Bible Question:
Thoughts come into my head all the time while I am reading parts of the Bible. At times they try to make me think that certain passages are false. They blaspheme God. I am wondering is this the work of demons or actually my own thoughts? I believe to have a great relationship with God but this is causing me much doubt now.

Bible Answer:
These thoughts could be your own, but it is also highly probable that the thoughts are coming from Satan. Satan wants us to doubt God. He wants non-Christians to reject God personally and to reject what God has said in the Bible. Satan also wants Christians, those who believe and trust Him, not to trust Him and to doubt what He has said in the Bible.

Calling God a Liar. A perfect example of this is found in Genesis 2 and 3. In Genesis 3:1, we are told that Satan approached Eve and then quoted God saying she could eat of any of the trees in the garden.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” (NASB) Gen. 3:1

Satan misrepresented God. In Genesis 2:16 it is recorded that God told Adam the following,

The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “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.” (NASB) Gen. 2:16-17

Eve knew the truth and corrected Satan’s false statement. Here is her response.

The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'” (NASB) Gen. 3:2-3

But Satan was determined to cause trouble and so he contradicts what God had said. In essence He calls God a liar. Here is Satan’s response to Eve.

The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (NASB) Gen. 3:4-5

In Satan’s encounter with Eve, he actually never calls God a liar. Yet, he implies that God is a liar – that God did not tell the truth. He is devious and cunning. He is sophisticated and clever. Today, Satan uses philosophy, science, archaeology, and various issues to cause people to doubt God. He uses what appears to be objective evidence to call God a liar. He is devious!

Putting Thoughts In Our Mind. In the Garden of Eden, Satan spoke directly to Eve. Now consider what happened to the apostle Peter when he told Jesus that he hoped Jesus would never suffer and die.

Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” (NASB) Matthew 16:22-33

Jesus spoke directly to Peter and rebuked Satan. In Jesus’ parable of the “Sower and the Seed,” He tells us that Satan snatches away the Word of God after a person has heard it. Here is the first part of the parable.

When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. (NASB) Matthew 13:19

This implies that Satan can put doubts into our minds. This may indeed be what you are experiencing.

Conclusion:
We have discovered that Satan had put the thoughts into Peter’s mind that were expressed in the words Peter spoke. This means that Satan can put thoughts into our minds and we should not be surprised if the thoughts are anti-God and cause us to doubt what is said in the Bible – the Word of God. How do we protect ourselves? Be sure to spend time each day reading the Word of God and spend time praying to God. It is the Word of God which the Holy Spirit uses to renew our minds – out thinking. Ask God to protect you as you read and study the Bible. You might remember that God put a “hedge of protection” around the ancient patriarch Job (Job 1:9-10). The hedge protected Job from Satan. Therefore, ask God to put a hedge around you and protect you from Satan and yourself. Also, put on the whole Armor of God of Ephesians 6:1