1) To strive to have a good upbringing in young years, which is in the teaching and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). For the rest of one's life depends on upbringing, like a fresh earthen vessel: with what it is soaked in at first, it will emit such a smell for the rest of its life. Everyone is born evil; for everyone is conceived in iniquity, and is born in sins (Psalm 50:7). Therefore, in order to become good, correction is required, training: as a fierce and untrained horse is trained in order to be fit for riding. Passions, although present in a young heart, have not yet intensified, and therefore, if they are first restrained by punishment and fear, they will be pacified and tamed: we must expect good hope in a young man who has been brought up in this way. A young tree, to which side it bows, will stand to the end: so also a young heart, what it has been taught, will hold on to it until death.

2) To distance oneself from evil and depraved people. For though a man be brought up in good, and live godly, yet if he associates with the wicked, he may become corrupt, as he who touches soot is blackened: "Evil associations corrupt good morals" (I Cor. 15:33). Therefore, like Lot of Sodom, so the good must flee from living with the wicked, so as not to perish, having been corrupted by their iniquitous life.

3) To learn from the holy word of God and to read or listen to other spiritually beneficial books. For the word of God and the other books that agree with it denounce sin and teach virtue, and thus lead us away from sin, showing its abomination and the perdition that follows from it, by which a person can turn away from sin and do repentance and its fruits, that is, good works.

4) Do not disdain, but even love the rebuke and instruction of good and reasonable people, who themselves know sin and abhor it, and can give good advice to others.

5) Often remember that at baptism they renounced Satan and all his works, that is, sins, and promised to serve God with reverence and truth, as it is written in the form of baptism. Is it proper for a Christian to turn to Satan and his evil deeds, which he has renounced and spat upon, and to turn away from his Creator and Redeemer, and to betray Him, Whom, as his King and Sovereign, he promised to serve faithfully and truthfully? Truly, such is the proverb: "The dog returns to his vomit, and the washed pig goes to wallow in the mud" (2 Peter 2:22). For a Christian is washed at baptism from all sinful defilements, according to what is said: "Be washed, sanctified, justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Cor. 6:11).

But when a Christian turns to sins and commits them, then like a dog returns to his vomit and a washed pig to the mud. For every sin is like stinking filth, with which a person, washed by the grace of Christ in baptism, sanctified and justified, is again defiled when he commits sin and betrays God and his Creator, and thus becomes unfaithful to Him Whom he promised to serve faithfully. Oh, how grievous and disastrous is this betrayal! It is difficult, because the sinner betrays God, and not man.

It is a grave crime to betray one's sovereign, the earthly king, how much more to God, the King of Heaven? It is calamitous, for the sinner is again given over to the power of the devil, from which he was delivered by the grace of God, and so again he becomes a child of God's wrath, darkness and eternal condemnation, who has become a son of light, of God's blessing and heir of eternal life. With how many tears and weeping must the sinner mourn this betrayal and wash his defiled soul! Remember, Christian, the bath of baptism, in which you were washed from the filth of sin, and do not return to them; and do not forget the denial of Satan and his angels and the promise to follow Christ, and beware of breaking them, lest you betray your Creator. But if you have betrayed, turn again with tears and weeping to your Father, like the prodigal son, and He will have mercy on you; and henceforth do not depart from Him, lest you lose His mercy forever.

6) Remember what awaits us in the future: death, the judgment of Christ, hell and the kingdom of heaven. Constant remembrance and correct reflection on this turn away from sin. Death comes unexpectedly and raptures everyone, the righteous and the sinner, and sends him to the private judgment of Christ. After death, the judgment of Christ follows the righteous one, at which the words, deeds and thoughts of the wicked will be tested, where one should either be glorified or be ashamed. After that judgment two roads will be opened: one into hell, which will lead impenitent sinners; the other into the kingdom of heaven, and the righteous and the saints will go by it. Those who have been delivered by the Lord will come to Zion with a joyful shout; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads" (Isaiah 35:10). And these shall go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life (Matt. 25:46). Meditation on this is a true Christian philosophy, which teaches us not to experience the nature of things, but to know the vanity of the world, the brevity of time and the length of eternity, and to turn the heart from the visible to the invisible and from the temporal to the eternal. In all your deeds remember your end, and you will never sin (Sir. 7:39).

7) To reason that the sweetness of sin is brief, but eternal sorrow will follow. Sin, as it is committed, delights somewhat, but when created it leads into sorrow, wounds the conscience, defiles the soul and leads to eternal torment.

8) Let the meanness and abomination of sin turn the Christian away from sin, for sin is the seed and fruit of the devil, because the devil sinned first (1 John 3:8).

9) To talk about Christian nobility, which is great, high, exalted and incomprehensible. To be a son of God, to have fellowship with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3), to be a temple of the Holy Spirit and a member of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:15,19) – what a great blessedness! What honor, glory, and nobility can be greater than this for a man? All the glory and honor of kings and princes is inferior to what darkness is to light. But the Christian is deprived of this through sin. God is light, and there is no darkness in Him. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, but walk in darkness, then we lie and do not walk in the truth (1 John 1:5-6).

10) The death of Christ and His terrible suffering for our sins is powerful =o to turn a Christian away from sin. Because of our pride, He humbled Himself so deeply; because of our foul language, backbiting, blasphemy, slander, His most holy ears have endured blasphemy and reproach; for our thefts His hands were nailed to the Cross; for our drunkenness and voluptuousness I was drunk with vinegar mixed with gall; For our impurities and impurities He was so terribly tormented, and all our sins and iniquities on the tree of the Cross He cleansed by His suffering. He was wounded for our sins, and bruised for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:5). Do you, Christian, do that for which the Son of God, your Deliverer, endured such disgrace and torment? What has sorrow and torment done to Christ, shall you delight in this? Let it not be!

11) Examples from the lives of God's saints who fought against sin should be read and imitated in this.

12) Evil thoughts that arise and lead to sin should be cut off immediately – we shake off the fiery spark from our hand – so that, having become stronger, like robbers, entering the house, they will not devastate our spiritual house and destroy us. For this is what the Christian podvig consists of. If we cut off thoughts, we will cut off sin. For sin also comes from thoughts, as from the root of a tree or as from a seed the fruit. Cut off the root, and there will be no tree; crush the seed, and the fruit will not grow. This podvig is difficult, but it is necessary for Christians. It is necessary to crucify the flesh with passions and lusts to everyone who wants to be Christ. For only those of Christ who crucify the flesh (Gal. 5:24).