Question to the priest what is the inner battle of the soul. About spiritual warfare in the modern world

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because you have rejected knowledge,
then I will also reject you from serving as a priest before Me;
and as you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.(Hosea 4:6)

Can believers be occult addicts?

In evangelical churches (though not only in evangelical churches) one can meet people who are burdened with certain kinds of spiritual problems. Common to all these problems is that they arose in the "former" life (before the life of faith in Jesus Christ), when under the influence of demonic forces people became occult-addicted. There are especially many of these among former alcoholics, drug addicts and criminals. There are many of them among today's youth, which from an early age comes into contact with the "charms" of this world. Of course, there are also among other age groups; These are people who in one way or another have been subjected to occult influence.

Those who had contact with psychics, sorcerers, fortune-tellers, trusted horoscopes, were subjected to hypnosis, studied various occult techniques, oriental religions or martial arts, were a participant in any other occult activities, or perhaps simply stressful or programming situations, can get into dependence on dark spiritual forces. If a person consciously or unconsciously contacts the fallen spiritual world, then, whether he wants it or not, he exposes himself to a real danger of becoming dependent on the forces of darkness. The dark spiritual world does not forgive anyone for mistakes or ignorance of its laws.

The practice of many counselors confirms that there are also specific spirits, very strong and insidious, which are inherited: “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol or any image of what is in the sky above, and what is on the earth below, and what is in the water below the earth. Don't worship them and don't serve them; for I am the Lord your God, a jealous God, punishing the children for the guilt of their fathers to the third and fourth generations that hate me.”(Ex. 20:3-5).

The people of this world do not think about the fact that they can get the spirit of fornication and the spirits accompanying it through promiscuous sexual relations, regardless of how this happens. Unfortunately, addiction to pornography and various virtual indecencies has become widespread, including even in Christian circles. The Word of God says: “Or do you not know that he who copulates with a harlot becomes one body with her?”(1 Corinthians 6:16). Virtual fornication, in other words, the lust of the eyes, can open the way for spirits to master a person.

Are piercings harmless?

The influence of the spiritual world on many people also occurs through the body: tattoos and seemingly harmless piercings. The Bible says: “For the sake of the deceased, do not make cuts on your body, and do not prick writing on yourself. I am the Lord"(Lev. 19:28). Also: “You are the sons of the Lord your God; do not make cuts in your body and do not cut off the hair above your eyes for the dead."(Deut. 14:1).
According to pagan customs, tattoos and cuts on the body were made in honor of the dead or with the aim of entering a trance during occult sessions and entering into communication with the dead (calling spirits), which in itself is a satanic deception. No living person can communicate with the dead. Calling the spirit of the deceased, occultists do not communicate with him, but with demons who knew the deceased well or lived in him. The doctrine of reincarnation (reincarnation of the soul) is built on this banal deception. The Lord God warned His chosen people not to engage in the occult in any form, calling it "an abomination."

Violence, wounded feelings and emotions are fertile ground for the active action of evil spirits on the psyche. An occult addict may hear different voices, something pushes him to certain, often illogical actions, he may suffer from a split or multiple personality, causeless fear and various kinds of depression.

Occult connections are sins of abomination, as a result of which evil spirits get the opportunity to influence not only the body, but also the soul of a person. They use every opportunity to cause as much harm as possible and destroy all the defense systems of the individual. Usually in occult-dependent people, the natural mental mechanisms are affected.

Unfortunately, many people, even Christians among them, believe that the transcendent (beyond, otherworldly) is something very distant and unlikely. There is a view, based on Calvinist theology, that a saved Christian cannot be possessed or addicted to the powers of darkness. There is supposedly a "blood line" through which Satan is forbidden to enter. I have heard similar statements from world famous evangelists. But real life does not confirm this, just as we do not find justification in Scripture.

Ghouls as an objective reality

Due to stress, at a very early age, I became speechless. After the “treatment” with the help of a chicken egg by a fortune-telling grandmother from a neighboring village, speech returned to me. But soon strange things began to happen to me: I had terrible dreams, ghouls appeared to me; early I fell into the captivity of chemical addiction; visited thoughts of suicide, there were even attempts to it; clairvoyance was manifested, other paranormal phenomena occurred.

After turning to God, in the year of the millennium of the baptism of Russia (1988), my state of mind deteriorated significantly. For a long time I could not find the help I needed. Evangelical Baptist churches did not yet face such problems en masse. At a theological conference in St. Petersburg in 1993, I came across N. Anderson's book Breaking the Fetters. Starting to read it, I breathed a sigh of relief, I realized that I was not alone. Realizing the situation, seven years after repentance, with God's help, he received freedom from occult addiction. In recent years, I have had to counsel occult-burdened people. One can only wonder how many of them are in the Christian environment.

Many people still do not understand that the world around us is filled with myriads of different spiritual beings who monitor the actions of each person. Satan is not omnipresent, but in a rigidly structured spiritual world, he has many assistants of various ranks - "Spirits of Evil in Heaven"(Eph. 6:12).

When a careless, unenlightened in spiritual matters person trustingly contacts the forces of darkness, they immediately occupy a certain place in his subconscious. Having destroyed the natural, God-created barrier, they get the opportunity for a permanent impact on consciousness. So there is a negative spiritual impact on the human soul. Man lives in two dimensions. Perhaps he is not possessed yet, but is already to some extent dependent on the forces of evil, seeking to completely control his actions in order to hasten physical death. After all, outside the body, the soul loses the possibility of salvation.

The only and effective way to protect yourself from occult influence is to turn to God and accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord. This usually happens after a person realizes that he is a sinner. But if immediately after turning to God there is no full realization of the sinfulness of the previous occult actions, repentance and a break with the works of darkness, then, having favorable ground, Satan tries to persecute his prisoners for a long time. He goes out of his way to deceive and deceive them even when they have become Christians.

Therefore, for some new converts, who previously had occult connections, after turning to God, their state of mind deteriorates significantly. Satan puts heavy pressure on them, and their life turns into a real hell. In search of deliverance, they rush from one denomination to another. It is not always possible for them to be provided with qualified assistance, and it happens that these people voluntarily die.

Once, a Christian who had cut his veins was brought to a friend of mine, a minister of the ECB church from Rostov, for a consultation. During the conversation, it turned out that he was a former convict. In this way, he protested against the actions of his colleagues at work. It also turned out that before turning to God, he had a very difficult childhood, and he led an antisocial lifestyle. After a conversation with the minister, he seemed to calm down and promised not to engage in self-mutilation anymore. A few days later, however, the minister was informed that the man had hanged himself. Obviously, the internal conflict continued, and the protest of this man took extreme forms.

In war as in war

By trusting in Christ, we are on the path of sanctification and war against evil, sin, and our own flesh. But in war, as in war, anything can happen. Satan is a very cunning and cunning enemy. It is his idea that after repentance and conversion to Christ, the believer is protected from deception. This thought is dangerous in itself. “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour; resist him with firm faith."(1 Pet. 5:8,9).

Even those sincerely converted to Christ can be deceived by the spirit of antichrist. Unconfirmed souls do not know that false Christs and false prophets will arise precisely from among Christians and lead many away from the true path by supernatural signs and false wonders (Matt. 24:24; 1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Pet. 2:1).

The servants of Satan, the spirits of darkness can easily deceive a person and appear in the form of an angel of light. They often pretend to be Christ's messengers or even Christ himself (2 Cor. 11:13-15). These are seductive spirits, conductors of another teaching, another spirit, another teacher, professing an absolute lie. In spiritual ignorance, people, not suspecting a dirty trick, fall into an ingenious trap.

A Christian who wanted to experience the prophetic spirit approached a brother-servant from Vinnitsa. After a prayer, so as not to tempt the counselee, an experienced minister turned to a kneeling Christian and asked in English: “The Spirit prophesying through brother Vitaly, do you recognize the Son of God Jesus Christ, who came to earth, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate and rose on the third day, as your own? personal Lord and Savior? Instead of answering, the spirit threw the Christian to the ground and through his mouth answered in purely Russian, but unprintable language. The Christian immediately confessed and renounced the lying spirit.

For most unbelievers and ignorant Christians, the actions of spiritual direction are incomprehensible. They do not understand the essence of the well-planned consciousness-altering activity taking place on a global scale. Before the second coming of Jesus Christ to Earth, Satan, in great rage, seeks to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

Goals and Possibilities of Fallen Spirits

The gift of discernment of spirits plays a particularly important role in modern conditions. The Bible calls us to test the spirits (1 John 4:1). Evil spirits cannot stand the test of the Holy Spirit. They do not recognize the incarnate Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Observing the actions of certain people, it is necessary to correctly analyze what spiritual fruits they bring in their lives (Matt. 7:16), and draw appropriate conclusions.

The Holy Spirit will not be offended in this case. For the Lord desires that we, His children, abide in the truth. Communication in the Spirit is only with our spirit, not with our soul or body. Therefore, today it is very important to learn to live by the Spirit (Rom. 8:1,2) and to humbly use a renewed mind in knowing the will of God (Rom. 12:1-3)!

Every Christian must have a struggle between the spirit and the flesh. But, having embarked on the path of following the Lord, it is necessary to reject the sinful flesh and follow the path of spiritual growth. "to the full measure of the stature of Christ"(Eph. 4:12). Denying yourself, carry your cross and follow Jesus Christ (Luke 9:23, 24).

If for some reason in a person's nature, before or after believing, evil spirits got the opportunity to act, then they do not leave automatically. It is necessary to break the ties that give them the right to influence a person. It can be assumed that demons are involved in many of the failures of our lives. Most likely, they push, tempt and incite people to make wrong or unwise decisions. They do everything to aggravate the plight of those who are experiencing some kind of difficulties.

The purpose of Satan's servants is to destroy God's works and hinder God's purposes. They try to establish their strongholds, both in the life of the individual Christian and in the church or Christian organization. With such strongholds, demons can gather in greater numbers and thus have a greater influence on an individual or group of people.

Obviously, demons can put certain thoughts into our minds. But in this case, the responsibility for how we dispose of these thoughts lies with us (2 Cor. 10:4,5). Since demons know our weaknesses very well, they carefully adjust their thoughts to our way of thinking. Hoping to bring a man down, they will do everything they can to tempt him. They cling to existing problems instead of creating new ones, which allows them to successfully hide behind them. If people can explain the occurrence of problems in a “natural” way, then they are unlikely to look for something else.

Demons prevent people from approaching God or doing what God wants them to do. They prevent unbelievers from believing in God (2 Cor. 4:4). For those who profess to be believers, they blind the mind (2 Cor. 3:14). They do everything they can to undermine the faith of Christians. First of all, they interfere with worship, prayer, reading the Bible, the manifestation of love and mercy.

Kill a wounded victim

But the main strategy of demons is to find a weakness in a person and take advantage of it. The more weakness a person discovers, the more likely it is that this will be the reason for the attack of the enemy. Demons are like vile predators who, once smelling blood, do everything to finish off the wounded victim. If they fail to kill, they will try to hurt her as much as possible.

Usually demons tend to aggravate the problem to such an extent that, in despair, a person stops fighting. Thus, Satan, whom the unfortunate may not suspect, emerges victorious. Not understanding the spiritual impact, many people lose all hope, believing that they have lost their minds. Working "behind the scenes" for the demons is a real pleasure. They encourage their victims to react in ways that are destructive to them, and then torment them with guilt.

Evil spirits accuse always and in every possible way. The most common tactic is to convince a person that he, other people or God are to blame for his ruined life, poor health, failed love. Due to the inability to change his position, a person begins to reject and hate himself. Demons readily work on such grounds to further exacerbate self-blame. They support false rumors and opinions, indulge in misunderstanding, justify anger and accusation against God.

Fear, false guilt, or shame prevent people from turning to more experienced Christians for help. The spirit of lies causes them to speak falsehood, which destroys them. Day after day, people hear negative thoughts about themselves, about other people, and about God in their minds. They become so used to the lie that they are unaware of its source. After many years of coexistence with unclean spirits, people become so accustomed to their wrong reaction that they already consider it natural and do not even realize the need to seek help directly from the Heavenly Physician.

At times I had severe headaches. Inwardly, intuitively, I understood that this pain is not a consequence of the disease. It seemed as if some incomprehensible entity was implanted in my head, which simply tore my brains apart. The pain was unbearable.

Usually in such cases, I tried to call one of my friends or acquaintances of Christians to ask them to pray for me, if possible, so that they would also pray in the church. As a rule, after some time the pain disappeared. A pastor friend advised me to personally resist the actions of evil spirits and declare that the victory of Jesus Christ extends to my body.

Soon I felt the familiar headache again. I was so weak that I could not get out of bed and reach the phone. Several times, in a whisper, it was difficult to speak, I proclaimed the victory of Jesus Christ in my life, adding that it extends to my flesh. The demons were removed from my mind and the pain was gone. After that, similar situations were repeated several more times, until they completely disappeared.

Causes of sickness and divisions

Above all, demons exacerbate dependence on both good and bad. To increase dependence, they use either the weaknesses of a person or his strengths. The roots of constraint and lack of freedom lie in fear, self-doubt and a sense of inferiority. To shackle a person, demons deftly use an internal mood that is favorable for them. To make him "strong", they strengthen the person's confidence in the right self-esteem and personal abilities. Thus, the Christian becomes insensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit and considers his carnal actions to be the leading of God. The Holy Spirit is quenched, and the conscience of such a person becomes vicious or burned. As a result, such people, if they are ordinary members, are expelled from the church. If they occupy leadership positions, the churches experience painful divisions.

It is very rare for people to be demonically influenced by spiritual rebellion or a mistake. Most often, the first contact with demons occurs as a result of violence committed against a person. Once inside the personality, demons rush to consolidate and expand the occupied territory. After all, the spirits that are inside a person are subordinate to higher demons outside the person. Usually they cannot leave without the permission of their "bosses". Therefore, when praying for the release of a burdened person, one should break all sorts of spiritual power verticals in order to cut off internal demons from outside support. It is best if the burdened person asks for it himself.

In one of the Zhytomyr churches, it happened that a teenager, the son of one of the ministers, insulted the brother of a local Satanist who lived next door. Shortly thereafter, the teenager fell into a coma, and during the day he had more than twenty prolonged seizures, similar to epileptic ones. The church announced fasting and prayer. Brothers from other churches came to pray over the boy. During prayer, the boy felt better.

This went on for almost two weeks. The family was on duty around the clock at the child's bedside. During one of our prayers, he opened his eyes, and I saw his conscious gaze. Then I asked the boy: "Do you want to get well?" He nodded his head in the affirmative. “Then ask Jesus Christ to protect and set you free,” I said.

The boy whispered with difficulty, "I beg you, Jesus Christ, protect and deliver me." Immediately after that, he fell asleep and slept for more than a day. I conveyed to the parents that their son should dedicate his life to Jesus Christ. After a while, he came to me and, in deliberate prayer, dedicated himself to Jesus Christ.

Demons use fear tactics. People often do not understand that the presence or absence of a demon in them is not always related to their general spiritual state. After all, even "superspiritual" Christians can get a runny nose! True, if a runny nose is not treated, complications may arise. Therefore, in case of any abnormality, a spiritual Christian always knows that he has the address of his Doctor, and he can turn to Him. The Doctor's phone works around the clock, He is always ready to receive us.

There is another extreme. It is always convenient to blame demons for problems that arise as a result of living according to the flesh and character traits. Such Christians have become so accustomed to their emotional garbage that they do not want to change and part with it. But you should know that living according to the flesh does not guarantee freedom from demonic deceptions.

It should be noted that demons can live in a person only if two conditions are met:

a) they must find a way to penetrate: wounded feelings (violence), negative emotions, outright sin, idolatry, occultism, false religions, seduction, satanism, freemasonry, tribal spirits, curses, etc. There can be thousands of such ways,

b) demons need to have a basis given to them by the laws of the universe, the consent of the victim, which allows them to remain in a person.

Both of these conditions are met if a person does not seek to be freed from sin, persists in unbelief, and does not want to part with mental or spiritual "garbage". Garbage serves as bait and shelter for evil spirits. That is, a deceived person consciously does not want to part with demons. There have been many cases in my practice when, having received temporary relief, people were not immediately willing to follow the path of sanctification.

Principles and methods of release

After realizing the deceit and the burden of evil spirits, one should repent and confess occult and other secret sins. That is, everything secret must be discovered and brought to light. The spirits of wickedness in the heavenly places cannot bear the divine light; they act in ignorance and in darkness.

The real struggle with the negative impact occurs at the level of the word. Words and actions of renunciation of Satan are necessary conditions for protection from deceit and possession. The Word of God commands to "resist the devil." That is, to direct against it all the internal and external forces of our being - spirit, soul, mind, will, feelings, words and deeds. In this act of confrontation, renunciation helps to break voluntary and involuntary ties with the spirits of evil and gives access to God's light to a person.

In the Old Testament, under the law of Moses, abominable sins were punishable by death, and there was no sacrifice for them (Is. 22:18; Lev. 20:27). Such sins include sorcery, sorcery, witchcraft, divination, hypnosis, spiritualism, and many different forms of the occult (Deut. 18:10,11; Rev. 2:23,24; 9:20,21; 21:8).

Fear disappears almost completely in those people who realize how little power the enemy has compared to God. It should not be underestimated, because its power is in deception. In fact, the enemy has only a little more power than the person in whom he lives allows him to have over him. The struggle continues until the will of man is on the side of God. And if a person consciously directs his will against the demons, they are forced to leave. After all, most people who seek spiritual help from a counselor have already made the decision to turn to God for help.

When a possessed man was brought to Jesus, because the disciples could not free him, the Lord said that this kind is driven out only by prayer and fasting (Matt. 17:14-21). But Jesus is God and knew the need of man in advance. And we have to find out during the consultation. Therefore, when counseling a spiritually ill person, first of all, it is necessary to find out whether these problems are connected with some kind of mental illness on a physiological basis or with a manifestation of an uncrucified old nature. In these cases, counseling work needs to be done in a completely different way. It is possible that the one who is burdened has not yet been born again. Therefore, at the beginning of the diagnosis, he needs to present the Gospel in a very accessible way.

Without repentance there is no forgiveness

The Word of God does not give instructions on how to cleanse our past of demonic burdens. This is one of the secrets of the spiritual world, which we need to comprehend through cooperation with the Holy Spirit. God has given us everything we need for godliness and an abundant life. His "the anointing teaches us everything"(1 John 2:27). The gospel is filled with examples of how people called by God solved such problems. Here you can not apply instructions that eventually turn into formal ceremonies. God does not act according to a pattern, but only individually with each of us! And He anoints us with His Spirit (Luke 10:17,19), gives us the right to step on all the enemy's power, bind and loose (Matt. 16:19; 18:18; John 20:23), build His work and destroy works of the devil. The weapons of our spiritual struggle against the forces of darkness are listed in the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians (6:11-18).

In the Holy Scriptures, people are commanded to repent (Acts 17:30,31), but nowhere is the procedure for how to do this described in detail (in church or at home, go to the pulpit or pray standing still, there is no standard text of the prayer of repentance). Based on the letter of Scripture and the promptings of the Holy Spirit, people act according to the situation. But it is not the letter that works, but the Spirit, and the Lord revives sincerely repentant people. But without repentance there is no forgiveness. Unrepentant sin cannot be forgiven! And very often those who are occultly burdened do not know at all what they need to repent of. In particular, this happened to me. For a very long time I could not understand the essence of sin, as well as the substitutionary and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. My mind was blocked and my perception was retarded. This is typical for occult addicts. General repentance for unrecognized sins does not give complete liberation. Therefore, after repentance, I read horoscopes and occult literature, sincerely not considering it a sin.

The biblical understanding of repentance is a change of mind. Although the act of being born again is instantaneous, the change of mind is a long creative process of man's cooperation with God. This includes changing:

a) worldview or perception of the picture of the world;

b) systems of personal values;

c) behavior.

Very often this is a rather protracted and difficult process in which the reborn person must take an active part. The principle of active action runs like a red thread through all of Holy Scripture. The same principle applies to further work on the release from the occult burden.

Break the chains of untruth

By relying on the Scriptures and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are freed from the influence of the powers of hell by His power. Not accepting or rejecting the mighty power of God, which operates in the liberation of the occult-burdened, we risk becoming like the Pharisees who blasphemed the Holy Spirit. The consequence of rejecting God is deception and spiritual blindness. The counselor should be aware that those who are occultly burdened need a longer time to realize the truths of the Holy Scriptures.

The Lord reveals to us that our unceasing warfare is not with people, but with spirits of wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12). Christians' claims that they don't want to know anything about Satan are already evidence that he has deceived them. Since Satan is a spiritual person, the means of dealing with him are also spiritual (2 Corinthians 10:4,5).

Through Titus, the apostle Paul teaches us sound doctrine (Titus 2:1). In particular, he writes: For the grace of God has appeared, saving for all men, teaching us that we, rejecting wickedness and worldly lusts…” (Tit. 2:11,12). In the original, the word "rejecting" refers to a specific action. That is, God's grace not only saves, but also specifically teaches a person to reject the works of darkness. There is a clear contrast here: wickedness and worldly lusts - a chaste, righteous and godly life.

The spiritual world can make claims until it faces a firm, conscious statement of a person about the termination of all ties with him. There are strict laws in the spiritual world. Leaving the territory of Satan, a person must consciously break all the threads that bind him to the former owner. The right to terminate any encroachment gives awareness of one's new position. Renunciation of former sinful actions is just another step on the path of sanctification.

Since the whole world is the fiefdom of the devil (1 John 5:19), practically all people, to one degree or another, need purification and sanctification. This also applies to those who oppose the truth, people with a blinded mind (2 Cor. 3:14). A person is able to accept biblical truths to the extent that his mind is free from demonic deception.

To gain clarity on the method of deliverance, one must have a good understanding of the essence of true prayer and biblical fasting. It's not just fasting and praying for a few days. According to Isaiah 58, fasting includes many spiritual aspects, including the need to untie the yoke and break the shackles of iniquity (Is. 58:6). We are talking here about the need to terminate all occult contracts that can bind the soul of an occult-burdened, although saved person.

Attaining Victory: The Blood of the Lamb and the Word of Testimony

To gain complete freedom, such a person must ask God for the enlightenment of the mind, help and protection. Then you need to make a strong-willed statement to the spiritual demonic world about the termination of all occult contracts and ties concluded in the past, about the return of your soul from the power of Satan and its complete transfer to the power of Christ. Thus, the slander of the devil against us is disarmed (Rev. 12:10).

The spiritual principles for doing this work are also found in the writings of the prophet Isaiah (42:18-23). Here are clear and quite definite spiritual parallels with an occult-burdened person.

“They overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and did not love their souls even unto death.”(Rev. 12:11). From this text it is quite clear that victory over Satan is achieved by personal recognition of redemptive power, by faith in the action of the blood of Jesus Christ. The second part of victory is words of our testimony. This implies not only a witness of Christ to unbelievers, but also to the entire spiritual world. This is a declaration of our belonging to God and a renunciation of all past connections with the demonic world, if they took place in our lives.

We demonstrate to the spirit world an expression of our goodwill, admit that we have been deceived, and declare our resolve to serve God. So we completely reject the claims of the enemy, terminates past ties with him. The words we speak have a specific meaning and perform actual actions in the spiritual world. Words of blessing are addressed with goodness and kindness to a person. Known and the power of the words of the curse, expressed in someone's address. Thus, they can be a kind of commands to be executed by the forces of the spiritual world. No wonder the Lord pays so much attention to the meaning of our words.

All Scripture is full of examples of people denying God (Jer. 9:6; 11:10; Ps. 77:10, etc.). Under the influence of the spirit of Satan, the people of God were turning away from their Lord. But there are positive examples in Scripture: "... and did not deny my faith"(Rev. 2:13). The Word of God shows that even as a believer, it is possible to manifest a spirit of renunciation of God's works or direct duties (1 Tim. 5:8; 2 Tim. 3:5).

Renunciation is not only in word, but also in deed (Titus 1:16).

Finally, man's fate, his eternal destiny, depends on renunciation or agreement with God (2 Tim. 2:12).

From these examples it is clear that if a person renounces God for the sake of Satan, then how vitally important it is for the sake of God to renounce Satan and his works. For Christ says of himself: "... whoever denies Me before men, I will also renounce him"(Matthew 10:33). Since we live in a world dominated by Satan, his deeds, words, and thoughts cling to a person so obsessively that they become second nature and do not leave until he denies and rejects them.

How is this testimony made?

Romans 10:9-10 says: For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” It speaks of the confession with our lips of Jesus as the Lord over all life circumstances, including over the demonic world. That's when it comes to getting rid of his addiction. A kind of declaration is being made about the rejection of the services of Satan, which man used in his time. Words must be conscious, weighty and full of faith. Then they act like a sword, cutting through all fetters and bonds.

It is also possible to be liberated simply by faith. When Philip preached in the city of Samaria, evil spirits came out of many who truly believed - and healings took place (Acts 8:7). A similar thing happened during the ministry of the Apostle Peter (Acts 5:16).

It must be said that after repentance, God forgives all sins. The blood of the Lamb cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). However, if at one time we used the occult services of Satan or engaged in idolatry in all its forms and forms, this is an abomination before God. Therefore, after our conversion, Satan is in no hurry to terminate his contract. From time to time, he recalls past collaborations with him.

