Can Satan put thoughts in your head?

[Sunday21]

Dear Saints,

I have often wondered whether Satan can put thoughts in your head, e.g. eat more ice cream! Has anyone ever read a scripture or heard a church leader say anything about this?

Hoping for your help!

[HiJolly]

Yes, I have heard that Satan can put thoughts in our heads. No reference, though.

HiJolly

[slamjet]

Personal experience say's yes.

[LDSJewess]

I personally don't believe that. It makes for a good excuse in my opinion. I eat too much and get sick, diabetes, or obese and it's not my fault it's Satan's. You me it's a way to evade personal responsibility.

I think it is our responsibility to make good or bad choices, If we are weak minded in a specific area whether it is eating too much or eating the wrong things oir any other weakness, then we need to asjk Heavenly Father for the strength to overcome our weaknesses. But ultimately the choice is ours. Free agency.

[Guest saintish]

as Joseph Smith said 'only if you let him' (very loose quote)

[Connie]

I Have a Question - Ensign Sept. 1995

[KrazyKay]

I don't believe that Satan puts thoughts in our heads. Instead I believe he says things to us and it is our choice to listen to him or to ignore him and do what Heavenly Father whispers to us to do.

[Backroads]

I believe so. Whether or not we accept the thought is another story altogether.

[slamjet]

I don't believe that Satan puts thoughts in our heads. Instead I believe he says things to us and it is our choice to listen to him or to ignore him and do what Heavenly Father whispers to us to do.

It's been my experience like what Saintish said. We have that choice to listen or not. But I really think he can speak to our minds. I've listened and heard that voice, I know it's there. But it's important to know that the voice of God is wonderfully stronger if we turn towards it.

[RipplecutBuddha]

I've also heard it said that Satan cannot know our minds, so him putting thoughts in our minds seems off. The world around us, what we see and hear is how Satan suggests things. How we treat what we see and hear is where our agency begins.

Having said that, and knowing that only Heavenly Father knows our hearts and minds, remember that Satan never had the veil draw over his mind, so he's had centuries of experience tempting us, and he's probably gotten quite good at reading our minds through our actions, our habits, etc. He can see when we're vulnerable, and that's when he begins the suggestions.

Also our own habits can create temptation where we've given in to it in the past. In such a case, we're tripping ourselves up more so than Satan. He starts it, but we keep it going through our weaknesses.

[Mahonri]

Satan and his demons who knew us for eons before earth life know us and our weaknesses.

Their spirits speak at us, tempt us and try us to see how we will react.

When we are living righteously, The Holy Ghost can speak at us with warning or reassurance the same way.

We have our agency. It's what we do with those thoughts that matter's most.

If the adversary and his demons can see that they are having influence on us, they continue.

If we ignore them. They will go away.

Thinking righteous thoughts repels away the tempting 'thoughts'/ words that come our way from the evil one.

[lyolee]

Dear Saints,

I have often wondered whether Satan can put thoughts in your head, e.g. eat more ice cream! Has anyone ever read a scripture or heard a church leader say anything about this?

Hoping for your help!

Sunday21,

I asked my bishop once the very same exact thing a long time ago. He didnt think so, but I tended to disagree a little bit, in that, in the garden of eden, eve was in deed reasoned with by the great liar: _____ , and partook of the forbidden fruit, although God had told both adam and eve, that in the event that they did eat of that tree they should surely die. And did.

Bruce R. McConkie does imply that the fall was a fall from grace involving the word of wisdom, and not one of adultry. FYI. But certainly in the old testament, eve was mentally wrestled with. Check it out. The Book of Mormon is pretty good about this topic also I think.

lyolee.

Edited June 7, 2011 by lyolee
limited extra wordiness.

[Torch]

I was going to say no, but the devil made me say yes. :)

[Vort]

Bruce R. McConkie does imply that the fall was a fall from grace involving the word of wisdom, and not one of adultry.

I'm relatively famililar with Elder McConkie's writings and speeches. I have never heard him suggest that the Fall was a "Word of Wisdom" issue. Can you cite a source for this?

[lizzy16]

.

Having said that, and knowing that only Heavenly Father knows our hearts and minds, remember that Satan never had the veil draw over his mind, so he's had centuries of experience tempting us, and he's probably gotten quite good at reading our minds through our actions, our habits, etc. He can see when we're vulnerable, and that's when he begins the suggestions.

Also our own habits can create temptation where we've given in to it in the past. In such a case, we're tripping ourselves up more so than Satan. He starts it, but we keep it going through our weaknesses.

This I think is the key part.

Thanks for posting this :) I was presented with a situation today, and just how it layed out it would have been so easy for me to succumb to what was going on. The other person wouldn't have cared (in fact I they'd have go on with it and enjoyed it) and in the end it would have caused both me and this individual pain in the long run. I was so close to just joining in on what was happening then I saw a picture of the Temple that I had posted. I kept it there for a reason because I knew Satan often tempted me at that spot.

So, I fled from the situation and was later thinking about how easy it would have been.

(Sorry if that all was rather cryptic.)

It's so true that Satan is familar with what we have trouble with. Thank goodness God knows us more!

[lyolee]

I'm relatively famililar with Elder McConkie's writings and speeches. I have never heard him suggest that the Fall was a "Word of Wisdom" issue. Can you cite a source for this?

