How do I know if it's God, or just my brain?

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Elzee

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My child asked me the other day - “'how do I know if when I’m praying and trying to listen to God, that it’s God speaking to me, or if it’s just my brain telling me things on its own?” I didn’t know how to answer this - perhaps an indication that I still have a long way to go in my prayer life.

Can anyone help me? How do you recognize the voice of God when you pray?
 
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Elzee:
My child asked me the other day - “'how do I know if when I’m praying and trying to listen to God, that it’s God speaking to me, or if it’s just my brain telling me things on its own?” I didn’t know how to answer this - perhaps an indication that I still have a long way to go in my prayer life.

Can anyone help me? How do you recognize the voice of God when you pray?
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Hi Elzee…I will be interested in the answers that unfold because I have always wondered this myself!..I oft say things to The Lord…but have never heard a speaking voice in reply!!! … and since I am treated by a psychiatrist…dont particularly feel I want to!!! Many people say nowadays it would seem “Jesus told me this morning at Prayer…” and I have never asked if they actually hear His Voice…tho I have wondered.

Regards Barb
Bethany South Australi
Fr iday l.7.05 9.20pm
 
Elzee,

Sometimes, in a neutral situation where we just aren’t sure and no harm will be done, it helps to step out in faith and follow the inspiration. A good one will lead to a good end, and you just need to watch the fruit of it afterwards.

But for those new to prayer and earnestly desiring to follow Christ, He is most gracious in helping us to know His voice. We know by faith that God is pure love. Many times His inspirations will bear the stamp of His love, so that’s what to watch for – the loving movement of our heart as we ponder the inspiration. There will be a felt unction of love and peace, together with an impulse to act on it.

Those who have advanced in prayer after a number of years, will no longer find this support, as God speaks in another way. But for now, trust the interior anointing of love. Ask Him to confirm it, if it is something rather important. You’ll find that He has the most unusual ways of doing this so that you will not make a mistake.

What a lovely journey you will be taking as you come to know His ways!

http://forum.catholic.com/images/smilies/smile.gif Carole
 
I don’t always know if something comes from God or just from my brain. I’ve never heard an audible voice in prayer, but I have had an interior voice, kind of like a regular thought, that comes. Those are the ones that are hard to figure out, because they could be from me or from God. For the most part, I have a few ways to figure out where it’s coming from.

Sometimes there are things that are genuinely unimportant but that make me smile or even laugh during prayer time. It could be God giving me hope, or it could just be a random thought. I tell God that I’m not sure if it was my thought or His voice, but that I thank him for whatever benefit I gained from it. That way, I’m not reading too much into it, but I am making sure not to neglect God’s gifts to me either.

One sure way for me to know if it is God or me is if a thought keeps coming back. For example, I tend to pray at night. This usually works well for me, but occasionally I’ll put it off for too long. There are nights where I constantly feel like I should be praying. When I ignore this feeling, something inevitably happens that makes prayer more difficult later, whether it is an unexpected visit from a friend or just getting tired unusually early. After this happened a few times, I realized that this urge to pray was probably a prompting of the Holy Spirit, Who obviously knew that if I put off praying that night, it would be much more difficult.

There are other ways I look to see if it is God’s voice if I think He is guiding me to make a particular decision, as in discernment. Usually, I have time to think about it, so if I think I hear Him telling me to go a certain way, I continue to bring this up in prayer. If I continue to be completely unsure about it, I usually figure it’s my own voice. At other times, though, the more I think and pray about it, the more I can’t see any other way. These times may also be followed by external confirmations. For example, if other people who don’t know what you’re trying to figure out offer advice unprompted, and they all say the same thing, and it agrees with what you think God is telling you, it’s probably God who’s telling it to you.

A final way to know if it is definitely NOT God: if you think God is telling you something that goes against the truth He has revealed, it’s not God telling it to you.
 
ask God to silence your brain when beginning prayer.
Test it.
Is it scriptural?
Do other christians confirm it?
Does it bear good fruit?
Does it come to pass? (not always applicable)

Over time, you come to know your brain better. You can tell if it is God because it doesn’t sound like something you would think of yourself. And, take the leap of faith more often then the leap of skeptisism.
 
My discernment checklist whether thoughts are God speaking.
  1. Is it obediant to all in authority over me?
  2. Does it fall in line with and promote the one true Church?
  3. Does it cause me or others to turn closer to God?
  4. Is the thought persistant?
After that, its practice. Its just like when people call you on the phone. After a while, you learn to recognize the voice on the other end of the line just from experience, without any other indicators.

