Can Satan hear our prayers? Lots of people have told me that Satan can’t hear our prayers when we pray in the Spirit. Where does it say that in the Bible?
Can Satan Hear Our Prayers? Bible Answer:
The idea that Satan can’t hear our prayers when “we’re praying in the Spirit” is not backed up by the Bible.
God and the Devil
We know that God listens to our prayers and knows what we are thinking.
You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know what I’m thinking from far away. (NKJV) Psalm 139:2.
But since angels can talk to people, it makes sense to think that Satan can hear our prayers when we say them out loud. The angel Gabriel went to see Mary, and they spoke the same language (Luke 1:26-38). Since Satan is a bad angel, it stands to reason that he can understand people.
But Satan doesn’t need to hear our prayers to plan bad things to do to us. In fact, Satan might find it funny that we worry about him. He doesn’t need to know what we are thinking or praying in order to do bad things to us.
And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! In fact, Satan has asked for you so he can separate you like wheat.” (NKJV) Luke 22:31
He has plans of his own.
Put on all of God’s armor so that you can stand up to the tricks of the devil. (NKJV) Eph 6:11
” In The Spirit”
The Bible never says whether or not can the Devil hear your prayers when you’re praying silently or “in the Spirit.” The only passage in the Bible that uses this phrase is found in the “armor of God.”
Put on all of God’s armor so that you can stand up to the devil’s plans. Because we don’t fight against people, but against the rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms, our fight is not against people. So, put on all of God’s armor so that when the bad day comes, you can stand your ground and keep going even after you’ve done everything you can.
So, stand firm with the belt of truth around your waist, the breastplate of righteousness on, and the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace on your feet. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the shield of salvation and the word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit. And always pray in the Spirit with all kinds of prayers and requests. (NIV) Ephesians 6:11–18 (NIV)
You might want to know what the different parts of the Armor of God mean. This was covered in a previous question and answer. “Pray in the Spirit” means that a person is filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:17–18), but the Bible never says that Satan can’t hear our prayers if we pray in this way.
Can Satan hear and understand what we say and think?
Shouldn’t we be quiet when we pray because Satan might hear us?
There’s nothing in the Bible that says Satan knows everything. There aren’t any Bible verses that say he knows everything or can read our minds. But because he has watched people for so long, he is very good at predicting how they will act. Because he knows a lot about people and has a supernatural mind, he can guess what you might do in a given situation even though he doesn’t know what’s in your head.
But the Bible says nothing about being all-knowing and being able to read your thoughts (like God can). We are never told that angels can know everything. And if a good angel doesn’t know everything, neither does a bad angel. So, Satan can’t read our minds, even though he’s good at predicting how people will act because he’s seen it so much.
I was giving a talk about this problem at a conference in Iowa. People were asking things like, “How do you deal with demons?” and “Do we need an exorcism to get rid of demons?” Well, a lot of people say that you do today. In a book I once read about deliverance, the author talked about a doctor who was supposedly saved from the demon of post-nasal drip.
And with this method, if you think you have a demon, you say a magical formula, run around, or “plead the blood,” whatever that means, since it’s not in the Bible. The blood has already been shed for you when you were saved, so there’s no need to do anything else.
People who use little Christian-sounding formulas and practices like séances to get rid of demons and other bad things say that they work. But if you read the Bible, you’ll find that getting rid of the devil is as easy as going to Ephesians 6 and putting on God’s armor. The Bible says in Ephesians 6:12, “We do not fight against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers.” We are fighting against both demons and Satan.
But what should we do? Isn’t the best place to find out right there in that chapter? Notice that it doesn’t say, “Go have a Christian exorcism done to get rid of your demons.” It also doesn’t say, “Go find someone to get rid of your demon.” It says, “Put on all of God’s armor,” and all of that armor is really just righteousness. The “breastplate of righteousness” is the most important part. The key is to live a good life filled with the Holy Spirit and to trust in God’s power.
So, the Bible says nothing about Satan being able to read our minds. Demons can definitely hear what we say. They know what we are saying. And, as I’ve already said, they are very good at predicting how people will react because they have been doing it for so long.
Conclusion:
God has given us everything we need to be safe from Satan. We need to put on God’s armor. Prayer is a part of the armor, but it is not the only part.
I am a Bible writer and teacher. I discovered a love of writing when I was a teenager. My passion comes from seeing lives changed through the power of God’s Word and the help Christ gives.