And in some cases, in addition to repentance, it is also necessary to carry out the termination of the occult contract, which is carried out through a conscious statement about this with our lips. We find a precedent in Scripture: Burn the idols of their gods with fire; do not wish to take for yourselves the silver or the gold that is on them, lest it be a snare to you: for it is an abomination to the Lord your God. And do not bring abomination into your house, so as not to fall under the spell, like she did. Turn away from this and abhor this; because it's cursed"(Deut. 7:25,26)

This work is difficult to notice for those who are ignorant of the letter of Scripture. However, it becomes quite evident when we approach our ministry "in spirit and in truth." Thus, from the book of the Acts of the Apostles it is clear that the early apostolic church practiced a kind of unleashing of occult ties. The believers in Ephesus, who were engaged in the occult practice of sorcery before believing, once collected their occult books and burned them. Thus they confessed their sins. Confession is a form of renunciation. Thus they expressed their termination of the contract with Satan and the transition from under his power to the power of God (Acts 19:17-19). They based their actions on the letter of Scripture. It is safe to say that they had spiritual knowledge of what it means to move from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to the power of God (Acts 26:17,18).

We need to understand the experience of the Ephesian church. But to take it literally and consider it sufficient in relation to the occult-burdened and in our time will not be entirely healthy. This is the experience of the church of that time. The principles of unleashing occult bonds have not changed, but the spirit of the times has changed. We live in "recent times", and this "times are hard"(2 Tim. 3:1-5). This is even more specifically written: But the Spirit clearly says that in the last times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and teachings of demons.(1 Tim. 4:1).

The Peril of Seduction and the Power of God

Christians who believe false spiritual teachings also need to be set free if they do not want to be judged by God along with their teachers (2 Pet. 2:1-3). We live in a time similar to the antediluvian. Jesus Christ warned about the possibility of seduction: For false Christs and false prophets will arise and give great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect… But as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the coming of the Son of Man.”(Mt. 24:24; 37). To a large extent, demonic possession was common before the Flood and now, before the Second Coming of the Lord.

Physical persecution was replaced by spiritual seduction. Today the spirit operating in the "sons of disobedience" is becoming more and more hardened and insolent in its influence on Christians. The action of the "mystery of lawlessness" is in full swing and it is not so easy to get rid of the influence of Satan. It is often impossible to get rid of the past simply by destroying occult literature. Since we are not ignorant of the designs of the evil one, on the basis of the Word of God, we use the principles of the life and work of the first church.

Many local churches today are trying to deliver souls. However, the practical details of carrying out this work in our era are somewhat different. While maintaining unity in the fundamental essence of the issue, in practical activities it is necessary to follow the biblical logic of common sense, applying it individually in each specific situation. We also find an analogue of these actions in Scripture: “... all the sons of Israel gathered together - fasting and in sackcloth, and with ashes on their heads. And the seed of Israel separated itself from all the foreigners, and they arose and confessed their sins and the crimes of their fathers.”(Nehemiah 9:1,2).

It is quite obvious that only Christ makes the victory in liberation, and the demons are subject only to Him. Therefore, we should never allow the thought that there are special people among us who are called to cast out demons. Otherwise, the same thing may happen as with the sons of Skeva, who suffered for their insolence (Acts 19:14-16). On the other hand, one should not be afraid to command unclean forces in the name of Jesus Christ. It is necessary to know that such authority is given not only to the apostles, but also to all born-again Christians, children of God (John 1:12). This is explicitly stated in the Gospel of Mark: And these signs will follow those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons"(Mark 16:17).

This comes from an understanding of the position into which Christ has raised all the members of His Church without exception. In Christ we are seated in heaven (Eph. 2:6), we have all fullness in Him (Col. 2:9,10), the greatness of His might in us is immeasurable (Eph. 1:19; Col. 2:15). This power works in us “according to the working of His mighty power, which He worked in Christ, raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in heaven”(Eph. 1:19,20). In other words, the power that at one time raised Christ up from hell, where death could not hold him, the power that lifted him up and seated him at the right hand of the Father, “higher than any principality, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the future”(Eph. 1:21,22), the power that at one time raised the dead Lazarus from the tomb and performed many signs and wonders is now in us through the Holy Spirit. This is a tremendous power that cannot be compared with any other conceivable and inconceivable power, and it is in us now. "For we live and move and have our being"(Acts 17:28).

It is from these positions that we affirm that we have been given authority in Christ Jesus to attack all the enemy's power, commanding in His name. As His disciples, we are sure that nothing will harm us (Luke 10:19), because Christ, who lives in us “... yesterday and today and forever, the same” (Heb. 13:8). To deny this absolutely obvious fact is simply unworthy of the title of Christian. The same power and authority over all demons that the Lord gave to His disciples (Luke 9:1) is with us today.

The practice of the first church and the modern

Renunciation of Satan and his works was an obligatory practice of the early church. Over time, it turned into a mere formality and became part of the ritual of some traditional denominations. It is not so important how we call this counseling work on liberation from the forces of hell - renunciation, liberation, refusal, termination of the contract, or something else. The main thing is that this is understood as a conscious severing of any ties with the demonic world that have ever taken place. And this is just another, albeit a very important stage on the path of sanctification.

In some churches, renunciation of occult practice is done in the process of praying to God. Perhaps it would be more ethical to separate these aspects. After repentance before God for the sins of abomination, a statement (or renunciation) should be made, which is spoken against Satan. Then - a prayer to God with a request for help in further purification, sanctification and protection. It is necessary to ask God for light, much light for the renewal of the mind and the knowledge of the will of God (Rom. 12:2).

From the standpoint of common sense, it is quite obvious that if we want to break off our relationship with someone, then it is more reasonable to tell this person directly, and not pass it through an intermediary. Similarly, if during a previous life we ​​entered into agreements and used the services of demons, then it is necessary to decide with them about the termination of ties. In no case is it about some kind of prayer to Satan or a dialogue with him. A statement made out loud is a solid, disarming fact for the real-life demonic world, and serves as a kind of legal document.

All who come into contact with the occult need this, those who, after repentance, continue to have specific problems. Such problems may be the spiritual bill that Satan brings for his services, although he may simply be bluffing. It can also be ancestral heredity or a curse. In any case, if we really want to get freedom, then the Holy Spirit will prompt the way and will lead along it.

It must be emphasized that a declaration or renunciation does not guarantee liberation from the attacks of Satan in the future. It only cuts off the existing occult connections and burdens, annuls the old connections. Satan is very reluctant to part with former captives. At the slightest opportunity, he tries to lay claim to them.

Breaking out of captivity is not all

A Christian who has escaped from demonic captivity must remember that an indifferent life is unthinkable for him, since everything can return back. He should be oriented only towards a victorious life in the spirit, following the path of crucifixion and walking in the spirit. Having humbled himself and cast his cares on God, he needs to confront the enemy with firm faith (1 Pet. 5:6-9). It is an attitude of actively drawing near to God and resisting the devil in all aspects of life (James 4:7,8). In doing so, we know that further attacks from Satan are simply futile unless we give him space with some new sin.

Usually the release is not instantaneous. This is a process in which the whole person must be involved - his spirit, soul and body. Unlike ordinary Christians, in the life of the burdened, the problem of subjecting the individual to the regenerated spirit is especially acute. It is much more difficult for them to learn to subordinate the actions of a wounded sick soul and an unrenewed mind to a free spirit in which the Holy Spirit already dwells. The renewal of the mind and cooperation with God, the knowledge and fulfillment of His will in their lives should play a paramount role. God wants a conscious, volitional decision of a person in the matter of choosing the path to follow Him.

If this does not happen, Satan will try to regain his fortresses at the level of soul and body. By seducing the soul and blocking the spirit, demons try to make such Christians useless to God.

For some reason, many Christians, especially ministers, are frightened even by the word "renunciation", they react very painfully to it. But the point is not in the definitions, but in their essence. Renunciation is a deep awareness of the sinfulness of previous actions, repentance and rejection of them. Without such full realization there is no repentance. Mechanical reading of any prayers will not give anything. Many who have problems need full awareness of all their steps on the path to liberation.

Let go of prejudice

Unfortunately, in a Christian environment, true spiritual knowledge often stands in the way of traditional beliefs in a form devoid of inner meaning. The lack of enlightenment of individual Christians and their unwillingness or inability to recognize the fallacy of acquired beliefs also interferes.

As practice shows, prejudices at all levels of both church and public life and activity are not eliminated by logic and even evidence. After all, the acceptance of the true reality can shake the stability of the foundations that have developed over the long years of survival in an atheistic society. Therefore, people simply organically do not want to part with the wrong concepts and ideas that have become familiar to them. In modern Christianity, a conservative biblical approach to spiritual life does not everywhere prevail. Often, not always meaningful, frozen form dominates.

Why do believers still have such views? The desire for peace in the modern church is often stronger than the desire for the search for truth. “In our practice, this has not happened,” say some believers of the older generation. It happens that many who consider themselves people of faith become victims of deception (Matt. 7:13-23).

Often, especially in recent times, in the confession of traditional Christians, indifference to the essence of faith is manifested. Often in their actions they do not show the necessary firmness of convictions and sobriety of views. Instead of bearing their cross daily and living a fulfilling spiritual life, they are trying to find a compromise between the Word of God and everyday reality. Because of this, there is a danger of falling into error and heresy. By not keeping the commandments of Christ, we endanger our own safety. In the end, this can even lead to falling away from the faith!

Our goal is not short-term worldly happiness, which depends on many circumstances, but constant sanctification and striving for spiritual perfection, transformation into the image of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18).

I emphasize once again that each of us has an individual path to God. Some need renunciation, some don't. One speaks only to God, and the other speaks to Satan. There are practically no ready-made, template recipes for liberation. The Holy Spirit is the Creator and does not work according to a pattern. One thing that is common to all is a personal relationship with the Lord, and He will tell you what to do in your particular case. Personally, I am against templates and stencils, the sharing of truths that are common to all, a special initiation of exorcism and a special ministry, some kind of special mystery and muddy water in which Satan fishes beautifully. The Lord is the light that shines for all. We are also called to bring His light into the world.

The more mystery there is in the realm of the occult, the more Christians are intimidated and misled. We are a royal priesthood, a people taken for granted (1 Pet. 2:9), and children of God (John 1:12). True, not everyone and not always know how to properly use the power given to us. The process of learning and sanctification is about receiving spiritual vision and God's power. If power, as God's children, is given to us by inheritance, then we receive His power only through sanctification.

Spiritual Diagnostics

« My people will be destroyed for lack of knowledge: since you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you from serving as a priest before Me; and just as you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children” (Hosea 4:6).

Many believers want to receive a method of liberation from occult addiction. You should know that these are very sharp, effective tools. If, having received freedom, a Christian does not adhere to a spiritual way of life, then the situation may worsen. “When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it walks through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it; then he said, I will return to my house from whence I came out. And, having come, he finds him unoccupied, swept and cleaned; then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits worse than himself, and having entered, dwell there; and for that person the last is worse than the first.”(Matthew 12:43-45)

I also want to remind you that it is NECESSARY to EXCLUDE physiological and mental illnesses. In my practice, there were cases when conditions similar to epilepsy or schizophrenia occurred due to head injuries. Quite often, ordinary neurotic and mental disorders are confused with the state of occult addiction or obsession. For such cases, all of the following is not necessary. These patients need help of a different kind. Therefore, it is very IMPORTANT to make a correct DIAGNOSIS.

Methods of Spiritual Liberation of a Christian

Many Christians, including me, have been helped by this method of liberation from occult addiction, developed on the basis of the Holy Scriptures and adapted to our realities. This is a kind of spiritual ambulance, the beginning of a long journey, on which many dangers await a person, which can be overcome with God's help. He teaches us in the process of life.

The following prayers and statements will be effective in the life of a Christian only after they are clearly understood. This requires seeking a personal relationship with God and practicing the Christian way of life. Realizing and affirming our position in Christ, we resist the forces of evil not with our own, but with His power and authority (John 1:12).

Biblical doctrines are not a club with which to disperse all evil forces. Only truth liberates a person, and freedom comes as it is realized. The condition for knowing the truth is the study and fulfillment of what is written in the Word of God (John 8:31,32). Below is a sample prayer of a counselor helping an occult-burdened person. In the absence of a counselor, the addict prays himself.

“Dear Heavenly Father, I have come to You in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and His shed blood. I acknowledge Your presence now, in this place, and in my life. I declare my complete dependence on You, because without Christ I can do nothing.

I accept my position in Christ and sit with Him in heaven. Since all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him, I accept authority over all enemies of Jesus Christ in this place, and especially in (name of ward).

You said that where two or three are gathered in Your name, there You are among them, and what is bound on earth is bound in heaven. I ask for Your help and support in the release of (name of the ward). Amen".

Observing the safety rules, before starting work with an occult-burdened counselor, he must ask the Lord to protect his family and everyone whom the Lord has given him to help him from the influence of evil spirits. Then you need to make a statement to the demonic spirit world:

“I demand that the evil spirit that is inside or near (name) be doomed to silence. These spirits cannot hurt, speak in (name's) mind, or interfere with (name's) hearing and speaking. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I command you, Satan, and all your host to free (name) and remain bound and silent, so that (name) can obey God.

Reality versus fake

The first step of freedom in Christ is the renunciation of past or present associations with occult practices or false religions. Any organization or group that denies Jesus Christ, offering guidance from any source other than the absolute truth, the Word of God, or requiring secret initiations should be abandoned. A Christian should not cooperate with those who are not fully open in all their affairs (1 John 1:5-7), much less be a member of such a group.

If you believe in Jesus Christ in a different way than He is presented in Scripture, then your spirit will be different from the Holy Spirit, and your gospel will be different from the gospel of grace. Therefore, you need to prayerfully turn to God: "Dear Heavenly Father, I beg You to reveal to me all the occult practices, false religions and false teachers with whom I have consciously or unconsciously been associated."

Write down everything that God reveals to you in your mind. After making sure that your list is complete, ask Him for forgiveness for participating in the sins of abomination. (My list was about thirty unconscious and unrepentant occult sins and practices).

Then you need to make a conscious volitional statement to the demonic spiritual world. Although, upon repentance, God forgave participation in the sins of abomination, those occult practices that led to addiction must be unleashed. For each practice, religion, or teacher, a specific declaration must be made to sever ties and reject satanic lies. This declaration to the spirit world is like a legal document, so accuracy is essential.

After that, you can tear and throw away your list and bow in prayer before God, ask for His further protection and protection from the influence of the demonic world. Even unconscious participation in occult or pagan practices can lead to a connection with Satan. It is at this stage that one can meet the fierce resistance of various inner voices.

After repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God forgives our sins, including participation in any kind of occult practices. Only those actions that led to the conclusion of a contract with the demonic world and the corresponding dependence are of importance. For example, a predicted event came true, or after the treatment of a psychic, visible changes occurred in the body. That is, the demonic world did something for a person, and now this person is the debtor of Satan. Some psychics or healers try to give or take something. Thus, they are trying to establish an invisible connection. Particularly "advanced" sorcerers are able to interfere with human nature at a distance. This usually happens at night, during the so-called "time of the witches." Although the connection with the occult may take a long time, perhaps even in the next generation. My seminary teacher of counseling, Boris Zudermann, testified that in the life of one of the elderly sisters of his church, girlish fortune-telling manifested itself after fifty years.

God forgives all our sins before Him, but in accordance with the law of justice, issues related to our debts to people and Satan, we must decide on our own (Luke 19:8; Acts 19:19). Demanding payment of bills, the forces of darkness act according to the law. Although it often happens that they simply bluff and attack the weak and ignorant. Ignorance and lack of enlightenment in regard to matters related to the spiritual world is the best ground for Satan's activities.

When a person believes false accusations, his belief in lies provides a hook for the operation of evil spirits. If you do not realize and reject the lie in time, then this can become the basis for long-term contacts with the demonic world. Therefore, after identifying and realizing such contacts and connections, it is necessary to make a strong-willed statement about their termination.

Truth versus deceit

We must cast aside lies and speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15,25). Spiritually and mentally healthy is one who is aware of reality and is relatively free from anxiety. This is characteristic of Christians who have rejected deceit and embraced the truth of God's Word.

“Dear Heavenly Father, I know that You desire the truth in my inner being and that the knowledge of this truth is the path to liberation (John 8:32). I confess that I have been deceived by the father of lies (John 8:44) and that I have deceived myself (1 John 1:8). I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that You, Heavenly Father, cast off all lying spirits with the virtue of shed blood and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

By faith, I have accepted You as Lord of my life and I sit with Christ in heaven (Eph. 2:6). I ask the Holy Spirit to lead me on the path of truth (John 16:13). In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen".

Faith does not create reality, it corresponds to it. Belief in truth is a voluntary choice. It is only as great as we are familiar with the object of faith. We know little about God and His word - we have little faith. Any attempt to live by faith in that which is not certain is untenable. If we believe only feelings, then our life will be subject to emotional impulses. The path of knowing the truth begins with accepting the truth of God's Word. Believe in the Truth - Jesus Christ, act in accordance with this faith - and your feelings will correspond to what you think and what you do.

DOCTRINAL STATEMENTS

• I acknowledge that there is only one truth and one living God (Ex. 20:2,3) who exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that He is worthy of all honors, all praises, and worships as Creator, Source, Beginning, and End of all things (Rev. 4:11; 5:9,10; Isaiah 43:1,7,21).
• I acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the Word made flesh and living among us (John 1:1,14). I believe that He came to destroy the works of Satan (1 John 3:8), that He took power away from principalities and powers and put them to shame by triumphing over them (Col. 2:15).
• I believe that God proved His love for me because when I was a sinner, Christ died for me. I believe that He delivered me from the kingdom of darkness and transferred me to His kingdom, and that in Him I have redemption and forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:13,14).
• I believe that I am now a child of God (1 John 3:1-3) and I am seated with Christ in heaven (Eph. 2:6). I believe that I was saved by God's grace through faith, that it was a gift and not the result of any of my actions (Eph. 2:8).
• I choose strength in the Lord and the might of His strength (Eph. 6:10). I don't put my trust in the flesh (Phil. 3:3) because my weapons of war are not of the flesh (2 Cor. 10:4). I put on the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:13-18) and resolve to stand firm in my faith and resist evil.
• I believe that Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18) and that He is the head of all principality and authority (Col. 2:10). I believe that Satan and his demons are subject to me in Christ because I am a member of the body of Christ (Eph. 1:19-23). Therefore, I obey the command to resist the devil (James 4:7) and command him in the name of Christ to leave me.
• I believe that without Christ I can do nothing (John 15:5), so I declare my dependence on Him. I choose immutability in Christ to bring forth much fruit and glorify the Lord (John 15:8). I declare to Satan that Jesus is my Lord (1 Cor. 1:3) and reject any counterfeit spiritual gifts or work of Satan in my life.
• I believe that the truth has set me free (John 8:32) and that the way in the light is the only way to fellowship with God and with each other (1 John 1:7); I oppose any deception of Satan, subordinating my every thought to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5), I recognize the Holy Scripture as the only true one (2 Tim. 3:15-17). I choose to love the truth (Eph. 4:15).
• I present my body as an instrument of righteousness, a living and sacred sacrifice, and renew my mind with life according to God's Word so that I can confirm that God's will is good, acceptable, and perfect (Rom. 6:13; 12:1,2).
• I ask my Heavenly Father to fill me with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18), lead me into the truth (John 16:13), and teach me to use the power of God, to live overcoming sin without giving in to the desires of the flesh (Gal. 5: sixteen). I deny myself and crucify the flesh (Gal. 5:24) by choosing the path of life in the Spirit.
• I reject my selfish goals and choose the eternal goal of love (1 Tim. 1:5). I obey the greatest commandment - to love the Lord my God with all my heart and to love my neighbor as myself (Matthew 22:37-39).

Doctrinal statements require a detailed explanation. Obviously, once again it should be recalled that complete liberation occurs as the divine light penetrates into the human mind. To do this, it is necessary to read and study the Holy Scriptures and regularly attend services in the church. It is important to read the Bible daily and practice it in your daily life. The Word of God is as important to our spiritual life as food is to the physical body (1 Pet. 2:2). As we grow spiritually through obedience to God's Word, we will be able to understand deeper truths (Heb. 5:14).

I know from personal experience that this works only while we are in Christ. Departing from Him, we cannot stand on our own and fall into the sphere of action of another spiritual world. Therefore, those who have been under the influence of the forces of darkness must learn to live in the light. Actually, this is necessary for everyone, but for the former captives of Satan, this is especially important!

Forgiveness versus resentment

Most often, Satan's intervention in the lives of Christians is not due to forgiveness. We are warned that we must forgive others so that Satan will not gain access to us (2 Cor. 2:10,11). Why is forgiveness so important to our freedom? Because God has forgiven us in Christ. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that in Him we might be made righteous before God.”(2 Corinthians 5:21). The sacrificial death of Christ made God's forgiveness legal and morally righteous. We should be as merciful as Heavenly Father was merciful to us (Luke 6:36). We must forgive as we have been forgiven (Eph. 4:31,32).

Forgiveness is a choice, a test of the will. God requires us to forgive so we can do it. But forgiveness is difficult for us because it goes against our idea of ​​justice. We want retribution, vengeance, but we are commanded never to avenge ourselves (Rom. 12:19).

Without forgiving offenders, we get used to them, and this means continued pain. Stop the pain, release the offenders. You forgive someone not for their sake: you do it for your own sake, for your freedom. We need to forgive in order to build a relationship with God.

Forgiveness is an agreement to live with the consequences of another person's sin. It is costly: we pay for the sins we forgive. However, whether we like it or not, we still have to live with the consequences of sin. We are given a choice: to live in the bitterness of not forgiveness or with a light, free, rejoicing heart.

This is how Jesus forgave: He took upon Himself all the consequences of our sins against Him. Anything true forgiveness is substitutionary because there can be no forgiveness without taking the punishment for the sin of another.

How to forgive from the heart? First of all, acknowledge your pain and hatred. If forgiveness does not touch the emotional core of your past, it will be incomplete. You don't have to hide your pain. Christians feel the pain of insults, but often do not admit it. Let God bring the pain to the surface so He can quench it. This is how healing happens. Ask God to help you remember who you need to forgive, and say out loud something like this:

“Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for the treasures of Your kindness, mercy and patience. Your kindness led me to repentance (Rom. 2:4). I admit that I have not shown the same patience and kindness to those who offended me. On the contrary, I felt bitterness and resentment.

Help me remember all those I haven't forgiven so I can do it now (Matthew 18:35). I also pray, if I offended others, to help me remember all those from whom and for what I should ask for forgiveness (Matt. 5:23,24). I ask it in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen".

When you pray, be prepared to remember long-forgotten names (many remember their parents). Make a list of your offenders. Facing the cross: this makes forgiveness legal and morally righteous. On the cross of Calvary, Jesus Christ redeemed us from the power of the law. He took power away from the demonic world and triumphed over it by Himself (Col. 2:9-15).

God has forgiven us, and we can forgive too. It is necessary to decide to carry the burden of problems without getting angry at the offenders. This does not mean that we should tolerate their sin, as this turns forgiveness into a mockery. We must always speak out against sin.

There is no need to wait for a special desire to forgive. It may not exist. After deciding to forgive, it takes time for the wounds to heal and for Satan to lose his influence in your heart (Eph. 4:26,27). For each person on the list, say, "Lord, I forgive him." God wants us to be free. By forgiving insults, people get an indescribable feeling of freedom.

It is not always necessary to try to understand the offender's behavior. Forgiveness refers to your pain, not to him. It should be remembered that positive feelings will come with time, the main thing is to get rid of the past.

Humility versus rebelliousness

We are part of a recalcitrant generation of individualists who think they have the right to judge those who have power over us. We are also tempted to disobey human authority. Christians are no exception. Although disobedience to God only leads to trouble.

Scripture says we have two obligations to rulers: to pray for them and to obey them. God allows us to disobey earthly authorities only if they require us to act contrary to His commandments. The following Scriptures speak of our civic responsibility: Rom. 13:1-5; 1 Tim. 2:1-4; 1 Pet. 2:13-16; on liability to employers: 1 Pet. 2:18-21; before church leaders - Heb. 13:17.

Submission to human power demonstrates our faith. As we submit to God's authority, we trust that He will protect and bless us, and that everything in our lives will be in accordance with His good will. To repent of disobedience before God, you need to say something like the following prayer:

“Dear Heavenly Father, You said that “...disobedience is the same sin as magic, and rebellion is the same as idolatry” (1 Sam. 15:23). I realize that with a rebellious heart I have sinned against You. I ask You for forgiveness for my disobedience and I pray that by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ all areas of my life will be cleansed of demons. I pray that You will shed light on all my paths, so that I will know the fullness of my disobedience and take the path of obedience and service.

In the name of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen".

Humility versus pride

Pride is a killer, it speaks for us: “I can do it myself. I can get out of this without God's help." No, we can't! We constantly need God and need each other. Paul wrote, “For we are the circumcision, who serve God in the Spirit, and boast in Christ Jesus, and trust not in the flesh” (Phil. 3:3). Pride is followed by spiritual conflict (James 4:6-10; 1 Pet. 5:1-10).

