Question: Does the Devil Produce Evil Thoughts in Me?

Question: Does the devil produce evil thoughts in me? I am also troubled by the idea that the devil could read my thoughts.

Answer: It is not the devil who is the source of evil thoughts in us, but the fleshThe term "flesh" is used in different meanings in the Bible: a) as an expression of physicality or humanity, which is inextricably linked to our life on earth. Examples: “the... More, that sinful nature which is still present in the believer. Although we are no longer “in the fleshThe term "flesh" is used in different meanings in the Bible: a) as an expression of physicality or humanity, which is inextricably linked to our life on earth. Examples: “the... More,” that is, no longer characterized by the fleshThe term "flesh" is used in different meanings in the Bible: a) as an expression of physicality or humanity, which is inextricably linked to our life on earth. Examples: “the... More (Romans 8:9), the fleshThe term "flesh" is used in different meanings in the Bible: a) as an expression of physicality or humanity, which is inextricably linked to our life on earth. Examples: “the... More, sinThe Bible carefully differentiates between sin and sins. • Sin: the evil power at work in man that causes him to engage in sinful activities (Rom 7:17, 18). God pronounced... More, is still in us (1 John 1:8).

Evil comes from our heart!

The Lord Jesus sheds light on this matter in Matthew 15: “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matthew 15:19). It is a deeply humbling experience, which we sometimes have to make even after our conversion, that the source of all these evil things is still in us. But how good it is to know that we have died with ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More, died to sinThe Bible carefully differentiates between sin and sins. • Sin: the evil power at work in man that causes him to engage in sinful activities (Rom 7:17, 18). God pronounced... More, and that He gives us the power through the Holy SpiritThe Holy Spirit is God, a divine person in the Trinity of God; in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit works, for example, in creation or on individuals. The Holy... More to reckon ourselves dead to sinThe Bible carefully differentiates between sin and sins. • Sin: the evil power at work in man that causes him to engage in sinful activities (Rom 7:17, 18). God pronounced... More (Romans 6)! However, the devil has 6000 years of experience in dealing with people, and he knows how to tempt us believers to sinThe Bible carefully differentiates between sin and sins. • Sin: the evil power at work in man that causes him to engage in sinful activities (Rom 7:17, 18). God pronounced... More: He puts evil things in front of us from the outside and in this way ties in with the evil that is within us. Therein lies the danger.

This brings us to the second part of the question. The devil has a lot of experience with evil in people, but he is not omniscient. There is only One who knows and searches the heart, who knows our thoughts “from afar” (PsalmPsalm simply means "song." In the Old Testament, this word only occurs in connection with the Psalms of David and the Book of Psalms. Singers sang a psalm with instrumental... More 139) - God. We also hear repeatedly from the Lord Jesus, when He was among men as a man, that He “saw” their thoughts, that He “knew” them (Matthew 9:4; 12:25; Luke 11:17). Knowing the thoughts of the heart is a prerogative of God alone. The fact that the devil is not omniscient and cannot really predict the future is made clear by the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. Would he have brought Him to the cross (John 13:2; Revelation 12:4) if he had known that he was sealing his own defeat?

Look to the Lord, not to the devil!

Finally, a little advice for all of us: Let us not be so preoccupied in our thoughts with the devil and his lies, but rather with the Lord Jesus and the truth of God! Only this will keep us happy, and only this will give us strength. We should stand before God in our conscience, not before the devil, not before people. We are not dealing with the devil, but with a gracious God who has solved the whole question of our sinThe Bible carefully differentiates between sin and sins. • Sin: the evil power at work in man that causes him to engage in sinful activities (Rom 7:17, 18). God pronounced... More forever in Jesus ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More. He loved us when we were still sinners; He loves us today, despite our manifold failures; and He will love us forever when we no longer have sinThe Bible carefully differentiates between sin and sins. • Sin: the evil power at work in man that causes him to engage in sinful activities (Rom 7:17, 18). God pronounced... More dwelling in us. What security and peace this gives us!