Temptation is a sign of spiritual health.
The greatest threat to the evil one is the love for God.
The person who loves God is at the same time mocking the devil.
The devil envies that love because he does not understand it.
Rather than learning from the human how to love God, the devil in his abundant pride, convinces himself of his worth.
"I am an angel, superior to the human. What have I to learn from that which is beneath my rank?"
Here lies the sin of pride.
Here lies the sin of pride.
The devil, in subversion to the love of God seeks to damage that which pleases the Almighty.
The moment a person becomes an adopted child of God through the sacrament of Baptism, they are a target for the enemy.
Do not envy the easy lives of the heathen, for they have their reward now.
But pray and help them always. Abandon them not lest you imitate he that seeks to rid you of your own inheritance.
Be vigilant always, and when temptation arises, rejoice.
Rejoice because it means the treasury of your soul contains something worth stealing, namely the love of God.
“The devil does not hunt after those who are lost; he hunts after those who are aware, those who are close to God. He takes from them trust in god and begins to afflict them with self-assurance, logic, thinking, criticism. Therefore we should not trust our logical minds.” - Elder Paisios of Mt. Athos
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