Each of us is familiar with the experience of being tempted to sin. Sometimes these temptations arise from outside of us and sometimes they arise from within. Each of our three sworn enemies—the world, the flesh, and the devil—has the ability to tempt us to do what God forbids or fail to do what God commands.
Perhaps the most perplexing temptations are the ones that arise from within so that we experience them in the thoughts of our minds or the desires of our hearts. Sometimes evil thoughts come when we have been looking at evil images or reading evil words, but sometimes evil thoughts come when we have been looking at beautiful images or reading beautiful words. Sometimes evil desires follow evil stimuli or inputs, but sometimes they arise when we have been joyfully avoiding evil and pursuing good. And it is in these times more than any other that we may wonder: Where did these thoughts come from? Why am I experiencing these desires?
At one time or another, most of us wonder whether Satan has somehow been influencing us from within. We wonder whether he has the ability to plant thoughts in our minds or insert evil desires within our hearts.1 This topic is not a mere theological thought experiment, but a real and pressing issue, for many of us have had such experiences. It could be that as we begin to pray, we are suddenly inundated with thoughts that God may not exist or may not love us. It could be that as we begin to worship on Sunday morning, our minds are suddenly flooded with blasphemous thoughts. It could be that as we make love to our spouse, we experience a sudden longing to fantasize about someone else. And we wonder where these thoughts came from.
Obviously we ought to consider if these thoughts have come from sin we have permitted or holiness we have failed to embrace. If we watch horror movies all evening, we should not be shocked if we experience nightmares in the night, and if we are completely lax in spiritual habits, we should not be shocked if we experience doubt. The man who immerses himself in porn on Saturday night and finds he has evil fantasies in his mind on Sunday morning has no reason to look beyond his own sinfulness.
But what about those times when the evil thoughts sweep upon us and we are reasonably certain they are not aligned with sins we have committed? Or what if they are completely unrelated to our familiar besetting sins? Is it possible in these cases that Satan is influencing our thoughts?
A Biblical Basis
We have a solid biblical basis to believe that Satan has the ability to put thoughts into our minds. For example, Satan “stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel” (1 Chronicles 21:1). It would seem that Satan worked within David to implant the desire to carry out a census, though in a parallel passage we learn that David was equally morally culpable for succumbing to the temptation. Similarly, during the last supper, “the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him” (John 13:2). Then in Acts 5:3, Peter asks “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?” In both of these, Satan is said to have inserted thoughts or desires into the heart.
In Matthew 13:19, Jesus interprets the Parable of the Sower by saying, “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart.” Here Satan operates on the heart by subtraction instead of addition, yet like the other examples, it seems that he has the ability to influence the minds of human beings, whether believers or unbelievers.
In one way or another, we can build a biblical case for Satan influencing us from within. We probably need to stop short of being too confident in suggesting the means through which he does this. Is it by directly inserting thoughts into our brains or somehow twisting our affections? Does he use a kind of neurological process similar to how we think and remember? We don’t know. But while we can be confident that he cannot make us sin, it seems clear enough that he can tempt us toward it through some inward means.
What Other Christians Say
I thought it would be helpful to consider how various theologians have thought about this subject. I did some digging and came up with this list.2
John Piper provides an answer in an episode of Ask Pastor John: “Sometimes he may put desires for something sinful directly into our hearts, followed by thoughts that justify those sinful desires. Sometimes he may do the reverse by putting deceptive thoughts in our minds that lead to sinful desires.”
In A Puritan Theology, Joel Beeke and Mark Jones summarize the teaching of Puritan William Spurstowe by writing, “The devil persistently urges men to a particular sin. He inserts evil thoughts in the mind (John 13:2). He sways the understanding with arguments and promises (1 Kings 22:21; Matt. 4:9). He persistently presses until men succumb, as Delilah did with Samson (Judg. 16:16). Yet he can so subtly insinuate such suggestions that they appear to be our own thoughts.”