Vort,

yes.... General Conference.

lyolee

lds

[Vort]

Vort,

yes.... General Conference.

lyolee

lds

A bit more specific, please? I have listened to all of Elder McConkie's General Conference speeches, and all of his BYU devotional speeches as well, and I don't recall anything remotely like this. Please cite the specific address. If you can just name the General Conference, that would probably be enough to find the reference, if such a reference exists.

[Dravin]

Vort,

yes.... General Conference.

lyolee

lds

Year?

[lyolee]

A bit more specific, please? I have listened to all of Elder McConkie's General Conference speeches, and all of his BYU devotional speeches as well, and I don't recall anything remotely like this. Please cite the specific address. If you can just name the General Conference, that would probably be enough to find the reference, if such a reference exists.

That Bruce R. McConkie has spoken it at General Conference durring the life of Bruce R. McConkie is super duper specific enough. I read The Bible and The Book of Mormon, both. Look it up if you have the capacity to.

The Old Testament = 39 books

The New Testament = 27 books

The Book of Mormon = 15 books

Bruce R. McConkie was born: and died:. Volumes and Volumes on Bruce R. McConkie.

Mormon was born: and died:. And in how many pages. And is available for all men equaly.

Now, ask me a question.

lyolee

lds

Edited June 9, 2011 by lyolee
I came back...

[Vort]

That Bruce R. McConkie has spoken it at General Conference durring the life of Bruce R. McConkie is super duper specific enough.

No, it is not. Elder McConkie gave many hours worth of General Conference addresses. It is absurd to suppose that saying "Elder McConkie said it in General Conference" is enough.

If you cannot or will not provide a reference that Elder McConkie taught that the Fall was a result of a Word of Wisdom violation, the reasonable conclusion is that Elder McConkie never said any such thing.

[Javajot]

Scriptural record would indicate that he can in fact place thoughts in our minds.

How else would he tempt us? Neon signs?

For he (Satan) hath put into their hearts to do this...

[Javajot]

Oh yeah, and read what Connie posted. More than one prophet has testified to the fact that Satan can influence our minds and thoughts:

"The scriptures make clear that the adversary cannot know our thoughts. “Yea, I tell thee, that thou mayest know that there is none else save God that knowest thy thoughts and the intents of thy heart” (D&C 6:16). The scriptures also make clear, however, that Satan can influence our thoughts and actions by putting ideas into our minds and hearts."

I Have a Question - Ensign Sept. 1995

[RipplecutBuddha]

Oh yeah, and read what Connie posted. More than one prophet has testified to the fact that Satan can influence our minds and thoughts:

"The scriptures make clear that the adversary cannot know our thoughts. “Yea, I tell thee, that thou mayest know that there is none else save God that knowest thy thoughts and the intents of thy heart” (D&C 6:16). The scriptures also make clear, however, that Satan can influence our thoughts and actions by putting ideas into our minds and hearts."

Of course he can influence our thoughts, but that's not the same as being able to read our minds and hearts. Heck, advertisers can influence our thoughts....Satan's had a few years more experience than they have, so he'd better be able to influence our thoughts. The key is how we react to that influence; whether we welcome it or reject it.

[Javajot]

Of course he can influence our thoughts, but that's not the same as being able to read our minds and hearts. Heck, advertisers can influence our thoughts....Satan's had a few years more experience than they have, so he'd better be able to influence our thoughts. The key is how we react to that influence; whether we welcome it or reject it.

Yeah that was pretty much what the article Connie quoted was getting at.

[mordorbund]

Sunday21,

I asked my bishop once the very same exact thing a long time ago. He didnt think so, but I tended to disagree a little bit, in that, in the garden of eden, eve was in deed reasoned with by the great liar: _____ , and partook of the forbidden fruit, although God had told both adam and eve, that in the event that they did eat of that tree they should surely die. And did.

Bruce R. McConkie does imply that the fall was a fall from grace involving the word of wisdom, and not one of adultry. FYI. But certainly in the old testament, eve was mentally wrestled with. Check it out. The Book of Mormon is pretty good about this topic also I think.

lyolee.

I'm feeling generous, so I did some of your homework for you. I am not aware of any McConkie talk about the Fall and the Word of Wisdom, but Elder Talmage did share the following in a 1913 conference (as quoted in Jesus the Christ):

This, [the Word of Wisdom] like other revelations that have come in the present dispensation, is not wholly new. It is as old as the human race. The principle of the Word of Wisdom was revealed unto Adam. All the essentials of the Word of Wisdom were made known unto hm in his immortal state, before he had taken into his body those things that made of it a thing of earth. He was warned against that very practice. ... he was told that he must not take into that body certain things which were there at hand. He was warned that, if he did, his body would lose the power which it then held of living for ever, and that he would become subject to death. It was pointed out to him, as it has been pointed out to you, that there are many good fruits to be plucked, to be eaten, to be enjoyed. We believe in enjoying good food. We think that these good things are given us of God. We believe in getting all the enjoyment out of eating that we can; and, therefore, we should avoid gluttony, and we should avoid extremes in all our habits of eating; and as was toldunto Adam, so is it told unto us: Touch not these things, for in the day that thou doest it thy life shall be shortened and thou shalt die.

That being said, I am having a difficult time understanding how your interpretation of the Fall ties in to the discussion of Satan incepting ideas.