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How do you know if you're praying to God and not Satan?


James C.

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Whenever i start crying over a bad day, i get this image of Jesus' feet in my face and im crying at his feet. The alternative reaction to my crying is me saying to myself,"stop crying God wouldn't want you to be crying and stop feeling self-pity!"Which view of God is truly God and which view is the devil? Cant the devil disguise himself as an angel of light??? im so confused! please help!!! I feel like im  worshipping Satan! i have Ocd and im a non christian so everything is switched around in my head!! also, sometimes i feel like God wants me to pick up a glass bottle and throw it at the mirror! is this God or the devil? One voice is saying," Don't worry about what the bible says, just come to me!" And the other says in a demanding tone and loving tone, "PEE YOUR PANTS, THROW THE GLASS BOTTLE! STICK YOUR HEAD IN THE TOILET!!" are these just intrusive thoughts? the devil? GOD????? im so confused!

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I suppose by you you address the prayer to, I do not think God and Satan share a FaceBook account. Sorry if the seems too flippant.

Direct your prayers to the true Lord of creation, to Yahweh, Jehovah God the Father etc, but know this . . . 

if you are not a Christian, God of course knows what you are praying, but He is not responsive to those who pray to Him, unless they are approaching Him in desire to repent of their sin, and belong to Him as their rightful master.

You should probably consider finding a good, local church, were you can sit under the teaching and guidance of the pastor and others who attend there.

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All negative (unloving and/or untrue) thoughts are not from God who is loving and true. We may perceive a thought which seems harsh, loud, or in our face, and become confused as to its origin. Most are self-talk words of shaming which we picked up from others. But the point is, if the harsh, in our face words are true and makes sense, then it is tough love for us. Our ego often fears the truth, and it interprets tough-love as harsh and in our face. But the words cannot be denied for they are true.

For example. I asked God repeatedly for patience. After a long time, all I got was trials and tribulations. Then I asked what was going on. Then suddenly I here "How else are you going to learn?" These words sounded harsh and in me face, but they are true. The tough-love bit was being given trial and tribulations to practice patience with.

If the thoughts are from God, the bible often has some reference to it. With the above example . . .

James 1:12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

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9 hours ago, James C. said:

Whenever i start crying over a bad day, i get this image of Jesus' feet in my face and im crying at his feet. The alternative reaction to my crying is me saying to myself,"stop crying God wouldn't want you to be crying and stop feeling self-pity!"Which view of God is truly God and which view is the devil? Cant the devil disguise himself as an angel of light??? im so confused! please help!!! I feel like im  worshipping Satan! i have Ocd and im a non christian so everything is switched around in my head!! also, sometimes i feel like God wants me to pick up a glass bottle and throw it at the mirror! is this God or the devil? One voice is saying," Don't worry about what the bible says, just come to me!" And the other says in a demanding tone and loving tone, "PEE YOUR PANTS, THROW THE GLASS BOTTLE! STICK YOUR HEAD IN THE TOILET!!" are these just intrusive thoughts? the devil? GOD????? im so confused!

How can I know if I am hearing God, hearing Satan, or hearing my own thoughts?

Question: "How can I know if I am hearing God, hearing Satan, or hearing my own thoughts?"

Answer: Life is full of decisions that do not have absolute, specific-by-name, how-to directions in the Bible. How many hours a day should my kids watch TV? Is it okay to play shoot-ʼem-up video games? Am I allowed to go on a date with a co-worker? Does God get mad if I miss work because I stayed up too late the night before? We all have notions about the truth, but how do we know for sure that these ideas are coming from God? Am I hearing God? Or am I only hearing myself? Worse yet, am I hearing the temptations of Satan disguised as the leading of the Holy Spirit? Sometimes distinguishing our own ideas from God’s leading is difficult. And what if our urges are actually coming from the enemy of our souls and not from God? How do we “take every thought captive” (2 Corinthians 10:5) when we aren’t sure where the thoughts are coming from?

