Does Satan answer prayers?

[ribozyme]

I found this post at a secular website so I want to ask the same question here… although I thought it was somewhat inane.

Those apologists who claim that God does not answer every prayer because it would “remove the need for faith among the chosen” or some nonsense have an interesting matter to tackle. Suppose they were right, and God did not wish to make his presence too obvious, or else people would somehow be less faithful for whatever reason.

Now, isn’t Satan supposed to have earthly power? Aren’t they struggling for our very immortal souls, tugging us in opposite directions, to Heaven or Hell? So why wouldn’t Satan step in after weeks (or years!) of a mother’s fruitless praying for a son’s recovery from illness, and agree to help her? If it’s against God’s will to do so (which it obviously is, since otherwise God would have done it), then Satan is perfectly justified in healing the son, since it’s his nature to defy God’s plan, right

iidb.infidels.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=239871

 

[jonnyws]

Satan, by my understanding of him anyway. Cannot preform any Miracle for good. He cannot create and he cannot abide truth Faith. However he is prince of this world and there are Satanists out there (Lord have mercy on them) and I would assume he would answer their prayers as long as they would not cause good to happen or need the ability to create in order to answer them.

After all in the Old Testament we see the Egyptian mages preforming miracles and they are certainly not praying to the True God for the ability.

However I would not recommend ever trying it! Do not give the Devil even an inch of ground when it comes to your immortal Soul because he desires nothing more than to deprive God of your Soul and he will go to any length to get it.

 

[deb1]

I found this post at a secular website so I want to ask the same question here… although I thought it was somewhat inane.

iidb.infidels.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=239871

As always an interesting question from you.

The example of a mother praying for her child is relevant to me. My son has tourette’s, as you can imagine it is difficult for me to see my son having uncontrollable twitches. He shakes his head, and knocks his elbows against his side. Yes, I’ve prayed for a miracle and still do.

But I would not go to Satan for his healing.

First of all, I know that God can see the bigger picture in a way that I can not. So, I have to trust him. Plus I realize that one day my son will have a perfect body that doesn’t twitch.

Our lives on earth is only a short span compared to our existence in heaven. If I prayed to Satan I would not have eternal life with my son, I would be sent to hell(Well, unless I asked God sincerly for forgiveness)

I can deal with the temporary pain of seeing my son twitch for the sake of eternity.

So, for me the answer is, it doesn’t matter if Satan grants prayers.

Besides we have to keep in mind that Satan hates us and would never do something nice for us out of love. It will always be to hurt us later somehow. PErhaps the mother whose prayer to Satan was answered for her son’s healing will have to face, years later, the fact that her son became a notorious serial killer.

 

[Fuerza]

In addition to what other have already posted, I would also add that Satan is not an equal of God, and cannot just “step in” and do himself what God in His wisdom has chosen not to. If it is not God’s will for something to happen, you can be pretty sure He’s not going to let the devil override Him.

 

[Mystic_Warrior]

I found this post at a secular website so I want to ask the same question here… although I thought it was somewhat inane.

iidb.infidels.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=239871

Healing is something that goes against Satan’s whole point. He doesn’t want to see people healed. Remember, he comes to steal, kill and destroy.

I’m sure that the only thing the Devil would do is whisper into the mother’s ear things that cause her to doubt her faith in God. He would want to bring in resentment, anger and hopelessness. That does far more to further his cause.

Peace…

MW

 

[ABostonCatholic]

Healing is something that goes against Satan’s whole point. He doesn’t want to see people healed. Remember, he comes to steal, kill and destroy.

I’m sure that the only thing the Devil would do is whisper into the mother’s ear things that cause her to doubt her faith in God. He would want to bring in resentment, anger and hopelessness. That does far more to further his cause.

Peace…

MW

Not necessarily.

Acts 16

16Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." 18She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.

19When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”

22The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. 23After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

The girl was speaking the truth, but doing it for evil ends.

 

[Yerusalyim]

The Short answer is NO.

Satan counterfeits the work of God, but can’t duplicate it.

 

[Daniel_Marsh]

The antichrist will do “lying wonders”, not genuine miracles. No where in scripture do we find Satan with the power or authority to heal. As for the person God chooses not to heal, God will grant that person the strength to endure.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (New International Version)

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Also, if you read the book of Job, God places a hedge around his people and Satan, nor demons can not climb over or through that hedge without God’s permission.

 

[Mystic_Warrior]

Not necessarily.

Acts 16

16Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." 18She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.

19When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”

22The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. 23After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

The girl was speaking the truth, but doing it for evil ends.

Yes, and we see demons proclaiming who Jesus was also. We also see Satan tempting Christ and using Scripture to do so. In my personal dealings with demons they will tell the truth only if they think it will bother me, such as: “Guess what I did to them last night”, etc. etc.

