How To Discern God’s Spirit According to the Saints

Are you hearing God's voice?

God sometimes talks to us in a supernatural way. This is particularly true with some of the saints who have reached advanced levels of contemplation. It is truly a gift to be grateful for. But great care must be taken so as not to be deceived.

This gift ought to help us grow spiritually. It ought to give us good fruits like peace and an increase in virtues. But quite the opposite would be true if what we hear is not from God — if it is a mere hallucination or an attack of deception from the evil one.

Below are some of the hints we can note to help us discern if something is coming from God:

Words from St. Teresa of Avila

I believe myself that we know whether this proceeds from the Spirit of God, or is brought about by endeavors of our own, in the commencement of devotion which God gives; and we seek of ourselves, as I said before, to pass onwards to this quiet of the will. Then, no effect whatever is produced; it is quickly over, and aridity is the result. If it come from Satan, the practiced soul, in my opinion, will detect it, because it leaves trouble behind, and scant humility and poor dispositions for those effects which are wrought if it comes from God; it leaves neither light in the understanding nor steadiness in the truth. (Teresa of Avila, 1916, pp.121–122)

When it is the work of the Spirit of God, there is no necessity for going about searching for reasons, on the strength of which we may elicit acts of humility and of shame, because our Lord Himself supplies them in a way very different from that by which we could acquire them by our own poor reflections, which are as nothing in comparison with that real humility arising out of the light which our Lord here gives us, and which begets a confusion of face that undoes us. The knowledge with which God supplies us, in order that we may know that of ourselves we have no good in us, is perfectly apprehended — and the more perfectly, the greater the graces. It fills us with a great desire of advancing in prayer, and of never giving it up, whatever troubles may arise. The soul offers to suffer everything. A certain security, joined with humility and fear concerning our salvation, casts out servile fear at once from the soul, and in its place plants a loyal fear of more perfect growth. There is a visible beginning of a love of God, utterly divested of all self-interest, together with a longing after seasons of solitude, in order to obtain a greater fruition of this good. (Teresa of Avila, 1916, pp.124–125)

Locutions that come from Satan not only do not leave any good effects behind, but do leave evil effects. This has happened to me; but not more than two or three times. Our Lord warned me at once that they came from Satan. Over and above the great aridity which remains in the soul after these evil locutions, there is also a certain disquiet, such as I have had on many other occasions, when, by our Lord’s permission, I fell into great temptations and travail of soul in diverse ways; and though I am in trouble often enough, as I shall show hereafter, yet this disquiet is such that I know not whence it comes; only the soul seems to resist, is troubled and distressed, without knowing why… (Teresa of Avila, 1916, p.219)

After these locutions of the evil one, the soul is never gentle, but is, as it were, terrified, and greatly disgusted. (Teresa of Avila, 1916, p.220)

…that which purports to come from God is received only in so far as it corresponds with the sacred writings; but if it varies therefrom ever so little, I am incomparably more convinced that it comes from Satan than I am now convinced it comes from God, however deep that conviction may be. In this case, there is no need to ask for signs, nor from what spirit it proceeds, because this varying is so clear a sign of the devil’s presence, that if all the world were to assure me that it came from God, I would not believe it. (Teresa of Avila, 1916, p.221)

The fact is, that all good seems to be lost out of sight, and to have fled from the soul, when the devil has spoken to it; the soul is thrown into a state of disgust, and is troubled, able to do no good thing whatever — for if it conceives good desires, they are not strong; its humility is fictitious, disturbed and without sweetness. Any one who has ever tasted of the Spirit of God will, I think, understand it. (Teresa of Avila, 1916, pp.221–222)

These satanic visions are very different things; and even he who shall have attained to the prayer of quiet only will, I believe, detect them by those results of them which I described when I was speaking of locutions. They are most easily recognized; and if a soul consents not to its own delusions, I do not think that Satan will be able to deceive it, provided it walks in humility and singleness of heart. He who shall have had the true vision, coming from God, detects the false visions at once; for, though they begin with a certain sweetness and joy, the soul rejects them of itself; and the joy which Satan ministers must be, I think, very different — it shows no traces of pure and holy love: Satan very quickly betrays himself. (Teresa of Avila, 1916, pp.252–253)

Words from St. Ignatius

We ought to note well the course of the thoughts, and if the beginning, middle and end is all good, inclined to all good, it is a sign of the good Angel; but if in the course of the thoughts which he brings it ends in something bad, of a distracting tendency, or less good than what the soul had previously proposed to do, or if it weakens it or disquiets or disturbs the soul, taking away its peace, tranquillity and quiet, which it had before, it is a clear sign that it proceeds from the evil spirit, enemy of our profit and eternal salvation. (Ignatius of Loyola, 1914, p.178)

In those who go on from good to better, the good Angel touches such soul sweetly, lightly and gently, like a drop of water which enters into a sponge; and the evil touches it sharply and with noise and disquiet, as when the drop of water falls on the stone. (Ignatius of Loyola, 1914, p.179)

In the persons who go from mortal sin to mortal sin, the enemy is commonly used to propose to them apparent pleasures, making them imagine sensual delights and pleasures in order to hold them more and make them grow in their vices and sins. In these persons the good spirit uses the opposite method, pricking them and biting their consciences through the process of reason. In the persons who are going on intensely cleansing their sins and rising from good to better in the service of God our Lord, it is the method contrary to that in the first Rule, for then it is the way of the evil spirit to bite, sadden and put obstacles, disquieting with false reasons, that one may not go on; and it is proper to the good to give courage and strength, consolations, tears, inspirations and quiet, easing, and putting away all obstacles, that one may go on in well doing. (Ignatius of Loyola, 1914, pp.169–170)

Words from St. Padre Pio

“If certain thoughts bother you, it is devil who causes you to worry, and not God, Who, being the spirit of peace, grants you tranquility.”

The spirit of God is a spirit of peace. Even in the most serious faults He makes us feel a sorrow that is tranquil, humble, and confident and this is precisely because of His mercy. The spirit of the devil, instead, excites, exasperates, and make us feel, in that very sorrow [for our sins], anger against ourselves, whereas we should, on the contrary, be charitable with ourselves first and foremost. Therefore, if any thought agitates you, this agitation never comes from God, who gives you peace, being the Spirit of Peace, but from the devil.

Final words

It is a great an extraordinary privilege to hear the voice of God. But let us not be deceived by other spirits that seek to rob us of our peace and of our relationship with God.

God’s voice is pure, gentle, kind and true. God always seeks what is good and not what is evil.

“Now this is the message that we have heard from him and proclaim to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. ” — 1 John 1:5, NABRE

“Just trying to find my way and live a story of love… Wrote a collection of poems a few people surprisingly found beautiful, a self-help book to heal my own broken heart, and a devotional to keep me sane when it’s far too difficult to keep looking up.”
— Jocelyn Soriano