that's a mystery to him. The Screwtape letters is a wonderful fiction and I do encourage you to read it. But I had a question, can Satan read our minds? Can he enter into the very thoughts of our prayer? Does he have these abilities?

It doesn't do you any good to go to movies or literature especially the stuff written today, to find answers. I say this for one simple fact, Satan, the devil is a liar; he tells half truths and he's an expert at it. The only place where I think you'll get the truth about Satan is in the Bible. Now there is always an onslaught of a lot of films that bring up all kinds of possibilities. There are so called documentaries all the time the deal was various Occult, Satanism, and other weird ideas. 

A few basic things, the Bible teaches that Satan and the demons are created. They want to be like God, but they are not God. They do not have God's abilities. They are different than humans, they have more experience, they are stronger, they are invisible for most of time, I haven't yet knowingly seen an angel. (Some of the kids I work with where demons LOL) I know they can changed their appearance.

I believe only God can read our thoughts, read Psalms 139. I cannot see this ability of knowing our thoughts that Satan has it from the Bible. Angels being invisible can certainly hear us talk. I tend to ramble and ramble so if a demon or an angel is around me for very long he probably knows a lot of what I'm thinking.

Satan operates from the outside in.
(James chapter 1:13-15 "13 No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God.” For God is not tempted by evil, and He Himself doesn't tempt anyone. 14 But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires. 15 Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.)
We are informed that sin works from the inside and we can only blame ourselves for our wrongdoing. But the demon world can use sin and temptation from the outside, He can use thoughts and ideas from the world that are opposed to God. Satan is the prince of the air, the god of this age. He moves us towards the motivations of greed, power, forse, lust, a desire to be like God - pride, all seem to be within the ability that he has to influence and deceive us. I cannot see where angels has the ability to read our minds.

Even if our minds are inflicted and become ill from injury, with mental illness or dementia, he can't read the mind itself. He can certainly interpret what comes out of the mouth or the body language, and use it to his advantage.

But here's my idea, I was encouraged in my studies, that our prayers are between us and God himself. We don't have to say our prayers where anybody hears them if we don't want. But it's very clear that if we draw near to God, Satan does do something that he is and that is he's afraid of God and he will flee.  James 4:7. Our thought life is our own with only God who seeks our best as being privileged to it. Satan and the demons are creatures who were not given that ability. I take comfort in that. Remember that the demons and Satan are created and limited.  There abilities don't include reading minds. Their desire is to be like God and defeat God. But God is God and is stronger than He who is in the world. Praying is a secure line, you can have confidence in your thoughts and prayers. keep walking