If you want to know how Satan thinks, you must start with the Word of God, not only in the descriptions of his actions and character, but in the entirety of the Scriptures. If the Lord has said something, just think in the opposite of terms.
“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” (Matt. 22:37) “There is no reason to love Him, look at all that He has asked you to give up.” Satan is not the opposite of God, do not make the mistake in thinking like that, the Almighty has no opposite because He has no equal, the best he can do is either leave parts of Scripture out of his statements, or twist them in such a way that leads to his advantage, and remember also, he has no need to attempt to thwart any of the plans of the lost, it is the things of man that he seeks after. (Matt. 16:23)
Those who are serving Christ are those he attempts to alter, and he does this by altering the Word of God. Not only has he authored several “Bibles,” but he fixes the mind on those things that will divert our attention away from the Lord God as He is and tries to make Him into what we think He should be.
It is difficult enough already for most to contemplate God, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.” (Isaiah 55:8) But, when added to what we will call “religion” here, it can become almost impossible to discern just who the Almighty is.
Most people that attend church on a fairly regular basis, I would presume to say correctly, get all they know of the Lord from what their pastor says, and so instead of following Psalm 27:8, “When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.” They unwittingly leave the direction of their Spiritual life in the hands, and words of a man, and Jeremiah 17:5 becomes true in their lives, “Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.” Religious organizations are quite adept at this, the works-based Roman Catholic system is probably the best known in this area. But whether it be in a cult or an Evangelical church, those who do not pick up their Bibles and study diligently to find the knowledge of God (2 Tim. 2:15) will be those who are the most easily deceived.
There was a very specific reason that the Almighty put the first of the Ten Commandments first, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” (Exo. 20:3) because people have a propensity to make a god of their own design when the Almighty is not in sight, and here Satan is more than pleased to give a nudge in the wrong direction. When he said, “I will” (Isaiah 14:14) what he was saying was that he was a god, for I believe if you read the entirety of the text in context, you will understand that statement from him. He knew that he could not usurp God, he knew that he could not be God, but he did realize that, in some ways, he could mimic the attributes of the Most High. “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” (2 Cor. 11:14) He is excellent at pretending, at acting, and we are easily deceived.
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Prov. 14:12) And not all, but many of those “right ways” come from his prompting into the minds of men. Everything that we say or do as ambassadors of the kingdom of God is to be a representation of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, not just the parts we like or adore in Him, but His entire character. If you cannot back up what you say, what you do, or even how you are thinking about a particular subject with the Word of God, then do not do it. Conjecture on the part of man without the truths of the Scriptures has led many souls into hell. Our thoughts are not God’s thoughts, but by humble submission to the Holy Spirit, they will be as close as they need to be so that in all we do, say, or even think, the glory will go to God.