Here is Charles Hodge from his explanation of Ephesians 6:16: “It is a common experience of the people of God that at times horrible thoughts, unholy, blasphemous, skeptical, malignant, crowd upon the mind, which cannot be accounted for on any ordinary law of mental action, and which cannot be dislodged. They stick like burning arrows; and fill the soul with agony. They can be quenched only by faith; by calling on Christ for help. These, however, are not the only kind of fiery darts; nor are they the most dangerous. There are others which enkindle passion, inflame ambition, excite cupidity, pride, discontent, or vanity; producing a flame which our deceitful heart is not so prompt to extinguish, and which is often allowed to burn until it produces great injury and even destruction. Against these most dangerous weapons of the evil one, the only protection is faith. It is only by looking to Christ and earnestly invoking his interposition in our behalf that we can resist these insidious assaults, which inflame evil without the warning of pain.”
Jonathan Edwards says this in his Religious Affections: “There are other spirits who have influence on the minds of men, besides the Holy Ghost. We are directed not to believe every spirit, but to try the spirits, whether they be of God. There are many false spirits, exceeding busy with men, who often transform themselves into angels of light, and in many wonderful ways, with great subtlety and power, mimic the operations of the Spirit of God. And there are many of Satan’s operations, which are very distinguishable from the voluntary exercises of men’s own minds. They are so, in those dreadful and horrid suggestions, and blasphemous injections, with which he follows many persons; also in vain and fruitless frights and terrors, of which he is the author. And the power of Satan may be as immediate and as evident in false comforts and joys, as in terrors and horrid suggestions; and oftentimes is so in fact.”
In The Godly Man’s Picture, Thomas Watson says, “The devil, if he cannot hinder us from duty, will hinder us in duty. When we come before the Lord, he is at our right hand to resist us (Zech. 3:1). Like when a man is going to write, and another stands at his elbow and jogs him, so that he cannot write evenly. Satan will set vain objects before the fancy to cause a diversion. The devil does not oppose formality but fervency. If he sees that we are setting ourselves in good earnest to seek God, he will be whispering things in our ears, so that we can scarcely attend to what we are doing.”
Of course, we might also think of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress and Christian’s journey through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. “One thing I would not let slip; I took notice that now poor Christian was so confounded, that he did not know his own voice. And thus I perceived it: just when he was come over against the mouth of the burning pit, one of the wicked ones got behind him, and stept up softly to him; and whisperingly suggested many grievous blasphemies to him—which he verily thought had proceeded from his own mind. This put Christian more to it than anything that he met with before, even to think that he should now blaspheme him that he loved so much before! Yet could he have helped it, he would not have done it; but he had not the discretion neither to stop his ears, nor to know from whence those blasphemies came.”
Each of these theologians stops short of suggesting exactly how Satan influences us, but each is convinced that he does. They often use metaphorical language like “whisper” to show that somehow Satan, through his evil forces, exercises inward influence upon us.
This being the case, we should not be surprised if and when we suddenly find our minds or hearts inundated with evil thoughts or tempted to commit evil deeds. While we should always consider whether we have made ourselves vulnerable to these attacks, we do not necessarily need to assume this. We do not necessarily need to feel guilty that these thoughts have come upon us, to repent of them, or to assume we have made ourselves vulnerable to them, for it is entirely possible that Satan is afflicting us and tempting us to do what is evil. In such times, we can do no better than to heed Hodge’s counsel, for “against these most dangerous weapons of the evil one, the only protection is faith. It is only by looking to Christ and earnestly invoking his interposition on our behalf that we can resist these insidious assaults, which inflame evil without the warning of pain.”
When Satan tempts through unwanted thoughts or undesired desires, cry out to Christ for his help, for only he can extinguish these fiery darts. He will prove his Spirit who “will not let you be tempted more than you can bear,” but instead provide a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). Enlist a friend or pastor if need be, and have them cry out with and for you. God will hear, God will rally to the cause, and God will grant you peace.
- When I speak of Satan, I am speaking of Satan and his demons. Satan is a created being who can be present in only one place at any given time. However, he has legions of followers who do his evil bidding. Just as we might say “Patton swept the German armies across the Rhine” when we really mean “The troops under Patton’s command swept the German armies across the Rhine,” we can speak of Satan as the commander of the spiritual forces of evil and attribute to him the actions that are actually carried out by his demons.) ↩︎
- Much of this was drawn from an excellent discussion on Puritan Board). ↩︎
