If your self-love compels you to do something beyond your strength, try to overcome this temptation, because you can easily fall into despondency

and give up the little good that

you are capable of doing.

If you fight with firmness against temptations, you will be freed from them; they are only strong

against the negligent and indifferent.

Obedience is known not in great feats, but in temptations (St. Ephraim the Syrian).

Run to communicate with people who can serve

Temptation.

ARCHPRIEST VALENTIN MORDASOV 76 ON TEMPTATIONS 77

How the greatest danger (temptation) should be avoided to get acquainted with a brother who lives negligently, but not to condemn him, no! Another reason for this:

nothing is so clingy as the weakness of a brother (St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov)).

When the passions are agitated, the mind is darkened and confused before the enormity of temptation, thoughts attack with persistence and fury, then not only against fornicatory thoughts, but also against thoughts

anger, sorrow, despondency, despair, in a word, against all

sinful thoughts, the most reliable weapon is prayer with the participation of the body in it.

When the temptation is intensified (in prayer),

prayer and prostrations, this is most hateful to the enemy, if they do not pay attention to him (Elder Arsenius

Athos).

If we are touched, weep and then exalted, then

this is a visible enemy temptation, and if we are touched and recognize our weakness and powerlessness without God, then such tenderness is pleasing to God (Elder Arsenius

Athos).

If you get tired of the fears of demons, then you will already be