Use a prayer like the following to express your determination to live modestly before God:

“Dear Heavenly Father, You said that “Pride goeth before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall” (Prov. 16:18). I acknowledge that I have not given up on myself and am not carrying my cross following You (Matt. 16:24). In doing so, I opened the way for the enemy into my life. I believed that I could succeed and live victoriously on my own strength. I confess that I have sinned against You by placing my will above Yours and centering my life around myself and not around You. I renounce selfishness and, in doing so, I take away everything that the enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ have acquired in me.

I pray that You will guide me and that I will not act selfishly and give room to empty vanity, but modestly consider others higher than myself (Philippians 2:3-5). Help me to serve others with love and in praise to prefer others above myself (Rom. 12:6-18).
I ask in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen".

Note, Rebelliousness and pride, lack of humility, self-will, etc. are insane manifestations of uncrucified flesh. Very often, it is the flesh that becomes an ally of Satan and hinders spiritual development. Liberation from various addictions, negative habits and qualities of character occurs as a result of a long and painful process of co-crucifixion. Sanctification is a lifelong process.

Freedom versus slavery

On the next step on the path to freedom, we encounter an obstacle - ingrained sins. People trapped in the sin-repentance-sin-repentance cycle may need to follow James' instructions: “Confess to each other your offenses and pray for each other to be healed: the fervent prayer of the righteous can do much”(James 5:16).

For example, many young people, especially those from non-Christian families, are highly addicted to sex. They should know that kisses, erotic thoughts and various sexual deviations (deviations) are not legal and unnatural. The Lord offers another program: “Whatever is true, whatever is honest, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is glorious, whatever is virtue and praise, think about that.”(Phil. 4:8). Read the following prayer:

“Dear Heavenly Father, You have commanded us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and not to make the provision of the flesh lustful (Rom. 13:14). I admit that I have done so, but lust wages war against my soul (1 Pet. 2:11). Thank You that in Christ my sins are forgiven, but I broke Your holy law and enabled the enemy to wage war in my body (Eph. 4:27; Jas. 4:1; 1 Pet. 5:8).

I have come into Your presence to acknowledge this sin and ask for Your cleansing (1 John 1:9) to be freed from the bondage of sin (Gal. 5:1).

I ask You to open ways for me so as not to violate Your moral law and not to grieve the Holy Spirit.

After confessing the sins you know, pray:

“God, I confess these sins before You and ask the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness and cleansing by His blood. I renounce everything that evil spirits have imposed on me because of my involvement in sin, I reject lies and wish to live in truth. I ask this in the name of my wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen".

Renunciation versus acceptance

The last step to freedom is to renounce the sins of your ancestors and any curses that may have been placed on you. Giving the Ten Commandments, God said: “Do not make for yourself an idol or any image of what is in heaven above, and what is on the earth below, and what is in the water below the earth. Don't worship them and don't serve them; for I am the Lord your God, a jealous God, who punishes the children for the guilt of their fathers to the third and fourth generation, who hate me” (Ex. 20:4,5).

The fact that obedience to demons can be passed on from one generation to another is attested by counselors of occult addicts. (In my practice, this is a common occurrence). It is undeniable that many problems are transmitted genetically, as well as acquired in an immoral environment. All these conditions affect a person's predisposition to specific sins.

As you free yourself from the satanic presence in your family, expect resistance. Adopted children are especially often subjected to demonic influence because of their real parents. But they, too, can become new creatures in Christ, renounce dependence, and receive an inheritance as God's children. If they are still small, then, dedicating them to God, it is necessary for their new Christian parents to untie the bonds of untruth.

If you have participated in satanic rituals or other occult practices (this includes Freemasonry, the New Age movement, various esoteric healing techniques, healing, clairvoyance, martial arts, etc.), you have probably acquired a "spiritual guide" or " parent." These spiritual relationships must be rejected, as well as any blood pact that unites you with anyone other than God. It is very important to reject and destroy "prophetic" programming dreams and visions, any human "revelations". If you are a victim of a ritual, you need the help of a consultant who understands demonic fortresses.

To free yourself from the influences of the past, read the following sample prayer:

“Dear Heavenly Father, I have come as Your child, redeemed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here and now, I renounce all demonic bonds that may have been due to the sins of my ancestors, and do not submit to them. As one who has been delivered from the power of darkness and moved into the realm of the dear Son of God, I reject all demonic deeds passed down to me by my ancestors. As one who was crucified and resurrected with Christ, I reject all Satan's attempts to possess me. I declare myself eternally and completely dependent on the Lord Jesus Christ.

I renounce all curses and ancestral spirits, all the enemies of Jesus Christ who are in me or near me and have an influence on me. I ask You, Heavenly Father, to fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give you my body as an instrument of righteousness, a living sacrifice, so that I can glorify you in it.

All this I ask of You in the name and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen".

Having passed all the steps and found your freedom, you may notice that after a while the demons will try to return. One victory does not mean the war won, but many victories are the sign of the winner. You need to maintain your freedom. We will be free as long as a right relationship with God is maintained. Even if there is a fall, we know how to return to Him.

It should be remembered that liberation usually takes place at the moment of confession, while growth (sanctification) is a process of the whole life of a believer. Therefore, a stop in spiritual development is dangerous by the return of a person to the same place in one form or another. When we call on Christ, we ask Him to cast Satan out of our lives. But it is our responsibility not to let him back in (Gal. 5:1). Stand firm and resist him. Our war is victorious!

Petr PAVLYUK, pastor of the Church of ECB "Light of Truth" (Odessa).

Preface to the 1904 edition of the Athos Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery

In the original of this book, in its title, it appears that the book was compiled by another person, some wise man, while Elder Nicodemus only revised it, corrected it, supplemented it, and enriched it with notes and extracts from the holy fathers, ascetics. Therefore, it belongs to Elder Nicodemus more in spirit than in letter. When translating this book, it was considered more suitable to include notes and testimonies from the fathers in the text, and because of this, it was sometimes necessary to change the words of the book to improve its style, which was sometimes allowed without it. Therefore, the proposed book should be considered not so much a translation as a free transcription.

Preface (Compiled by Elder Nicodemus to the manuscript he used)

This soulful little book rightly bears the name given to it "Invisible Scolding". How many of the sacred and inspired books of the Old and New Testaments got their name from the very objects they teach about (the Book of Genesis, for example, is so named because it announces the creation and well-being of all that exists from non-existent; Exodus - because it describes the exodus of the sons of Israel from Egypt; Leviticus - because it contains a charter of sacred rites for the Levitical tribe; Books of Kings - because they tell about the life and deeds of kings; Gospels - because they preach the gospel great joy, as if born Christ the Lord Savior to the world(cf. Luke 2:10-11), and show all the faithful the way to salvation and the inheritance of eternally blessed life); so who will not agree that the present book, judging by its content and the subjects it deals with, is worthy of the title "Warning Invisible"?

For she teaches not about any sensual and visible warfare and not about obvious and bodily enemies, but about mental and invisible warfare, which every Christian will accept from the hour he is baptized and vows before God to fight for Him in the glory of His divine name. even to death (why is it written in the book of Numbers: for this reason the war of the Lord is said in the book, it is allegorically written about this invisible battle (Numbers 21:14) and about the incorporeal and implicit enemies, which are various passions and lusts of the flesh and evil and misanthropic demons, who do not stop fighting against us day and night, as blessed Paul said: bear our battle to blood and flesh, but to the beginning, and to the authorities, and to the ruler of the darkness of this world, to the spiritual malice in high places(Eph. 6:12).

The warriors who fight in this invisible battle, she teaches, are all Christians; our Lord Jesus Christ is depicted as their commander, surrounded and accompanied by commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, that is, by all the ranks of angels and saints; the field of battle, the field of battle, the place where the struggle itself takes place, is our own heart and the whole inner man; the time of battle is our whole life.

What are the essence of the weapons in which this invisible battle equips its warriors? Listen. Their helmet is complete unbelief and complete distrust of themselves; shield and chain mail - bold faith in God and firm hope in Him; armor and breastplate - teaching in the sufferings of the Lord; belt - cutting off carnal passions; shoes - humility and weakness of one's constant recognition and feeling; spurs - patience in temptations and driving away negligence; with a sword that they constantly hold in one hand - prayer, both verbal and mental, heartfelt; with a three-pointed spear that they hold in their other hand - a firm determination not to agree to a struggling passion, to tear it away from themselves with anger and hate with all their hearts; Kosht ​​and food, with which they are reinforced to resist enemies - frequent communion with God, both mysterious, from a mysterious sacrifice, and mental; a bright and cloudless atmosphere, giving them the opportunity to see enemies from afar - the constant exercise of the mind in knowing that there is a right before the Lord, the constant exercise of the will in desiring only that which is pleasing to God, peace and tranquility of the heart.

Here - here, in this "Invisible Warfare" (that is, in a book) or, better to say, in this War of the Lord- The soldiers of Christ learn to know various charms, various wiles, inconceivable cunning and cunning of the military, which mental adversaries use against them through feelings, through fantasy, through deprivation of the fear of God, especially through the four pretexts that they bring into the heart at the time of death, - I mean the attachments of unbelief, despair, vanity and their transformation into angels of light. Learning to recognize all this, they themselves at the same time manage how to destroy such intrigues of enemies and oppose them, and they will know what tactics and what law of warfare they should adhere to in what case and with what courage to enter the struggle. And, I will say briefly, with this book, every person who desires salvation learns how to overcome his invisible enemies, in order to acquire treasures of true and divine virtues and for that receive an incorruptible crown and an eternal pledge, which is union with God both in this century and in the future.

Accept, Christ-loving readers, this book joyfully and favorably, and, learning from it the art of invisible warfare, try not only to fight, but also fight legally, fight as you should, so that you can be crowned; because, according to the Apostle, it happens that even though someone struggles, he is not married if he struggled unlawfully (see: 2 Tim. 2, 5). Put on the weapons that she points out to you in order to strike to death with them your mental and invisible enemies, which are soul-destructive passions and their organizers and exciters are demons. Put on all the weapons of God, as if you could help me to become the wiles of the devil(Eph. 6:11). Remember how at Holy Baptism you promised to remain in renunciation of Satan, and all his deeds, and all his ministry, and all his pride, that is, voluptuousness, love of glory, love of money and other passions. Strive, then, as much as you can, to turn him back, to shame and conquer in all perfection.

And what rewards and rewards do you have to receive for such a victory of yours?! Very many and great. And hear about them from the lips of the Lord Himself, Who promises them to you in the Holy Revelation word for word like this: ... to him who overcomes I will give food from the tree of the animal, which is in the middle of God ... Conquering, do not be harmed by the second death. To the overcomer I will give food from the hidden manna. And to him who overcomes and keeps My works to the end, I will give him authority on the tongue... and I will give him the morning star. He who overcomes, he will be clothed in white robes ... and we will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. One who overcomes I will make a pillar in the church of my God. To him who overcomes I will give to sit with Me on My throne ... He who overcomes will inherit everything, and God will be to him, and he will be My son (Rev. 2, 7, 11, 17, 26-28; 3, 5, 12, 21; 21, 7 ).

See what honors! See what rewards! See this octagonal and many-colored imperishable crown, or, better, these crowns that are woven together for you, brethren, if you overcome the devil! Now worry about this, because of this strive and refrain from everything, yes no one will send a crown yours (Rev. 3:11). For verily, it is a great shame that those who struggle in the stadiums in bodily and outward labors abstain five times more from everything in order to receive some corruptible crown from a wild olive tree, or from a palm branch, or from a date tree, or from laurel, or from myrtle, or from some other plant; but you, who have to receive such an incorruptible crown, spend your life in carelessness and heedlessness. Will not the word of St. Paul awaken you from this sleep, who says: do not know, as if flowing into disgrace, all are flowing, only one accepts honor; so tezit, that you comprehend, everyone who strives from all will refrain: and they, even if corrupted, will receive a crown, but we are incorruptible (1 Cor. 9, 24-25).

If, inspired by zeal, you are worthy of such a victory and such bright crowns, then do not forget, my brethren, to pray to the Lord for the forgiveness of sins and the one who helped you to receive such a blessing through this book. First of all, do not forget to lift up your eyes to heaven and give thanks and glory to the first Source and Accomplisher of such your victory, God and the Leader of your Jesus Christ, each saying to Him this Zerubbabel word: From Thee, O Lord, is victory... and Thy glory is; I am your servant(cf .: 2 Ezra. 4, 59), and another, spoken by the prophet David: ... You, Lord, majesty, and strength, and glory, and overcoming, and confession, and strength ...(1 Chr. 29:11) now and forever and ever. Amen.

PART 1

Chapter one
WHAT IS CHRISTIAN PERFECTION. FOR THE ACQUISITION OF ITS SCORE is REQUIRED. FOUR THINGS YOU NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS BATTLE

We all naturally desire and are commanded to be perfect. The Lord commands: ... therefore, you are perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect(Matt. 5:48), St. Paul convinces: ... be a child in malice, but be perfect minds(1 Cor. 14, 20), in another place we read from him: …you will committed and fulfill...(Col. 4:12), and again: ... let's go to commit ...(Heb. 6:1). This commandment was foreseen in the Old Testament as well. So God says to Israel in Deuteronomy: You are perfect before the Lord your God(Deut. 18, 13). And Saint David commands the same to his son Solomon: ... and Now, Solomon, my son, that you know God your fathers, and serve Him with a perfect heart and spiritual will ...(1 Chron. 28, 9). After this, we cannot fail to see that God requires from Christians the fullness of perfection, that is, he requires us to be perfect in all the virtues.

But if you, my beloved reader in Christ, wish to reach such a height, you must know in advance what Christian perfection consists in. For, not knowing this, you can deviate from the real path and, thinking that you are flowing towards perfection, head in a completely different direction.

I will say frankly: the most perfect and great thing that a person can desire and achieve is drawing closer to God and being in union with Him.

But there are not a few who say that the perfection of the Christian life consists in fasting, vigils, kneeling, sleeping on bare ground, and in other similar bodily austerities. Others say that it consists in doing many prayers at home and standing up for long church services. And there are those who believe that our perfection consists entirely in mental prayer, in solitude, hermitage and silence. The largest part limits this perfection to the exact fulfillment of all the ascetic deeds laid down by the Rule, not deviating either to excess or to a lack of anything, but holding on to the golden mean. However, all these virtues alone do not constitute the desired Christian perfection, but are only means and ways to achieve it.

That they are the means and the effective means to the attainment of perfection in the Christian life, of this there is no doubt. For we see very many virtuous men who go through these virtues as they should with the aim of gaining strength and power against their sinfulness and badness through this, in order to draw from them the courage to resist the temptations and seductions of our three main enemies: the flesh, the world and the devil, in order to stock up in them and through them spiritual aids, so necessary for all servants of God, especially for beginners. They fast to subdue their violent flesh; they make vigils to sharpen their intelligent eye; they sleep on the bare ground, so as not to soften up with sleep; they bind their tongues with silence and seclude themselves in order to avoid even the slightest reason to do something that offends the All-Holy God; they make prayers, hold church services, and others perform deeds of piety so that their attention does not depart from heavenly things; they read about the life and sufferings of our Lord for no other reason than to better know their own badness and the merciful goodness of God, in order to learn and settle down to follow the Lord Jesus Christ with self-denial and the cross on their shoulders, and in order to warm up in themselves more and more love for God and hatred for oneself.

But, on the other hand, these same virtues can do more harm to those who place the whole foundation of their life and their hope in them than their obvious omissions, not in themselves, because they are pious and holy, but through the fault of those who do not use them as they should, precisely when, paying attention only to these outwardly performed virtues, they leave the heart of their mother-in-law in their own decrees and in the wills of the devil, who, seeing that they have strayed from the right path, does not interfere with them, not only with to labor with joy in these bodily exploits, but also to expand and multiply them according to their vain thought. Experiencing at the same time some spiritual movements and consolations, these workers begin to think of themselves that they have already risen to the state of angelic ranks and feel the presence of God Himself in themselves; at other times, having delved into the contemplation of some abstract, unearthly things, they dream of themselves, as if they had completely stepped out of the realm of this world and were raptured up to the third heaven.

But how erroneously they act and how far they stray from true perfection, everyone can understand this, judging by their life and their temper. They usually wish to be preferred to others in any case; they love to live according to their will and are always stubborn in their decisions; they are blind in everything that concerns themselves, but very vigilant and diligent in examining the deeds and words of others; if someone begins to enjoy the honor of others, which they think they have, they cannot endure this and clearly become unpeaceful towards him; if anyone hinders them in their pious pursuits and ascetic deeds, especially in the presence of others, God save! - they immediately become indignant, immediately boil with anger and become completely different, unlike themselves.

If God, wishing to lead them to the knowledge of themselves and direct them on the true path to perfection, sends them sorrows and illnesses or allows them to be subjected to persecution, which He usually experiences, who are His true and real servants, then it will be revealed what was hidden in their hearts and how deeply they are corrupted by pride. For, no matter what sorrow befalls them, they do not want to bend their necks under the yoke of the will of God, resting on His righteous and hidden judgments, and do not want, following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who humbled Himself for us and suffered, to humble himself more than all creatures, counting his persecutors as kind friends as instruments of divine beneficence towards them and hasters of their salvation.

Why it is obvious that they are in great danger. Having their inner eye, that is, their mind, darkened, they look at themselves with it, and look wrong. Thinking about their outward deeds of piety, that they are good with them, they think that they have already reached perfection, and, being proud of this, they begin to condemn others. After this, there is no longer any possibility that any of the people would convert such people, except for the special influence of God. It is more convenient to turn to good for an obvious sinner than a secret one hiding under the cover of visible virtues.

Now, having known so clearly and definitely that spiritual life and perfection do not consist only in those visible virtues about which we have spoken, learn also that it does not consist in anything else, except in rapprochement with God and in union with Him. , as it was said at the beginning, - in connection with which there is a heartfelt confession of the goodness and greatness of God and the consciousness of our own insignificance and inclination to all evil; love for God and dislike for ourselves; submission of oneself not only to God, but also to all creatures out of love for God; the rejection of all our own will and perfect obedience to the will of God; and moreover, the desire for all this and the accomplishment from a pure heart, to the glory of God (see: 1 Cor. 10, 31), only for the sole pleasing of God, only because He Himself wants it and that it is so necessary for us to love Him and work for Him .

This is the law of love, inscribed by the finger of God Himself in the hearts of His faithful servants! This is the self-denial that God requires of us! Behold the good yoke of Jesus Christ and His light burden! This is obedience to the will of God, which our Redeemer and Teacher requires of us, both by His own example and by His word! For did not our Head and Finisher of our salvation, the Lord Jesus, command to say in his prayer to the Heavenly Father: ... Our Father ... Thy will be done, as in heaven and on earth(Matthew 6:10)? And He Himself, entering into the feat of suffering, did not proclaim: not mine, Father, but your will be done(cf. Luke 22:42)? And about all his work did he not say: ... descended from heaven, let me not do My will, but the will of the Father who sent Me(John 6:38)?

You see now, brother, what's the matter. I assume that you are ready and eager to reach the height of such perfection. Bless your zeal! But get ready for labors, sweats and struggles from the very first steps of your course. You must sacrifice everything to God and do only His will. But you will meet within yourself as many desires as you have strength and needs, all of which require satisfaction, regardless of whether it is in accordance with the will of God. Therefore, in order to achieve the goal you desire, you must first suppress your own wills, and finally completely extinguish and kill them; and in order to be successful in this, you must constantly oppose yourself in evil and force yourself to do good, otherwise you must constantly struggle with yourself and with everything that favors your wills, excites and supports them. Get ready for such a struggle and such a battle, and know that the crown - the achievement of your desired goal - is not given to anyone except valiant warriors and fighters.

But how much more difficult this battle is than any other, since, entering into war with ourselves, we also meet opponents in ourselves, just as much victory in it is more glorious than any other and, most importantly, most pleasing to God. For if, inspired by zeal, you conquer and put to death your disorderly passions, your lusts and desires, then you will please God more and work for Him more beautifully than by beating yourself to the point of blood and exhausting yourself with fasting more than all the ancient hermits. Even if, having redeemed hundreds of Christian slaves from slavery to the wicked, you give them freedom, it will not save you, if at the same time you yourself are in slavery to passions. And no matter what deed, be it the greatest, you undertake and with what difficulty and with what sacrifices you do it, it will not bring it to the goal that you desired to achieve, if, moreover, you leave your passions unattended, giving them freedom. live and act in you.

Finally, after you have learned what Christian perfection consists of and that in order to achieve it you must wage an unceasing and cruel war with yourself, it is up to you, if you truly want to become a winner in this invisible battle and be worthy of a worthy crown for that, in your heart the following four dispositions and spiritual deeds, as if clothed in invisible weapons, the most trustworthy and all-conquering, namely:

a) never rely on yourself for anything;

b) to carry in the heart always full and all-daring hope in the one God; c) strive unceasingly; and d) always be in prayer.

Chapter Two
NEVER BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND RELY ON YOURSELF IN ANYTHING

Not relying on ourselves, my beloved brother, is so necessary in our battle that without this, be sure of this, you will not only not be able to win the desired victory, you will not be able to resist even the slightest attack on you by the enemy. Print it deep in your mind and heart.

Since the time of the crime of our progenitor, we, despite the relaxation of our spiritual and moral forces, usually think very highly of ourselves. Although everyday experience very impressively convinces us of the falsity of such an opinion about ourselves, we, in incomprehensible self-delusion, do not cease to believe that we are something, and something important. This, however, our spiritual weakness, which is very difficult to notice and recognize, is most of all contrary to God in us as the first offspring of our selfishness and self-love and the source, root and cause of all passions and all our falls and lewdness. It closes that door in the mind or spirit, through which alone the grace of God usually enters us, not allowing this grace to enter inward and abound in man. She steps back from him. For how can grace for enlightenment and help enter into that person who thinks of himself that he is something great, that he himself knows everything and does not need anyone's outside help? May the Lord deliver us from such Luciferian sickness and passion! Those who have this passion for self-conceit and self-price, God severely rebukes through the prophet, saying:

Woe, even be wise in yourselves and be wise before yourselves (Isaiah 5:21). That is why the apostle inspires us: ... do not be wise about yourself (Rom. 12:16).

Hating this evil conceit in us, God, on the contrary, loves nothing and is so unwilling to see in us, as a sincere consciousness of his insignificance and a complete conviction and feeling that every good thing in us, in our nature and our life, comes from Him alone as the source of all good, and that nothing truly good can come from us: neither a good thought, nor a good deed. This is why He Himself cares to providentially plant this heavenly sprout in the hearts of His beloved friends, arousing in them disapproval of oneself and asserting non-reliance on oneself, sometimes through a beneficial influence and inner illumination, sometimes by external blows and sorrows, sometimes by unexpected and almost irresistible temptations, and sometimes in other ways, not always clear to us.

For all that, however, that is, although this not expecting anything good from ourselves and not relying on ourselves is God's work in us, we, on our part, must make every effort to acquire such a disposition, do everything that we can and what is in our authorities. And I, my brother, here outline for you four deeds, by virtue of which, with God's help, you can finally improve disbelief in yourself or never rely on yourself in anything:

a) Know your insignificance and constantly keep in mind that you yourself cannot do any good for which you would be worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven. Listen to what the godly fathers say. Peter of Damascus assures that “there is nothing better than to know one’s weakness and ignorance, and nothing is worse than not being aware of this” (Greek Philokalia, p. 611). Saint Maximus the Confessor teaches that “the foundation of all virtue is the knowledge of human weakness” (Ibid., p. 403). Saint Chrysostom asserts that "he alone knows himself best who thinks of himself that he is nothing."

b) Seek help in this from God in warm and humble prayers, for this is His gift. And if you want to receive it, then you must first establish in yourself the conviction that not only do you not have such a consciousness about yourself, but that you cannot acquire it at all by yourself; then, boldly standing before the majesty of God and firmly believing that, in His immeasurable goodness, He will certainly grant you such knowledge of himself, when and how He knows, do not allow the slightest doubt that you will really receive it.

c) Get used to always fear for yourself and be afraid of your countless enemies, whom you cannot resist even for a short time; be afraid of their long skill to fight with us, their omnipresence and ambushes, their transformation into angels of light, their countless machinations and networks that they secretly place on the path of your virtuous life.

d) If you fall into any sin, turn to the contemplation of your weakness and the consciousness of it as vividly as possible. God allowed you to fall to that end, so that you would better know your weakness and thus not only learn to despise yourself, but also desire to be despised by others because of your own weakness. Know that without such a desire it is impossible to be reborn in you and take root in a beneficent disbelief in yourself, in which is the basis and beginning of true humility and which itself has its basis in the aforementioned experimental knowledge of one’s impotence and one’s unreliability.

From this everyone sees how necessary it is for him who wants to become a partaker of the light of heaven to know himself, and how the goodness of God usually leads the proud and presumptuous to such knowledge by means of their falls, righteously allowing them to fall into that very sin from which they themselves consider themselves quite enough to protect themselves. strong, let them know their weakness and no longer dare to rely on themselves, both in this and in everything else.