Most commonly, God communicates through the Bible, His inspired Word, preserved through the centuries for us today. It is through the Word that we are sanctified (John 17:17), and the Word is the light for our path (Psalm 119:105). God can also guide us through circumstances (2 Corinthians 2:12), the promptings of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16), and godly mentors providing wise counsel (Proverbs 12:15). If God wants to speak to us, nothing can stop Him. Here are some ways to discern the source of our thoughts:

Pray
If we are confused about whether or not we are hearing God, it is good to pray for wisdom (James 1:5). (It’s good to pray for wisdom even when we don’t think we’re confused!) We should ask God to make His willknown to us clearly. When we pray, we “must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6). If we have no faith, we “should not expect to receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:7).

Talk to God in prayer and earnestly wait for His answer. However, keep in mind that God doesn’t give us everything we desire, and sometimes His answer is “no.” He knows what we need at any given time, and He will show us what is best. If God says, “No,” then we can thank Him for the clarity of His direction and move on from there.

Study the Word
The Bible is called “God’s Word” for a reason—it is the primary way God speaks to us. It is also the way we learn about God’s character and His dealings with people throughout history. All Scripture is “breathed out by God” and is the guide for a righteous life (2 Timothy 3:16). While we speak to God in prayer, He speaks to us through His Word. As we read, we must consider the words of the Bible to be the very words of God.

Any thought, desire, inclination, or urge we may have must be brought to the Word of God for comparison and approval. Let the Bible be the judge of every thought. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). No matter how urgent the urge, if it goes against what Scripture says, then it is not of God and must be rejected.

Follow the Holy Spirit’s Leading
The Holy Spirit is God—a divine Being with a mind, emotions, and will. He is always with us (Psalm 139:7–8). His purposes include interceding for us (Romans 8:26–27) and giving gifts to benefit the church (1 Corinthians 12:7–11).

The Holy Spirit wills to fill us (Ephesians 5:18) and produce in us His fruit (Galatians 5:22–25). No matter what decisions we’re making day to day, we can’t go wrong when we exhibit love, joy, peace, etc., to the glory of God. When we have a random thought pop into our heads, we must learn to “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1). Will following this inclination lead to more Christlikeness? Will dwelling on this thought produce more of the fruit of the Spirit in me? The Holy Spirit will never lead us to gratify the sinful desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16); He will always lead us toward sanctification (1 Peter 1:2). Life on earth is a spiritual battle. The enemy is eager to supply diversions to distract us from God’s will (1 Peter 5:8). We must be vigilant to ensure that what we heed is more than a feeling but is truly from God Himself.

Remember, God wants to show us the right path to take. He’s not in the business of hiding His will from those who seek Him.

Here are some good questions to ask as we examine whether or not we are hearing God: Are the promptings confusing or vague? God is not the author of confusion; He is the bringer of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). Do the thoughts go against God’s Word? God will not contradict Himself. Will following these promptings lead to sin? Those who “keep in step with the Spirit” have “crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24–25).

In addition, it is good to seek counsel from a Christian friend, family member, or pastor (Proverbs 15:22). Our pastors are there to help shepherd us: “Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account” (Hebrews 13:17).

God does not want us to fail. The more we listen to God, the better we will be at distinguishing His voice from the other noises in our heads. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, gives His promise: “He goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice” (John 10:4). Others may speak, “but the sheep [do] not listen to them” (verse 8). The better we know our Shepherd, the less we have to worry about heeding the wrong voice.(gotquestions.com

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Sorry, Maryjane, I copied it too from igotquestions.com, I forgot to mention it but will change it :)

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The Bible is God's word. Dive into that if you want to know God.

God is all-knowing. He is not confused about who you address your prayers to. If, in your heart, you are intending on praying to Him, He will hear you.

God will not tell you to harm yourself or do destructive things. And He does not reject you due to your tears. Even Jesus Himself wept when his friend Lazarus died...and He was about to raise him from the dead! When God sees our tears, He feels compassion for us, not scorn.

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Guest 1sheep
4 hours ago, maryjayne said:

 I dont find your comment kind or helpful, to anyone. Quoting others who have a good understanding and way of expressing a thought is a good thing.

You are entitled to your own opinion even though I wasnt talking to you.

Which btw: a person can form a relatively good understanding by using things as resources and put it in their own words. they learn more that way too rather than copying and pasting.

I see it on this site mostly from the same people all the time. It gets old.

Not to mention that fai l ing to give the  the author credit  is plagarism

 

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