Unquestionably, Satan and his fallen followers are like cunning serpents. In the spiritual realm—that mysterious, unseen world which coincides with ours—they have the power to infect the minds of humans.
Of course, it goes without saying that they have free reign over the hearts and minds of the ungodly. Those who continue to live in rebellion to God’s authority have no protection whatsoever from their influence. Such people are still residing in the kingdom of darkness so it only makes sense that they would be fully tuned in to the voice of darkness. Satan is the god of this world: their chosen deity. Unless they repent, they will live out their entire existence on earth under his sway. They will take his mindset with them on into their eternal home.
The situation for pseudo-Christians is slightly different. They too live fully under the control of the enemy. In their case, they have been deceived into believing that they are living in God’s kingdom. They have willingly bought the lie that they can be one person inside and another outwardly. “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him…” (Titus 1:16) They are every bit as lost and a part of Satan’s kingdom as the heathen.
For the most part believers live under divine protection from the enemy’s assaults. I say “for the most part” because we do still have a free will, and when we willingly enter the enemy’s camp we open ourselves up to his influence. For instance, if a Christian man goes into a pornographic website, he cannot expect God to protect him from the lurid thoughts that will continually plague him in the months to come. Another example of this—albeit less dramatic—is television. When believers watch secular television, they are opening themselves up to the enemy’s malicious input.
However, innocent Christians are also susceptible to the enemy’s suggestions. True, the enemy can go no further than God allows, but earth is a testing ground and the Lord does allow His children to undergo trials.
One example of how demons inject their poison into the minds of believers is in their interrelations with other people. It is amazing how vulnerable we can be to evil suggestions about other people. We are taught that love “is ever ready to believe the best of every person” (1 Corinthians 13:7 Amp) and that “love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8) Yet it is amazing how readily we believe the evil report about others.
Sometimes it comes to us through the tongues of others. Gossip and slander are two of the enemy’s greatest tools. Demons have been successfully destroying relationships and splitting churches with these simple techniques for thousands of years.
But the enemy can also breathe his poisonous thoughts into our minds. One foul suggestion can powerfully distort a person’s perspective about another. Once that thinking has taken hold of his mind, everything the other person does or says is viewed through this distorted lens. We are still susceptible to such mental impressions because we still have a fallen nature.
That being the case, the psalmist’s prayer is a good one to use: “Lord, their words sting like poisonous snakes. Keep me out of their power.”