However, this means, although very real, but not safe, God does not always use, but when already all other means, easier and freer, which we have mentioned, do not lead a person to self-knowledge. Then, finally, He allows a person to fall into sins, large or small, judging by the greatness or smallness of his pride, conceit and arrogance, so that where there is no such conceit and arrogance, there are no intelligible falls. Why, when you happen to fall, hastily run with your thoughts to humble self-knowledge and a humble opinion and feeling about yourself, and with tedious prayer seek from God to give you true light for the knowledge of your insignificance and fortify your heart in not relying on yourself, so as not to fall into the same or even more serious and ruinous sin.

I will add to this that not only when someone falls into some kind of sin, but also when he falls into some kind of misfortune, disaster and sorrow, especially bodily illness, not easy and long-term, he should understand that he suffers this, so that he comes to self-knowledge, namely into the consciousness of his weakness, and humbled himself. God allows us to this end and for this purpose, so that all kinds of temptations from the devil, from people, and from our damaged nature will come upon us. And Saint Paul, seeing this goal in the temptations he was subjected to in Asia, said: ... in themselves the condemnation of death is imech, let us not rely on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead ...(2 Cor. 1:9).

And I’ll add one more thing: whoever wants to know his weakness from his very real life, let him, I don’t say for many days, but at least for one day observe his thoughts, words and deeds: what he thought about, what he said and did. Undoubtedly, he will find that most of his thoughts, words and deeds were sinful, wrong, unreasonable and bad. Such an experience will impressively make him understand how unbalanced and weak he is in himself, and from such a concept, if he sincerely wishes himself well, it will lead him to feel how absurd it is to expect any good from himself alone and rely on himself.

Christ calls his disciples to perfection: "Be perfect as your Father in heaven." Efforts to acquire moral purity and spiritual perfection (and, simply speaking, to fulfill the commandments of Christ) received in the patristic literature the name "Invisible Warfare" or "Spiritual Warfare."

Here the devil fights with God, and the battlefield is the hearts of people
F. M. Dostoevsky

What is "scold"?

Swearing means fighting, fighting, fighting. Battles in the Middle Ages took place often, it was a reality close to all people, and therefore the image that was used in ascetic literature was understandable to everyone. The battle was a matter of life and death. Thus, Christian authors wanted to emphasize that spiritual warfare is directly related to the very foundations of our existence.

Why invisible?

The main opponents of man in the spiritual struggle are himself and the demons that tempt him. He himself is our passions and evil inclinations, habits that we must eradicate and overcome in order to achieve perfection. In addition, the enemy of human salvation, the devil, if not directly, then by cunning and deceit, inclines a person to evil, tempting with various thoughts and dreams, giving a reason to sin. However, the last word in choosing the path remains with the person. But only God and man knows how much spiritual effort is needed to take a step in the right direction! This internal struggle in the soul of a person is not visible to outsiders, but its consequences are directly related to the people around him and the world.

An earthly battle hardens a warrior, makes him stronger and smarter in the fight against the enemy. The same can be said about spiritual struggle. When a person receives a good skill in the fight against his sinful passions ( even if not manifested in the form of sins deeds), he internally improves, grows spiritually. No wonder one of the great ascetics and ascetics of the Orthodox Church, St. John of the Ladder compares this struggle to a difficult climb up the rungs of the ladder of virtues.

It is necessary to properly prepare for the battle so as not to lose it. How to do this, the apostle Paul writes in his letter to Ephesians 6:14-17:

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you can stand against the wiles of the devil, because our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against authorities, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spirits of wickedness in high places. To this end, take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day and, having overcome everything, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having your feet shod in readiness to preach the gospel of peace; above all, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."

Where to begin?

How to fulfill the words of the Apostle, patristic asceticism explains to us. To put it simply:

1. The path of the warrior of Christ, the direction and strategy of the battle are set out in the "Ladder" of St. John of the Ladder.
2. Tactics, methods of warfare and the Battle Charter - in the "Invisible Warfare" of St. Nikodim the Holy Mountaineer (translated by St. Theophan the Recluse).
3. The charter of the internal service is in the “Emotional Teachings” of Abba Dorotheus.
4. To get an initial idea of ​​​​the image of the warrior of Christ, about how he looks, you need to read the letters of Abbot Nikon “Repentance is left to us” and the letters of Shegumen John “Letters of the Valaam Elder”. And for people with increased intellectual requirements, there is also a biography and letters from Abbess Arsenia (Srebryakova).
5. In no case should you start a battle without studying the five-volume book of St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov). His works are not only the transposition of asceticism into our modern language; Saint Ignatius chose from the Fathers only that which was still within the power of the weakened and exhausted Christian of the last times. Without the advice of St. Ignatius, a novice warrior will quickly and ingloriously lose the battle (that is, he will go to hell), not understanding its inner essence and the way to evaluate his forces and means. The fathers of antiquity didn’t particularly exchange for such explanations, for them a novice is someone who lives in the desert, sleeps four hours a day, really eats poorly, works in the sweat of his brow and fulfills prayer rules that modern ascetics have not dreamed of. And for us, the novice is the one who learned the "Our Father" and the Creed, and it is not known yet,

swearing- confrontation, dispute, verbal war, competition, upholding, opposition between two opponents, each of which is trying to throw his opponent. The winner was the one who could keep his opponent pinned to the floor by keeping his hand on his neck. The word scold comes from the word BALLO, which literally means: "Give up, something, without regret if it breaks." Ps.17:35 Spiritual warfare must be learned! Spiritual warfare is an intense confrontation face to face with your opponent. Spiritual warfare is a spiritual conflict that has reached its climax. (Boiling point). Spiritual warfare is the final part of the confrontation in the battle.

Spiritual warfare can last in different ways, a few minutes or a few days. Spiritual warfare is a time of extreme focus and sobriety. When you get into a fight, then your every mistake, every relaxation will end in your fall. During spiritual warfare, you will need every element of the whole armor of God - be sure of it.
You need to be strong in every element of God's armor.

Being strong means:

• Be aware of this

• Practice it constantly

• Love it

  Each element of the armor is a degree of confidence and conviction!

  Spiritual warfare is only as effective as it is led by the Holy Spirit. You have so much power in this as you are led by the Holy Spirit. Spiritual warfare begins with preparation, and the camp will interfere and attack you in every possible way to keep you from preparing.

  The winner is outside the ring.

  In the ring, opponents show how they prepared physically and mentally outside the ring. The better prepared you are for combat, the easier it will be for you in combat. Preparing for a fight takes much more time than the fight itself.

  Ephesians 6:18 Prayer is the means by which we wage spiritual warfare.

  Check your status! (position).

• Get sanctified. Repentance is part of spiritual warfare.

• Stock up on promises.

• Be in the right position in relation to authority.

• Identify the enemy and get to know him as best as you can. Sometimes knowledge itself brings liberation and victory.

• Pray in tongues. Develop your spirit and direction.

• When you need to fight - fight! But don't get involved in your own battles.

• Use praise.

• Use promises.

• Fight with vision. (1 Tim. 1:18).

• Claim the victory of Christ.

• Fight to the breakthrough and develop the breakthrough.

• Don't be afraid of your enemy. The Bible nowhere teaches us to fear the devil, instead God tells us over 300 times in the Bible: Do not be afraid.

• Be especially careful in your weak points - most likely Satan will strike there again.

  The incentive for spiritual warfare is laid in us by God because He is a Warrior, and we are His image and likeness.

  In any case, if you do not fight with the devil in your problem, you will fight with people.

Warrior Spirit

In the bloody Golgotha ​​ring, Jesus knocked out the devil. And the knockout was so hard that the devil still can't recover from it. The devil fell at the feet of Jesus. Today the devil is reeling from this knockout, and when we attack him in the Name of Jesus, he falls!

• Exodus 15:3 Our Lord is a man of war!

• Ps.23:8 Our Lord is mighty in battle!

• Isaiah 42:13 Before awakening, there will definitely be a spiritual war! Before the glory of God comes, the children of God are activated. Our Lord is mighty in battle, i.e. He knows what close combat is. He defeated Satan in the ring of Calvary - face / to face, in front of the entire spiritual world.

  Ephesians 6:10-13 We just need to realize that a fierce war is brewing around us, and we better be strong warriors if we want to stand in this battle.

  The spirit of a warrior is the spirit of unbending faith! Which goes against all circumstances and boldly faces its enemy, danger or problems. The spirit of a warrior is the spirit of extreme courage and daring. The spirit of a warrior is the spirit of perseverance! The warrior spirit is the spirit of overcoming hardship, discomfort and hardship. A warrior is, first of all, a consecrated person who does not have his own personal life, who has subordinated his life to the Commander-in-Chief. 2 Tim. 2:3-4 David had a strong kingdom - but one of its main components was a strong team of WARRIORS 1 Chronicles 10:9-24. A warrior is a person for whom war is a profession, a way of life. Warrior amateur - it sounds funny. The spirit of a warrior will lift you up even after the most brutal knockouts and defeats. 2 Corinthians 6:3-10 Warrior spirit! The spirit of a warrior is the courage to stand, even when the pain is strong. The spirit of a warrior is a readiness for self-sacrifice.

  If you don't have something for which you are ready to die You don't have anything worth living for.

  The Bible assumes that we are all warriors, giving us the whole armor of God. There is no victory without war, but warriors fight.

  Without a military spirit, Christians: They cry, complain, grumble, criticize, run away, sit in captivity of problems.Without a warrior spirit, Gideon was cowardly, but God's warrior spirit made him the greatest liberator in the history of Israel.To the same extent, a warrior is a man of a team, but also a person capable of initiative and feat. Despite all the talent of the commander, ordinary soldiers win the battle, so each soldier must be of high quality. JESUS ​​NEEDS WE. A warrior is a man of principle - he would rather die than retreat from him. This is his strength, but also sometimes a great danger. Often, strong warriors run out of rationality, and this leads to many losses that could have been avoided. Sometimes it is necessary to retreat strategically and there will be wisdom in this, but without a warrior spirit it is impossible to win at all.

  Goliath killed the spirit of a warrior in the army of Israel and won the victory without "a single shot." David had a strong fighting spirit 1 Samuel 16:18 + 17:32.

  AT Number 13-14 ch. Satan struck the military spirit of Israel, and they retreated for 40 years.

  Often when you are experiencing a spiritual upsurge, Satan is immediately activated in your life. But know that if the devil is aggressive, it means that he is nervous.

  Warrior motto: I will win or die in battle I will achieve my intended goal or die trying to do it!

  Maybe you say: “I just want to live a peaceful Christian life”, but remember the saying of one commander: “If you want peace, prepare for war.”

Battle with giants

Numbers 13:32-34 Our war with giants, giants. 1 Samuel 6:17 Five cities, five giants, five stones of David! 2 Kings 5:17-20 These giants attack as soon as you enter service or take a position of power. That's why it's so important to deal with them right away!

1. NITROGEN- the word Azot means "city on a hill" (to be big, impregnable, oppression), it represents pride Prov. 16:18. Azoth was intended for the tribe of Judah, but it could not get hold of it. — Humility and Humility

2. GAZA- the meaning of the word: fortified place, strong, violent, greedy, rude. Gaza was the capital of the Philistines. Gaza also failed to conquer. Here Samson was kept, here he destroyed the temple of Dagon.
Gaza is mentioned as the border to which the victories of the Israeli kings reached. This giant represents the government, power. What is your attitude towards authority, is it easy for you to submit to the authority that God has placed over you. In a negative sense, this giant represents the spirit of independence, disobedience to power, independence. We, as people, do not like to obey other people, but this is exactly what the Lord asks of us! — obedience and obedience- this is a breakthrough in the battle with this giant!
3. ASKALON- this city remained politically and economically independent from Israel. This giant represents comfort and liberalism, as well as greed. It is the fear of getting yourself into trouble by engaging in spiritual warfare. This is indifference and concentration only on the comfort in your life, family and church.
— Dedication and Faith- this is a breakthrough in the battle with this giant! 4. GEF The word Gath means "wine press". This is the birthplace of Goliath (strong). This giant represents the pressure of life circumstances that presses on us - and here we either grumble and fall into the power of this giant (as in Numbers 13.), Or by faith we break through the opposition, despite all the threats and fear! Many Christians live under the rule of this giant. All they have learned to do when difficulties come is to grumble, but they must learn to use difficulties to win! Each of your failures is a discovery of what you can do differently. Each Difficulty is an opportunity to rise above.
— Patience and hope
5. ECRON- meaning of the word: clip wings, exterminate; the root of the word is emigration. Beelzebub (lord of the flies) was worshiped here. This giant represents distraction, carelessness, inconstancy, infidelity.
Ps.27:5 - this leads to the destruction of the life of Christians. — Diligence and fidelity is a breakthrough in the battle with this giant!

wounded soldier He is weak prone to weaknesses

• 2. He is limited in movement

• 3. His reaction drops

• 4. He stops being awake

• 5. He is irritable and angry (he is difficult to communicate with)

• 6. He is upset

• 7. He has no rest, no peace because of the pain

• 8. He is especially vulnerable, he is an easy target.

• 9. He is not able to bear the burden of Christ, i.e. responsibility, authority, and the anointing of the power of the Holy Spirit.

• 10. He becomes inattentive. focused more on his pain. (inattentive to others as well).

  Satan's strategy is to weaken us with wounds. If we have a wound, the devil will beat there again and again, preventing this wound from healing.How do we get hurt?

• . SIN- the cause of almost 90% of injuries.

• Witchcraft. Accult attacks.

• self-injury — Self-curses— Stupidity Take on what you can't take.

• From people(words, behavior, attitude, etc.)

• From God (Gen. 32:25, 2 Cor. 12:7). This is for our humility and dependence on Him, but it is less than 1% of the wounds we can receive.Wounds:

• Demons are attracted, they feed on these wounds, causing pain, and provoke infections - delusions, lies, slander.

• . A wound is like a hole through which strength flows.

• . The wound is an open door for demons, a place where the strongholds of the devil take root.

• . Wounds give demons strength, the larger the wound, the more they have the opportunity to act in this area. In general, the stronger you are, the weaker they are; the weaker you are, the stronger they are.

• Wounds lead to slavery and make you a hostage.

• Wounds can be inherited, in which case they become a curse.

• . Wounds are meant to distract us from God's purpose.

• Wounds make you selfish with heightened conceit and resentment and capriciousness.

• . Wounds deprive of joy, enjoyment of life, they poison life, steal the world.

• . Wounds distort reality, and ordinary difficulties begin to seem larger than they really are, and cause much more negative emotions than usual. This is the act of lying. A wounded soldier easily surrenders to the circumstances.

• Wounds tell you about the defeat of your faith and give rise to doubts, and this leads to hesitation and double-mindedness.

• A wounded person is a person who is constantly on the verge of a breakdown, a fall. The wounded willy-nilly delays the advance of the healthy. So the wounded can be dealt with in three ways:

• . Finish him off (75%)

• Tolerate him (help him to endure)

• 3. Heal him (help win)

  On the night before the EXODUS, God healed all the Israelites, Ps.104:37, this shows that in order to fulfill God's purpose, it is necessary to be healthy.Path to Healing:

  Healing process:

• 1. Humility (recognize)

• . God heals through His Word Ps.107:20

• God heals through the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

• . God heals through your obedience (Neyman)Anyway, You need to trust God and trust Him!!! This is a VICTORY!

Confounding the enemy

Col.2:15

Shame is a useless state, resignation, shame, defaming, deprivation of dignity. 1 Sam. 17:45-51 David not only killed Goliath, he also shamed him.

Many believers do not fight spiritual battles at all. Many of those who do fight do so solely for their own survival. Therefore, while everything is in order in their life - they sit quietly in their shell, but when Satan attacks them, they wake up and try to fight back.

The truth is that we do not fight for ourselves. We do not fight for personal survival. This is not what God called for. Yes, we need to resist - but for WHAT?

WE STAND AND FIGHT - AND MUST FIGHT TO KEEP STANDING (STANDING)

The reason you stand is to fight and you fight to keep standing. Our goal is to free the captives of Satan.
God gave us full armor, and then he tells us to pray for others (for the saints and for all people). The church suffers from a lack of prayer. The church is not GRINDING the way it should be.
Mickey Mouse's prayers do not frighten Satan or ruin his plans. The Church does not fight as it should. Many strongholds will not fall until the Church WILL them effectively.

The kingdom of God is taken by force, and those who use force take it by force. Satan will always oppose the spread of the Kingdom of God on earth. That's why God gave us a weapon to FORCE him to get off our land - be it: family, city, your body.

Faith is not just a desire for good things. It's not enough to just want something badly, you have to gobble it up.

How the enemy is put to shame - when you not only win yourself, but also help others win. When you show the holiness of God. God rebuked Moses and Aaron for not showing His holiness to rebellious Israel.
Today, God is waiting for us to show His holiness not only before people, but above all before demonic principalities and authorities. Eph.3:10. When the holiness of God is demonstrated before them - they lose their power, weaken and tormented go free, the spiritual atmosphere changes.

Therefore, do not start battles in which God does not lead you!

Post guards at the gate

The battle begins and ends in the mind it is in the mind that the outcome and process of physical events is determined!

We must watch at the gates of our lives. Who enters and who exits through them.

THESE GATES ARE THREE: 1. Eyes 2. Ears 3. Mouth

These gates lead to and from the heart.

EYES. The way you look at everything is determined by the state of your heart. The eyes are two-way gates. It seems that the eyes are only an entrance, BUT it is also an exit! The way you look at something can destroy the works of the devil and build up the works of God, because in this case the Light of God pours out of your eyes, destroying darkness. When you look at something with a vision from God.

EARS. It is important that you listen or who you listen to about this or that situation. For example: when you listen to God about your city, you are thus. you sanctify your city through the knowledge (light) of the truth about the city. God gets a place in the city. Also with the devil. (About health, about finances, about family, about the future, etc.).

Whom you listen to - he has power over you, a place in you.

This is why Satan uses FEAR to afflict believers. Fear binds, robs, humiliates, oppresses, kills. God has given us the command: "DO NOT FEAR!" This is a COMMANDMENT, not a wish, so when you are afraid, you sin by disobeying God's command, and Satan gets a place in your life.

MOUTH. The mouth is also an entrance and an exit. From the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Life and death are in the power of language. The entire spiritual world is waiting for our words. spiritual warfare is verbal warfare. Words play a primary role in spiritual warfare. we are the image and likeness of God. It is necessary to watch the words even in prayer - do not say too much. Satan always pushes us to say too much, so that later he can kill us with our own words.

The brochure offered to the reader is made up of the confessor's conversations with the novices - his children who have chosen the path of monasticism, but is intended not only for monastics. It will be of interest to everyone who seeks to carefully and deeply lead a spiritual life, to purify their hearts. It answers the difficult questions of those who want to walk the narrow path of salvation and overcome the temptations of the modern world. How to manage your behavior, how to recognize the tactics of demons that trap the soul, how to protect yourself from pseudo-graceful experiences, how to build the correct hierarchy of values, how to maintain a joyful mood - these and many other problems are the subject of this publication.

Who among the Orthodox has not read in the Holy Fathers about spiritual warfare, about temptations from demons, about the need to fight these temptations! “Temptation!” - we often say to the place and out of place - about the troubles that have happened, strife. But is everyone ready to correctly repel these temptations, to turn them to the benefit of the soul? We sometimes do not even suspect how sophisticated the tactics of the enemy of the human race can be, we do not know his methods and techniques for capturing souls. We want to follow the path of salvation almost without difficulty or with little effort, we are afraid of the need for a CONSTANT INDEPENDENT FIGHT. Is it not for this reason that some beginners are now not satisfied with the spiritual guidance of an “ordinary” priest, they certainly need an “elder” - but not, however, in order to learn to acquire the grace of the Holy Spirit, but only in order to relieve themselves of responsibility, shifting it to confessor?

Eldership is a prophetic gift. Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh writes that “one can only be an elder by the grace of God… and one cannot learn to be an elder, just as one cannot choose genius in one’s own way,” that true spiritual leaders nurture their spiritual children, but do not “manage” them, do not break making them similar to themselves. Undoubtedly, a Christian should be in obedience to a spiritual father. But for a novice, inexperienced in spiritual warfare, there is a danger of falling under the influence of the so-called “youngsters” (who do not have spiritual maturity), if they do not strive for spiritual reasoning and sobriety.

This happens not only from spiritual inexperience, but in many ways - from spiritual laziness, negligence, inability and unwillingness to be attentive to the sinful movements of one's soul.

But let us remember the words of the Apostle Paul: “Stand in the freedom that Christ gave us, and do not again be subjected to the yoke of slavery” ( Gal. 5, 1). To cultivate in oneself the qualities of a warrior of Christ, spiritual vigor, reasoning, the ability not to hide from difficulties, but to maintain a joyful mood in the struggle - how each of us lacks this!

The conversations of Abbot N., offered to the reader, were intended for his spiritual children living in monasteries. But the methods of spiritual warfare, stemming from the teachings of the Holy Fathers and considered in the application to the modern world, will undoubtedly be very useful for the laity who wish to carry out serious work on their souls. To all of us, in pre-end times, experiencing the onslaught of sophisticatedly evil temptations, temptations, ecumenism, apostasy, may the words of the Lord Jesus Christ be a consolation: “Do not be afraid, little flock! For your Father has pleased to give you the Kingdom" ( OK. 12, 32).

Conversation 1st. The main business of life

The main reason for our sorrows is the rejection of the Providence of God. About the right attitude to life circumstances. What does the Lord expect from us in a difficult situation? Principles of situation analysis. Experience in the analysis of modern monastic life. The main goal of God's lesson is the struggle and correction of vice. Trust in God is the key to success in the struggle. How to learn to understand people.

Dear sisters!

First of all, I want to ask you: despite any great and small sorrows that it is absolutely necessary to go through for everyone who is going to walk the path of salvation, regardless of external or internal temptations, to keep in their hearts the joy of the Lord, remembering that all these sorrows, like our life, are fleeting.

Most often, discouragement, bad mood, despondency come from the fact that we cannot “reject ourselves”. Either the conditions in which we are placed do not suit us, or we do not like the people around us, or we are dissatisfied with WHAT and HOW they do, they say. We will always be dissatisfied, because we want everything to be just our way. Thus, we do not accept the conditions in which, as the laity would say, fate has placed us. But my dears, let's remember that it is not fortune that rules the world, but the Lord Almighty.

We need to learn to accept the people who are nearby, and all the events of life as a given, received from God, as circumstances in which the Lord deigned to put us. Accept but don't judge. Are we really going to judge the Providence of God?! No, we will not judge, we have no right to do so, but we will be wise and try to reason. In these cases, prudence is simply necessary for us.

First, let's evaluate the situation offered by God for our path of salvation. Any of you, in whatever circumstances you find yourself, should be able to analyze them, i.e. try to soberly comprehend: in what conditions it is placed, what contributes to success in fulfilling the main goal of our life, and what hinders it. Then, based on this analysis, it is necessary to learn to set tasks for ourselves, the correct solution of which the Lord expects from us. The statement of the problem will be the second stage of our reasoning. You see, we seem to be at the desk again and decide:

1. Given: from points A and B two trains left towards each other ...

2. Required: determine the distances from the indicated points to the meeting point of trains.

3. Solution...

4. Answer: ...

The correct analysis of the conditions given to us (“given”) and, of course, the correct formulation of the problem (“required”) is 50% of success in solving it. If we do not want to solve the tasks set before us, then we will not be able to move on to the next rung of the spiritual ladder. But the path of salvation is always the path upward, and the Lord leads us along it, forcing us to solve more and more new tasks that are absolutely necessary for us. They are exercises through which we can develop in ourselves such qualities necessary for salvation, such as, for example, patience, selflessness, attentiveness (sobriety) and, of course, humility.

What is given to us now?

There is a monastery to which, from a world completely immersed in lust, vanity, selfishness and cruelty, people came who were able to understand that life, it turns out, is not a meaningless and aimless fuss ending in inevitable death ... These people, unlike many other people could see the meaning and purpose in it. That goal, which only Christ fully revealed to us: through deification - to the sonship of God in the Kingdom of Eternal Life. But although this goal is infinitely great and, in fact, is the only meaning of our existence in this world, it is, of course, more difficult to achieve today than ever before. The fact is that despite the desire to follow Christ, i.e. to move along the path of salvation, we bring to the monastery all our sinful baggage of habits and ideas accumulated in the world, as well as an incorrect, non-Christian view of ourselves, people and our relationships distorted by godless upbringing.

There is no need to be afraid to make a diagnosis: everyone who comes to the monastery is sick. And the main disease is selfishness in all its manifestations. The only difference is that some are sick more, while others are less. Everyone needs treatment, but it is very important to want to be cured. There is a means for this: the grace of God that heals souls is poured out on us in the Sacraments of the Church, in prayer, in life according to the commandments. But there is one common misfortune that is characteristic of our pre-end time - the almost complete lack of spiritual guidance. This is the sign of the last times, which was foreseen by the great fathers of antiquity. That's why it's so hard to be saved! As a result, it turns out that now everyone saves himself, you can say on his own. And you're not going anywhere! We have to accept the conditions that objectively exist today and do not depend on us in the least. But you still need to be saved! In the world, for sure today (for the vast majority) - death. Thank God, we still have wonderful spiritual books: the Ladder, the Invisible Warfare, and the writings of St. Ignatius Bryanchaninov, and sometimes, nevertheless, one manages to talk with one of the spiritually experienced - that's the instruction, that's the support.