Josh
 
The correct assumption is to assume it’s just my brain.
 
Grace and Glory:
I don’t always know if something comes from God or just from my brain. I’ve never heard an audible voice in prayer, but I have had an interior voice, kind of like a regular thought, that comes. Those are the ones that are hard to figure out, because they could be from me or from God. For the most part, I have a few ways to figure out where it’s coming from…
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This happens to me a lot. I sometimes get confimation if it is from God or not in the Confessional. I was once praying for a special intention, then had the thought that it wouldn’t be granted, because Jesus had things planned for me about which I didn’t know. Several days later, at Confession the priest said the exact same thing to me, that God has plans for us of which we are unaware…it kinda floored me!
 
Chris Jacobsen:
The correct assumption is to assume it’s just my brain.
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Hi Chris…this is what I always assume…thanks! I am not alone! …and I think if one assumes it is not one’s brain…best to discuss it with a director.

Regards Barb
Bethany
Sth.Aust. Sat. 2.7.05 20.36am
Hail Mary!
 
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Elzee:
My child asked me the other day - “'how do I know if when I’m praying and trying to listen to God, that it’s God speaking to me, or if it’s just my brain telling me things on its own?” I didn’t know how to answer this - perhaps an indication that I still have a long way to go in my prayer life.

Can anyone help me? How do you recognize the voice of God when you pray?
Click to expand...
This is such an interesting topic. I’ve often wondered this myself. I often prayed, “God please hit me over the head with a spiritual frying pan” or “God I need a good spiritual kick in the pants.” Then it hit me, God is wanting me to see him in the silence. It is definately not the way I would choose, but God knows I need to work on hearing his still small voice.
 
When I gain an insight or have a breakthrough moment – even though I don’t hear a voice – I assume it is the Holy Spirit. I have a devotion to the Holy Spirit and I am a person who is a good servant for Him – I am so distractable and He can move me as He pleases.

When I have heard a voice – usually it is Jesus present in the Eucharist.

When He called me by name to “His banquet table” – when I had not yet converted, but was a practicing almost Catholic --I was active in my parish and very sincerely supporting the sacrifice of the Mass even though I could not recieve the Eucharist.

I didn’t hear from Jesus for many years – I didn’t really think that I deserved such a gift – I am sinner indeed. Yet He revealed His Presence again in the tabernacle – when I thought I would write a grocery list after praying the Rosary. He had other plans.

There are times when I realize I am just talking to myself, too.

All these events are distinctly different – usually the Holy Spirit thing makes me wonder why I did or said such a thing. It frequently turns out to be a good deed though.

The voice of our Lord present in the Holy Eucharist – well, I am reduced to tears at such a sublime gift from our humble Savior. The moment is so incredibly intimate that I can’t do more than cry for many minutes.

When I talk to myself, well that is nothing unusual.
 
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CalledtoServe:
This is such an interesting topic. I’ve often wondered this myself. I often prayed, “God please hit me over the head with a spiritual frying pan” or “God I need a good spiritual kick in the pants.” Then it hit me, God is wanting me to see him in the silence. It is definately not the way I would choose, but God knows I need to work on hearing his still small voice.
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I CalledtoServe…I identified with your Post.

Here is something Thomas Merton had to say about Silence:

http://by103fd.bay103.hotmail.msn.c...0000000001&a=a100b53bed89989d124c45e901555e15

Thomas Merton Reflection for Week of 4.7.05

“Those who love their own noise are impatient of everything else. They constantly defile the silence of the forests and the mountains and the sea. They bore through silent nature in every direction with their machines, for fear that the calm world might accuse them of their own emptiness. The urgency of their swift movement seems to ignore the tranquility of nature by pretending to have a purpose. The loud plane seems for a moment to deny the reality of the clouds and of the sky, by its direction, its noise, and its pretended strength. The silence of the sky remains when the plane has gone. The tranquility of the clouds will remain when the plane has fallen apart. It is the silence of the world that is real. Our noise, our business, our purposes, and all our fatuous statements about our purposes, our business, and our noise: these are the illusion.”

