the devil

We must first have a basic understanding of some truths concerning the devil.
(1) Satan is a created being. Speaking of Christ, Colossians 1:16 reads, "For by him were ALL things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible ... ALL things were created by him, and for him."
(2) He is a spirit being. The Apostle Paul, penning under divine inspiration (2 Timothy 3:16), wrote that Satan is "the prince of the power of the air, the SPIRIT" (Ephesians 2:2). He is a spirit being. 
(3) In his original state, Satan was created as a devil. Jesus made this expressly clear in John 8:44, stating, "The devil ... was a murderer FROM THE BEGINNING." Concerning the original Greek word for "beginning" (arche), Strong's Lexicon says it "primarily denotes the concept of 'beginning' or 'origin.' It is used to describe the starting point of something." When this verse speaks of "the beginning," it is speaking of Satan's "beginning."

As a created being who was created to serve as a devil by divine design ("I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things"; Isaiah 45:7) and who was "created ... for him" (Christ), we see another truth.
(4) Satan is subject to divine control, and the Lord sets his bounds. 
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Job 1:12 describes where the Lord set Satan's bounds. Concerning Job, Satan was told, "Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand." Then, in Job 2:6, we see the same truth substantiated. "And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life." So, boundaries, or limits, are divinely set. With the foregoing truths in mind, let us address the specific questions.

Does the Devil Have the Ability to Know Our Thoughts? 

Since the Lord sets Satan's bounds, let us see what the Scriptures teach. First Kings 8:39 reads, "Give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men)." The wise man wrote in Proverbs 23:7, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." Thus, thinking takes place in the heart, and "only" the Lord "knowest the hearts." 
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First Kings 8:39 is rendered in the Septuagint as, "Thou alone knowest the heart of all the children of men." The Hebrew offers it as, "For You have known, You alone, the heart of all the sons of Adam." This truth is reiterated in 1 Chronicles 28:9. There King David said (and it was incorporated into Scripture), "The Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts." If Satan could know our mind, or thoughts, it would give him the divine quality of omniscience (being all-knowing), and no created being has been given this quality.

How Much Ability Does He Have to Interact or Converse With Us?

Satan's ability is revealed and set forth in Biblical principles. Jude 3 says we all have a "common salvation." "The devil" (Matthew 4:1) is styled as "the tempter" (Matthew 4:3). The Apostle Paul penned in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man." Therefore, we have Biblically established the following principles:  (1) we have a "common salvation"; (2) there is one denoted as "the tempter," and there is a divinely established boundary within which he must operate; and (3) all that he can work is that which is "common to man." 

James 1:14 reads, "Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust [The Emphatic Greek Diaglott says 'inordinate desire,' or desires satisfied in an inordinate manner] and enticed." This reveals the next principle: (4) Satan's approach is universal. Just as Acts 10:34 tells us, "God is no respecter of persons," the Lord has set that same boundary on the devil.

What ability does Satan have? Obviously, he can speak to us, trying to affect our thoughts, and if these thoughts are embraced (as in the case of Adam and Eve), he will affect our actions. First John 2:15-16 reveals what avenues ("desire") he appeals to: "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life." This is "all that is in the world." The enemy has a divine boundary imposed—to use ONLY these three avenues. We see them used on Eve (Genesis 3:1-6) and on Christ (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-12).

Satan works by injecting thoughts into our minds to produce temptation. He uses the three avenues we mentioned to appeal to our desires. This is why we are told, "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal" (2 Corinthians 10:4), and we are instructed to be "bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). 

James 4:7 tells us: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." If we follow this admonition, we can be "more than conquerors" (Romans 8:37). We can be one who "always ... triumph in Christ" (2 Corinthians 2:14) because of "God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Earl R. Borders

From the December 2025 issue of The Gospel Trumpeter