It reminds me of “The Screwtape Letters” by C.S. Lewis. They whisper things in one’s ear to lead to doubt, to hopelessness, to commit evil acts. And of course, by accounts from Father Amorth and other exorcists, the demons will bring up unconfessed sins also in the hopes of destroying the exorcist’s confidence and authority to cast out evil.

Peace…

MW

 

[mmm1]

God grants Satan & his cohorts powers that are minor compared to God, but greater than ours. Witchcraft & other occult practices tap into these powers. These are the “prayers” Satan “answers”. People who practice these things are tapping into demonic powers, whether they realize it or not. That is why these things are forbidden to Christians, because they are so spiritually dangerous.

 

[Gara3987]

I found this post at a secular website so I want to ask the same question here… although I thought it was somewhat inane.

iidb.infidels.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=239871

It is to my understanding the Lucifer is only capable of what God allows him to do, he is unable to create anything. What we must remember is that he once was an angel of light and can take that form (and any other form of light) any time him wants (St. Teresa of Avila, once asked our Lord how she will be able to tell if it were truly Him, for she worried that it might be the devil). We must always remember that he is also the father of all lies, and will do anything to obtain ones soul.

I have heard of someone wondering around I believe it was Mexico performing miracles e.g. healing the ill. Everyone was welcoming him, but when he went to one womens house, she invited him in. What was interesting was he told her that her door was to small for him to enter, he then looked up at the crucifix above the door; turned and walked away. This happened some years back.

It is also known that a stigmata can be from the devil as well, if the wounds smell of flowers it would be from God, but there have been stigmata cases where the wounds smelled of roting flesh.

I believe that the devil will do anything to ruin God plans for man. Even act as if he were mans best friend (a best friend with malicious plans to privately inflicted upon man).

Venerable Mary of Agreda, documented:

“This we must strive to do,” said Lucifer, “to ward this end we must apply all our forces, all our so licitude and knowledge. We will subject the human creatures to our influence and will, in order to destroy them. We will persecute this race of men and will deprive them of the reward promised to them. We will exert all our vigilance, to prevent them from arriving at the vision of God, which was denied us unjustly. I will gain great triumphs over them ; I will destroy them all and subject them to my designs. I will sow new sects and errors, and set up laws contrary to those of the Most High in all things. I will raise up from among men false prophets and leaders, who will spread these doctrines (Act 20, 30) and I will scatter this seed through them and afterwards I will assign to them a place in these profound torments. I will afflict the poor, oppress the afflicted, and persecute the timid. I will sow discord, excite wars, and stir up nations against each other. I will raise up proud and haughty men to extend the dominion of sin and after they shall have executed my designs, I will bury them in this eternal fire, and in so much the greater torments, the more faithfully they followed me. This is my kingdom and this is the reward which I will give to those who follow me.”

 

[Edmac]

This is a silly thread. If you pray to Satan, you are necessarily
pryaing to be damned, and may be quite sure he will do all
in his power to see that you are.

On the other hand, to do such a thing you would have to be
a person of such immense stupidity and ignorance that you
were incapable of making free acts of the will, so God might
save you anyhow.

 

[Servus_Pio_XII]

I think, in the way you consider a prayer “answered”, Satan is most likely to do so - you see, Satan is corrupt, and can be won by promises, oaths and insincere flattery, and made to change his will.

God’s Will, however, is perfect, loving and immutable. He will never fail you in need, but He will not be wooed into changing His mind by any offering.

Thus, prayer to the devil would be a selfish exercise resulting in evil. Prayer to God must further His perfect will, and bring good.

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

I found this post at a secular website so I want to ask the same question here… although I thought it was somewhat inane.

iidb.infidels.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=239871

About this:​

• Now, isn’t Satan supposed to have earthly power? Aren’t they struggling for our very immortal souls, tugging us in opposite directions, to Heaven or Hell? So why wouldn’t Satan step in after weeks (or years!) of a mother’s fruitless praying for a son’s recovery from illness, and agree to help her? If it’s against God’s will to do so (which it obviously is, since otherwise God would have done it), then Satan is perfectly justified in healing the son, since it’s his nature to defy God’s plan, right
  The writer is treating the devil as an independent power: which the devil is not. God is not a power: He is Lord - He is Alone great in power. The devil, is not, & can no more “help” (!) a human being - who is a creature, just as the devil is: unlike God, Who is the Creator & Lord of both - than a dog with rabies can do so. No creature can exist let alone move unless God create it & conserve it in being: His Providence extends to all creatures & all that is in them without the least exception. God is the “King of Kings & Lord of Lords”, the only Ruler of His creatures - the devil is a rebel against Him: not an equal or a competitor

The position described is closer to Absolute Cosmological Dualism than to anything Jewish or Christian. We are not Dualists, cosmologically, or ethically, or otherwise. The writer has no understanding of what he or she is talking about.

The power & tyranny of the devil have in any case been shattered & broken & ruined by the Death & Resurrection of Christ - so the devil is like a lamed & mad dog: not something to fear.