Do Angels Know Your Secret Thoughts?

Mind Reading and the Limits of Angel Knowledge

Image of a hand reaching and a man lost in thought.
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Do angels know your secret thoughts? God lets angels know about much of what happens in the universe, including in people's lives. Angel knowledge is extensive because they carefully observe and record the choices that human beings make, as well as hear people's prayers and respond to them. But can angels do mind reading? Do they know everything you're thinking?

Less Knowledge Than God

Angels aren't omniscient (all-knowing) like God is, so angels have less knowledge than their Creator.

Although angels have a vast amount of knowledge, "they are not omniscient" writes Billy Graham in his book "Angels." "They do not know everything. They are not like God." Graham points out that Jesus Christ spoke of "the limited knowledge of the angels" when he discussed the time set in history for his return to earth in Mark 13:32 of the Bible: "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

However, angels know more than human beings do.

The Torah and the Bible say in Psalm 8:5 that God made the humans "a little lower than the angels." Since angels are a higher order of creation than people, angels "innately possess a greater knowledge than man," writes Ron Rhodes in his book "Angels Among Us: Separating Fact from Fiction."

Also, major religious texts say that God created angels before he created human beings, so "no creatures beneath the angels were created without their knowledge," writes Rosemary Guiley in her book "Encyclopedia of Angels" so "the angels have direct knowledge (though inferior to God’s) about creation subsequent to themselves" such as humans.

Accessing Your Mind

The guardian angel (or angels, since some people have more than one) whom God has assigned to care for you throughout your earthly lifetime can access your mind at any time. That's because he or she needs to communicate with you regularly through your mind to do a good job guarding you.

"Guardian angels, through their constant companionship, help us grow spiritually," writes Judith Macnutt in her book "Angels Are for Real: Inspiring, True Stories and Biblical Answers." "They strengthen our intelligence by speaking directly to our minds, and the end result is that we see our lives through God's eyes...They lift our thoughts by passing on their encouraging messages from our Lord."

Angels, who usually communicate with each other and with people through telepathy (transferring thoughts from mind to mind), can read your mind if you invite them to do so, but you must first grant them permission, writes Sylvia Browne in "Sylvia Browne's Book of Angels:" "Although angels don't speak, they're telepathic. They can hear our voices, and they can read our thoughts — but only if we give them permission. No angel, entity, or spirit guide can get into our minds without our permission. But if we allow our angels to read our minds, then we can call on them at any time without verbalization."

Seeing the Effects of Your Thoughts

"Only God knows absolutely everything you think, and God alone understands fully how that relates to your free will," writes Saint Thomas Aquinas in "Summa Theologica:" "What is proper to God does not belong to the angels...all that is in the will, and all things that depend only on the will, are known to God alone."

However, both faithful angels and fallen angels (demons) can learn a great deal about people's thoughts by observing the effects of those thoughts in their lives. Aquinas writes: "A secret thought can be known in two ways: first, in its effect. In this way it can be known not only by an angel but also by man, and with so much the greater subtlety according as the effect is the more hidden. For thought is sometimes discovered not merely by outward act, but also by change of countenance; and doctors can tell some passions of the soul by the mere pulse. Much more than can angels, or even demons."

Mind Reading for Good Purposes

You don't have to worry about angels scanning your thoughts for any frivolous or unwise reasons. When angels pay attention to something that you're thinking, they do so for good purposes.

Angels don't waste their time simply eavesdropping on every thought that passes through people's minds, writes Marie Chapian in "Angels in Our Lives." Instead, angels pay most attention to thoughts that people direct toward God, such as silent prayers. Chapian writes that angels "are not interested in eavesdropping on your temporal daydreams, your complaints, your self-centered mutterings, or your mind wanderings. No, the angelic host is not sneaking around and peeking into your head to check you out. However, when you think a thought to God, he hears...You can pray in your head and God hears. God hears and dispatches his angels to your aid."

Using Their Knowledge for Good

Even though angels may know your secret thoughts (and even things about you that you don't realize yourself), you don't have to worry about what faithful angels will do with that information.

Since holy angels work to fulfill good purposes, you can trust them with the knowledge they have of your secret thoughts, writes Graham in "Angels: God's Secret Agents:" "Angels probably know things about us that we do not know about ourselves. And because they are ministering spirits, they will use this knowledge for good and not for evil purposes. In a day when few men can be trusted with secret information, it is comforting to know that angels will not divulge their great knowledge to hurt us. Rather, they will use it for our good."

Sources

Aquinas, Thomas. "Summa Theologica (Complete & Unabridged)." Kindle Edition, Coyote Canyon Press, June 19, 2010.

Browne, Sylvia. "Sylvia Browne's Book of Angels." Paperback, Hay House, April 1, 2004.

Chapian, Marie. "Angels in Our Lives." 1st Edition, Destiny Image Publishers, August 1, 2006.

Graham, Billy. "Angels." Paperback, Reissue edition, Thomas Nelson, April 11, 2000.

Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. "The Encyclopedia of Angels." Second Edition, Paperback, Checkmark Books, January 1, 2004.

MacNutt, Judith. "Angels Are for Real: Inspiring, True Stories and Biblical Answers." Paperback, 48210th edition, Chosen Books, February 1, 2012.

"Psalm 8:5." Holy Bible, New International Version, 

Rhondes, Ron. "Angels Among Us: Separating Fact from Fiction." Paperback, Harvest House Publishers, January 1, 2008.

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Hopler, Whitney. "Do Angels Know Your Secret Thoughts?" Learn Religions, Feb. 8, 2021, learnreligions.com/do-angels-know-your-secret-thoughts-123816. Hopler, Whitney. (2021, February 8). Do Angels Know Your Secret Thoughts? Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/do-angels-know-your-secret-thoughts-123816 Hopler, Whitney. "Do Angels Know Your Secret Thoughts?" Learn Religions. https://www.learnreligions.com/do-angels-know-your-secret-thoughts-123816 (accessed March 19, 2024).