I think Merton’s concept of ‘racket v silence’ can be carried over to our own concepts & illusions with which we clutter up The Silence and may well deafen it. My prayer is most often simply The Silence That Speaks Beyond Words. …I am content with this. Whatever my head, my brain and mind needs to know is taken care of by The Church and her beautiful spiritual theology and then t oo perhaps a chat with my director.
 
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Mamamull:
When I gain an insight or have a breakthrough moment – even though I don’t hear a voice – I assume it is the Holy Spirit. I have a devotion to the Holy Spirit and I am a person who is a good servant for Him – I am so distractable and He can move me as He pleases.

When I have heard a voice – usually it is Jesus present in the Eucharist.

When He called me by name to “His banquet table” – when I had not yet converted, but was a practicing almost Catholic --I was active in my parish and very sincerely supporting the sacrifice of the Mass even though I could not recieve the Eucharist.

I didn’t hear from Jesus for many years – I didn’t really think that I deserved such a gift – I am sinner indeed. Yet He revealed His Presence again in the tabernacle – when I thought I would write a grocery list after praying the Rosary. He had other plans.

There are times when I realize I am just talking to myself, too.

All these events are distinctly different – usually the Holy Spirit thing makes me wonder why I did or said such a thing. It frequently turns out to be a good deed though.

The voice of our Lord present in the Holy Eucharist – well, I am reduced to tears at such a sublime gift from our humble Savior. The moment is so incredibly intimate that I can’t do more than cry for many minutes.

When I talk to myself, well that is nothing unusual.
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Hi Mamamull…great to meet you in cyberspace!..your Post was very moving…Because I do not experience such phenomena does not mean t hat I do not think others do!..The Spirit blows where He will!!!
…nor will He be limited by our human concepts!

:blessyou:

Regards Barb
Bethany Sth.Aust - Sat. 2.7.05 6.12pm Hail Mary!
 
Dear friends,

It is just not scriptural to think that we will have to go through life floundering, unable to hear God’s voice in prayer. Though we may find references in many places of the bible, there is one promised by Jesus, Himself, in John Chapter 10, where He assures us that His sheep DO hear His voice, and will not follow another. He is truly the Good Shepherd, who leads His own into “verdant” pastures."

I have always loved the Shepherd image; so much so, that I took time many years ago to look up “sheep” in an encyclopedia, and was most edified by what I read. In order to train her young to know her voice, the mother thrusts her young from her, and after a short time she will bleat calling the lamb back to her. When the lamb returns, she rewards it by allowing it to nurse at its breasts - very delightful, peaceful and secure indeed! By repeating this many times, the lamb learns its mother’s voice and comes readily.

I suppose some authors might call this prayer process “recollection,” for when God calls in this way, we become peacefully recollected, “nursing” in His holy presence. When one comes to know this spiritual unction experientially, it is a customary way that the Lord guides a soul or confirms its choice interiorly.

This is to train “lambs,” for after the lamb has matured, it will not ordinarily receive this type of guidance but will listen to God another way. Even so, it is always good to consider the checkpoints mentioned earlier in these posts, since feelings/emotions can at times be misinterpreted. My purpose in sharing is to dispel any notion that we cannot learn to listen to God and be guided by Him — that it is simply our own brain or thought at work.

http://forum.catholic.com/images/smilies/smile.gif Carole
 
Hi in cyberpspace…

St. Teresa of Avila wrote of the phenomena of locutions or of hearing the voice of Jesus …

Her guideline is that there is first of all great peace and comfort in the soul which is accompanied by an absolute conviction that none could shake (not even a timid confessor) that one had indeed heard the voice of Jesus. She also states that tho many years pass the words of Jesus heard by the soul are retained in memory and with great sweetness (peace and comfort). She does ask the person who experiences spiritual phenomena to subject it to a Confessor and to be obedient to the Confessor…for if The Lord is sending spiritual phenomena no discouragement from a timid or unlearned and unspiritual confessor with no experinece or learning himself of such matters will alter what The Lord wills to do.

She also held that visions, locutions and ecstacy are often sent to strengthen the soul in its weakness…to encourage the soul to go on. Such phenomena is not therefore any inidication of level of holiness (which the spiritual life is all about…growth in) but could be an indication of spiritual weaknesses.

Finally she asks that none desire such phenomena but to be grateful and humble about the way one is led. She stresses that the surest and safest way to Union (object of spiritual life) is love of neighbour…in that there can be no deception whatsoever. And love of neighbour is open to all!!!

