Question about prayer

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DaneClark

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When someone prays about something, would God ever give an answer that the person would be likely to misinterpret and cause that person to stray away from His plan for their life (even if the answer did a small amount of good for someone else?) When you get what you want from praying, does that mean that it is very likely that you are headed in the direction that God wants you to go in?
 
DaneClark said:
When someone prays about something, would God ever give an answer that the person would be likely to misinterpret and cause that person to stray away from His plan for their life (even if the answer did a small amount of good for someone else?) When you get what you want from praying, does that mean that it is very likely that you are headed in the direction that God wants you to go in?
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I would highly recommend this book to you:
angeluspress.org/oscatalog/item/4092/rules-for-discerning-spirits

God won’t lead you astray in any way shape or form. But it’s highly possible we could misinterpret something - like St. Francis rebuilding a physical Church when Christ was speaking of the Church as in the Body of Christ. You would have to take a look at your answer and discern if it really is something that God wanted and is going to give Him Glory and benefit you (or whomever) spiritually.

While the devil can’t read your mind he’s very perceptive and he’s been watching and listening to you. He could possibly put things in your way as to make you think you’re prayer’s been answered in an effort to put your soul in danger - oh so subtly. The only way to determine this again is to try to discern the spirits. The book goes into this - it will tell you what signs to look for.

If you can PM me your email address I can send you a scanned copy of a sheet I got on a 5-day Ignatian retreat which will help you in making decisions - it may be of some use to you. It’s based upon St. Ignatius of Loyola’s spiritual exercises (as is the book I linked to).

God Bless,
 
RosaryCrusader said:
I would highly recommend this book to you:
angeluspress.org/oscatalog/item/4092/rules-for-discerning-spirits

God won’t lead you astray in any way shape or form. But it’s highly possible we could misinterpret something - like St. Francis rebuilding a physical Church when Christ was speaking of the Church as in the Body of Christ. You would have to take a look at your answer and discern if it really is something that God wanted and is going to give Him Glory and benefit you (or whomever) spiritually.

While the devil can’t read your mind he’s very perceptive and he’s been watching and listening to you. He could possibly put things in your way as to make you think you’re prayer’s been answered in an effort to put your soul in danger - oh so subtly. The only way to determine this again is to try to discern the spirits. The book goes into this - it will tell you what signs to look for.

If you can PM me your email address I can send you a scanned copy of a sheet I got on a 5-day Ignatian retreat which will help you in making decisions - it may be of some use to you. It’s based upon St. Ignatius of Loyola’s spiritual exercises (as is the book I linked to).

God Bless,
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But if it really really was God that answered, then that means that it almost certainly means what you think it means, right?

Also, isn’t it true the devil can’t be everywhere at once the way God can?
 
DaneClark said:
But if it really really was God that answered, then that means that it almost certainly means what you think it means, right?

Also, isn’t it true the devil can’t be everywhere at once the way God can?
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The devil (satan) doesn’t have to be everywhere - his devils are everywhere - and they can communicate w/ one another so it doesn’t take long for a message to get out. I believe it was St. Padre Pio that said that the devils are so numerous that if you could see them they would blot out the sun and there would be no light. There’s uncountable numbers of evil spirits. Not to make it sound like we’re outnumbered because we’re children of God and they can only tempt us and can only do physical harm in so far as God allows them. Plus we have guardian Angels.

When God answers your prayers you will have peace. It may not be an easy task which God gave you but you will still have that inner peace. A sure sign of the devil, if I remember correctly from the book I linked to, is unrest, doubt, depression, confusion,no sense of peace etc.

I don’t think there is anyway possible for someone else to answer whether the answer to your prayer is truly from God except for you and your confessor or spiritual director if you’re fortunate to have one. You alone know all the details.

I’m sure there’s stuff online about the discernment of spirits. Try googling the keywords: St. Ignatius Discernment of Spirits. There may be some free info out there. If not, the booklet I linked to is only $3.95.
 
