Every true Christian faces a daily battle against our own sinful tendencies, the worldly influences that are all around us, and Satan, who is the prince of this world at the present time (John 14:30, Ephesians 2:2).

When we sin, how much are we influenced by fallen angels (evil spirit beings)? We know God has permitted Satan and his fallen angels to be active in this age for the purpose of testing true Christians. God has also permitted evil for a time so that mankind in general can learn the consequences of sin and evil and make wiser choices in the coming Millennial kingdom. During the kingdom, Satan’s influence will be restrained (Revelation 20:1-3) as the resurrected mankind learns to live by God’s laws, before Satan is finally destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:4: “…in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving…” Satan is, temporarily, the “god of this world.”

The Bible does not indicate, however, that an evil spirit is behind every sinful choice we make. God made man in His image—not physically, as we are fleshly beings and He is a spirit being. But He did make us in His mental image in that we are free agents, able to make our own decisions. We are not robots, unable to resist following the evil influences around us. 

We also have plenty of sinful tendencies already within us that can lead to wrong choices. Galatians 5:16-17 says, “But I say, walk by the spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.”

As true Christians, we are responsible for the choices we make no matter what influences are around us. To make the right ones, we need to put on the armor of God—in other words, we need to understand His plan as outlined in His word, we need to follow His righteous laws, and we need to have faith in Him and His ability to help us in times of difficulty. If we do sin, willfully or through our inherited tendencies, we need to go to Him and ask for forgiveness and guidance to help us learn from our experiences.

Through His wisdom, justice, power and great love and mercy, God has set up a plan that enables all of mankind to have the opportunity to ultimately benefit from and overcome their experiences with sin and evil. What a glorious God we have!

Ephesians 6:13: “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, stand firm.” 

Additional Resources:
Christian Questions Podcast
Episode #1334: “Are Monitoring Spirits Watching Us?”
Understanding how demons can and cannot affect Christians’ lives
Preview Video
CQ Rewind Show Notes

Episode #1305: How Do Satanic Demons Influence Our World?
Establishing the origin, power and methods of dark spiritual beings
Preview Video
CQ Rewind Show Notes

For children, parents and Bible class teachers:
Animated video:  What does the Bible say about Satan?