That is a summary as I see it of St. Teresa’s teachings on spiritual phenomena and a Doctor of The Church.
smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/17/17_2_2.gif
Regards Barb
Bethany Sth. Aust. Sun .3.7.05 9.10pm
Whom do you seek?..He is Risen!
 
Hi Barb,

Thanks for sharing St. Teresa’s description of locutions, which may be useful for some people who are following along. I hope the reader is not confusing a supernatural phenomena such as this (locutions) with the ordinary thought processes we use in prayer to ask direction from God for a particular choice. This guidance is not experienced as a formal locution, but simply a peaceful, loving assurance that the choice is in line with God’s leading.

If we take to heart Elzee’s concern as to how she might answer her child, we wold realize that children would not normally experience locutions. As an mature, praying adult who has practiced prayer for countless years, I can only testify to receiving two formal locutions. So we have to learn another way of listening, huh? Locutions are not even the norm for “lambs” who are beginning to follow the Shepherd — nor for the very advanced who may not be in need of them except in very serious matters.

Maybe we confuse the term “listening to God’s voice” with superntural locutions. That is not the person’s intended meaning, as a rule, when they say that they understood something from God in prayer. Rarely is a voice heard. It is more of an intuitive thing that is centered in the heart, filled with a loving assurance and coupled with deep peace that cannot be feigned by satan.

I’m so glad you read St. Teresa and have kindly shared this excerpt from her work. We may tuck it aside in case it is needed some day. You might also read about these in more depth from St. John of the Cross in the Ascent of Mt. Carmel.

http://forum.catholic.com/images/smilies/smile.gif Carole
 
Hi there Carole, Song of Joy!..great to catch up with you again…

***Thanks for sharing St. Teresa’s description of locutions, which may be useful for some people who are following along. I hope the reader is not confusing a supernatural phenomena such as this (locutions) with the ordinary thought processes we use in prayer to ask direction from God for a particular choice. This guidance is not experienced as a formal locution, but simply a peaceful, loving assurance that the choice is in line with God’s leading. ***

If we take to heart Elzee’s concern as to how she might answer her child, we wold realize that children would not normally experience locutions. As an mature, praying adult who has practiced prayer for countless years, I can only testify to receiving two formal locutions. So we have to learn another way of listening, huh? Locutions are not even the norm for “lambs” who are beginning to follow the Shepherd — nor for the very advanced who may not be in need of them except in very serious matters.

Maybe we confuse the term “listening to God’s voice” with superntural locutions. That is not the person’s intended meaning, as a rule, when they say that they understood something from God in prayer. Rarely is a voice heard. It is more of an intuitive thing that is centered in the heart, filled with a loving assurance and coupled with deep peace that cannot be feigned by satan.

***I’m so glad you read St. Teresa and have kindly shared this excerpt from her work. We may tuck it aside in case it is needed some day. You might also read about these in more depth from St. John of the Cross in the Ascent of Mt. Carmel. ***

**http://forum.catholic.com/images/smilies/smile.gif Carole **

Geethanks Carole…while I cannot agree with what you have said nor the way you have said it… I shant loose sleep and hope to get this mouse here fixed up this coming Tuesday. A friend will call who knows computers. Nevertheless, a quite interesting and revealing Post…thanks again! Is the ‘we’ in the final paragraph some sort of royal plural I am unaware of? Presupposing, since supposition has been raised, this mouse here gets fixed
Tuesday, I shall return to your Post, time on my side, and give it the answer it deserves! smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/17/17_1_11.gif

Barb
 
Hi Carole…a five minute Post with this here mouse like it is…takes me a good 20 mins …I skipped over to my copy of Ascent of Mt.Carmel and re-read Chapter 13…which is summed up in these words from that Chapter and found right at the conclusion of it… **" . But, whether they be of this kind or of that, it is good for the soul to desire to understand nothing, save God alone, through faith, in hope. And if anyone makes the objection that to reject these things, if they are good, appears to be pride, I reply that it is not so, but that it is prudent humility to profit by them in the best way, as has been said, and to be guided by that which is safest." **
***in other words, to profit by growth in virtue alone. ***

…but once this here mouse is fixed and presupposing that it will be, I will give your Post a more detailed answer and to each point you raised, as I have long had concerns re consistent talk of ‘listening to God’ and also comments like “Jesus said to me …”. I have pondered that adults are somewhat confused…which must lead to confusion in children as potential.

Barb
 
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