What power does the devil have over our mind?
Discussion question for April 8, 2011.
We talked about the power we have in exercising our free will, and yet we face temptation and trials all the time. How much power does the devil have over our free will? Where does that power come from? What can we do about it? How would the answers to these questions change your life?
Here’s my summary of our discussion.
The devil does not have any direct authority over us, but controls us by permission. He gets this permission from us by deception through fear and pride. Since the temptation in the Garden of Eden, he has exploited the free will of man to open the door to sin.
James 1:13 says that we are tempted by our own evil desires, and the vulnerability we have to the schemes of the enemy are associated with our sinful nature. 1 Peter 5:8-9 says that the devil is always prowling around, looking for an opportunity. For that reason, we must always be on our guard (sober minded).
We are not just susceptible because of our own sin, powerful as that problem is, but also because of the sin of others. The sin of our parents bring generational curses on us, whether we choose them or not. Of course, at some point we become personally responsible for employing the sinful coping strategies we learned and are therefore culpable.
Each person can also become vulnerable to the wiles of the devil when a door is opened to evil through the choices of an abuser. A lot of prostitution and perversion happens because of children that are the victims of abuse. They did not choose to open the door to the evil, but are affected by it.
Whether satan can read our thoughts, or is limited to reading our body language and listening to our audible words, is a point for possible discussion. However, there is clear evidence that he “pings” us with temptations all the time to see if there is an area that can be exploited. When he finds a weakness, he focuses on that character flaw or vulnerability until a crack becomes an open door.
When our immune system toward evil is working properly, these thoughts and fleeting ideas vanish without affecting our character or identity. They pass right through and we don’t even have to make a decision (choice). This is what is described in 2 Corinthians 10:5-6 as taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ.
If our immune system becomes weak, then passing thoughts and ideas become temptations. They linger in our mind and we become vulnerable to them. At first we are able to overcome them with an act of will, making a specific decision to override the thought. If we stay in a weakened condition we don’t have the strength of character to continue to stand against the attack.
The bottom line is to keep our heart and mind clean before the Lord. Eradicate known sin by asking for forgiveness. Do the deeds according to repentance to build strength in an area that was formerly weak. Then we are sober minded and the attacks are repelled as a matter of course.