Can Demons Read Our Thoughts?
Father Fortea, can demons read our thoughts?
No. Though demons can tempt us, they cannot read our thoughts. With their great intelligence, they can guess what we are 
thinking – but they can never be absolutely certain. As spiritual beings, they are much more intelligent than we are, and as such, they can deduce things with greater accuracy and with fewer external signs than we can. But we always have to remember that demons are outside our souls; only God can truly read the soul. This being said, if one directs his mind and will to a saint, an angel, or a demon, they can hear us. So it does not matter whether our prayer is verbal or merely mental. In certain cases of possession I have observed that the demon obeys orders that have been given mentally.
Editor’s Note: To learn more about spiritual warfare and demonology, Catholic Spiritual Direction recommends Father José Antonio Fortea’s excellent book Interview With An Exorcist – An Insider’s Look at the Devil, Demonic Possession, and the Path to Deliverance.
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Art for this post on whether or not demons can read our thoughts: Convent Thoughts, Charles Allston Collins, 1851, PD-US author’s life plus 100 years or less, PD-US published in the U.S. prior to January 1, 1923; detail of Padre José Antonio Fortea 2017, photographed by Elgatoconbotaselgatoconbotas, 5 May 2017 own work, CCA-SA 4.0 International; both Wikimedia Commons. Cover of “Interview with an Exorcist” used with permission, all rights reserved.
