How to talk to your kids about Satan

Discussing Satan and demons with kids can be tricky. You might have sensitive children who startle at the smallest of things, or perhaps yours are naturally brave—or blissfully unaware—and don’t seem too phased by ‘dark’ spiritual things. Wherever your kids sit on that spectrum, wisdom and discernment are needed when discipling them in this area of theology.

I'm a mum of four kids, all relatively young (from two to seven years old). They vary in their sensitivity to the spiritual darkness in the world. We’ve spoken to all of them about Satan—yes, even our two-year-old. These conversations with our kids started early and continue to grow and deepen as they get older. So here are my ‘two cents’ on how to approach the topic.

Always start with God

Before diving into any talk of Satan or demons, anchor your kids in a solid understanding of who God is. There are many attributes of God you could focus on, however these three are essential for establishing a fearless view of Satan and demons.

1. God is omniscient (all-knowing)

He knows everything—what is good, true and evil. Only he knows our thoughts and intentions.
1 John 3:20; Psalm 139:4; John 14:6

2. God is omnipotent (all-powerful)

He is in full control of all things. He always has the final say and is more powerful than any other created being.
Jeremiah 32:17; Proverbs 16:33

3. God is omnipresent (everywhere)

He is with us at all times, in all places. He is above all and sovereign over all. He can be everywhere at once.
Psalm 139:7–10

The great I Am

Alongside the three ‘omnis’ I highly recommend having your kids memorise the ‘I am’ statements of Jesus from the Gospel of John, especially his powerful claim to be ‘the light of the world’ (John 8:12). This is practical theology kids can wrap their heads around.

What does light do to darkness?
It exposes it. It eliminates it.
John 1:4–5

So where is Jesus’ light now?
In us. If the light is in us, we can be confident that darkness will be exposed and overcome. We don’t need to be scared.
Ephesians 5:8–14, Matthew 5:14–16

Can light and darkness mix?
No. The darkness is afraid of the light.

Having God’s light within us also means that we know where we are going. We can see the path before us and so we can walk with confidence.

Jesus is not only our light, but also our ‘good shepherd’ (John 10:11), This leads to a beautiful connection with Psalm 23, which is a great one to memorise as a family. It reminds us that even though we walk through dark valleys, we need not fear because our Shepherd, our Light, is always walking with us. As we walk, the darkness will be exposed and go running. What a glorious truth your kids can hold on to.

Satan is not equal to God

Culture, movies, songs and even some Christian teachings might paint a picture of a cosmic battle between two equally matched forces. But this isn’t the case. God is all-powerful, all-knowing and everywhere. Satan is none of those things. He is a created being.

Satan is the enemy of God—and therefore humanity—but he doesn’t have the power to harm people, only to use his temptations, lies and accusations to draw them away from God. The name ‘Satan’ simply means ‘accuser’; Jesus calls him the ‘father of lies’ (John 8:44).

1. Satan is not omniscient: he doesn’t know everything, including your thoughts.

He can tempt and influence, but only God knows the heart and mind.
See the example of Job—Satan saw Job’s actions but couldn’t know his heart and what would ultimately happen.

2. Satan is not omnipotent: his power is limited and under God’s authority.

Satan does not have any power except what is permitted to him by God—he only has the power to tempt and deceive.
Again, see the example of Job—Satan has to gain God’s permission to cause suffering to Job. See also how Jesus gives commands to evil spirits and they obey him. 

3. Satan is not omnipresent: he isn’t everywhere at once.

Most likely, you’ll never personally encounter Satan himself. He has limited reach. Helping your kids understand this strips fear of its power. God is omnipresent. He is always with us, no matter where we are. But demons and Satan are not omnipresent.

But Satan can shapeshift!?

Have your kids ever asked, ‘Why was a snake talking?’ It’s a great question. We have no scriptural evidence that animals spoke outside of this occasion (and a talking donkey later on, in Numbers 22). Genesis 3 describes Satan as a serpent, but we often fail to explain this beyond simplistic Sunday School images.

The word used in Hebrew (nachash) implies more than just a garden-variety snake. It can sometimes mean sea monster (see Isaiah 27:1; Amos 9:3; Job 26:13) and the verb form of the word means ‘to practise divination’. Now, we also know that Satan is a fallen angel (Ezekiel 28:12–18) and angels can sometimes appear like humans (see Hebrews 13:2; Genesis 32) or presumably take on other forms. In Revelation, John links all this together for us: ‘The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient snake called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him' (Revelation 12:9).

We can help our kids understand that Satan probably wasn’t a literal talking snake, but rather a spiritual being taking on a certain form in order to deceive. Whatever his form, the point is clear: Satan is a creature, God is still sovereign and no, that snake you saw at the zoo is not Satan's brother.

We have more than one enemy

It’s also important to help your kids grasp that not everything bad or tempting can be attributed to Satan or demons. Scripture teaches us that we face three main enemies:

• the devil (Ephesians 2:2–3)
• the flesh (Romans 7:15–25)
• the world (1 John 2:15–17).

Different denominations tend to emphasise one of these more than the others. We need a biblical balance. Our goal should be to see our kids growing up and learning to discern which enemy they are facing during trials (potentially a mix of them at times!). That helps to take the ‘sting’ out of it and hopefully encourages our children to grow in self-control and discernment.

Victorious warriors

Ultimately, we need to teach our children that Satan is a defeated enemy. By his death, Jesus broke Satan’s power and freed humanity from fear (Hebrews 2:14). Revelation gives us a vivid picture of the final destruction that awaits our enemy. Because we belong to Jesus, we are not just saved—we are victoriously equipped.

Ephesians 6 describes the armour of God that all Christians can put on. This is a powerful image that resonates with both boys and girls. My boys love to picture themselves as knights on a mission and my girls like to feel protected in a different way. As believers in Jesus this ‘armour’ is the clothing of salvation that they wear everyday. It’s the truth of the gospel that dispels the lies of our enemy. Jesus makes us ready for battle, not during the battle, but prior—we stand ready to defend ourselves.

And it's not just about individuals, but the church united in battle. The shield of faith, for instance, is most effective when used together. Isolation makes us vulnerable, but unity is an impenetrable defence. (Dads, this is a cue for you to build some forts/defence walls and challenge the kids to attack!)

Encourage your children to speak up when they see or sense something dark—not to deal with it alone. Never shame or ridicule them when they are afraid, but stand side by side, speaking truth and reminding them of the spiritual victory they have in Christ.

Raising light carriers not fear bearers

Talking to our kids about Satan doesn’t need to be scary, rather it can be fun and full of truth and a sense of victory. When we start with the power, presence and promises of God, we reframe the conversation from fear to faith.

Satan is real, but he is defeated.

He is active, but he is limited.

And our children, anchored in Christ, are not helpless—they are equipped, empowered and filled with the glorious light of Jesus. Our goal isn’t to raise fearful children who flinch at shadows. It’s to raise wise, courageous followers of Jesus who know how to stand firm in truth, discern the enemy’s tactics, and walk boldly in the light.

Conversations about Satan should point them to the One who crushed the serpent’s head. We can remind our children that because they belong to him, the victorious one, ‘the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet’ (Romans 16:20).

So let’s disciple our kids with clarity, not confusion. With courage, not fear. And with the full assurance that in every battle, seen and unseen, God is with them, and he has already won.

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Cass Backhouse is married to Will and together they have four young children. Cass is the host of HerTheology podcast, which explores all of life in the light of the Bible.

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