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Response
Firstly, it is crucial to remember that Satan is not omnipresent—he cannot be in multiple places simultaneously. Only God is omnipresent, and only God possesses omniscience, while Satan must depend on his legion of demons to carry out his commands.
Can Satan and/or his demons read our minds? No. First Kings 8:39 states that only God comprehends every human heart. There is no other being with that capability. God knows our words before we speak them, even as they are being formed «For there is not a word in my tongue, But, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. », (Psalm 139:4). Jesus, being God in the flesh, demonstrated the divine attribute of understanding men’s thoughts: “He knew what was in each person” (John 2:25;cf: Matthew 9:4;John 6:64).
The Bible teaches us that Satan is formidable. He was likely the most exalted of all the fallen angels, persuading a third of the angels to join him in his rebellion «And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. », (Revelation 12:4). Even after Satan’s rebellion, not even Michael the archangel dared to rebuke him without the Lord’s intervention «Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebu
He rebuked the devil and said, “The Lord rebuke thee.” (Jude 1:9). Satan is described as “the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient” “in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.”, (Ephesians 2:2b). Nevertheless, Satan’s power is limited, and the ability to read our minds appears to be beyond his reach.
For Satan and his demons to read our minds, they would need omniscience, which they do not possess. Only God has the ability to know our thoughts. However, Satan and his demons have been observing and tempting humanity for millennia. Undoubtedly, they have gained insights into human behavior over time. Even without the capacity to read our thoughts, they can make educated guesses about our thinking and then try to exploit it to their advantage. This is why we are instructed to “submit yourselves, then, to God” “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”, (James 4:7a), before being told to “resist the devil” “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”, (James 4:7b).
