[snotbubble]

How far can his interferences go? He can't control your thoughts, but why do some of them seem to so forcefully enter my mind?

[ken007nielsen]

Because you let them, that's the beaty about free will. Every thought you think is by your own doing.

[Wondergirl]

Tell me one or two. Such as what?

[classyT]

The Bible says that the devil is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. If you are a Christian he has NO authority in your life. He has limited power and he can't read your mind either.

The bible also says: 2 Corinthians 10:5 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.


So if your thought life is bothering you, replace it with truth from the Bible and speak it out as well. Just like the Lord Jesus did when Satan came to tempt him in the wilderness.

[meghan21]

Job 1:8-12 The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil." Then Satan answered the LORD, "Does Job fear God for nothing? "Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. "But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face." Then the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him." So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.

Job 2:3-6 The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause." Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. "However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face." So the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life."

The Lord commands Satan and he obeys, Satan can only do what God commands just like all the rest of creation. Jesus said Satan was a liar from the beginning, he is the father of lies, he has never been anything but a liar. He is the same lying spirit that The Lord sent into the prophets...he is a created being that God uses to accomplish His will.

2 Chronicles 18:19-22 And the LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab king of Israel into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?' "One suggested this, and another that. Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice him.' "'By what means?' the LORD asked. "'I will go and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,' he said. "'You will succeed in enticing him,' said the LORD. 'Go and do it.' "So now the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours. The LORD has decreed disaster for you."

The scripture records satan tempting Jesus, and satan wasn't restrained in the temptations except like Job God would not allow him to touch Jesus body, and satan did exactly what he was commanded to do to carryout Gods plan. He didn't hold anything back when he tempted Jesus, yet Jesus prevailed. Luke 4:13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time. With Job God restrained satan from taking his life, not so with His own Son, but all according to The Lords plan and timetable.

James 1:13-15 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

Mans problem in general is that he refuses to take responsibility for his actions, beginning with Adam passing the blame onto the woman and ultimately to God. Modern man is no different. Man is searching for a way to avoid responsibility for his thoughts and actions. Mans unregenerate heart is evil and wicked beyond understanding, and the flesh is corrupt with no good thing in it. The regenerated mans Spirit in the truly converted man is in a life long battle with the flesh, constantly waging war with its desires, hating even the garment stained by the flesh…

Romans 7:14-20 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
1 Corinthians 10:13

As a Child of God, Bride of Christ, Body of Jesus, The Church, everything we go through in this life is to conform us into the Image of Jesus Christ. He is preparing us for Himself, its all for our own good and His Glory. Stop rejecting Gods chastening, rebuking, exhorting, cleansing, purifying, faith building, work in your life as if it is a work of satan that took God by surprise! He is preparing a chaste Bride for Himself without spot or wrinkle, FOR HIMSELF! Embrace trials, tribulations, calamities, pursecutions, rejections, for what they are. Ask The Lord Jesus who loves you to show what you need to learn from every situation and circumstance, ridding yourself of everything that defiles, all for His Glory, not for your comfort or pleasure, yet knowing that He loves you, called you, chosen you to be conformed to the image of His Dear Son.

Romans 8:28-30 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

[galveston]

It's easy to blame the devil for things that are the "works of the flesh". The natural mind is the enemy of God. That is why when we come to Jesus, we can then pray for and expect our mind to be renewed. Does that mean we will never again have an impure thought? No! What we will have is the strength to reject those thoughts, whereas while we were still not saved, we had no control over those thoughts.

We can be delivered from Satanic bondage through prayer, but we have to "crucify our old "flesh".

If any man be in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature, old things have passed away and all things are made new.