Question about Satan

[DaneClark]

Is it true that he can disguise himself as the holy spirit and make people think that thoughts that are coming from him are coming from God?

Also, if you have a spiritual experience that brings you lots of peace and happines and inspires you to become a less sinful and more godly person, does that mean it’s more likely to be coming from God than from Satan?

 

[Cristiano]

Is it true that he can disguise himself as the holy spirit and make people think that thoughts that are coming from him are coming from God?

Also, if you have a spiritual experience that brings you lots of peace and happines and inspires you to become a less sinful and more godly person, does that mean it’s more likely to be coming from God than from Satan?

Anything that will bring you in disagreement with the teachings of the Church is from the Devil, especially if it feels or looks good. You also have to remember that a greater good will come out of every evil, but we are not allowed to do evil for a good cause.

 

[DaneClark]

But if it’s not in disagreement with the teachings of the church, then there’s a pretty good chance that it’s from God, right?

 

[Cristiano]

But if it’s not in disagreement with the teachings of the church, then there’s a pretty good chance that it’s from God, right?

Of course! All good comes from God. The Holy Spirit is always nudging us. Just make sure that you realize that being moved by the Holy Spirit is different from having a revelation from God. Looking for a personal revelation is a symbol of pride, and a lot of so called revelations are from the devil. Finally remember that the devil is the prince of all lies and so he will befriend you with the beauty of the Truth and then he will make you doubt and lie to you. Always and constantly look for consistency with the teachings of the Church and offer your spiritual and intellectual limitations up to God.

Please read this link to have a better understanding ewtn.com/faith/teachings/maryd8.htm

 

[hawko]

The Holy Spirit does speak to us not only in words, but in many other ways as well, for there is nothing impossible with God. The evil one can also speak to us imitating the Holy Spirit. One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is the gift of discernment. This is a good gift to ask for, since it will help one to distinguish God’s voice from other spirits.

 

[Apollos]

Is it true that he can disguise himself as the holy spirit and make people think that thoughts that are coming from him are coming from God? Also, if you have a spiritual experience that brings you lots of peace and happines and inspires you to become a less sinful and more godly person, does that mean it’s more likely to be coming from God than from Satan?

Yes and no to both. But I want to emphasize two things others probably won’t. First, the devil’s deception can go on for decades, and second, the “fruits” of the deception can impress many, but not forever. **That’s why you must obey the judgment of the Church, even when it’s not infallible. **For example, in a false apparition from the devil, the devil can say carefully avoid going against the Church’s teaching, and he can even perform marvelous works that look just like miracles, even ones that look like miraculous cures, make predictions that look like they have come true, or there may be religious conversions. But in the end, he can tempt the followers to commit the sin of schism. The point is to get people *out *of the Church, and the devil is smart enough to deceive others by telling the truth.

 

[FirstCalled]

The sacraments of the Church are documentable instances of the Holy Spirit being truly present. The Church is our intermediary to God’s graces.
So trust in the Eucharist and Reconciliation daily, anything else, be ware.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Is it true that he can disguise himself as the holy spirit and make people think that thoughts that are coming from him are coming from God?

Also, if you have a spiritual experience that brings you lots of peace and happines and inspires you to become a less sinful and more godly person, does that mean it’s more likely to be coming from God than from Satan?

I wouldn’t say that the devil can disguise as The Holy Spirit, who is God afterall. But Satan would fool us into thinking that what we thought was the Holy Spirit is actually him. So its more of fooling our perception, since we cannot perceive the fullness of God here on earth it becomes easy for Satan to use this limited perception.

When you see false doctrine, you will see Satan’s deception. Many religions and sects today carry beliefs that are not so much different from the Chuch, but the minute alterations have produced a great heresy that a lot of people are fooled into believing because from a certain perspective, it makes sense. That is why Jesus said the road to heaven is narrow. Because a small deviation from belief can lead us the wrong path.