Your Thoughts

Your thoughts … are they private, confined only to your mind? If not, then who else may know them? I believe most people would agree that God can and does know not only the thoughts of your mind; but also in what is called "your heart" … not the mind and soul; but rather the center of your being, where both your spirit and it's will reside.

Matthew 9:3-4 … "And certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said …"

Matthew 12:25 … "And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them …"

According to the above verses, Jesus (God in the flesh) had the ability to know the thoughts of others. Some people call this … reading someone's mind … which is a term I really don't like to use. Knowing and reading are different.

When studying the Bible it is important to know that many times the words … "heart, mind, soul and will" … are interchangeable and are used for the same intended meaning. Because of this we must decide which word truly fits the intended purpose of each verse when any of these words are used.

Look at the following two verses I am listing next as examples. The word "heart" used twice in these verses both denotes the thoughts of the mind; as well as the center of your will. Notice that even though it says that evil thoughts come out of your heart, we must decide if it means "the center of our will" or if is speaking about our fleshly mind.

Matthew 15:18-19 … "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart (the Greek is "kardia" … the heart, the center of our will; as well as the thoughts, feelings and mind); and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts (imagination or purpose), murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts …" etc.

"Evil thoughts" … Are these types of things really in our hearts; thoughts that give birth to the conducts listed above. If so, we need to take control of the thoughts and desires that we allow to dwell there. Thought, purpose or motive, gives its character to conduct. Thought precedes action.

Mark 7:21 … "out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts …" When Mark wrote the same words of Jesus that Matthew did, he used a different word for "evil" that has a slightly different meaning. It means "worthless or bad" but intrinsically so … meaning its nature is "inherent" … something that is born in us; and we soon discover this sinful nature we are born with wants its own way.

Why is the heart, soul and the thoughts of a man's mind inclined to evil? I think it has something to do with the fact that there is an enemy of your soul, who God allows at this present time to be the god of this world and who has also been given access to our hearts and minds. He is a spirit being.

Let me give the following scriptures to look deeper into this …

Acts 5:3-4 … "But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? While it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God."

Satan can and does put things in our hearts … but we are the one who allows the thought to conceive and birth sin in our life.

James 1:14-15 … "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."

Enticed … this is what Satan does with the inherent evil, our own personal lust (desires) in our hearts. The word enticed means … "to entrap." Each one of us has different lusts which Satan knows about and works to entrap you in.

John 13:2 …"And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him …"

"Having now put it into the heart of Judas" … Literally, having "cast it" into the heart (thoughts, feelings or mind) of Judas. The meaning of this passage is that Satan inclined the mind of Judas to do this, or he tempted him to betray the Lord. We don't know precisely how this was done, but we know that it was because of the lust and desire for wealth and the greed for material things that was … already in the heart of Judas.

Satan can tempt no one unless there is some inclination of the mind, some natural tendency or propensity; a disposition to behave in a certain way, something naturally born in our flesh that he can make use of. Satan can present temptations of all types fitted to the propensity that he already knows about in each individual … and the soul, which is tied closer to the flesh than to the spirit; already under the influence of a strong inherent inclination to do so … then yields to this personal temptation.

In the case of Judas this propensity was … the love of money … and it was necessary only to present to him the possibility of obtaining money, and it found him ready and willing to "betray" Jesus.

Satan's end game in this temptation was to work upon Judas "to betray" Christ into the hands of His enemies, in order to put Him to death.

Judas was an apostle of Christ's; and from this we should learn even the highest office, and greatest gifts, cannot keep men from the temptations of Satan. The manner in which he tempted him was this … Satan "put" which means "cast" a fiery dart into his very heart (thoughts or mind); which shows the access Satan has into, and the influence he has upon … the minds of men.

All of this was known by Jesus, which He prophesied to His disciples that one of them would betray Him; yet it was an action which one would think, could never have entered into the heart of Judas … had not the devil put it there.

How did Satan know just how fertile the soil was in the heart of Judas? What way of access does Satan have into the hearts of man, and by what methods does he put into the heart, mind and thoughts his suggestions, and is then allowed to mix them together with the desires of the flesh; those things which are born in the heart of fallen man naturally?

How does Satan know when he has successfully mixed the evil thoughts or desires that are naturally inherent in your heart, mind and flesh, if he does not have access to your thoughts? It must be so … he is a spirit being.

There are some sins of their own nature so exceedingly sinful and vile; and because there is normally very little temptation from the world and the flesh to bring them to conception and then to act on them; it is very evident that Satan must plant the type of seed that produces these un-natural, unspeakable vile sins in a heart that he knows is already disposed to them. But how does he know?

Hebrews 2:6-9 … "What is man …" (Natural man, the one made of flesh.)

"Thou madest him (man) a little lower than the angels …" (Man made from the earth itself, was made lower, mortal and weaker with physical limits; angels are different … they are from the spirit realm; and as such are immortal, they can't die; material things cannot contain or hinder them; and they can operate in both the natural and spiritual realms.)

"Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him." (One of the things that are not under subjection to frail natural man is … the spirit world where fallen angels and evil spirits can and do operate in spiritual warfare against us.)

"But we see Jesus …" (Which proves natural man is the one spoken of by the question … "What is man" … and does not refer to Jesus as some suppose.)

Psalms 44:21 … "He (God) knoweth (to ascertain by seeing) the secrets (things that are hidden) of the heart." (The heart of man … the mind and soul; the center of the will, man's spirit.) God is a Spirit … but so is Satan.

Can Satan somehow get into your mind and know your thoughts? How else does he know the natural disposition we each have to behave in different ways; and what thought or desire and type of temptation he needs to present to our hearts or minds because of who we are? I don't think a thin covering of human flesh will stop a spirit being, good or evil, from entering into our thought processes and finding the right weakness to assault.

If disembodied demonic spirits can enter into a man and possess his mind, soul and body as the Gospels show evidence of … and they can in unbelievers … then I find no problem believing a spirit being like the devil is, would have any difficulty in knowing a person's thoughts. To me it's no big deal. So what if he can?

The big deal to me is … what we do with the thoughts … that he puts into our minds.

But as always … I could be wrong.