12. Satan’s voice is harsh, confusing, disrupting, and distracting, and brings shame and guilt.

(Before looking at the questions below, take a few minutes to think about this statement. Invite Jesus to speak to you about what He would like you to notice.) 

What do you think about the idea that Satan can influence what we think, the thoughts in our minds?

Do you think of your mind as the place where only your thoughts originate, or is it the place where thoughts from other sources (God, Satan, Jesus, the Holy Spirit) can enter?

What we think influences how we feel in our bodies, and our bodies often are inclined to respond to these feelings with actions. Does it seem possible that Satan could use our thoughts to tempt us to take action that moves us away from God? How does this idea make you feel?

What difference does it make if you consider that some of the negative thoughts in your mind may be coming from Satan and not necessarily originating from you?

What do you need to be better equipped to filter out the destructive thoughts that Satan brings you?

What steps could you take to minimize the distractions in your thought life?

We’ve established that Jesus speaks through our thoughts, and His tone of voice is gentle, kind, and affirming. Satan also speaks through our thoughts, and it shouldn’t be surprising that his tone is negative and condemning. He makes us feel guilt, shame, and “put down.” When Satan directs our thoughts toward others, our thoughts about them may be judgmental, critical, fearful, or manipulative.

Satan’s voice can seem enticing, as it was with Eve in the garden. It can cause us to want something that is not good for us or what God knows is best for us. It is important, then, to develop an awareness of the tone of the voice that we hear in our thoughts. The specific content of what we are hearing may not be as important as what the “feel” of the thoughts are.

It takes time to train ourselves to notice the nuances and tones of our thoughts, but it is possible. We begin with the acknowledgement that our thoughts are not always our own; our minds can be invaded by the thoughts of our enemy, but our minds can also be the place where Jesus communicates with us.

Our minds can then become a battleground between Jesus and Satan. Fortunately, we have God’s Spirit ready to protect us, but we must still participate in the battle. In 2 Corinthians 10:5 Paul says, “we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” When we open ourselves to hear God in our thoughts, we also become vulnerable to other voices in our minds. Learning to hear God speak requires developing the ability to discern God’s voice from the enemy’s.

We must also learn to distinguish Satan’s distraction. In his war against God, especially in our culture, Satan has created weapons of “mass distraction.” When he uses this approach, our minds aren’t necessarily focused on the negative, judgmental, or tempting—they are simply cluttered. Satan likes to fill our minds with thoughts that keep us from hearing God.

In our effort to win the battle of our minds, we certainly will need the Spirit’s help, and we must also be proactive in learning the ways in which Satan will work to keep us from hearing God.