No. While Satan is powerful, described as the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and “a roaring lion seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:6-11), we are not given any scriptural indication he has been granted such power.
We know God and Jesus can read our hearts/minds (1 Kings 8:39, Psalm 139:4, John 2:25, Matthew 9:4).
In addition, the Apostle Peter through God’s power and influence (the holy spirit) was able to “discern of spirits” (1 Corinthians 12:10), perhaps meaning to read the heart intention of others like Jesus did with the Pharisees. Peter did this with Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11. This was a gift of the spirit in the early church, but we have no account or evidence of anyone other than an apostle able to pass such gifts along (1 Corinthians 13:8-9) and they ceased when the apostles died.
Satan is not allowed to purposefully meddle in the experiences of God’s faithful anytime or in any way. God’s protections cannot be violated by Satan unless God allows it (Job 1:12). Those who follow Jesus through Christ stand in a protected place (Psalm 32:7, 9:1, 57:1, 17:8, etc.)
Lately the internet has been exploding with tantalizing descriptions of imaginary “monitoring spirits,” demons Satan has dispersed to infiltrate human dreams to see what plans God has for this person. It is said these spirits are watching humans carefully, listening for any word that will hint at God’s plans. There is no sound biblical reasoning supporting the idea that Satan’s demons can steal our thoughts, wealth and spirituality because we are not secretive enough.
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?