RosaryCrusader said:
A sure sign of the devil, if I remember correctly from the book I linked to, is unrest, doubt, depression, confusion,no sense of peace etc.
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So, if a decision makes you feel those things, it’s probably the wrong one, right?
 
DaneClark said:
So, if a decision makes you feel those things, it’s probably the wrong one, right?
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The book expounds upon the exercises of St. Ignatius so that it makes more sense but I did find the info online w/o any kind of commentary: (I don’t know anything about this website)

cfpeople.org/Books/Exercise/EXERCISEp15.htm#T4

Fifth Rule. 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.

St. Ignatius is talking about the movements of the soul and spiritual consolation and desolation but the principles can be employed in discerning outside of just that topic. I’m afraid that’s about all I can say. I would seek out a Priest known for his piety and pray to God before hand and let him know that you’re going to take this Priest’s advice as if it came from the mouth of God (unless of course if the Priest advised you of something contrary to Church or Divine law). A Priest of the Fraternity of St. Peter would be a good choice - I’ve met many and they’re all very pious and well rounded.

When it comes to decisions it’s a very difficult thing. It’s not like the anxiety goes away. I’ve had to make some really tough decisions which I knew people’s feelings were going to be hurt but I had to make sure God was first. It was difficult. I knew it was the right thing but I still felt anxiety and nervousness but I knew it was the right thing to do. There may be some sadness involved but that could be a false sense of sentimentality due to our fallen nature. So I would think a gloomy sadness (and not just sadness itself) would be a sign of the devil. So some of those signs could give confusing signals. Again though - this sounds like something important to you, so in doubt - get the advice of a good, pious and solid Priest.

I’ll remember you in my family rosary.
 
Alright, I took a look at the book at lunch:

There’s six signs of the devil according to St. Ignatius:

1. Sadness: The devil is eternally sad. When he is near he communicates this sadness to you even w/o wanting it.

2. Regret:

3. Impediments - The devil inflates the difficulties one is going to experience

4. Disturbance: Physical or even tempermental such as family disturbance - wife losing temper, children going crazy, father yelling.

5. Fallacious Reasoning: Such as not catechizing your children, saying your children can choose their own religion when they grow up.

6. Discouragement
 
I would say to practice a consistent & regular prayer routine. (focus on prayer for praying itself) - Not praying in order to expect answers.
 
Path A - makes me feel peaceful, happy, and hopeful. Gives me a sense of security and comfort that I haven’t felt in years. Makes my life feel like all the hardships I’ve been through were worth it. I have hit some obstacles with this path, but I believe that they were just caused by my own human doubts and my trying too hard to understand things. Makes me feel like my life isn’t as bad as I had previously believed.

Path B - makes me feel anxious, helpless, and miserable. Makes me feel like nothing ever goes right for me, and is likely to cause me to have severe feelings of jealousy towards certain people. Likely to lead me to an emotional breakdown. Requires me to do things that I just don’t believe that I have the ability to do. Makes me feel very frustrated at the world around me. Makes me feel more distant from God and encourages me to do sinful things.
 
I don’t think the answer is as easy as some are making it out to be (i.e. if it makes you feel at peace, etc.).

I once prayed very hard for God to help me resolve a major dilemma. He certainly resolved the dilemma but I didn’t get the answer I wanted. It did in fact make me feel restless, angry, depressed, and all the things we attribute to Satan.

Problem is, it turned out to be the right answer, as I was able to discern much later with maturity and after going through a dark night of the soul which was triggered by the answer.

All the nasties… yes that was Satan in me rebelling at God’s answer. But it wasn’t the answer that was from Satan.

Jesus Himself did not say it would be always easy.
 
Does my advice about consistent prayer help? . .

