Fasting, prayer, sobriety, humility

Concerning inner spiritual struggle I would say: do not set yourself any great goals, do not set any time limits, but always and in all things refrain from evil, from transgressing the commandments inwardly or outwardly, and force yourself to do good. That is, despite the great effort and struggle involved, try to behave not as you want, but as the Lord directs in His holy commandments. Not in vain is it said:
The Kingdom of heaven suffereth violence (Matt 11:12).

It's time you realized that the enemy will not leave alone anyone who desires to be saved. Consequently, the battle against him will not cease until death. Furthermore, he cannot be conquered through one's own strength. It was to destroy the works of the devil that Christ came to earth. Together with those who always call on Him for help, Christ battles against the devil and against sin. Man should likewise rise up with all his strength against sin and the devil, using as weapons the means indicated by the Lord, the Apostles and the Holy Fathers.

For an Orthodox Christian, these weapons are: fasting, prayer, sobriety and humility. Without humility, nothing will be of any use, for those who are proud and sure of themselves do not receive the Lord's help, but inevitably fall into the various snares of the devil. He who wishes to conquer the enemy, to be delivered from passions, but does not use the aforementioned weapons, is bound to lose the battle. The more perseverance and humility one has, the quicker one can be rid of the enemy.

To this I must add that harboring ill feelings toward anyone destroys the power of prayer, because the Lord does not accept prayer from a person who is at enmity with his neighbor, but sends him first to seek reconciliation. Without prayer which is acceptable to God, a person is alone, and consequently, the enemy will defeat him. Even one who struggles as he should in the battle does not immediately emerge victorious. This requires time and patience. Therefore, conduct a proper fight, strive to be at peace with everyone, and learn the habit of sobriety and unceasing prayer. Humble yourself before God and man, and then one by one you will defeat even the greatest of enemies, and will free yourself from the captivity of sin.

No spiritual father would think worse of a person after having heard his sincere confession and repentance of sins, regardless of what they were. Such a thought is but a snare of the devil, who tries to prevent one from achieving full forgiveness by encouraging one to hide certain sins. On the contrary, if the spiritual father is a true believer, he will begin to regard such a person with even more respect. Such is the mystery of confession.

Bear patiently all reproaches, scolding and slander—both justified and unjustified—without objection, for these are useful in cleansing the soul of sins and in aiding the growth of humility. Say like the thief: We receive the due rewards for our deeds... Remember me, O Lord, when Thou comest into Thy kingdom (Luke 23:41-42).

— Abbot Nikon (Vorobyev) 1894-1963

This post is an excerpt from
Letters to Spiritual Children, published by Nikodemos Orthodox Publication Society