What is the physical process involved in Satan influencing someone? Does he affect their free will?

Question

Does he put objects in their vicinity?

Does he pretend to be other people?

I know he's not real...

Answer 1

I think you ask a very interesting set of questions, but answering them will require lengthy responses, some of which are outside typical Christian thought, not to mention secular reasoning.

In my opinion, the only starting point we have for discussing such a topic is the Bible. Since you are asking about satan and free will, I assume you have a Christian orientation, and I will respond from same. Be aware that many professing Christians do not have a Bible worldview about these things--they will shift between medicine, psychotherapy, and scripture willy-nilly, and so it will be difficult to make sense of their claims about the nature of good and evil, and of the will of mankind, which ideas are very slippery.

If you read scripture moderately carefully, you find that many descriptions of the operation of evil are provided. The devil tempts, slanders, and accuses--both by causing us to accuse ourselves, and by causing others to accuse/slander us. Evil also influences events--weather, politics, and other things. Scripture also tells us that evil spirits actually can enter and inhabit our bodies (which includes our minds). Think about the people Jesus cast spirits and diseases out of. These were actual "things" that he drove out of people's bodies--note that He didn't perform pastoral counseling or give them medicine--He just said, "Come out!"

One can also read in scripture that although the Bible worldview of mankind is that it is essentially sinful and fallen, there is also described a sliding scale of evil behavior that begins with the worship of things other than God, and goes considerably downhill from there. It is frequently mentioned in scripture that Jesus delivers us from all evil, if we place our trust in Him--His words, His sacrifice, His promises.

Common sense tells you some things too, such as, when a person gives in to a particular sin, whether it is foul speech or crystal meth or sexual misbehavior, that the more one does it, the more one continues to do it over time--in other words, overt sin tends to become worse and less manageable for people over time. And also, that if one gives in to sin in one aspect of life, s/he will be more likely to cave in other ways. A small example: Smokers drink more alcohol than non-smokers. The conclusion one can draw here is that the loss of "free will," as you call it, can happen gradually, incrementally; and yes, satan does affect one's will.

Think about violent crime and other types of disordered behavior, like drug addiction. People who are very addicted or have severe behavioral problems often describe being out of control of their bodies, and/or about voices telling them to do things. Psychotherapists would say that such people have a particular mental-health diagnosis, such as schizophrenia or possibly bipolar disorder, or "addiction."

But why does it have to be "mental illness" as described by therapists? Consider some of the features of such psycho-spiritual events: Recently it was reported in the news that a mother said she received a visitation from a being called "evil," who told her to murder her children; another person has voices in his head telling him that he is Jesus Christ (a not-uncommon event in mental health, by the way).

The mental health business has co-opted these things and decided they should be described (and treated, as poorly as they do treat these things) according to their ideas. But such events have existed long before there was a psychotherapeutic, or even a medical, worldview. And such spiritual ideas are not only for crazies and Christians. Other cultures throughout the world are aware of vast arrays of spirit beings that act independently, and can also be manipulated to a degree by people.

For a Christian, given any amount of reflection of these ideas, some truly life-changing ideas come to mind:

God's creation is corrupted by evil, and we are in the midst of that creation. This is why we need a Savior/Redeemer, to heal and deliver us of the many ways in which we can be corrupted by sin and evil.

This also means that, when we have problems, such as sin, that it doesn't mean that "God makes mistakes," as people like to claim; it means that God's creation is being attacked. We are instructed to fight back. One of the biggest lies that people believe is that when we are feeling or being sinful, that the sin--whether it's gluttony, adultery, or lying or whatever--is a part of us, it's "who I am." Nonsense. Exactly the opposite is true: What has really happened is that you have given over your behavior and thoughts (your will, essentially) to evil being(s), and it's now in control over those things. Fortunately as a Christian, you have the power of Jesus' victory on Calvary against such evil, and you should, in a brief prayer, remind such evil in you that Jesus is your savior and forgiver, and that this evil now has to leave in Jesus' name. Take back your will.

Christians should understand, although they usually don't, that they are supposed to pray specifically against evil--in themselves, in those around them. They are supposed to seek forgiveness for their sins precisely so Jesus' blood can cleanse them of those sins, and silence Satan's claims against them as sinners. Christians should pray for protection and blessing over their activities, and when they feel that they are being put upon by evil circumstances or people, they should ask God to remove those obstacles, and they should, at times, also tell the evil to leave.

For instance, say you're hungry all the time, even though you have enough to eat, and you're overweight. You ate 90 minutes ago, and now your stomach is growling again, distracting you terribly. You think, "Well, my stomach/body is telling me I have to eat, so it must be true." Your body doesn't rule you; you rule your body. So you realize there is "something" in you that is compelling you to eat when it is not necessary. The next step is to pray to God in Jesus' name, for strength to overcome this adversary--you can do this quickly, in a few seconds. If you have sinned through overeating, you can confess this as sin, and God will forgive you quickly, which cancels satan's claims over you as a sinner--see how important Jesus is now?

Now you tell that growling tummy (which is a voice when you think about it), "quiet in the name of Jesus--now get out." You will have to repeat this a few times probably, because the spirit that is making you hungry will test you to see if you're serious.

This approach is for Christians only, I would add, as the Bible suggests that people who do not claim Christ as Savior do not have this same claim to His victory over sin.

Well, this is enough to get your juices flowing I'm certain. The best to you always. God bless!

