Orthodox Portal

In order for one to realize his weak nature, he must encounter many great temptations. And then, through many trials he is humbled and learns true humility. But it takes time. Humility does not consist in words such as ‘I am a sinner…’ and so on. Humility is the truth. To learn that you are nothing. Nothing is what existed before God created everything: nothing. So this nothing is what we are. Your root, your existence began with nothing, and your mother is clay, but your Creator is God. ‘What hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou hast received it, why dost thou glory as if thou hast not received it?’ It is a great gift of God for one to learn the truth. And the Lord said that this truth frees us from sin (John 8:32.) (Monastic-Wisdom, pg. 287.)

Give up your own will, for it is one’s spiritual death. And let each one of you cover up each other’s faults, so that Christ in turn will cover up yours. For if you seek justice from your brother, immediately you find yourself up against God, Who puts up with you the sinner. Now that He has awakened you with His grace, you don’t want to put up with your weak brother. So where is your justice? And what if Christ takes away His grace from you and demands the ten thousand talents you owe? What hast thou, ungrateful man, that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory every day as if thou hadst not received it?
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Like a stammering infant, man seeks from God His holy will. And God, as an extremely good Father, gives him grace, but He also gives him temptations. If man endures the temptations without grumbling, he receives additional grace. The more grace he receives, the more temptations he will have. When demons approach to begin a battle, they do not attack in a place where you will defeat them effortlessly, but rather they test to see where your weakness is. The place where you least expect them is where they dig through the wall of the fortress….

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