Satan and prayer

Sojourner414

Sojourner414

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The thing to keep in mind about Satan is that he plays dirty, but he has limits set for him by the Lord Himself. While Satan is not omniscient, he is able to be present (or have one of his lieutenants present if not he himself) to overhear what we say in any venue. And while Satan will attempt to twist what we say, the Lord keeps a record of every word spoken, every deed done, and every thought that is thought by man in His books. The Lord also knows our hearts and what is in them, so while Satan can try to twist what we say and even think, the Lord knows the truth about it.

All of that said: we are told in Scripture to take captive every thought, and we are reminded that we will give an account of "every idle word" for a reason. We need to be careful of how we speak, and indeed how we think, because it is from our hearts and minds that our words will come; if what we say and think is in any way poisonous, then what does that say about the heart that those words come from?

One thing the Adversary can do though: he is very good as whispering in someone's ear and making a person think that what he's whispering is what that person is thinking. Satan usually waits until we are upset, angry, scared, etc, and then while we're going on a tangent about something, he will start whispering in the background things we want to hear, and try to mimic what we would sound like to ourselves! This is why it is so important to follow the Word of God and be temperate and constant in our thoughts and deeds: before we know it, without consulting the Lord, we can find ourselves on a very strange and dark path we never thought we'd head down. Lot foolishly followed his own thinking all the way to the plains of Mamre (and ultimately Sodom's gate); Saul suffered this when he decided to offer the sacrifice instead of waiting for Samuel; David fell prey to this when he saw Bathsheba from his roof; Judas was led to the end of a rope, and Ananias and Sapphira literally dropped dead, all because they allowed the whispers of the enemy a place to take hold.
 
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mattfivefour

mattfivefour

Well-Known Member
Sojourner414 said:
All of that said: we are told in Scripture to take captive every thought, and we are reminded that we will give an account of "every idle word" for a reason. We need to be careful of how we speak, and indeed how we think, because it is from our hearts and minds that our words will come; if what we say and think is in any way poisonous, then what does that
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This part of your very good reply above reminded me of Proverbs 4:23-- "Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life." In other words carefully watch over and protect your innermost being, that part of your mind where the "me" resides, the very core of you, because it is the source of the way you live, the fount of your character. If you feed it on wickedness, allowing it to dwell on sinful thoughts, it will corrupt you and ruin your witness. The quality of your entire life in Heaven will be the result of how you live for Christ here. Galatians 6:7-- "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap."
 
antitox

antitox

Well-Known Member
God is the only one who can search the heart and mind. Angels or fallen angels cannot. That's why I pray my prayers silently. Not saying he couldn't figure out what prompted my praying, but he doesn't know what the communication is. That's the private, personal, contact between each believer and the Lord. No one can touch that.
 
J

JDP

Member
I agree that Satan cannot read peoples' minds - it doesn't suggest that anywhere in the Bible, instead that only God the Father knows one's heart and what is done in secret. When you pray silently I believe it's the one way Satan has no clue, and I think that's why Jesus recommended that everyone pray silently to the Father. He pointed out the way the religious elites make a show of their prayer and suffering, and that we instead should pray to the Father silently because only He is able to see and hear everything.
 
antitox

antitox

Well-Known Member
JamesSuth said:
Occasionally I may pray silently if I feel my prayers may be listened to by satan or his followers, it is between me and the Lord. But I tend to always say my prayers of thanksgiving our praise out loud!
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Sure. It's ok to pray out loud. I just pray the silent prayers when I'm requesting something I don't want the enemy to know. It's great because we are in control of that part, and not the enemy. ;)
 
mattfivefour

mattfivefour

Well-Known Member
Of course, there are times I pray in tongues where, as the apostle Paul say, "my spirit prays." My mind may not know what my spirit is crying out for (and Satan most definitely doesn't), but God knows! And that deep communication is probably far better than the shallow communication of my mind. (1 Corinthians 14:14-15)
 
antitox

antitox

Well-Known Member
mattfivefour said:
Of course, there are times I pray in tongues where, as the apostle Paul say, "my spirit prays." My mind may not know what my spirit is crying out for (and Satan most definitely doesn't), but God knows! And that deep communication is probably far better than the shallow communication of my mind. (1 Corinthians 14:14-15)
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I like to call it "the perfect prayer."
 
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