Answer 2

Satan said before eve bit the apple she could be like god knowing good and evil.
This mindset instilled in mankind, has stuck
since then.
Man has been more of an enemy to himself
than satan ever was, its just every once and
a while he throws another log on the fire to
keep it going.
As procreation continues so do the traditions of sin.
Now everything in the world is all about
gratifying the flesh of its sinful desires.
A huge force in our world today is built to
put the flesh first and not god.
Wheres satan in all of this?Hes still here
watching his kingdom grow through there
own sinful desires as they become his
automatic followers for thats all they know
is sin.
Satans really uses his process of
throwing the log on the fire in areas where
principalities are taught, this is really evident
around believers or prophets.
The truth is revealed through gods word.
Getting the truth out requires the correct theology. Lucifer is there with his intelligent handiwork his scribes, to prove the believer wrong, by bending his logic, thus blinding others.
Satan works through the flesh when dealing
with principalities, always through the flesh.
Satan only acts through dark principalities,
that is where the real battle is.

Ephesians 6.It will tell you of the real battle.

You can go down the river floating on your back, but to swim aginst it, youll get tired.

Answer 3

If we take the Biblical account of Jesus's temptation to be a methodology, then he simply suggests options to you. Some people would have you believe that the "voice" in your head
"telling" you to do something you probably shouldn't do is Satan, sometimes. Other times it's the evil of humanity.

Remember something important about the Devil. Arguably, he is the first of the Angels, and nothing more. He can do nothing more than God empowered him to do in the beginning. The Bible is sadly quiet on exactly what "powers" the angels have, and it's arguable that they have none beyond God-that they are truly messangers and little else.

This makes sense for a creature serving an Omnipotent Creator.

Thus, all Satan might be able to do is talk to you. However, he can't be everywhere at once. He can't do just anything. He is an angel, little more.

When Satan was harassing Job, he went to God before each time, and it was actually God who inflicted the pain on Job, at the Devils urging, to test Job.

Take from that example what you will.

Answer 4

Does he put objects in their vicinity? Odd question: or does he put people in the vicinity of objects....hmmmm.... maybe you should be more focused on being a good person and less on Satan.

Blaming the Devil for antisocial behaviour is so medieval. This is the 21st Century people. Men and women aren't possessed anymore, they are mentally ill. Given time and proper therapy and medication many people can make great improvements. Quackery like exorcisms will only exacerbate problems.

Answer 5

Satan and his demons are spiritual beings, and their attacks are spiritual rather than physical, although a spiritual attack can be so intense that it has physical effects. In the spiritual realm he attacks the intellect and the emotions. The primary purpose of his attacks are to convince you

(a) that God does not exist OR
(b) that though God exists you are completely unworthy of Him and should abandon hope of ever being with Him OR
(c) that you should worship Satan rather than God because he is better than God

I know (c) sounds insane, but Satan actually succeeds in doing this to some people. He attacks intellectually by suggesting to you that a certain event in your life or a philosophical argument you come across demonstrates that there is no way that God could exist. He hates and is envious of Christ and will take every opportunity to convince you that Christ was just an ordinary man, or even a bad man. One of his titles is "The Accuser", and he try to focus your attention on every bad thing you have ever done in an effort to convince you that you are not forgiven and do not deserve God. These are some of his intellectual attacks. On an emotional level he will use fear, anger, hatred, and despair to weaken you and prevent you from loving God and those around you, which are Christ's greatest commandments. If I was to give advice on what we can do to protect us from these attacks, it would be the advice of Christ, that we pray and fast. Always have a short prayer ready for when you experience an attack, something as simple as "Lord Jesus Christ, son of the living God, have mercy on me and protect me." For very intense, soul wrenching attacks you can invoke the intercession of St. Micheal. St. Micheal is an arch angel who is especially powerful in attacking Satan and all his demons. Here it is:

"St. Micheal, the arch angel, defend us in this day of battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do though O prince of the heavenly hosts, by the divine power, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who wander now throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen"

Answer 6

Good question !!!!
I think it is verry important to ask and understand these things.
I think the more important side to this is how to know when satan is tempting you and im not sure that I am the best person to teach you about this but I do know that satan can not have an effect on your free will it is your free will and because of it you have the abillity to choose weather or not to side with good or evil or right and wrong etc...
satan can not tell you how to choose but he can make it verry hard to decide and the longer you have to think about it the more time satan has to cloud your thoughts

Answer 7

No. Our free will is exactly that..ours. Satan can put thoughts in our heads, he fans the flames of desire, he helps us to justify our wrong doings, yes..puts people in our lives and objects in our way. He hounds us with doubt and unbelief. And all the time he is carefully concealing that he even exists. Watch out!

Answer 8

Satan calls them up and says " hey lookie here I got some beer cocain pot and loose women come on over if ya want" Then the GOD hating SINNER chooses wheather he wants to hang with Satan or go with GOD.

Answer 9

No, Satan has no control over free will. He only exists because God allows him to. God could smight him instantly, and Satan knows that. (He watched God create the entire freakin' UNIVERSE!) So Satan and God are really working together to test people.

Answer 10

He shows up at your house with booze, drugs and babes after you've had a super sucko day, kind of like that best friend who always got you in trouble in high school or college.

Answer 11

Free will is our own as is the Choice to do what we want with it. It is by Satans free will that he asks God for permission to tempts us as it was by his free wil to betrayu God and leave him Becoming Satan