John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
 
DaneClark said:
When someone prays about something, would God ever give an answer that the person would be likely to misinterpret and cause that person to stray away from His plan for their life (even if the answer did a small amount of good for someone else?) When you get what you want from praying, does that mean that it is very likely that you are headed in the direction that God wants you to go in?
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Dane: this is like the fifth thread you’ve started with vague, unexplained questions like “If I really want something and I think God is going to give it to me, is God really going to fool me or make me wait?” You ask the questions like they’re hypotheticals, but you’re clearly very concerned about something in particular. I strongly suggest that (1) you quit with magical thinking like, “Will God ever give me what I want if I’m not 100% free of sin?”, and, more importantly (2) you just talk to your priest about whatever it is that’s bothering you so that you can freely discuss your personal circumstances. It is simply impossible for people on an internet board to offer opinions about what God has in store for your life, and you only stand to get confused and disappointed by taking generalized answers to heart. All the best to you –
 
MarkThompson, I’ve tried, but for some reason It’s really hard to get a hold of a priest in my area, every catholic church I call gives me an answering machine message.

I think I’ve got things figured out for myself, but I still have one more question. RosaryCrusader said that, when God answers your prayers, you’ll have piece. If something really really came from God, should where that peace is coming from in the answer be a considered a reliable factor in whether or not your interpreting it correctly?
 
DaneClark said:
MarkThompson, I’ve tried, but for some reason It’s really hard to get a hold of a priest in my area, every catholic church I call gives me an answering machine message.

I think I’ve got things figured out for myself, but I still have one more question. RosaryCrusader said that, when God answers your prayers, you’ll have piece. If something really really came from God, should where that peace is coming from in the answer be a considered a reliable factor in whether or not your interpreting it correctly?
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I can see my peace comment may have been misunderstood by another poster and possibly yourself so I’ll clarify. St. Ignatius speaks of discerning between good and bad spirits. One of the signs of a good spirit is peace - the sign of a bad spirit is it destroys your peace. When I speak of peace don’t confuse it with the secular meaning. I mean it as Christ said it in John 14:27. He distinguishes between the peace that the world gives and the peace that He gives. Two different things - completely. Worldly peace is basically a lack of opposition. Not so with the peace of Christ. The peace of Christ is more a peace of conscience, knowing you’ve done the right thing regardless of the chaos outside of you and the feelings you may have. In this way we can say the martyrs were at peace even though they were on their way to be devoured by lions. As I said earlier, and as OraLabora mentioned, you can still feel all the anxiety, hurtfulness, and anger… that doesn’t mean you don’t have peace in your soul. But this alone is not an infallible guide - the devil can lure you into a false peace of mind and he will seek to do this especially if you’re in a state of mortal sin. St. Ignatius gives many different criteria for judging these things, not just one.

I will reiterate it again though -You should really seek the direction of a pious Priest after first having prayed about it. That’s the only way you’re going to get the peace of a good conscience. Internet advice (including my own) is not worth much. St. Ignatius will prove beneficial but in the end this is between you and God - and if it’s not clear enough between you and God then you absolutely need the advice of His Priests. You said all you’re getting are answering machines when you call a Church - but have you left a message? You may have to drive a ways to find a good Priest. If you want to send me your location via PM I could help see if there’s an apostolate of the FSSP nearby - but don’t refuse to seek a Priest because of the inconvenience of a few hours of driving. It’s obvious you’re not at peace… please seek out a Priest and get it settled.
 
Also, I see I missed a specific in your question… Should the source of where the peace is coming from (in what you believe to be God’s answer to your prayer) have a factor in your discernment of spirits?

The question implies that the answer to your prayer has two aspects: one that gives peace and one that does not. This is why you need a Priest.

This might help you in the meantime:
therealpresence.org/archives/Christian_Spirituality/Christian_Spirituality_030.htm
 
A few more things to consider:

-Path A is what first led me to want to be a better christian in the first place

-Path A led me to finally forgive a person who hurt me very bad and I held a very serious grudge against for years, prior to this I was convinced that I would despise this person for the rest of my life.
 
DaneClark said:
A few more things to consider:

-Path A is what first led me to want to be a better christian in the first place

-Path A led me to finally forgive a person who hurt me very bad and I held a very serious grudge against for years, prior to this I was convinced that I would despise this person for the rest of my life.
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Priest.
 
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