There are about 80 verses in the Bible that reference Satan, or the Devil. Of these, we get a pretty good idea of Satan’s abilities, as well as his limitations. Here is a list of the things that Satan can do:
– Incite (prompt) people to take some action (1 Chronicles 21:1, John 13:2)
– Present himself to God (Job 1:6)
– Roam the earth (Job 1:7)
– Incite God to tempt man (Job 2:3)
– Make accusations against us to God (Zechariah 3:1)
– Tempt us, and persecute us (Matthew 4:1, Revelation 2:10)
– Drive away demons that he himself sent (Matthew 12:24)
– Sow weeds among good seed (Matthew 13:39)
– Cause men to stumble (Matthew 16:23)
– Cause men to rebuke God’s Word (Luke 8:12)
– Cause disease, and physical crippling (Luke 13:16)
– Lie, be deceitful, and murder (John 8:44, 2 Corinthians 11:14)
– Possess (enter into) the hearts of the lost (John 13:27, Acts 5:3)
– Take power over people (Acts 10:38, Acts 26:18))
– Outwit men–He is smart–He schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11)
– Afflict men with demons–a thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7)
– Perform counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:9)
– Take men captive (2 Timothy 2:26)
– Possesses the power of death (Hebrews 2:14)
– He has been sinning from the beginning (1 John 3:8)
Here are Satan’s limitations:
– God can rebuke him. (Zechariah 3:2, Matthew 4:10-11, Jude 1:9)
– God can crush him. (Romans 16:20)
– God can bind him. (Revelation 20:2)
– He flees when we resist him (James 4:7)
We need to be aware that Satan is powerful. However, it is often difficult to tell whether our sin is a result of our own flesh, or of the temptation of Satan. Either way, the good news is that God possesses ultimate power over Satan, and Satan will flee from us when we resist him.