Before we consider the sophisticated ways Satan hijacks our minds, let’s consider first the basic ways everyday human temptations function. If willfully entertained and indulged in, how this ultimately provides the enemy access to your mind and wreak havoc in your life.
Lure to do wrong. James 1:14 says, “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” The devil may take advantage of this process, but it’s our own unbridled passions that start the process. There are innate evil compulsions from fallen human nature which cause an individual to be drawn to harmful habits, evil intentions, jealous impulses, greed, and envy or wanting what we don’t have or should not have.
Desire to sin and indulge the flesh. This may be with sexual sin or rousing fear through things like horror movies. If you entertain doubts by allowing Satan to question God or His word, this may lead to seeking sinful gratification of perverse deeds. If you give in to the urge to look at pornography, fail to discipline a wandering eye, obsess about carnal desires, don’t blame the devil for what your own will has allowed. Proverbs 22:3 says, “A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished” (NKJV).
Allowing thoughts of deception and lies. When an evil thought enters the mind, we usually know it. Most solid Christians fight back with the Word of God and right thinking. But if you compromise your defenses with social media sex, video game obsessions, overindulgence in ungodly web sites, you increase the chances the devil will highjack your mind.
Permitting your mind to become mentally disturbed. Of course, many mental illnesses are involuntary. Chemical imbalances and side effects of medications may also result in mental instability. The psychotic voices that you eventually hear may not be demons but mental delusions because you didn’t restrain your negative thought processes. It wasn’t the devil who hijacked your mind, it was your own disregard of your internal moral compass and conscience.
These fundamental moral failures give the devil legal rights to enter the mind and do further damage. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
I ‘ve just listed the ways humans concede ground to the devil without being spiritually hijacked by demons. Next time, we’ll be specific about the process of having your thoughts spiritually hijacked.