Concerning the second point of our task, we point out that the main thing is to always and everywhere set a goal: the fight against any of our vices, passions, habits. Seek out from the holy fathers - what are the ways to defeat them, and then, of course, consciously fight for the eradication of these soul-damaging weeds, fight, asking for help from the Lord.

Here's what I can say from experience. I observed those who lived for 10 and 20 years in monasteries. It seems that they lived nothing, there were no special complaints against them, they were even considered pious. But as soon as they were face to face with some strong temptation, they immediately fell, and their fall was noisy. From what? Everything from the fact that they simply LIVED in the monastery. Lived - and that's it. Like everyone else, they prayed and took communion, but they never seriously struggled with anything in themselves. Even the thought of the possibility of a struggle - and that was not.

This is how you can walk all your life in a monastic robe on the territory of the monastery and, as a result, turn out to be an extinct black firebrand.

If we do not learn to overcome ourselves in small things, we will surely perish under great temptation, and no one can escape it. You know how demons do not like monastics... They will not stop the war until our death. Let's prepare in advance, learn martial arts. Do not forget that you are the soldiers of Christ, and in the work of salvation, in the face of God, you are no longer representatives of the “weaker sex”, but warriors, for in Christ, as the apostle said, “there is neither male nor female” ( Gal. 3.28).

So, accept all changes in the circumstances of life as if you were receiving them directly from the hand of God. Always try to remember that God, through spiritual laws, and sometimes by direct influence, really controls the life of each person and of all mankind as a whole. If we learn to trust Him, i.e. If we ask Him Himself to manage our lives, then all trials, these lessons and tasks of ours, will benefit us, enriching us with the experience of struggle for the main cause of our whole life: spiritual and moral self-improvement.

Never be discouraged; from everything, even from mistakes, learn from experience. With those with whom life confronts you, be very careful, because in our time people are not at all the same as they were even 20 years ago. Hypocrisy, I would even say - sincere insincerity, deeply rooted in the soul, becoming, as it were, its nature, grew and spread to such an extent that it became impossible to understand a person without a long test. At the same time, any external isolation, manifestations of suspicion should be avoided. On the contrary, it’s good to be friendly to everyone, but still, you can trust only when you understand what a person breathes. Do not believe even the best words, look only at deeds, at life, at the general direction of actions, thoughts and feelings, at moral qualities. All this will help you determine the main thing in a person. It is very important to learn to understand people, separating the main from the secondary.

Try to be at peace with everyone, beware of any gossip and gossip, shy away from them. Grow in love, meekness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Help each other.

May our philanthropic Lord visit you with His mercy and strengthen you in monastic deeds, and I, a sinner, always pray to Him for your souls.

Conversation 2nd. How to arrange your “inner home”?

The task of the beginners: to switch attention from external to their internal problems. Why do we misunderstand people and circumstances? On the distortion of mental and sensory perception. From chastity to right perception. The blessed world of the soul is protection from external troubles. Two periods of the spiritual life of monastics. About the impact of demons on the emotional sphere. A vigorous spiritual tone should be maintained by an effort of will. On the fight against slave psychology. What does “simplicity” and “complexity” mean in a person.

I notice that most of the questions and perplexities arise in connection with external contacts, and not with problems of internal spiritual work. For people who have embarked on the path of self-denial for Christ's sake, on the path of monastic deeds, this is a fundamentally wrong attitude. Our attention and our interests not only should not be projected outward, but on the contrary, it is necessary to accustom ourselves to an inner, deep spiritual life and work with ourselves. We must do this because our main task is a qualitative change in personal characteristics, i.e. of the whole inner man.

If this qualitative change of the soul occurs due to our efforts with the accompanying grace of God, believe me, you will see the people around you and their actions with completely different eyes. The thing is that an adequate perception of the external world, a correct understanding and a correct vision of people and the circumstances of life is possible only when the dirty film of sin is peeled off from the eyes of the mind, when our mental (reasonable) and sensory-perceptual (i.e. sensual) receptive) spheres will be freed from the incessant and inevitable demonic influence. While sinful inclinations are still active in the soul, we will not be able to perceive the environment correctly, nor correctly understand people and events, nor build the right relationships with the outside world, since our consciousness will be distorted by the complex influence of demons on the mind, emotions and feelings. Sinful inclinations, in this case, are nothing more than symptoms of our lack of freedom from the influence of demons. The distortion of both mental and sensual perception, as I have already said, will continue until, in an intense spiritual struggle, we are cleansed of our main vices, and this is possible only with the help of the grace of God.

"Chastity" means complete, correct wisdom, i.e. a whole, and not a fractional understanding of everything that happens in all its most complex relationships. At the same time, chastity is spiritual and bodily purity, which means freedom from the violence of sinful inclinations (passions). So, from the spiritual experience of many generations, it becomes clear that only a chaste person can correctly understand (i.e., philosophize), i.e. clean.

I hope that from all that has been said above you have understood that you should not now, at the beginning of your just beginning spiritual life, try to evaluate, let alone judge, the actions of those around you. All the same, you will not be able to evaluate them correctly, which means you will not be able to choose the right course of action.

On the contrary, it is very beneficial for demons to switch the attention of beginners from very complex and painstaking inner work to the external circumstances of their life, to focus their attention on the inevitable negative facts of the surrounding reality, to strengthen and even exaggerate the sense of dissonance between how it should be, how I would like to see - and what they actually see. In this simple way, the demons achieve that the spiritual growth of the novice not only slows down, but even changes its direction to the exact opposite. Do not let the demons control your attention, so that it, like an obedient horse, does not weep sadly in its hateful reins to where the drunken driver rules. Take control and bring your attention back to yourself. Remember what Rev. Ambrose Optinsky? – “Know yourself and it will be with you!”

How can we arrange our inner home? First, according to Rev. Seraphim, it is necessary to acquire the “spirit of peace”. Great happiness when the spirit of the blessed world dwells in us! Then a person, like an unshakable rock, stands in the midst of a raging sea, and no external troubles can drive him crazy to such an extent that he ceases to control himself, his feelings, emotions, words and deeds. Such a peaceful, strong, clear state of mind is given only by the grace of God, the acquisition of which we should take care of more than anything in the world.

There are different ways of acquiring grace, of which the strongest, as you know, is prayer. However, it rarely happens that the Lord immediately puts a person in such conditions when prayer is the main instrument for acquiring grace. Most often, this period is preceded by another, perhaps long enough, when the accumulation of grace occurs through doing good, labor for the sake of others. This period is necessary for the acquisition of the most important quality of a Christian: SELF-REJECTION, which none of us have. That's why we don't go, we can't follow Christ - it's because we didn't deny ourselves, which means we didn't take up our cross. The place of selflessness in us is occupied by our own “I”. Egocentrism is the main sinful quality of our souls. It is a consequence of the ancestral sin, and the general fall of all mankind, and, of course, our own sinfulness.

True prayer is born in a humble heart, and humility is acquired through self-denial. So the Lord first places us in those conditions when it is necessary to learn selflessness, to learn to forget ourselves for the sake of others. Forget about your bodily and spiritual comfort, preferring not yourself to your neighbor, but your neighbor, his problems and needs, preferring your own, i.e. putting in the first place in his calculations not himself, but his neighbor. The matter largely depends on how you relate to your obedience (to your work). One must learn to kindle in oneself a joyful attitude towards every task entrusted, remembering that it is done before the eyes of God for the sake of one's own salvation, for the sake of acquiring grace. It is necessary to accustom the soul to do the assigned work willingly, even to look for ways to help one's neighbor. Remember (and who among you has not read - read) the incident from the life of the last elder of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra Zosima-Zacharia - about his first years of obedience on prosphora. He slept for 3-4 hours (there was simply no time to sleep more), and he attended services 1-2 times a year, but at the same time he prayed unceasingly with the Jesus Prayer. What humility, meekness and selflessness he acquired! God did not humiliate a contrite and humble heart, according to the word of the prophet David, he gave his saint the gift of prayer. Arriving at the monastery, the novice correctly understood what the Lord required of him, Who, not without providence, placed him in such difficult conditions that he was even deprived of the opportunity to fulfill the usual prayer rule and attend church services.

Zechariah understood, on the one hand, the need to learn selflessness for the sake of others, and on the other hand, the need to teach oneself the Jesus Prayer. While working, he constantly forced himself to create her imperceptibly for others in such a way that she eventually became his constant companion.

Once again I want to note that real, deep, attentive prayer can take root only on the prepared soil of a well-cultivated heart. The hardened and petrified (by the sin of selfishness) earth of our hearts must be crushed by the iron plow of self-denial and shattered by the harrow of self-forgetfulness. Then our hearts, contrite and humble, “God will not despise” ( Ps. 50, 19).

So, fulfilling your obedience conscientiously and accustoming yourself, imperceptibly to others, to the constant Jesus Prayer, without embarrassment, with gratitude to God and with joy, “flop” on your bed, even if you don’t have the strength to read the evening prayers. God is looking more than anything now at your hearts, which you should learn to keep clean from any dirty thoughts entering into them. With all your attention to follow the purity of your heart during the day - this is the most important task for you in the present period of your monastic life.

But you will never be able to acquire purity of heart and blessed peace of the soul if you allow the demons to switch your attention to the people around you. Then your thoughts will be occupied with "sucking" other people's actions, especially those in authority. In the interpretation that the demons put into your consciousness, these actions will always have a negative character and the corresponding emotional coloring, and the further, the more. It is on this soil that sprouts of condemnation and irritation appear. They grow into a tree of gloomy, gloomy anger and give birth to the fruits of the most vile deeds. At this stage, a person becomes possessed, i.e. his consciousness falls under the complete control of demonic suggestions. That's the devil's joy!

Again and again, dear sisters, I remind you that every dreary state of mind, feeling of loneliness and despondency is nothing but a special effect of the fallen angels on our emotional sphere. In this, I would say, they are amazing virtuosos. Recall, for example, to what extent the music in a film is able to give a special emotional coloring to the events taking place on the screen, or even to the landscape. Moreover, directors and composers know very well that a different musical accompaniment can completely change the emotional attitude of the viewer to what is happening, even make it directly opposite. So, for example, an elegiac-joyful perception of some corner of nature with the help of music can be replaced by an anxious feeling of expecting something terrible. Even better than people, directors and composers who are not yet visible to us know about this, who, imperceptibly for ourselves, teach us to evaluate people and events through the prism of the emotional moods that they inspire us.

Demons can, for example, when a “patient” looks out of a car window at a receding familiar landscape (I take a real case), inspire him at first with a nostalgic feeling of sadness, then after a while strengthen him with a feeling of loneliness, abandonment, and, finally, bring the poor fellow to the blackest despondency , which pushes many people to stupid and reckless actions. Here is an ordinary, but very effective demonic tactic.

And most importantly - the "patient" is running! He runs like a hare, only his heels sparkle. Runs from the monastery, runs from difficulties, runs from salvation. He will not find peace and good conditions anywhere. Having defeated a person, the demon gains even greater power over him and no longer allows him to free himself from the yoke of his pressure. He will drive the unfortunate from one place to another, not allowing him to stop anywhere, everywhere inspiring him with discontent, resentment and irritation with everything that is possible. The “initial states” (as psychiatrists say) into which this constant discontent will result are different, but always sad, up to a fall into mortal sin, heresy, or a complete loss of faith.

In revealing to you the tactics of working with us of our opponents, I want you to learn how to counter them. To do this, you must constantly monitor your spiritual tone and strong-willed effort to maintain a joyful attitude towards everything - both to work fatigue, and even to troubles from your neighbor. Take control of your emotions - this, by the way, is the most vulnerable spot for all women. But, nevertheless, you must already be able to control yourself, otherwise it will not be possible to avoid the networks of the devil. Remember: the only thing you can be upset about is your own sins and unexpired sinful inclinations. And such grief should not be excessive, so as not to weaken efforts in a long struggle, which, as happens in some cases, is carried on for years.

And I told you earlier, and now I repeat again: do not take any troubles and sorrows to heart (except for your sins). Everything in this life passes quickly. Look - and there is nothing: no sorrows, no people! Everything that can still be with you has already been before you, and everything has passed. Your troubles will also pass. And you are coming to Christ without stumbling over someone's envious and hostile look, or someone's strange, offensive phrase. Maintain good spirits, firmness, inner freedom combined with obedience and complete fearlessness.

Fear, ingratiation, duplicity, hypocrisy, human pleasing - all these are elements of a slave psychology, brought up by the Soviet school and the Soviet system in "a man of a new communist formation." We all came out of there, but this slavish Soviet legacy needs to be burned out of our souls with a red-hot iron. “Stand in the freedom that Christ gave us,” the Apostle teaches us ( Gal. 5, 1). Stop being "scoops", become Christians and children of God, finally! Remember and maintain a cheerful spiritual tone, a desire to fight with difficulties, acquire a good wrestling spirit, remembering that we are all soldiers of Christ.

Among other things, dear children, we all really need simplicity, and in the very sense in which this word was understood in antiquity. Simplicity is solidity, wholeness, excluding any kind of fragmentation, duality of character. The term “simple” is the opposite of the term “complex”, which comes from the verb “fold” (fold, combine various parts into one). A complex person is a bifurcated, disorganized, calculated person, this is an individual possessed by one, two, three, and sometimes a legion of demons, each of which has its own character. These characters appear alternately in the words, thoughts and actions of a person possessed by demons (the so-called alternating consciousness - a psychiatrist.), Therefore, he often cannot understand himself in this chaos of drives and moods, and even more so, others cannot understand him. In our time, we constantly have to deal with cases where two directly opposite natures coexist in one person. This is the usual version of a demon who has taken up residence and a clear example of its impact on the human soul. So, simplicity, in the gospel understanding, is the uniqueness, integrity of character, and, consequently, the absence of demonic influence on a person. This is what Christ calls us to when he says: “Be wise as serpents and simple as doves” ( Matt. 10, 16). Wisdom, which is so necessary for you and me, is given only by God, and we must constantly ask Him for it. In every case, you should always ask the Lord: enlighten, teach, enlighten, and if necessary, correct.

If we move along this path, then soon all external problems arising from inevitable contacts with others (who, like us, are far from perfect) will disappear by themselves, like a dry blood crust from a healed wound.

Conversation 3 Never stop fighting

Purpose of God's Visitation. Two states of mind. How to endure the attack of the enemy. Fight for prayer. Be joyful, cheerful and kind.

It is very good that you did not hesitate to tell about those two unusual states that followed each other. I can say the following about them: for every person at least once in his life (and sometimes more than once) the Lord, as it were, reveals Himself, shows His real help and strength. It helps to understand and feel what a person should become, i.e. as if he indicates to him the goal of working on himself, and then again leaves him to remain himself in that deplorable quality in which a person remains due to his sins due to uncorrected. Further, everyone already chooses which way to go. If a person has not yet known God, then such visitations from God make him think whether to accept Him and His commandments or not. The Creator completely leaves the choice between one or another decision to be made by a person. Many, by the way, consciously refuse God: “So what, if He exists, what do I care about Him? I do not want to live according to His commandments, they restrict my freedom. I want to live according to my will, as I want!” But in your case, the purpose of God's visitation was different. Since you are a person who has embarked on the path and is taking the first steps in the matter of salvation, the Lord, seeing the vices that overwhelm you (as you said): “impudence, grumbling, condemnation, discontent, gluttony, etc.”, showed you from your personal experience: What could you be and what would you feel yourself, if with the help of work on yourself, through the acquisition of the grace of God, you would change qualitatively. Do you remember how, tamed by the hand of God, the waves of irritation and discontent subsided in the soul, silence came as in clear sunny weather? Do you remember how from somewhere the strength appeared to keep yourself from secret eating or get out of bed in time? Remember a new, living understanding, a new feeling and perception of old prayers and the service itself. It was as if a veil fell from the eyes, and what a person had only heard before, now saw and felt in its entirety. Here, my mother, how the grace of God revives our feelings, hardened under the crust of sin. Such is the peace of Christ felt by the soul in which the grace of the Holy Spirit has settled! Now you know it yourself and you know the purpose that the Lord Himself indicated to you in this phenomenon.

Then the Lord was pleased to show you through your own experience the state of the soul, darkened by the influence of a demon that has power over the soul of a sinner. And the more sins, the greater his power, the darker, lazier, heavier the soul. It becomes insensitive to everything holy, the mind does not perceive anything spiritual, feelings are as if dead.

So, before you are two paths, two goals, two final states of the soul. The Lord gives you a choice. The only difference is that the first, blessed state of the soul is achieved through great work, tears and self-sacrifice, while the second will come by itself, you just have to fold your hands and stop fighting with yourself, with your sins, with your “old man”. But in order to achieve a big goal, you must first learn to set small, as it were, intermediate goals at different stages of your spiritual path and not be satisfied with what has been achieved, moving further and further.

It happens at times that a person feels such an attack by the enemy that he cannot even pray. But still, you can't despair. Somehow, even if weakly, but still food, like a mouse: “Lord, do not leave; Lord, spare Thy creation; Lord, have pity on me; help, Queen of Heaven!” So, squeaking with all your might, wait for help and endure the attack, as if falling to the bottom of the trench. It's not about fighting. To wait, but to stay alive - and that's okay! After a while, God's help will certainly come and the onslaught of the enemy subsides. Immediately you should resume prayer and slowly return to the previous circles. So, constantly getting up after a fall, you need to crawl forward. All this also applies to sleep and food. The main thing is to never stop fighting, and if you have to go on a temporary retreat, then immediately, as soon as help arrives in time, go on the offensive again. But here, too, caution is needed. It is harmful to overdo it in spiritual matters - this is from the enemy. For example, beginners should not force themselves to sleep less than 6 hours. You need to eat as much as necessary so as not to feel weak during physical work. If there is a lot of work, you need to eat your fill, but do not overeat.

Now about prayer. You probably remember that even earlier, when you came to our monastery, I often said that prayer is the most effective way to receive the grace of God. With the accumulation of grace, the whole spiritual structure of a person changes: his will, mind, feelings, memory. They are purified and enlightened under the influence of grace. In order to prevent this, the demons are trying in every possible way to wean a person from praying, or at least constantly interfere with him in this. All my life I have to fight for prayer, making efforts on myself, as far as God gives strength. It is only necessary to teach yourself not just to pray, but to pray attentively. This study, like any study, is a lot of work. But in ours, i.e. in spiritual studies, it is more difficult: the enemy interferes. Still, you need to pray carefully. Only such a prayer creates an invisible connection between the rational soul and God. Thanks to her, we receive in return from Him a trickle of grace, as from the Source of living water. You do not need to enter your heart with prayer yet, otherwise you will fall into demonic seduction, like many inexperienced novices. Learn to pray attentively, with your mind, and then we'll see.

Do not give in to fears - this is an enemy, be joyful, cheerful and kind, constantly asking for help from God and the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Conversation 4th. How to manage your behavior?

About "charms". Who can sober up the "charmer"? How the “curator” demon shapes our self-esteem and style of behavior. About the correction of the soul by the method of "spiritual programming". Practical recommendations for applying the method to develop humility. How modesty is developed.

Thank God, child, for the fact that you still have a critical attitude towards your spiritual state. There is no other way to call it the grace of God. The fact is that usually, with a similar course of a “disease” with symptoms similar to yours, people completely lose the ability to see themselves from the outside, lose the ability to be critical of themselves. It is this deplorable state that is called “charm” and denotes demonic temptation by imaginary one’s virtues or one’s righteousness, or infallibility, but in general it shows selfless pride, which no one and nothing can shake. This state can also be called one of the types of spiritual death. It is almost impossible to help a person who is entangled in the nets of pride and does not see this, he does not and cannot have authorities other than himself. The only hope remains only in God, Who alone can sober up the unfortunate, but this is possible, as a rule, only through great sorrows. If they do not fall on a person, he becomes a source of continuous torment for those around him, and he himself does not see or feel this. His mere presence can have a depressing effect on those who are just nearby. Don't let us, God, come to this, child!

The disease begins from afar, from small things: with the usual children's egoism, which, finding no resistance either inside the child, or from the parents and others, is so firmly rooted in the character of a person, grows together with him so much that the demon-"curator" who cultivated and watered the tree of pride at first, you can give yourself a break. Now the already strengthened tree grows and develops on its own, and, finally, the fruits appear: an extremely high opinion of oneself, the inability to endure someone's remarks, irritability, quarrelsomeness, ridicule of other people's shortcomings, constant criticism of elders and an imperative (sometimes patronizing) tone in relation to with the younger ones. As experience has shown, it is more difficult for such people (especially if they also have talents) to come to God than anyone else.

But now, by the inscrutable mercy of God, such a person has the opportunity to know the Truth, and he, for example, does not reject it, rushing with his heart to the Source of all truth, goodness and love - to God. Then the truth of God opens his eyes to the meaning of being and the events taking place in it (in being), gives him the only true knowledge of good and evil, not from the point of view of earthly scientific sophistication, but directly from God. Only then does he begin to see and evaluate himself correctly. It is here that the abyss of fall opens up to him - and not only his own, for in his own person he is able to understand and feel the fall of humanity as a whole. Here it is, the task over which you need to sweat, but decide: to get out of the abyss. This is what the Creator expects from us. But this task is not solved either in an hour or in a year, because sin has become a property of character, i.e. a habitual, patterned reaction to the environment, or an action performed almost automatically, unconsciously. These are the fruits of the work thanks to which the demon-“curator”, imperceptibly training us for many years, like Pavlov’s dog, developed in us (no worse than that notorious dog) a conditioned reflex to an appropriate style of behavior, as well as to a certain assessment themselves.

Thank God! You gradually open your spiritual eyes to yourself. However, although it is very good to see your bad qualities with the mind, this is not enough. After all, in order to be saved, you also need to fight for the correction of your soul, its character, its habits. This is where you need to show a creative approach, apply all your pedagogical talent, and not in relation to outsiders, but to yourself, in order to develop a flexible methodology for eradicating sinful character traits.

I advise you to adopt the following proven method of dealing with your shortcomings. Let's call it conditionally the method of "spiritual programming". But remember, it must not just be read, but stubbornly put into practice. So, start your morning with a reminder: “how should I behave in such and such a case during today?” At the same time, it is necessary to think over in advance the correct course of action in case of temptations known to you and remind yourself of those life situations in which this course of action should be applied during the day. In other words, you need to implant in your memory in advance a program of actions that is directly opposite to your usual, automatically performed sinful reaction. This will be your conscious struggle with sin and with deeply rooted sinful “conditioned reflexes” of behavior, which the demon “curator” imperceptibly teaches us all from the most tender childhood. Let us now consider some useful example of the application of the “spiritual programming” method.

I hope you are well aware that in order to heal such a severe and widespread “illness” as pride, St. The fathers offered their novices as a medicine a way to cut off their will. Let's try to combine this centuries-old method of eradicating sin with the above programming method.

Since you are always trying to insist on your own, considering your opinion and your course of action to be the most correct, in order to combat this manifestation of pride, you need to remember and affirm in your mind the following thought: “In all cases when I have to choose between my own and someone else’s opinion, unconditionally give preference to someone else's and do as the sister wants in all cases, with the exception of those clearly going against the commandments of God. It will be necessary, of course, to strain all your will, to squeeze yourself into a ball, to step on your throat (so as not to contradict), but still force yourself to do things differently even if your option is clearly better from a business point of view.

Remember, for God - everything that you do for your household needs is a trifle, no matter how important it may seem to you. In all our affairs and relationships, He looks (remember that the Spirit of God always permeates us), first of all, on the soul: what motives guide it, will the soul benefit from the work? Often - and you know this - it happens that a person does something useful for others, but he does it out of pride, with vanity. Such a thing is not pleasing to God, because it leads the soul to perdition. And in the entire universe there is nothing more valuable than the soul, nothing more important than its salvation. But it seems to that sister that if she does not do the work, then no one will do it as well as she could, and, therefore, this will lead the monastery to collapse ... The usual demonic deception! Believe me, if this person had not been in the monastery, even if she had not existed at all in the world, nothing would have changed and would have gone on as usual. And if it pleases God that the work be done, how can one think that He will not find someone who would do it?

The programming method described above, as I have already said, is necessary for learning to cut off one's own will, which, in turn, helps in the fight against those sinful qualities of character that are expressed through self-will, selfishness, pride, vanity. Perhaps at first it will seem that although it is more useful for the soul, it is worse for the common cause. However, this is a hasty conclusion. Do as I say and wait. After a while, you will see for yourself what the true benefit was.

There is, however, a case when obedience can go to your detriment. But I know that you can evaluate yourself correctly enough to unmistakably single out this particular case from all others. I mean such an assignment that will feed and fuel your pride. This is where wisdom and will are needed! No matter how seductive and flattering it (the order) may seem, you need to find, come up with any plausible excuse to refuse without offending the instructor.

Some time after you start practicing the first exercise (for cutting off your will), you get used to remembering how to behave in the situation described above, you can begin to put into practice the second exercise in the “programming method”.

