Before we address this question, we need to identify who Satan is, and what does Scripture record about him. The Bible says that Satan and his followers were defeated when they fought Michael and God’s angels for control of heaven (Rev. 12:7-12). As a result, he and his followers were “thrown down to earth” where they have been busy deceiving the world. (Rev. 12:9).
Satan not only opposes God, but the Bible says that he practices sin and has done this from the beginning (1 Jn. 3:8). Even if we consider the beginning from the time of creation, that would be an extensive amount of time to practice and perfect his craft. Scripture even gives warning to his abilities. Revelation 2:24 states that Satan’s wickedness is vast and his ability to deceive is hidden deep within him which makes him most effective at deception. The apostle Peter wrote to the Christians warning them to be alert because “the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8).
So how did Satan become so powerful in the world? His stronghold began in the Garden. God gave Adam and Eve one rule to obey. “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die” (Gen. 2:16-17). The payment for disobedience is spiritual death, meaning separation from God for all eternity (Rom. 6:23). When Satan succeeded in tempting Adam and Eve to disobey God, he gained the power of death (Heb. 2:14). He gained the ability to influence, and therefore, prevent mankind from knowing God. I have no doubt that he celebrated his victory. With this success, his pride grew.
But Satan also knew He had one more challenge to overcome—the Messiah. He could read in Scripture God’s plan for salvation (Gen. 3:15). Then during the period of the Old Testament, he listened to the prophecy of the coming Messiah who would make a way for man to once again have a relationship with God. So Satan stayed on his guard, watching and waiting. But just as the specifics were veiled from the Old Testament prophets, so was the purpose of Jesus’s death on the cross veiled from Satan. When God’s Son died on the cross, I wonder if for a moment, Satan thought he had defeated the Messiah. But three days later, when Jesus rose from the grave, he knew without a doubt that he himself had been defeated.
Through the generations of man, Satan had been on high alert but salvation had slipped through his grasp. But did he give up? Did he decide to claim defeat? Absolutely not. To this day he continues to roam the earth deceiving as many as he can before his time is up. The Bible says that Jesus will one day throw Satan and his followers into the bottomless pit, and “they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20:10).
So Satan now has an aggressive agenda. He is like a lion falling into the pit, desperately grapping at anyone to take with him. Those who have not chosen Jesus as their Savior are within his grasp. But for the ones that have chosen the gift of salvation, they are safe. Still, Satan is determined to cause problems for the believers (Acts 13:10). He wants to oppress Christians and discourage their commitment to God where they are unable to lead others to Christ. James warns us to “submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (4:7).
So can Satan read our minds? Scripture does not say one way or the other. Therefore, we need to pray out-loud daily where we can be assured that Satan knows our hearts and hears our commitment to God. It is our greatest line of defense. Then we need to walk in obedience to God’s Word, preventing Satan from any opportunity of deceit (Eph. 4:27).