My dad and I were talking the other night and the following question came up: "How much influence does Satan and his demons have on the mind of a believer?" For example: A man is working in his office going about his normal day and all of a sudden a sinful thought enters his thinking. Is that a result of a sinful nature or is it the result of demonic influences? I have some ideas, but what are yours? peace.
Friday, October 12, 2007
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The scriptures that come to my mind first are:
Romans 7: 15-25
Gal 5: 16-17
Eph 6: 12
Heb 12 :1 _sin that entangles or clings so closely
Rom 6 :17-18
1 Peter 2:11
We are in a war. That is why we are commanded to put on the Armor of God, to walk in the Spirit, etc...I would say majority is flesh. What were your thoughts.
kb,
i'm not convinced that demons or Satan can enter the mind of a Christian. I think the Holy Spirit guards us from such things. So, I would attribute the sinful thought in my example to a sinful nature, or the lasting consequences of previous sinful actions.
I am curious now. Jesus went for a 40 day fast to be tempted by the devil. I am tempted to say that in no way do demons or Satan have dominion over us since we are in Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit (the helper) dwells within us. Even though the demons know God and they shutter, does it stop them from tempting us as they did our Savior? My acting on the sin will always be my flesh, but is every thought? This is good...thank you for spiring me on. How is your wife and baby girl?
kb,
Amber and Makaya are great!
I think what I am trying to say is, "What is the SOURCE of the sinful thought?" Is it the influence of demonic activity on our minds, or is it the result of a sinful nature? How much influence do Satan and demons have on the mind of a believer? Being tempted is not a sin, and we struggle with it every day. Gratifying temptations is definately a sin, but I'm talking more about the random sinful thoughts moreso than temptation. What causes them to spring into our minds?
Do you think the thought is a sin or temptation? I know acting on the thought is definitely sin. We also are called to resist the Devil (James 4:7). So the sinful thoughts being possible temptations could be fless of devil. The sin itself (acting on the thought) would definitely be a weak flesh issue. I am more than possitive we are on the same page here. Hey Bubba, When do I get to see you again?
I understand what you're saying. Let me give an example: If I have a random memory flash in my mind depicting a scene or image of a previous sinful act and then quickly, by grace, fight against that and "renew" my mind then I do not believe that I have sinned. What I do believe is that the image is a lasting consequence of previous sin. Now, I'm not sure we are on the same page. The question that I am asking is: What caused that thought, or image, to enter my mind? The Devil? A demon? My sinful nature? A consequence of a sinful nature, or previous sin? Does Satan have the ability to cause a believer to think about certain things? Does Satan have the ability (or even, the freedom) to manipulate the mind a believer by causing a sinful image to pop into his/her mind? I personally don't think so. Let me know what you think.
In that situation it would be your flesh and past sin. But that is a situation. That is why I say that majority of the situations would be flesh and sin nature. But is do think that Satan can "enter the mind" or affect the mind of a Christian. Why else would Paul urge us to Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Eph 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
It then goes through the whole armor. Each piece with a purpose, each provided through the work of Christ. It is still something that we are to take up though. We take it up by His grace. But is am still convinced that Satan can affect the mind of a believer knowing our weakness is our flesh and sinful nature. Why else would Paul urge the believers to stand firm and gird themselves?
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