An exercise in humility. A modest person tries not to stand out, not to attract the attention of others. The proud one does not tolerate this: he speaks loudly, loves to talk about himself, mock others, in a general conversation he will always express his opinion, even if they are not asked, he likes to point out, make comments, command.

The proud cannot stand ridicule related to him, is touchy, bears resentment in his heart for a long time, and when the opportunity presents itself, he will definitely take revenge with a sharp word or light slander, somewhat humiliating the offender. Pride is almost always associated with suspiciousness in such a way that the person possessed by it sees resentment where there was none. By demonic obsession, both tone, and look, and gestures may seem offensive. The selfish person does not pay attention to others, since his attention is completely focused only on his person. He will sit down without thinking whether it will be comfortable for another person to sit; he will take the best for himself, leaving the worst to others; reaches for something without looking to see if someone else was going to take it, and so on and so forth.

So, we begin the exercise with memory training in remembering the main points of behavior:

- The first thought for memorization (programming): “If I am among people or at least in the company of one person, I must take care not to be a burden to him (him); do not interfere with anything, do not upset by inattention, inadvertently, i.e. I need to learn to think first about the convenience of others and only then about myself.”

- The second thought to remember: “In order to get used to not expressing myself, not paying attention to others on myself, I need to learn not to express my opinions and my ideas, even if I am very, very tempted to speak out (exception - if asked for the common good ). In general, I need to learn to be silent.”

- The third thought to remember: “I need to constantly observe myself, as if from the side, in order to maintain modesty in behavior. I can't:

a) to look with a cheeky look,

b) decorate your speech with active facial expressions and gestures,

c) speak in a harsh self-confident tone,

d) take self-confident postures (sitting cross-legged, supporting the side with a fist, etc.).

In general, I need to monitor the smoothness and softness of the tone of speech and the restraint and modest softness of movements.

In order to memorize and recall these thoughts that control behavior in time, you need to write them out on a separate piece of paper and in the morning, getting up from sleep, read carefully, forcing yourself to memorize them with some effort of will. Then put the piece of paper in the pocket of your clothes and read it from time to time during the day, trying again, with an effort of will, to introduce them into your memory. By training your mind and memory in this way, you will soon learn to control your behavior, and this is one of the most important stages in spiritual growth.

One should not lose sight of such useful ascetic advice as the need for self-abasement. Always accuse yourself of selfishness and lack of self-denial, for this is a failure to fulfill God's commandment: “deny yourself”, forget yourself for the sake of others, “take up your cross” ... ( Matt. 16, 24). You also need to ask the Lord for healing from pride, vanity, self-love every hour, and also always ask Him to grant the ability to see your sins. These petitions can be said to yourself at any time and in any place, either separately or by adding one of the petitions at the end of the Jesus Prayer. In addition, try to repeat repeatedly during the day such a prayer from Psalm 140: “Lay, Lord, a guardianship with my mouth and a door of protection against my mouth.”

You see, child, what an important and difficult work is needed to correct. Just don't be afraid, start, and the Lord will help you.

Conversation 5th. Other people's shortcomings will not prevent us from being saved

Monasticism does not automatically save. Manic-depressive psychosis is one of the forms of influence of demons. Without sobriety - not to notice the networks of the enemy. How to protect yourself from the attack of demons. On pseudo-blessed states. The concept of "norm" in relation to the state of the soul.

With regard to you and all our sisters, I, a sinner, still hold the opinion that one year is not enough for monastic prowess. Better to be a mediocre or even bad novice than a bad nun. I think you already have your own personal observational experience to make sure on living examples that neither monastic robes nor tonsure by themselves improve a person and save automatically, as some people think: “they tonsured, dressed in monastic robes - and immediately corrected ". For many, they (vestments) are even an occasion for vanity. If we don’t first learn deep humility (not external, but internal), if we don’t learn to endure bodily sorrows, slander, and hatred without panic, despondency and grumbling, then nothing external: neither black monastic robes, nor the theoretical knowledge of patristic literature will save us from falling into the abyss of sins, even in a monastery. But for teaching this science (I'm talking about humility), one year is clearly not enough.

I will give just one example: when the clay is cleaned of pebbles and other particles, and then thoroughly washed with feet (12 times, as the old potter from the village of Fomino told me), then only it is placed on the potter's wheel and given it any shape. Every potter knows that nothing good will come of unprepared clay.

I believe you remember the words of many ancient and modern ascetics that the vision of one's sins and in general one's spiritual state is one of the most important and necessary gifts of God for salvation. It seems to me that you yourself, finally, noticed in yourself repeatedly repeated sharp changes in mood (when you worked in the refectory) - it was a clear mercy of God. You haven't noticed this before, have you? Of course, many paid attention to these strange jumps in your mood even at the time when you were working in your first monastery, but probably no one talked to you about them. Similar phenomena were noticed behind you in the N-sky monastery, where the sisters, loving you, tried not to pay attention to this difficult (for a hostel) feature. I thank God that He gave you the opportunity to see her. This, my friend, is what you yourself called “connection”. The very fact of seeing this phenomenon suggests that things are slowly going well for you. It makes me very happy.

A sharp change in mood is, of course, a pathological phenomenon caused by demonic influence. When a person lives outside the Church, without the grace-filled protection given in St. Sacraments and prayers, then such light touches of the demon, progressing, turn into serious disorders of the emotional sphere, called MDP in psychiatry, that is, manic-depressive psychosis, with intermissions of varying duration between phases of elevated (manic phase) or depressed mood (depressive phase) .

This is the kind of subtle and almost imperceptible "psychic" war waged against us by the enemy. Do you now understand how much vigilance we need?! It is called in the language of ascetics "sobriety", i.e. attention to yourself, your inner state. Such constant, vigilant attention is necessary in order to notice the enemy's nets in time. It is necessary to fight such demonic influence with humility: firstly, before God (everything that happens is accepted as from the hand of God), and, secondly, humility before neighbors, as well as prayer and reading (when possible) the psalter - the demons of this are very do not like. One should not be afraid and panic, because, in fact, nothing special is required for healing: you just need to live according to the commandments, live the liturgical life of the Church, live with God. Gradually, accumulating from year to year, the grace of God will protect us more and more strongly from “all the slanders of the enemy” and these conditions will go away, by the grace of God, as if by themselves.

That state of ascent that you speak of causes some distrust in me too. It's good that you're taking such good care of him. I want to confirm the correctness of your attitude with extracts from the 2nd volume of St. Ignatia (Bryanchaninova): “The feeling of weeping and repentance is the only need for a soul that has approached the Lord with the intention of receiving forgiveness of its sins from Him. This is the good part! If you have chosen her, then she will not be taken away from you! Do not exchange this treasure for empty, false, ostensibly blissful feelings, do not destroy yourself with flattery” (p. 125). “All the saints recognized themselves as unworthy of God: by this they showed their dignity, consisting in humility” (p. 126) “The sight of one’s sin and the repentance born of it are the days of work that have no end on earth: sight) of sin repentance is aroused; repentance brings cleansing; The gradually cleared eye of the mind begins to see such shortcomings and damages in the whole human being, which before, in its darkness, it did not notice at all, Lord! Grant us to see our sins, so that our mind, drawn wholly to the attention of our own errors, ceases to see the errors of others” (p. 127).

Let us now try to analyze the reasons for this unusual state. Sometimes it happens that the enemy deliberately, as it were, “loses ground”, retreats, ceasing to influence, to put pressure on the soul with darkness and insensitivity. Then it seems to return to that state, which should be considered the norm for a person and which we, the graceless, consider something supernatural. But after all, this is exactly how a person who has worked hard, striving for a “good feat” in acquiring grace, should feel. Why, then, in this case, the enemy leaves the battlefield without a fight? .. So that the soul, having become delighted, relaxes, mellows and loses its vigilance. Then it will be easy to “slam” it with an unexpected dashing cavalry attack. This is so, my friend, because without abundant tears and many spiritual labors, the state we are talking about does not come.

But even when the enemy uses the cunning tactic of "one step back, then take two steps forward," we can, if we figure him out, benefit for ourselves from his cunning. By remaining on our guard (and not being deceived by an unexpected blow from the right flank), it will be possible for us to enrich our experience with real knowledge through a sense of the state to which we should strive. The memory of him will later be a beacon for us, showing the way through the raging sea.

Thus, as you can see, the Lord arranges everything for our benefit, only you do not lose vigilance regarding your inner state and do not pay attention to the shortcomings of the sisters, which you need to be able to cover with love and endure with patience. Other people's shortcomings cannot prevent us from saving ourselves.

Conversation 6th. To wrest the soul from the power of demons

Hellish shelling. The alarmist will drown in a shallow puddle. How to behave during a demonic attack. If the demons are worried, this is a good sign. How to stop being a “communal apartment” for demons. Some protection methods.

Regarding your worries, dear friend, I’ll say: but you, simply speaking, panicked and became like those unfortunates about whom the prophet David said: “There you are afraid of fear, where there is no fear” ( Ps. 13.5), i.e. frightened where there was nothing to be afraid of. The usual war for your soul just began, but not hidden, as before, in the world, but open. You fell under the ordinary shelling that the demons are shooting at you from the bottom of hell, and immediately became depressed. That's the warrior! That's so well done!

What is the meaning of your stay in the monastery, if you did not come to fight and in this difficult struggle to wrest your soul from the power of demons? After all, until we have acquired grace, they have every opportunity to influence not only our mind, thoughts and memory, but also feelings and sensations, both physiological and spiritual! Remember, you heard from me more than once about the colossal possibilities of demons (due to our lack of grace) and their ruthless struggle for our souls, even when you were a parishioner of our monastery.

As a rule, in the first time after entering the monastery, the Lord keeps the newcomers as if in His right hand, not allowing the enemy to strongly tempt them. When they get comfortable and get used to the new environment for them, people, daily routine and everything else, then He, as if retreating somewhat, provides them with the opportunity to start an independent struggle with the enemy for their salvation. If it were not for the initial help of God to the newcomers, then, probably, no one would have remained in the monastery: the demons would have driven everyone out - their hatred for monastics is so strong.

Well, now you have entered a new phase - the phase of independent struggle and ... guard! - lost. Drowsiness, insatiability, irritability, fornication thoughts and sensations - all these are the arrows of the enemy, which must be repelled, and not feared; fight, not despair. I want to reassure and please you a little: even ordinary patience, combined with a humble awareness of one’s weakness, can quench these “fiery arrows of the crafty” enemy. The main reason why people drown, even those who know how to swim well, is that they start to panic when their foot slips into an underwater hole or falls into a whirlpool, fear paralyzes the will and mind, causes involuntary convulsive movements that only worsen the situation. Finally, exhausted from them and swallowing water, the unfortunate swimmer safely goes to the bottom. But all that was needed was to calmly take in air and dive to the bottom of the funnel, and even at a depth it is easy to get away from it and emerge again. So here you are, darling, if you panic, you will drown even in a shallow puddle, where sparrows bathe after a rain. I repeat once again: calm down, be patient and dive to the bottom, i.e. just wait until the enemy gets tired of firing guns. Here, nothing special is needed to win - only calmness, patience and prayer. And the fact that they are scorching - because they have such a job ...

As for your feelings of clouding your mind and, at the same time, a flurry of thoughts during prayer, feelings of alienation and external violence, as if the pressure of evil from within in the form of rudeness, insolence, insatiability and such physiological sensations as fever, headaches - I will say that all this is well known to me, tk. studied in every way. The factors you describe indicate that the demons (just please don't be scared) living in you became more agitated, frightened and began to panic themselves: no matter how they put them out. This, in fact, is a gratifying phenomenon and indicates that with God's help you will be able to drive uninvited tenants out of your house if you will asceticize correctly and open in your letters all the tricks and blows of the enemy frankly and without embarrassment.

By the way, similar phenomena that appear during extrasensory, i.e. witchcraft influence on people by psychic sorcerers (such as Tarasov, Kashpirovsky, Longo Chumak, Juna, etc.), speak of the opposite effect of demons. These symptoms clearly record the moment when evil spirits enter people's bodies. At the same time, the demons cannot restrain themselves from violent jubilation about the "housewarming", forcing the unfortunate ones to shake and sway.

It should be noted that many people who were born and raised in godless families, and even burdened with sinful heredity, are like the mansions of the lords, turned into filthy “communal apartments” by the Bolsheviks after the revolution. In our case, instead of one soul, for which this mansion (human body) was originally intended by God, it is now inhabited by vile settlers - demons. But the demonic cunning lies in the fact that they try not to betray their presence in any way, especially when a person leads the life of an atheist. Covertly and imperceptibly, they influence the consciousness of the “patient” with the help of mental suggestions and physiological stimulation. But if a person, having serious intentions, embarks on the path of salvation (i.e., decides to start correcting his life and purifying his soul, forces himself to pray, works in obedience, teaches himself to humble himself and be obedient, i.e. tries to get rid of the main sin - pride and selfishness), then the demons, wounded and burned by Divine grace, attracted to man by prayer, labor and self-abasement, rush into a panic from burning pain and thereby betray their presence. This is where a new crucial stage of the struggle begins - the expulsion of uninvited tenants from the house (one's own body). This is the most important and absolutely necessary stage of spiritual life for all those who are being saved, which, in case of its positive completion, provides a person with the opportunity to further advance along the path of purification, improvement, and, therefore, the accumulation of Divine grace, likened in the Gospel to oil, which the wise virgins prepared yet. before the arrival of the Bridegroom and the beginning of the wedding feast. If the process of expulsion is not completed and the tenants do not leave, then for the rest of their lives it will be necessary to take care of at least somehow maintaining what they have achieved and not falling into such a deep hole from which they can no longer get out. You can save yourself here too (and you need to save yourself), but this is a hard path of constant falls and uprisings. Such a cross is carried by many and do not lose heart, trusting in the mercy of God. The main thing would be repentance. To whom not much is given, much will not be asked, and if someone has received much, then the demand will be corresponding.

The symptoms that we talked about above, i.e. headaches, fever, carnal flare-ups, as I have already said, are a good indication that the disease is approaching a crisis. Recovery usually follows a crisis. His approach must be helped. Ask Sister S. for advice on how to arrange a trip to the Lavra, or rather, to the Chernigov Skete, not far from it, where they take unction every day. It would be good for you to confer with this fast, and when they perform the sacrament, you must constantly ask the Lord with all your heart for the deliverance and expulsion of enemies. This request can be added to the Jesus Prayer at the end, and the prayer itself can be unceasingly done with the mind before and during the sacrament. There is no need to be afraid or embarrassed if the demons suddenly scream out of you, on the contrary, increase your prayer even more. In some such cases, it happened, they came out. In the skete, do not say that you are a novice, put on an ordinary dress.

When you come to Communion, always earnestly pray to the Lord to deliver you from demons, ask for their expulsion. If you can find such an opportunity, try to use those places and times when you, at least for a short time, are left alone to pray attentively to “Jesus” with a very repentant, plaintively-begging mood of the soul. Pray in public so as not to draw attention to yourself.

In no case should you lower the mind in the heart, you can be severely damaged, because. you're not ready for it yet. When you are alone, pray out loud, but quietly, almost in a whisper. If possible, read the Psalms as often as possible. It’s not scary that not everything is clear, but the demons of his (Psalter) do not like horror, and besides, the mind is enlightened from the Psalter - this has been experienced in practice. It would be nice to have a Psalter in pocket form, one that you can carry with you and read wherever there is an opportunity, at least a little. Just try to do it discreetly for others, so as not to tempt anyone.

When the flesh is inflamed, you can interrupt the prayer for a while and turn to God in your own words with a request to quench “by unleashing the uprisings of the body.” Also ask the Lord to drive away the prodigal demon from you, cleanse your mind of impure demonic thoughts, protect you with holy angels, purify, protect, preserve, etc. It is necessary to pray and ask at these moments with tension, until the fire goes out. The same request should be addressed to the Mother of God and the Guardian Angel. After the storm subsides, you can continue the interrupted prayer. In the fight against the prodigal demon, it is very important not to overeat and not sleep more than the necessary minimum. A well-fed and well-rested body, like a stallion in mating season, is almost uncontrollable.

On the contrary, it is good to work to the point of fatigue in this struggle, and eat and rest in moderation. It is also very important that you have no unconfessed sins in this area. If you are embarrassed to say something like this in confession, write, and then try not to remember these sins. Do not despair if success does not come immediately, know that this is a rather protracted struggle. You only repent if you fall, but humble yourself before everyone, do not condemn and do not grumble. Only by your own humility can you subdue the fury of the demonic attack. So, my friend, take heart and remember that we are at war.

Treat the help of sisters not with irritation, but with humility and gratitude. Do not grieve about the absence of sorrows, for your sins, infirmities and sickness of the soul should be a greater sorrow for you than external circumstances.

Conversation 7th. Betrayal begins with self-pleasing

Without self-compulsion there will be no salvation for us. How they turn into idols for themselves. Whoever does not crucify his passions inevitably becomes a Judas. What should be done in order not to sell Christ. Don't try to "steal" the joy.

I really liked the calm, prayerful singing in your new monastery. I also liked the fact that they sing in the Znamenny chant during the everyday service, it sounds very touching and prayerful, even when only one chanter sings. On the whole, I had a very pleasant impression of the monastery and the brethren. Only some of “ours” upset me after the second pilgrimage to your monastery. And this grief is connected with you.

They told me how you shirk obedience and go to your cell to sleep. The fact that you are lazy is, of course, not news to me, but what can I say - we all notice this sin in ourselves. But still, a Christian who has chosen the path of salvation should not indulge the lusts of his flesh, which, if not curbed, seeks only to eat, sleep and do nothing, or do only what pleases.

In order to be saved from sins and demonic violence against our will, it is absolutely necessary to force ourselves to fight the flesh and the devil that weakens the flesh. You probably remember the words of the Savior that only those who force themselves to fight sin will enter the Kingdom of Heaven ( Matt. 11, 12)? And in the Slavic original, the word “forcing” was written as “needy women” - these are those who force, force themselves. How are you, brother, going to be saved without forcing yourself to fulfill the obedience given to you by your elders? What kind of a follower are you after that? Where is self-denial here, where is the bearing of the cross, where is the crucifixion of one’s flesh “with its passions and lusts” ( Gal. 5, 24)?! How will you show the Lord that you are His disciple, if you do not fulfill all these conditions that the Lord indicated as the main signs of love and obedience to Him?

Your behavior sometimes makes me think that you did not come to the monastery to save your soul, but in order to have shelter and food without bothering yourself too much. If I am right, then (My God!) where will you come with such a life and such thoughts?! So, after all, for a piece of bread, perhaps, you will serve the Antichrist, and you will accept his seal. And even now, if they promise something or intimidate, then maybe you will become a “snitch” among the brethren? But betrayal begins with a small thing, they become Judas gradually.

This happens in those cases when a person does not want to fulfill the commandment "deny yourself." Then he becomes an idol for himself, then he serves himself as an idol, indulges his flesh and his vanity, then any thought of losing comfort, food or position in society horrifies him. And then he is able to sell Christ, and the brethren, and his mother. The one who has not denied himself, who is attached to everything carnal and spiritual, cannot be saved, because he will certainly sell Christ for lentil stew. In temptations and temptations, only one who, according to the Savior’s word, has denied himself, who is not attached to fame, or money, or food, or to a person, or to comforts, who has loved the Lord with all his being, is able to resist temptations and temptations. He will not become a traitor even when he is threatened with death, especially when he is deprived of a high position or promised a meager life.

If we want to be with Christ, we must always remember His words spoken to the Apostle Paul when he was weak: “My strength is made perfect in weakness” ( 2 Cor. 12.9). Whoever wants to follow Christ, who has denied himself, knows this, because he constantly feels the help of God and can repeat with the Apostle: weak, then strong" ( 2 Cor. 12, 10).

I beg you, get together, pull yourself together, try to fulfill any task entrusted to you, any obedience, not as given by a person, but as appointed by God for your own salvation. Remember the words: “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer: I have conquered the world” ( In. 16, 33). Yes, we did not come into this world for joy, but to fight and defeat sin and the devil, armed with patience, selflessness and prayer, with which we can call on the Creator for help.

The joy that all people dream of and which they try to find in vain here in this life (because all earthly joys soon end in sorrow and then in death), we Christians hope to receive (and this depends on ourselves) in “ life of the age to come,” as we believe and speak of it in the Creed. Do not try to steal these joys now - such attempts end badly. Work a little, be patient, and you will have a reward that you don’t even dream of.

Conversation 8th. The easy way leads to the abyss

Salvation without prayer is a naive utopia. Why is it so difficult for us to pray? Ascetic struggle is a forced necessity, without which there is no salvation. How is the transformation of the soul achieved? About the causes of paralysis of the will. The cure for paralysis. Why do people change? On the fight against the two-headed hydra of egoism.

I always pray that you “do not fall away from your affirmation,” that you do not deviate from the narrow path of struggle to the broad path of pleasing the flesh, to the easy path of following your lusts, which leads straight into the abyss, to the wide gates of hell. Yes, indeed, in our time there are few who are saved, but how I would like you to be among this small herd, even if not in the forefront, even if at least on the side, but still among those who, having rejected “passions and lusts”, carry his cross, following the great Crusader Christ.

Who without prayer can attract the grace of God to himself?! If even every creature, every little bird in the sky, every frog in the swamp, “every breath” praise the Lord, then how can we, rational creatures, not pray to our Creator God? “But if anyone knew,” said Elder Alexander from the Gethsemane Skete, “what efforts the enemy makes to turn a person away from prayer, abstinence, and from virtue in general, that he is ready to give a person all the treasures of the world for this!” (see his Life, p. 43, M., 1994). In other words, the enemy is ready to help a person fulfill all his lusts, as if telling him: “Do whatever you want, just don’t force yourself to prayer and abstinence: eat, drink, for now is not the time for feats, but the walls of the monastery will save you by themselves without your efforts!"

But the father of lies, as always, lies, asserting the opposite of what Christ taught, saying: “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven is taken by force, and those who use force seize it” ( Matthew 11:12). Another Athonite elder, Schema-Archimandrite Sophrony Sakharov, a student of St. Elder Siluan, said: “As long as we are in this “body of sin”, and therefore in this world, until then the ascetic struggle with the “law of sin” operating in our flesh will not stop” (Archim. Sofroniy. On Prayer. P. 17, Paris, 1991). Did the elder, who lived in our time (he died in 1993), not know the state of the modern world and humanity?.. He certainly knew, and better than many psychologists, sociologists and psychiatrists, but he not only did not cancel the struggle, but spoke about the struggle with his “old man” all the days of our earthly life, until death itself.

Of course, it happens that we sometimes become discouraged, feeling, as it were, the coldness and winglessness of our prayer. Let us recall here the words of the same blessed elder: “If the acquisition of scientific erudition requires many years of hard work, then the acquisition of prayer is also incomparably greater” (ibid., p. 9). But, due to our impatience, we do not want to live in this painful state of self-compulsion, when prayers are still hard, exhausting work for us. We yearn for grace-filled, consoling prayer, which only highly experienced ascetics have. “The path of our fathers,” writes Fr. Sofroniy, “requires strong faith and long-suffering, while our contemporaries are trying to seize all spiritual gifts, including even the direct contemplation of the Absolute God, by pressure and in a short time” (ibid., p. 196).

Can you imagine what an enormous task God has set before us: by using force, compulsion, force to enter the Kingdom of God! This task is higher than all earthly tasks and goals, and it is possible to fulfill it only through a violent change in the qualities of one's soul, distorted by sin, with the assistance of the grace of the Holy Spirit. Our desire for correction and our effort in the ascetic struggle with sin makes the soul capable of receiving and retaining the grace of the all-sanctifying Holy Spirit, which, at the end of the earthly struggle, will pour out abundantly on us in the Kingdom of Glory. The inability, unpreparedness of the soul to perceive Him here on earth excludes the possibility of enjoying His grace in the future, i.e. in Eternal Life.

Correction, transformation of the soul is a long process, the main role in it is played by many years of prayer and sober attention to one's spiritual state. “Many years of prayer,” continues Fr. Sophronius, - transforms our fallen nature so much that it becomes able to perceive sanctification through the Truth revealed to us; and this is before we leave the world (cf.: In. 17, 17)” (ibid., p. 189). Elsewhere, the elder writes: “To stand in undistracted prayer means victory on all levels of natural existence. This path is long and thorny, but the moment comes when a ray of Divine light will cut through the thick darkness and create a breakthrough in front of us, through which we will see the Source of this Light. Then the Jesus Prayer takes on cosmic and metacosmic dimensions” (ibid., p. 167).

All of you have now experienced from your own experience what the sinful relaxation of the soul means. Only those who have begun to force themselves, who have begun to struggle with sin, can understand this. It was then that everyone felt how strong the opposition of the demons, inclining our will to sin, and how relaxed, paralyzed our will. And notice, while they lived as they wanted, an inattentive, careless worldly life, they did not notice their lack of will, but as soon as they started the struggle, all this was immediately revealed. The defeat of the will center, the paralysis of the will is the result of the retreat of the grace of God from the forefathers for the first sin of disobedience. And all of us, their distant descendants, bear the seal of the gracelessness of Adam and Eve, who conceived children already in this graceless state.

