Distinguishing God's Voice from the Enemy's Deception

Reflections from an Ignatian Retreat Talk on the Discernment of Spirits

One of the great privileges of serving as executive director of a retreat center is the opportunity to encounter profound spiritual wisdom from gifted priests and speakers. Today, I had the blessing of sitting in on an exceptional talk during an Ignatian retreat focused on one of the most crucial yet challenging aspects of the spiritual life: the discernment of spirits. How do we distinguish between what comes from God and what originates from the evil one?

Image: St. Ignatius of Loyola | Peter Paul Rubens

The presenting priest delivered such clear and practical insights on this foundational spiritual principle that I felt compelled to share them with a wider audience. His teaching was both deeply rooted in Ignatian spirituality and remarkably accessible for Catholics at every stage of their spiritual journey.

The Fundamental Question of Discernment

At the heart of spiritual discernment lies a simple but profound truth: we must examine our impulses, desires, and the thoughts that occupy our minds. As the presenting priest masterfully explained, "Everything is received in the mode of the receiver." This insight, drawn from the rich tradition of Ignatian spirituality, means that our spiritual state significantly affects how we perceive and respond to both divine inspiration and demonic temptation.

The priest's explanation of how the enemy of our souls employs different tactics depending on where we find ourselves spiritually was particularly illuminating. Understanding these patterns, as he outlined them, can be the difference between spiritual progress and spiritual stagnation—or worse, spiritual regression.

When We Are in Mortal Sin

For the soul trapped in a cycle of mortal sin—falling, going to confession, then falling again—the evil spirit employs a particularly insidious strategy. Sin is presented as the source of our greatest happiness. The soul is led to believe that sinful pleasures are not only normal but indispensable to a fulfilling life. The enemy wraps sin in false promises of security and joy, making it appear as the obvious choice.

Meanwhile, God's action in such souls often feels disturbing and agitating. Divine inspiration comes as a prick to the conscience, a rational but uncomfortable voice calling the sinner away from the brink of eternal destruction. Because the soul in mortal sin stands in grave spiritual danger, God's approach is necessarily direct and uncompromising.

The Lukewarm Soul

For those Catholics living in a lukewarm state—perhaps habitually committing venial sins, going through the motions, but not actively pursuing holiness—the spiritual dynamics shift but don't disappear entirely. The evil one continues to present sin as the greatest good, though perhaps more subtly. The temptations may seem less dramatic, but they remain persistent.

The action of the good spirit becomes more difficult to discern in this state. God's voice, while still rational and true, may be harder to hear above the noise of spiritual mediocrity. This is why lukewarmness is so spiritually dangerous—it dulls our capacity for proper discernment.

When We Strive for Holiness

But here's where the spiritual battlefield dramatically changes. For those souls who are genuinely striving for holiness—those Catholics who, despite their struggles with sin, consistently seek to grow closer to God—the tactics reverse.

In souls actively pursuing virtue, the evil spirit becomes the source of disturbance. Satan promotes discouragement, sadness, turmoil, and chaos. He places roadblocks at every step and fills the mind with worries, regrets, and agitation. His goal is to derail the soul's progress toward God through spiritual discouragement.

Conversely, the good spirit brings consolation to such souls. God grants graces of courage, knowledge, joy, and resolution. There's a sense of rightness, of peace even in the midst of struggle. The path forward, while challenging, becomes clear.

Practical Implications for Daily Life

This teaching has profound implications for all of us as we live our Catholic faith daily. If we find ourselves consistently agitated, worried, and discouraged in our spiritual efforts, we must ask: are these feelings coming from a legitimate recognition of our need for growth, or are they the enemy's attempt to discourage us from persevering?

Similarly, if we find ourselves consistently comfortable with compromising situations or gradually lowering our moral standards, we must question whether we're listening to the wrong voice.

The Call to Spiritual Courage

One of the most challenging and impactful aspects of the retreat talk was the priest's reminder that we are not called to live our spiritual lives in isolation. We're surrounded by family members, spouses, and communities who are also navigating their own spiritual journeys.

The priest made what I found to be a particularly bold but necessary point: we must never make sin comfortable. When we encounter sin—whether in ourselves or others—we cannot participate with the evil spirit that whispers, "This is okay. This is normal." Instead, as he eloquently argued, we're called to gently but firmly call sin what it is and consistently focus on what is good, true, and beautiful.

This doesn't mean becoming judgmental or harsh, but rather maintaining clear moral vision in a culture that increasingly blurs the lines between right and wrong.

The Path Forward

As someone who can struggle with the discernment of spirits—as I'm sure many readers do as well—I found this retreat talk profoundly helpful and practical. The discernment of spirits is not a spiritual luxury for advanced mystics—it's a necessary skill for every Catholic seeking heaven. The priest's clear explanation of these principles reminded me that the more we practice listening for God's voice, the more clearly we will hear His call. The more we choose what is good and reject what is evil, the sharper our spiritual hearing becomes.

As we continue this journey toward holiness, let us remember that true spiritual progress requires both humility about our weaknesses and courage in our convictions. We must be willing to be disturbed by God when we're settling for less than He desires for us, and we must learn to find our consolation in Him rather than in the false promises of the world.

The stakes could not be higher. In a culture increasingly hostile to Christian values, our ability to discern God's voice from the enemy's deception will determine not only our own eternal destiny but also our effectiveness in helping others find their way to Christ.

May we all grow in this crucial virtue, becoming the spiritual giants we are called to be—not perfect, but always striving, always listening, always choosing the good. I hope there's something in these reflections from the retreat that will help us all as we seek heaven and holiness together.