Having control over nature is something that is done in witchcraft, but not in Christianity.
I think that depends on what your definition of 'control' is. We, humans, are set over the creation by our Lord, and He will reckon with us, based on how we handled it. All direct mystical control is... weird, at least. I would very much doubt it being of the Lord. On the other hand, the Lord himself does control the entire creation, and Christians are invited to come to the throne of grace to ask what they need; God can hear our prayer, if He, in His wisdom, thinks it is beneficial to us, and thus we could indirectly control all of creation.
Since Satan is a finite creature, it doesn't seem likely that most of us have ever directly encountered him in any way, either. I suspect he's got better things to be doing than personally giving me a hard time.
I don't think that that is entirely true. Satan is not omnipresent, but: "He asked him, What [is] thy name? And he answered, saying, My name [is] Legion: for we are many." (Mark 5:9)
Can the devil work in us? I am currently reading a book by Petrus Immens, a Dutch divine in Middelburg (Zealand) some centuries ago. It is called "De Godvruchtige Avondmaalganger", which means, "The Godly Partaker of the Lords Supper". At a certain point, he is dealing with why many of Gods children have difficulties in attaining to the assurance of faith, and he gives about two dozen reasons and then shows that they are no reason to doubt the veracity of ones conversion and faith. I have translated one of those, which partly deals with the devil - I will spare you the Dutch, unless someone requests it.
Petrus Immens said:
8. If a troubled one says: I certainly have reason to doubt my state [in Christ], for I dare not tell what horrible thoughts arise in my heart, even most often when I am going about the holy duties. For your consolation I will answer:
a. This is not uncommon amongst the Lords people. Many eminent saints have undergone and complained about this. Do not regard it as strange if you undergo this.
b. Learn to see the difference between thoughts that come from your own heart, and those that are thrown in by Satan as fiery arrows. It is true that our heart is evil enough to throw up many sinful thoughts, and therefore it is hard to know the difference. Even though that may be so, I think that one can best know them by this: when such thoughts come in the soul unexpected, when one is busy doing something entirely different [from the sinful thought], and they cause an immediate fear and trembling, and [the soul] fights, prays and strives against them. If you encounter this, regard it to be from Satan, and more a suffering in you, than that it should be marked as a sin.
And then he continues to say that wandering thoughts during worship are sins, but should not be cause to doubt of ones state in Christ.
I translated this mainly, because I have had some troubles with this for a few weeks myself; but after I had prayed for it the Lord took it away remarkably soon, for which I have cause to be truly thankful.
If you wish, I can translate a part in which he discerns the devils acting as well: in the case when a believer or pastor or whosoever does a good deed, and afterwards, his heart condemns him or suggests to him that he has done it for worldly ends. Immens says that that is the devil trying to stop us from doing good work, provided the thoughts are sudden and hateful to the soul, as he argued above.
My own conclusion to all this would be that the devil can try to influence us, and that praying is better than rebuking, because of what the Lord promised with regard to prayer, and because rebuking seems to depend to much on the believer, and not enough on the One in whom we must believe. Praise be to Him for His eternal grace and endless mercy!