But God did not leave His people to the end, He gave us the opportunity to accumulate (acquire) grace and thereby strengthen the will for good, but at the same time He left another opportunity: by our own will (voluntary choice between good and evil) to lose even those crumbs of grace that still remain in us, and finally become slaves of sin.

It is not only we who feel the lack of grace, the relaxation of the soul; all the great saints wept and lamented about her, beginning with St. Paul, who described this deplorable state in this way: “I have a desire for good, but I do not find it to do it. The good that I want, I do not do, but the evil that I do not want, I do” ( Rome. 7, 18-19). Here is Rev. Ephraim of Syria exclaims with contrition: “Sin, having turned into a habit, involved me in complete destruction, although I reprove myself and do not stop confessing, yet I still remain in sins ... Drawn by some secret force, I seem to want to run away, but, like a dog on an iron chain, I return to the same place again. Sometimes I come to hate sin and abhor iniquity, but still I remain enslaved to passion.” So, it should be noted that all people, including those who have earned God's mercy and salvation, have experienced the effect of the law of sin, i.e. the discrepancy between our desire for salvation and our capabilities, or rather, the inability to make an effort on ourselves. And if not for the help of God, no one would have emerged victorious from this struggle. But pay attention to the words of Rev. Ephraim the Syrian: “I do not stop offering confession”, and also “I come to hatred of sin and abhor iniquity”. If we add many years of prayer here, it will become clear in what way people like us, people exactly the same as ours, defeated the weakness of the will. To hate sin, to condemn oneself, falling down, to get up in order to start repentance again and again every day, praying to God (how much strength there will be) for forgiveness and healing of the soul from paralysis of the will. And with all that, do not allow despondency, remembering the example of the endless patience of that poor widow, whom the Lord spoke of in a famous parable ( OK. 18, 1-7). Here is another statement of Archim. Sophrony: “It is saving for us if aversion from sin grows in us, turning into self-hatred. Otherwise, we are in danger of becoming accustomed to sin, which is so many-sided and subtle that we usually do not notice its presence in all our actions, even those that look good” (ibid., p. 190). To all of you, without fail (I ask you to fulfill it as a blessing), I appoint for reading the chapter “The sight of your sin” from the 2nd volume of St. Ignatius Bryanchaninov (p. 118).

Now I will try to answer some specific questions.

1. A sister asks: “It becomes scary when you see how people who were once close in spirit are changing for the worse one after another ... How can you protect yourself, because no one is insured?”

- This is indeed a terrible phenomenon, but you need to prepare yourself for the fact that in all the remaining years of your life you will repeatedly witness such amazing metamorphoses. There are always two reasons for this, not one. Firstly, the obligatory action of the demons, and secondly, one's own will, because the demons at first only offer and seduce, the person himself chooses whether to agree with their proposal or reject it. Here is what Rev. Ephraim of Syria: “Alas for me! An evil will leads me into sin, but when I sin, I lay the blame on Satan. But woe to me! because I myself am the cause of my sins. The evil one will not force me to sin: I sin of my own free will.

But now I will tell you the most amazing thing ... We actually have 100 percent insurance against seduction and death! This is humility and spiritual poverty, which consists in “our awareness of the spiritual death present in us” (Fr. Sophrony). To purchase this insurance, i.e. humility, you need to fight with the two-headed hydra of your own egoism.

The first head of the hydra of selfishness is love for one's soul. This head devours those who are filled with self-conceit, perceive themselves as an outstanding person and worthy of something more in the future, or, in any case, of course, respect. Such a person quickly loses an adequate perception of the world, loses guidance in assessing himself, the people around him and events, trusts only himself or flattering liars, hates sound teaching, trusts his opinion, evaluates his neighbors from above and condemns them, loses respect for the authorities of the Church, becoming for himself the most important authority, almost the Pope of Rome (“indisputable authority”). He listens to the opinion of others only when they sing along to him, gets irritated and cannot bear the opposite opinion. Remember the words: “He who loves his soul will destroy it; but he who hates his soul in this world will keep it to eternal life” ( In. 12, 25). This head of the hydra also devours those who love their Soul passions: excessive parental, conjugal or “brotherly” love for any person, or a passionate attachment to some kind of occupation, more often to art (they say: “he is obsessed with poetry” ); their “gracious” (actually pseudo-gracious) experiences of communion with God.

The second head of the hydra of selfishness is love for one's flesh. This head devours those who, although they wish to be saved from eternal condemnation, nevertheless do not want to deny themselves anything in this temporal life. The Lord said about these: “No one can serve two masters: for ... he will be zealous for one, and neglect the other. You cannot serve God and mammon" ( Matt. 6, 24). It is impossible to be saved without oppressing one's flesh, because through the lusts of the flesh, the demons also tie the soul to the comforts, pleasures and goodies of this life, making it almost forget its short duration and deceitfulness, make the soul even more relaxed, voluptuous, bring it after a while to full the impossibility of fighting sin, and then they are even accustomed (like a parrot, by repeated repetition) to the idea that the struggle is not needed at all, not that, they say, now is the time.

2. The sister worries that she is visited by the thought of cruelty towards her parents, whom she left, having gone to the monastery.

– But it seems to me, a sinner, that for them, the poor, desperately mired in darkness and filth, peace, the daughter’s prayer is the only ray of salvation in the darkness, the only hope for God’s mercy, for only He can give them | a chance to someday see the light and exclaim:! “God, how do we live?! After all, we are worse than animals!! Help us, Lord!” They have no other hope] for salvation, for there is no one to pray for them, and no one else will offer a sacrifice of tears and prayers for them. Of course, you can be close to your parents, but then (I mean this case), the whole family will drown together. And although] together, of course, more fun, but who benefits from this?

3. A sister asks about communion without preparation, “with a blessing.”

- Since the communion of the Most Pure Body and the Precious Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is a Sacrament so terrible that "the ranks of the angels cannot look at Him," one should approach Him with great fear, for the same Chalice can be a blessing for some, but for others to condemnation. It should, in the most extreme case, at least a day strictly fast. If, however, there was no opportunity to prepare at all and there is no peace in the soul on this occasion, it is better to firmly and fearlessly refuse.

4. Question: “How to confess if the priest did not read prayers before confession?”

– You should ask Mother Superior or Mother Superior to convey to the priest the request of the sisters: to continue reading the appropriate prayers so as not to embarrass them. The priest, of course, must fulfill the rites of the Holy Church and it is not a sin to remind him of this. However, the Lord will accept your confession, even if only a permissive prayer is read, the priest takes care of everything else.

In conclusion, I want to ask all of you to endure each other's infirmities, to mutually forgive and ask for forgiveness; be supportive to each other to clarify all perplexities among themselves honestly and openly (for this puts the demons to shame and destroys their intrigues), to love each other and all the sisters of the monastery.

Conversation 9th. The self is the main bearer of sin

Congratulations to everyone on the start of Lent. God grant that it becomes for us not only a time of cleansing and unloading the body from all sorts of toxins, as doctors say, but, first of all, a time of unloading our soul from the main sin: selfishness, selfishness.

If we try to analyze each of our actions, we will find that in any of them there is a self, which is the main bearer of sin in us, and is itself nothing but sin. How often, for example, in a conversation we say something slightly flattering. By this we earn the goodwill of the sister or the authorities to ourselves. Their location is pleasing to our vanity. Often, when talking about ourselves, we will pretend more beautifully, showing ourselves in the most favorable light, and sometimes we can’t help but demonstrate our small success or a good deed. We blow our deeds ahead of ourselves. And this is also a tribute to self-love. Flattery and lies here serve to satisfy our sinful self-love.

Self-isolation, selfishness appears where there is no true love, as a gift from God, i.e. there is no grace of the Holy Spirit. Those in whom there is grace, which means there is love, are focused not on themselves, but on their neighbor, whom they love and are ready to sacrifice a lot for him, up to their own lives. And if Rev. Seraphim of Sarov spoke of the main task of a Christian as the acquisition of the grace of the Holy Spirit, he had in mind precisely the familiarization of a person with Divine love, which is, as it were, a force of attraction directed from a person to those around him, and not at all to himself.

With us, the opposite is true: self-deification of one’s soul occurs, love for which is manifested in the opinion that “I” (my soul) is something very significant, worthy of all respect, and such an opinion is often accompanied by a feeling that the whole world exists only for me and what's more, without me, there would be nothing here. In its ultimate expression, love for one's soul reaches the point that a person possessed by this passion (pride) considers all others almost dead objects, something like dolls that either serve him to satisfy his goals and lusts, or, on the contrary, they interfere with it. In the latter case, they can be dealt with without ceremony, they must be removed from the road by any means, ruthlessly.

If our love for our soul, thank God, does not yet reach such a degree, then it nevertheless manifests itself in various forms very often, although not so noticeably. For example, all the sisters received gifts for Christmas. Someone thought that her gift is worse than others. In the heart - resentment, and even envy, and maybe anger at those who are lucky. “Well, I deserve better! And my sister is worse than Me, but she got a gift better than mine!”

Another example: "Someone talked to my sister, not to me" - resentment - "I'm being ignored again!" Or: “They gave me obedience harder than hers,” - again an insult! What can we say if such a “soul-lover” is really offended? Then just a nightmare! Deadly hatred will creep into the heart, which will wait only for the moment when it can finally sting, take revenge with a word (for example, “sling mud”) or deed (not help in need).

So, as we see, love for one's soul manifests itself in many ways and is the root of pride - the most heinous and murderous sin. To save the soul from this abomination, you need to humble yourself and humiliate yourself all your life - otherwise you will not be saved. “I deserve a worse piece, a worse gift, a harder obedience, as well as all insults and insults, because I am much worse than those who offend me think” - this is the correct way of thinking that allows you to fight and defeat pride.

As for the method for determining the presence of passion, it is very simple. The Fathers teach: if you are deprived or you deprive yourself of something, but you regret it, you often think about what (or whom) you have lost, and remembering this, you get excited, unpeaceful spirit, despondency, irritation, etc. it means: there was and is a predilection.

To the question about foreknowledge, I can say the following: only God has real foreknowledge. Demons are very limited in this, they can predict, firstly, what they are going to do themselves (that is, not yet perfect, but conceived by them), and secondly, what is happening at the present time at a great distance from us , since they move in space with great speed and exchange information, and thirdly, having extraordinary logical abilities, they can draw conclusions about possible events from all the information available to them, in which, however, they often fail.

Intuition is most often a demonic suggestion from the outside, but still not a possession. In some cases, however, it happens that the Guardian Angel prompts something useful, especially in extreme situations.

Clairvoyance (as, for example, with Vanga) is just a consequence of one of the forms of possession. In such cases, a person, having become a vessel of an unclean spirit, turns into an instrument for the influence of demons on people. All information transmitted through such a person, according to the plan of the demons, is intended to distort the true faith and replace it with a false one, it should also lead people to direct non-communication, so that, as a result, destroying the spiritual protection of a person, facilitate the introduction of demons into his body.

In those cases when the “intuition” suggests that the person is not good, you just need to be on your guard, carefully check all the information available, observe the person, but do not immediately take this hint for granted. The real “flair” comes with experience, as well as with spiritual growth, but caution is also needed with it, because. and here the enemy may intervene in order to deceive. We need (I say again!) great caution and a comprehensive check!

Conversation 10th. Christ does not come down from the cross

Let's start the post with "unloading" from the self. Where there is no love, the self dominates. Where does self-deification begin, and how to deal with it? Way to determine the presence of passion. What is the difference between foresight, intuition and clairvoyance?

One of our sisters very rightly remarked that the soul of a modern person can be likened to a prodigal wife carried away by an adulterer (demon). Very often the soul knows that her desire is sinful, but, nevertheless, like a harlot wife, she lustfully lusts and looks for a way to deceive her husband, waiting for an opportune moment to satisfy her lust. Naturally, she has to dodge and lie to her husband (her conscience) when she justifies herself in response to his reproaches. But so that even the memory of her betrayal does not prevent the voluptuous soul from indulging in sinful passion, this harlot forces herself for a while to even forget about the existence of her husband.

Of course, to calm the conscience, it is easiest, as many unbelieving people do, to shift all the blame on the demon who tempts the unfortunate, weak soul to sin. By the way, Eve did the same thing, pointing to the serpent, the image of which Satan assumed ( Gen. 3, 13). The soul, in this case, is trying to convince itself and its conscience that it did not have the strength to resist the temptation offered by the demon. However, we should always remember that if we really did not have the strength to refuse a tempting offer, then the Lord God would not have any right to punish us, starting with our first parents (Adam and Eve), and ending with all their descendants, including us. So, of course, we have the strength to refuse the sin offered by the sinner-demon, but if we do not use this power quite consciously, trying to stand in goodness, if we do not correlate our actions with the main goal of our short stay on earth, then this our strength will be unclaimed, and we will be overcome by sin. Now let's see what happens to the soul further after it has succumbed to the sinful attraction, having played a game of “giveaway” with the demon.

If the wife (or soul) succumbs to her lust and agrees to sin, the sinner (or demon) gains more and more power over the adulterous wife, as if sucking out of her volitional energy, suppressing her ability to resist, making her a toy for his passions . Over time, it happens that the harlot soul itself begins to be burdened by her prodigal life and would be glad to break with her lover (the demon), but, like a bird entangled in nets, she no longer has the strength to escape from them. Similarly, people, accumulating sinfulness from generation to generation, are increasingly losing the will to resist, gradually becoming puppets in the hands of fallen angels. Let us now consider this process in more detail.

Each time the soul makes a choice between the suggestion of a demon and the voice of conscience, it performs the most important volitional act, which is its own free will. It depends on this choice whether the soul will lose or acquire Divine grace, which alone gives the soul strength to resist sin. So, for example, with each choice that separates the soul from God, it is more and more deprived of grace, which means that it loses more and more willpower and can no longer resist sin, even if it sees how sin destroys it itself. This is one of the most fundamental spiritual laws that determines the life of intelligent beings (humans and angels). Let us call it the LAW OF RELATIONSHIP OF SIN AND GRACE. He says that in inverse proportion to the removal of the grace-filled energy that strengthens the soul in goodness, the strength and power of demons over the person who rejects the commandments of God and all of humanity grows. This power can only be destroyed by the return of the grace of God to humanity, but this is hindered by sins that have become a wall between God and people.

In order to destroy the wall of sins that prevents the grace of God from returning to man, it is necessary to pay for sin: such is the LAW OF DIVINE JUSTICE. What is the payment appointed by the Creator of the world for the sin of man? We learn about this from God's revelation to His prophet Moses: sin is expiated only by the death of the sinner. This law was already known to Adam, who received from God a commandment that was not at all difficult to fulfill. Its violation, as the Creator said, threatened him with death ( Gen. 2.16). Whether we like it or not, this law is what it is! Therefore, the atoning sacrifice for the sins of mankind (if we follow the logic of the law) should be the blood of each and every one for their own sins. So, in fact, it happened with the first, antediluvian civilization, which was completely, with the exception of the family of the righteous Noah, destroyed by the Flood for sins. But, sadly, people do not learn anything from the experience of others, therefore, after the Flood, the same process of apostasy from God began among the descendants of the righteous Noah, which was bound to end with the destruction of the sinners.

But this time the Creator went a different way, which was dictated solely by love for his creatures. By the love of God, people were given the opportunity, without paying with their blood, without dying for their sins, to get rid of them and regain Divine grace again. The payment for the sins of mankind, which satisfies the LAW OF JUSTICE, was the death and blood of the Consubstantial and Only Begotten Son of God, Who died in our place to give everyone life and the possibility of salvation. The terrible and, in fact, unlimited power of the fallen angels over the harlots-human souls was destroyed only by His Golgotha ​​sacrifice. The blood of the God-Man is that immeasurable and inestimable Price that He paid for our sins.

Now the sin has been paid. The sin of all generations and every person has been redeemed by the Divine Blood of Christ the Savior. But are all redeemed by this Divine Blood? Potentially yes! You ask: why potentially? The thing is that salvation from sins, salvation from the power of the devil cannot be imposed by God on a person, because God, who gave him freedom, never deprives him of this freedom of choice, and therefore each of us must choose with his free will: to accept this gift of God (Atonement) or not to accept. So, if (hypothetically) all of humanity voluntarily accepted Christ, His commandments, and, accordingly, the gift of the Atonement, then all would be redeemed, and therefore all could be saved. But that's the trouble, that by no means all people like to live according to the commandments of Christ. They prefer to follow their own whims and lusts, and therefore they reject Christ. Having rejected Christ, how can they hope for salvation? Who else will atone for their sins in the eyes of Divine justice? But then - will the grace of the Holy Spirit be able to return to them without atonement, without payment for sin and protect them from the influence of demons?.. Of course not! That is why these power-hungry God-haters - demons - will certainly more and more captivate their will, mind and feelings, and this process will continue until the demons make people like themselves, which will completely destroy for them the possibility of eternal life in the Kingdom of God's Glory.

If, as I said above, the retribution for sin is precisely what destroys the obstacle to the return of God's grace, then every person, united with Christ in the great sacrament of Baptism, as if acquires for himself a redemptive sacrifice, which has the power to destroy the mystical power of demons over the will of man. Thus, thanks to the sacrifice of the Cross, the souls who have accepted Christ are, as it were, cleansed of their sins by His blood, and therefore can again resist, repulse the adulterous seducer with the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit that has returned in the sacrament of Baptism.

But woe to us! Having received such a great benefaction from God, who did not spare His Son for the sake of our salvation, we again voluntarily submit to sin, and our soul again, with each new sin of ours, loses the will to resist, weakens and again becomes a weak-willed harlot, fulfilling all the wishes and whims of a libertine who possesses her. Unfortunately, there are too few people who are able to resist the temptation and preserve the grace of Baptism, having gained determination to fight from beginning to end and, thereby, break out of the vicious circle. But…

Oh, the abyss of God's mercy! Knowing our stupidity, weakness and love of sin, the Lord gave us a new opportunity to escape from the devil's captivity through REPENTANCE. He gave great and terrible power to His Church: by the forgiveness of sins from the priest and the communion of His Holy Mysteries – Body and Blood – the grace of the Holy Spirit returns again, our sin is again washed and atoned for by the blood of the God-Man, satanic power over the soul is again destroyed, the nets of the devil are torn apart . So, let's not lose heart, getting entangled in its networks. With a cry of repentance and confession of our sins, we will again break the enemy network, we will not stop fighting for the salvation of our souls. And then, seeing our perseverance, the Lord will certainly help us, although He sometimes hesitates, wanting to make sure of the sincerity of our aspirations.

The Bloodless Sacrifice daily offered by Orthodox priests in magnificent churches, in wretched rooms, and in caves (as happened during periods of persecution); on brilliantly decorated thrones or in the open air on a flat stone, or on a stump of a large tree in the middle of a forest clearing, all this, mystically, the same Sacrifice, the same Blood and the same Body that was crucified for our sins for almost two thousand years ago. And while an Orthodox priest performs the terrible sacrament of the transubstantiation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of the God-Man Jesus Christ, the Calvary Sacrifice does not cease to be performed and offered, Christ does not descend from the Cross. He will continue on it to be the Sacrifice for our sins outside our space-time continuum, as if in a different time dimension, until the last of those who want to be saved enters the “sheep’s yard”, and then the end of the world. And as long as the Sacrifice of the Cross is offered by the celebration of the daily Eucharist, the power of the devil is destroyed daily for each of us who approach It, and by repentance and communion of His Body and Blood, which atones for and washes our sins, we are able to rise again and again . Now do you understand why Satan and all his army mortally hate the performers of the Divine Liturgy, directing the edge of their blow at them?! So, once again I ask you: never despair and do not give up in the fight. Remember - you will have to fight until death!

Conversation 11th. Humility is a true sword, or How to stand in piety

Who are demons more interested in seducing? Fallen angels are fanatics of the game. Against talented people - the heavy artillery of hell. On the knees of humility - to Heavenly Jerusalem. Bitter medicine to heal the proud. The monastery is a school of patience. Why is it foolish to offend those who offend us. What is the devastating blow to the demon? How not to be tempted by the example of the weak and not relax. A little about sobriety.

If in the last conversation we likened the influence of the demon on the soul of a person to the seductive speeches and actions of some regular don Juan, then we will try to apply this comparison in order to find out: firstly, who will be more willing and persistent to seduce the adulterer, and secondly, which of women will be more difficult to fight the temptation? So, will Don Juan be carried away by the ugly woman?.. Apparently, the passion of the hunter will tell him that the more beautiful the woman, the more difficult and exciting the game will be, the more significant the victory will be.

By the way, I must tell you that the struggle of the fallen angels for power over human souls is much more interesting for them (demons) than chess, football and all other games known to you. They are real players: furious, gambling, ready to fight for victory “to the last drop of blood”. It is in this victory and in the sweet sensation of complete power over a person that there is true pleasure and satisfaction for their incredible pride and lust for power. In this deadly game for people, demons find the whole meaning of their existence. More than anyone else, one can say about them, paraphrasing the NEP song of Odessa bandits: “their whole life is an eternal game.”

Now that we have understood who will attract more attention of the Don Juan, the answer to the second question will also become clear: who will find it more difficult to fight against numerous temptations. Of course, one of the women who, standing out for her appearance, has the misfortune to attract stronger and more experienced seducers. They, like flies, attracted by the smell of honey, revolve around the beauties. In the same way, souls endowed with great abilities are subjected to the onslaught of demons of a higher rank. How difficult it is for the rich to be saved! ( Matt. 19, 23-24). But this is not only about money, but also about rich opportunities and abilities. It is here that the demons of arrogance and pride come into battle - the heavy artillery of the army of hell, the highest ranks of the hellish hierarchy. How hard it is for a high-minded man to escape! And yet it is possible.

It is said that in Jerusalem there was once a gate in the city walls called the "Eye of the Needle". They were so low that camels could not enter them. But those of the camels who knew how, kneeling, to crawl under their arches, nevertheless ended up in the city. Here is our indication. Here is the way to salvation. Only humility, only daily self-abasement can save a proud soul from the snares of the devil. Why is it easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for one rich in money, ability and conceit to enter the Kingdom of Heaven? It turns out that it is more difficult for a person with wealth and talents to overcome his pride, vanity, self-conceit and self-praise than for a royal pupil of the desert to bend his knees and crawl into the “Eye of the Needle” of the Holy City of Jerusalem, which represents the Heavenly City - Heavenly Jerusalem.

But the mercy of God does not leave sinners here either: the Lord allows the proud, for the sake of their salvation, to experience insults, slander, anger and hatred of others - all this, like air, is necessary for us, the proud, to develop humility. For the same purpose, the Lord allows illnesses and falls (according to our sins), which is also a necessary medicine for proud souls. If only we could learn to gratefully accept all punishments from the hand of God in full confidence that all this is sent for our benefit, for the healing of our souls, as a bitter but necessary medicine. Moreover, one should accustom oneself to the idea that all kinds of insults, slander and other temptations should be met with joy, thanking God for giving us the opportunity to atone for our previous sins with patience, and also creates conditions for training in humility, in meekness and complacency. .

In this sense, modern monasteries provide an excellent opportunity to develop the most important quality necessary for our salvation, i.e. humility. Our life is a school where we solve problems, do exercises in order to learn what we do not yet know. Humility and patience, self-sacrifice and meekness do not come by themselves, they must, with the help of God, be brought up in oneself. What use is it to us if we live and work among people who love us, or at least observe the rules of community and decency? In such greenhouse conditions, only pride and conceit flourish.

Monasteries are another matter… Today, a considerable part of their inhabitants are mentally ill people who, however, want to be saved. They are the same people as everyone else; and just like everyone else, they are subject to the influence of demons, only to a stronger degree, which is allowed by God for various reasons, into which it is not for us to delve into and it is not for us to judge. With their help, better than anywhere else, you can train your feelings and will, teaching yourself to endure rudeness and even slander with patience, cultivating complacency and, I would say, gentle humor, with the help of which By the grace of God, all offenses will be endured without much difficulty. Whoever has not gone through this school, who has not experienced all the malice of demons acting through people on himself, cannot move forward, for he has no experience in spiritual warfare. This inexperienced Monk can fight all his life, but, unfortunately, with the wrong enemy, and therefore will not achieve success and, moreover, may die, mistaking not fallen angels for his enemies, but monastic brothers or sisters, with the help of whom they act. at him these invisible prompters, hidden from the eyes of the public.

Only having gained extensive life experience through the correct transfer of troubles from others, we can understand how stupid it is to be angry and offend people who offend us, for we clearly see that it is not they who are acting, but “spirits of malice in high places” ( Eph. 6, 12). Thus, everyone must understand: if you respond to an insult, then you offend your brother, and this is a violation of the commandment of God ( Matt. 7, 12; OK. 6, 31), while you need to answer the true enemy - the demon who struck, hiding behind, like a shield, a brother. If our retaliatory blow falls on a brother, the demon laughs in delight - he was waiting for this, and if we hit the demon itself with humility, he will sob, having been defeated, for humility is a true sword, and he painfully hits an incorporeal enemy. By the way, “turn the cheek” ( Matt. 5.39) - this is to inflict a crushing blow on the demon with humility. But, it should be noted that this method is acceptable only in relation to a brother in Christ who is tempted by a demon, and in general to a personal enemy, but not to the enemy of the Church, society, state.

