Question: How can I tell if I really want God? And how do I know whether I am hearing God's Voice or the voice of the devil?

Sri Chinmoy: If you accept the spiritual life out of sincerity and not out of curiosity, then you will be able to know if you really want God. But again, God is not realised overnight; you have to know that it takes time. You have to act like a real spiritual farmer and cultivate your inner soil every day. Then the time comes when you reap the fruits of your prayer, concentration and meditation. Please concentrate on your heart. If you discover that you want God because of your real, desperate need for Him, if you sincerely want God and nothing else, then God will come to you.

Spiritual seekers have to realise that if they want millions of things besides God, then God is not going to come to them. But if they have a real inner cry, if they are truly sincere in their spiritual life, then God's Voice or their own soul's voice will come to them from within. This voice can never come from the devil; for a real, sincere seeker there are no devils. For someone who accepts the spiritual life out of curiosity or a desire for occult powers, there will be all kinds of temptations to stand in his way. He will be misled and misguided. But if a seeker really wants God, then God Himself will protect him from temptations and from wrong forces. If God does not immediately show a seeker the Light, it is because God needs absolute sincerity from the seeker first. If he wants other things besides God, then God is under no obligation to help him. But if God sees that this particular aspirant really wants Him and nobody else, then God is bound to come.