To be precise, a real Christian cannot have “personal” enemies at all, because, firstly, he loves people, seeing in them the image of God, even if polluted, and secondly, he clearly realizes that in the hostile actions of the surrounding people, demons play an initiative and leading role. Thus, it turns out that by the word “enemies” the Gospel means those who consider us enemies and treat us with hostility, while we do not consider anyone but the fallen angels to be enemies.

It seems to me that many of those who, while living in a monastery, strike us with their rudeness, tactlessness, intolerance and other asocial qualities, if they had remained in the world, would have seemed nice in communication, kind and pleasant people. But since the monasteries are the vanguard of Christianity in the fierce battle with the army of Lucifer, it is they who take upon themselves the most powerful blows of the enemy, and not all the soldiers of Christ can withstand this heavy enemy fire. Many need the help and endurance of more steadfast brothers, their example and prayer, and sometimes just indulgence and the ability to endure “the infirmities of the weak.” It is only important not to be tempted by the example of the weaker ones, not to relax, but to stand firm in piety, and this is a rather serious and difficult task, given the general slackness of contemporary monastic life.

Brothers and sisters who wished and could lead a more ascetic life than usual are, of course, saddened by the existing order of things. But they need to understand that, firstly, in the absence of constant guidance from experienced ascetics (and they are still almost invisible in monasteries), they would not have survived the feat, even if they lived in their own separate community, and secondly, deprived of the healthiest and most zealous part of monasticism, the monasteries would lose the opportunity to educate the weaker by example of the best - and would finally degenerate into communes of believing bachelors and bachelors. That is why one has to accept existing circumstances as they are.

Realizing that some of the monastics cannot endure the exploits of abstinence and prayer, stronger monks should firmly and unrelentingly adhere to at least the accepted prayer rhythm, but the main thing is to turn their attention to developing patience, gentleness, meekness, learn to calmly and graciously perceive any troubles, radiating around a joyful and cheerful mood. All these qualities are acquired (developed) by constant and unrelenting sobriety.

Sobriety is a constant battle with the lusts of the flesh and suggestions from the inner enemy (selfishness, selfishness) and the outer one - demons, this is forcing oneself to abandon one's "ego", i.e. reminding yourself to acquire selflessness. Sobriety is the constant tracking and repulsion by the mind of all sinful suggestions from within and without, it is the incessant forcing oneself to goodness and the rejection of all evil. Sobriety is one of the main sciences of monastic work, it can be learned under any circumstances and in any monastery. I advise you to pay special attention to the science of sobriety, having first studied everything that you find in the books of St. ascetics, and then trying to put their knowledge into practice.

One should also remember the most important deed of a monk - the need to awaken in oneself a prayerful mood, a taste for prayer, for nothing else asks God for the grace of the Holy Spirit, as soon as attentive prayer.

I ask you to distribute the books among yourselves in such a way that each of the sisters will find in her book everything that relates to sobriety and keeping the heart. For example, one works with the "Ladder" and makes appropriate extracts from there, the other with "Invisible Scolding", the rest look through various volumes of the "Philokalia" and look for everything related to sobriety. Recently, “Spiritual Conversations” by Macarius of Egypt was published in the Lavra. There is a “Sermon on the Keeping of the Heart” (p. 345), something can be found in Abba Dorotheus. It is advisable to write all these extracts about keeping the mind and heart, about fighting thoughts and carnal lusts (one after another) in one notebook, so that everyone in turn can read the teachings collected from different fathers on the topic of interest to us.

Now a few words must be said to those of our sisters who teach in Sunday school, for their temptations and temptations have increased greatly in connection with the fact that grown-ups began to go to them. Of course, we all know from patristic experience that if a novice begins to teach someone, we can immediately say that he is in the temptation of demons. But here's the problem! In today's newly opened monasteries, there is almost no one to teach. Almost everyone there is new.

Although you do your work out of obedience, the sword of Damocles of vanity still hangs over your heads. No one will be able to help you if you yourself do not help yourself to avoid the most subtle and sophisticated network of the devil. I have repeatedly observed how quite sincerely believing people, having read good spiritual literature, could advise quite competently, based on the experience of the holy fathers, and their advice was to the point and achieved the goal, providing real help to the questioners. Almost all of them, before My eyes, one by one, were abused by the demons, who cruelly mocked them, catching them, who had absolutely no experience in the struggle of the soul, with a net of vanity. What terrible falls I saw! The servants of God turned into enemies of God for some 2-3 years. The devil so deceived the minds of these unfortunates that they became blind and deaf to everything that was contrary to their opinion. The sad example of our common N-city acquaintance who has embarked on this slippery slope is yet another proof of this. But what to do if such is obedience? Once again I say: none of the people will help you; but the Lord often tests us with fiery trials. Hope only for your prudence, for attention to your thoughts and the subtlest movements of the soul, and most importantly - for self-condemnation, which destroys any conceited thought. Know: you are on the verge of death and walk on the edge of a knife. Remember this! And constantly cry out in your heart: Lord, keep from vanity, do not let perish!

Conversation 12th. “It seems like a hunt to escape, but too lazy to pray”

Weakness of will is a spiritual disease of all mankind. And in the captivity of sin, do not be a slave! Why are we not allowed to compare ourselves with others? The sin is to do less than you can. How to protect yourself from complacency after doing a good deed.

It would be very sad if you had a desire to “be like everyone else”. In our relaxed age, this means approximately the following position: “It seems to be a hunt to be saved, but too lazy to pray.” You see for yourself that almost no one (even among novices) can refrain from verbosity, or in food, or in any other pleasing of the flesh and his “ego”. This relaxation is a spiritual disease. By the way, you see it in yourself too, don't you? Weakness of will is a universal disease that has affected all of humanity from the moment of the first fall into sin as a result of the retreat of God's grace from those who have sinned, about which I already wrote to you earlier. But here's the problem: we increase this lack of grace, inherited from our forefathers, more and more by our own sins, which deprive us of grace more and more. How not to mourn such a deplorable, sinful, painful state?! It is here that “I will find the beginning of my evil,” as you read in the penitential canon.

So, weakened by the absence of grace (in due measure), our will is crushed under the pressure of the will of the devil, which pushes us to sin and is sin itself. At the same time, the access of demons to people was ensured by the same lack of grace-filled protection in us, which covers a person from the undesirable effects of demonic will. It is possible to avoid this violence only by gradually acquiring or, in other words, “acquiring the grace of the Holy Spirit,” as St. Seraphim of Sarov.

But “don’t you know that to whom you give yourself as a slave for obedience, you are also slaves?” App asks. Pavel ( Rome. 6, 16). This means that if we, being forced by force by the demon, nevertheless, by our will and our desire, do not want what he is pushing us to, we do not voluntarily give ourselves into obedience to him, then we are not slaves to him, voluntarily bowing under the yoke of the master. Rather, they are captive warriors, slaves, because our own will desires something else. It follows from this that if, having succumbed to demonic pressure, we did not stand in virtue, but still did not stop resisting again and again, repenting and condemning ourselves, then we have not yet fallen away from God, have not become complete slaves of sin and the devil. In this case, being, as it were, a prisoner of the enemy, we remained subjects of our Tsar, did not renounce Him, and are engaged in an underground struggle. So, we should constantly resist and, in spite of everything, DO NOT WANT to obey the devil, taking care, in the meantime, of acquiring grace, which is given, firstly, through prayer, and secondly, through good deeds and obedience.

But in order not to fall into the gravest sin of pride through prayer, obedience and abstinence (to the best of your ability), you must remember that under no circumstances do you have the right to compare yourself with others, because through this you can either fall into condemnation (if you will seem to yourself better than others) or in despondency (when you see someone's virtues that you do not possess). Never try to put yourself on the same board with anyone, because “everyone has his own gift (measure of strength) from God, one this way, the other another” ( 1 Cor. 7, 7). If God has given you more strength to resist relaxation or abstain from something, do not be proud, because more will be asked of you. And to whom little is given, little will be required - I hope you remember this. But apart from the Creator, no one knows the measure: to whom what and how much is given. You do to the best of your ability, which a person feels in himself. And if you do less than you can, then it's a sin.

In order not to fall into pride after doing a good deed, you need to program your consciousness for this by entering into memory the following two formulas:

“I don’t do even a hundredth of what I should have done,” and

“I did this and that only because the Lord gave me strength, health and the right thought, and I myself could not do anything without His help.”

In conclusion, I want to address you and the sisters with the words of the apostle: “We wish that each of you ... showed the same zeal (for salvation) to the end; lest you be lazy…” Heb. 6, 11).

Conversation 13th. What to be guided by if there is no experienced confessor?

What will sustain us in the absence of spiritual guidance? Beware of "old men-petters". Fasting is not a pious tradition, but a weapon in the fight against demons. Is it possible to “rest” from the struggle for salvation? Ask others about your shortcomings. The Dangerous Consequences of Wrong Prayer.

Congratulations to all sisters on the start of Lent! I hope it will contribute to the feat of prayer and will serve to strengthen your spiritual strength. I will answer questions like this:

1. More than once we have said that in our time we have to save ourselves almost alone, because there are few good examples before our eyes, there is little spiritual support from experienced monks, who, sadly, are almost non-existent. However, we still have guidance - the Gospel, our own conscience, and the books of the holy fathers, according to which it (our conscience) needs to be corrected so that the enemy does not confuse. In our business, one thing is important: not to relax, not to give up, constantly, until death, to fight with our “old man”. Stopping, that is, stopping the struggle, inevitably leads to the death of the soul.

2. “The caressing elders,” about whom St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, you should be wary. These “elders” always attract young “ascetics” and “ascetics” by allowing them not to fight when the experience of the holy fathers and their own consciences force them to fight. It's hard to fight, of course. And the “elder” kindly consoles the novice who has committed an act convicted by his own conscience: “Well, nothing! - says such an old man, - it's not scary, it's possible ... And this is also possible. The soul becomes light and cheerful. There is no need to fight, you can now completely indulge in your favorite passion, since the conscience no longer torments, calmed by the “blessing” of the elder. Well, isn't it nice?!

3. If you have the opportunity and the blessing of your superiors, you can partake of Great Lent once a week.

4. Since you have a common meal, then, as I understand it, with all your desire, you will not be able to observe the Charter (regarding nutrition during Great Lent). This is now, sadly, more accessible to pious laymen than to monastics. The reason is that in our modern monasteries, as I said above, there are few experienced confessors who could adjust the rules of the Charter in relation to each of the monks they lead, in accordance with the capabilities and health of each. But still, a feat is necessary for monks, otherwise what kind of monks are we?

An example is sometimes shown by the laity: almost all of our parishioners on the first day of Great Lent did not eat anything, and on the remaining days of the first week, when “dry eating” was prescribed according to the Typicon, many of them sat on bread and tea, and without any pressure whatsoever. by the clergy. Most of them work hard every day. Old women do not lag behind them either: others endure without food for two days, as it should be according to the Charter: “On the first day of the first week of the Holy and Great Fortecost, i.e. on Monday, eating is by no means appropriate, and so is it on Tuesday. On Wednesday, after the celebration of the Presanctified Liturgy, a meal is served: bread with warm vegetable dishes, and a drink with honey is also given. Those who cannot keep the first two days, on Tuesday after Vespers they eat bread and kvass. Similarly, the old ones create” (Tipikon. Sheet 32, reprint, M., 1997).

Thank God, we, the clergy, were able to fast according to the Rule and sat down for a meal for the first time only on Wednesday after Liturgy. And imagine: none of us died, although the oldest of the priests is already over 60.

Unfortunately, due to the loss of continuity (the former monks were exterminated during the Soviet era, while others died before the revival of monastic life began in the 1990s), in modern monasteries the understanding of the purpose and meaning of fasting is sometimes lost. Now fasting, for example, is perceived simply as a pious tradition, and nothing more. But it carries a deep mystical, spiritual meaning. First of all, this is one of the means of acquiring the grace of the Holy Spirit, and besides, it is the most important means of strengthening prayer, purifying thoughts, and, finally, one of the main ways to fight demons, which, unlike us, do not stop their struggle for a minute. . We allow ourselves to rest from time to time, lowering the weapon. But how necessary this struggle is, especially in our time! How can you do without a post?

I recommend you fasting two meals a day. Try not to overeat fast food, but do everything in such a way that you do not draw attention to yourself in the refectory, and most importantly, I remind you, protect your soul from vanity, although I know that you remember this.

5. Much better than the abbess, your shortcomings can be noticed by the sisters with whom you communicate more. Therefore, it is better to pay attention to what they are dissatisfied with in you. Analyze the reasons for their dissatisfaction (only without the slightest self-justification), and you will see what you need to fight against. You can ask your closest ones directly: “What shortcomings do you see in me?” But if they say something that you did not expect, have the courage to accept, do not pout, but accept with gratitude, because each such remark, although painful (according to our pride), is extraordinarily precious for working on yourself.

6. The method of prayer with the tension of the whole body is no good! This can only end in one thing: demonic seduction (may the Lord save you from such misfortune!). At the heart of such methods lies the same inescapable our pride, the desire to quickly “get through to God”. My dear child, God always hears us! His Spirit pervades our every cell, every molecule. Of course, you need to pray with some tension, but not of the body (by no means!), but only of the mind, as far as possible. Tension of the mind is necessary for concentration of consciousness, for strengthening attention to the words and meaning of prayer, for constant rejection of extraneous thoughts coming from outside, introduced, for the most part, by demons. But the main thing at the same time is that before the start of prayer, like a violin, you must always tune your soul, and tune it exclusively in a repentant way, but without anguish, as the king-prophet David says about this: humiliate" ( Ps. 50, 19).

Prayer is a great work of gradually acquiring the grace of the Holy Spirit, which, accumulating, in turn, strengthens prayer. Everything, as you can see, is interconnected. It is impossible to force this process; I thank God that you guessed me to write about it! I have repeatedly seen with my own eyes the terrible consequences that result from wrong prayer, and therefore I was frightened when I read your letter. Lord save!

Conversation 14th. “My burden is easy to eat…”

Is it possible to be saved without denying yourself anything? Renunciation of the world is not a rejection of culture! Why is passionate attachment our enemy? How to build the right hierarchy of values ​​so as not to be caught in the network of passions. Definition of the concept of "passion". Methods of planting passions. A person caught in passion is a potential seller of Christ. Why is the operation to cut off passions so painful? From Egyptian slavery to the world - to true freedom in Christ!

The last 1.5 months, although they were full; many different events and big ones: holidays, but the most important of them was for; you, of course, monastic vows.

Almost three years have flown by unnoticed since you arrived at the monastery. This is a long enough time to think everything over, look closely and test yourself. Blessed, who chose the path? following the commandments of God, the path of perfection in them, who has strayed from the world, where it is now more difficult than ever for a Christian to be saved because of the immeasurably multiplied temptations that relax the soul so subtly and imperceptibly that the path of the cross and self-denial for him (a Christian) becomes more and more difficult. But it is precisely this difficult, narrow and thorny path of cross-bearing that God has commanded to all who want to be saved. No matter how much we love ourselves, no matter how we pity our flesh, no matter how we lament the impossibility (for monks) to perfect our soul according to the elements of this world (in art, science, social activities, etc.), however, if we want to be students The Lord Jesus Christ (that is, those who are being saved) must always remember that without the crucifixion of their passions (bodily and spiritually) this is absolutely impossible.

Very many modern Christians, and even Orthodox Christians (that is, those who know the undistorted teaching of Christ) will be very surprised when they understand that the words referred to them: “I tell you that none of those called ones will taste My supper, for many are called, but few the chosen ones" ( OK. 14, 24). And when these called (Christians) realize that they have remained behind the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven, they will begin to “knock on the door and say: “Lord! God! Open to us." But He will answer you: “I don’t know where you are from” ( OK. 13, 25).

But what can prevent these believing people from entering the number of God's chosen ones? It turns out - their "passions", their attachment to bodily, mental and pseudo-spiritual pleasures, their naive hope that you can be saved without denying yourself anything, without a painful struggle with your passions and lusts. But these last ones just don’t let people into the Kingdom of Heaven, for the Creator Himself said: “Any one of you who does not renounce everything that he has, cannot be My disciple” ( OK. 14, 33). If a person is not a disciple of Christ, then he is far from His teaching, and therefore, far from salvation.

Unfortunately, thanks to almost universal spiritual illiteracy, the enemies of Christ manage to confuse many with the above words of the Savior, which are always interpreted by both former and modern demonic servants in such a way that they can only arouse hostility to the teachings of Christ. With a spiritually ignorant intellectual, not to mention other social groups, these enemies of the Church tried to strengthen the opinion that only dirty, lice-covered, ignorant, and perhaps completely illiterate people who they shy away from the car, in horror disown the plane, turn pale at the mere mention of the TV, and if suddenly, out of ignorance, someone in their presence even casually mentions the computer, they will certainly faint with noise.

This false opinion has never been the opinion of the Church. The renunciation, about which the Lord spoke in the above quotation from the Gospel, does not at all mean the necessity of rejecting everything that material culture, civilization has created; it only means the need to destroy any passionate attachment to anything: art, science, nature, fame, things, wealth, man or animal. It means establishing the right hierarchy of values. Spiritual values, as well as those spiritual tasks that need to be completed in this temporary life on the instructions of the Creator, should be put in the first place, and everything else should be correctly placed into 2, 3, 4 and other places.

If in the first place in a person’s heart are the commandments of God, and the main business of life is salvation, then everything else not only cannot interfere with him, but on the contrary: he can use the achievements of science and culture to help himself in the main thing - for his spiritual transformation and moreover, to support others in this difficult matter. If material goods and the achievements of culture become idols for a person who have taken an inappropriate place in his heart, then the inevitable attachment to them turns into a chain for him, which chains him to the lowest, sensual and spiritual pleasures, makes him forget God and the main goal of human life. . In this case, all this dust and ashes, so attractive to a person, serves as a bait in the hands of “super-intellectuals” (demons), who are able to very cleverly circle around the finger of any, the most brilliant of people, since the demons of the highest ranks are incomparably smarter and more powerful than any of us, and only those who have the help of Christ the Savior on their side can count on victory in this terrible struggle for our souls.

Who gets passion and how? It will inevitably appear in any person whose life attitude (his credo) is formulated something like this: “Have time to enjoy, because you live once! So, from life you need to take everything that you can take. But if you can’t take it, you still need to get what you want by any means and even by force.” Such an attitude exists, and not always distinctly and clearly, in the depths of the consciousness of everyone who is unsteady in the Truth proclaimed by the Creator first through the biblical prophets, and then by God Himself incarnated - Jesus Christ, and, even more so, in the consciousness of those who reject God. This false attitude, by the way, is very clearly expressed in a song that was very often heard on the radio in the 70s: “Life is a moment, hold on to it!”.

Passion in its basis almost always has some natural need of the body or soul of a person. But this need becomes a passion only when, with the help of demons, it crosses the boundaries indicated by God (hypertrophies), when it becomes unstoppable and forces a person to violate the Divine commandments in order to satisfy it.

Understanding this pattern well, demons try to make a person sin not through actions that are unpleasant for him, but, on the contrary, through pleasures, through the excitation in him of abnormally strong physiological or spiritual needs, the satisfaction of which brings him pleasure.

The study of the possibilities of fallen spirits showed that they can hypertrophy, i.e. extremely increase both the natural, physiological needs of the body (the instincts of hunger, sleep, reproduction, etc.), and the needs of the soul.

By suggesting selfish and proud thoughts, for example, they can arouse in the soul of a person an irresistible desire for power, or kindle in him a passion for spiritual pleasures of a different order. Such a passion can be directed, say, to various types of art, to science, as well as to spectacles and entertainment, and then these seemingly innocent activities can, with the help of demons, lead a person far away from the main goal of his life, from salvation. souls. It should also be remembered that the satisfaction of those and other needs exaggerated by demons always leads people to the need to commit evil, obtaining the desired bodily and spiritual benefits with the help of lies, deceit, cunning! betrayal, betrayal, slander, theft, murder (including their unborn children), sexual violence, illegal use of power, and so on. In addition, the desire for pleasure and the unwillingness to limit one's needs always brings grief and tears to the people around, about which the "enjoyer" does not think, but at the expense of which he enjoys.

Using passionate attachments to bodily and spiritual pleasures as fishhooks, demons trap our souls with them and then keep us on a stretched line, now pulling it up, then releasing it. The more such hooks and lines they manage to hook on a person’s heart, the more power they have over him, forcing a person to violate the Divine commandments and sin for the sake of satisfying this or that passionate attachment.

Pride in all its manifestations (complacency, vanity, bragging and boasting, contempt for others, etc.), lust for power, sexual intemperance, gluttony, drunkenness, drug addiction, violence, idleness at the expense of others, passion for entertainment and luxury - these are just a few from the passions with the help of which the demons caught almost all of humanity, who had fallen away from God and did not want to live according to His holy commandments.

Of course, it is very difficult for a worldly person, and often almost impossible, due to temptations, to refrain from any kind of passionate attachment, and especially because numerous bad examples of others are very strong in the world, and they are known to be contagious. Look at a worldly person: how much dirt does his soul collect in just one day of life in the world?! How many stupid, soulless and vulgar conversations will he hear everywhere (in the store, on the street, in the subway, at work and at home), how many abominations will he see on TV and how many dirty lies will he read in the newspapers!? And so every day. From such daily psychological processing, the soul is defiled, stupid, relaxed, loses faith and, finally, is captured by some kind of passion. In turn, passion, sooner or later, makes a person violate moral laws, trample on his conscience, transgress Divine commandments, and even betray and sell Christ for the sake of its satisfaction. Unfortunately, it has been and will be so… A person, caught by some kind of passion, will eventually become a seller of Christ – such is the law, for it is said: “You cannot serve God and mammon” ( Matt. 6, 24). Translated from Aramaic, “mammon” means wealth, and in addition, all the carnal and spiritual pleasures that are acquired with its help.

That is why non-attachment, that is, freedom from passionate attachments, is indicated by God as one of the most necessary means of salvation. This instruction was given to us by Christ in the commandment “DENY YOURSELF” ( Matthew 16:24). However, this commandment does not say, as some believe, about the need to reject your mind, creativity and physiological needs, given by God to man. No, here we are talking exclusively about the rejection and destruction of passionate attachments, which can so firmly grow into a person’s soul that they become in him, as it were, “second nature”, a part of his personality, his “I”. The rejection of one or more of them is felt by a person as a rejection of himself, and this is always very painful. For our sin-loving souls, it (refusal) is so painful that in the Gospel it is likened to crucifixion on the cross, about which the Lord says: “If anyone wants to follow Me, deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Me” ( Matt. 16, 24).

But let's remember: where did He go?.. To Golgotha! Therefore, Christ calls us to deny ourselves and go with Him to crucifixion, to death! So, liberation from passions is similar in its painfulness and difficulty to crucifixion, and therefore St. The Fathers called this feat of the soul co-crucifixion with Christ. About him and app. Paul writes to the Galatians: “Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts” ( Gal. 5, 24), and in the Epistle to the Romans, as it were, continues: “Our old man (must be) crucified with Him, so that the body of sin may be abolished, so that we no longer be slaves to sin (and therefore to the devil)” ( Rome. 6.6). The apostle here calls the “sinful body” the passionate attachments, our passions, which become an integral part of a person, i.e. as if by a man himself or otherwise an “old man” who must die a painful death on the cross in order, having been crucified with Christ, to reign with Him in His eternal Kingdom of Love and Truth.

Sometimes one of the laity will say:

– Oh, how difficult it is for monks to live – that is impossible, and that is impossible; there are only limitations everywhere, and their life itself is very monotonous. No, no, I can't take that!

And I, a sinner, look at this and think:

“Poor thing, it is much more difficult for you to save yourself than for us monks. It is much more difficult to go to Christ, being in Egyptian slavery by the world, from which the monks, with God's help, managed to get out, as once “Israel, walking on dry land, walking in the abyss, seeing the persecutor of the pharaoh, being drowned.” Yes, we live and wander in the "desert", where there is no variety of nature, food, and impressions, but God promised us the Promised Land! For this you can endure!

Probably others think differently, but it seems to me, a fool, that it is easier for monastics to be saved, because the very way of monastic life takes away from demons a lot of opportunities to attach, tie, sew, moor and chain us to the earth and to all temporary earthly pleasures with many spiritual chains. , ropes, ropes, strings, woods, wires and threads.

No ... of course, a pig, as they say, will always find dirt - that's for sure! But we will not talk about such "monks" and will try not to be tempted by their lives. In the end, each one will answer for himself, as the apostle said: “So, each of us will give an account of himself to God”, ( Rome. 14, 12). If, however, you always remember the main goal of your life, that is, salvation through spiritual and moral growth as you acquire the grace of the Holy Spirit, then in a monastery, of course, it is much easier to be saved than anywhere else.

That is why I rejoice for you that you have not been tempted by the wide gates and the wide path of life; I rejoice for you that you have found the courage to lay the yoke of Christ on your fragile female shoulders; I rejoice that you answered the call of the Lord, for He will certainly help you, because these are His words: “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (