By Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi
The Holy Scriptures say that the devil
is the “Fallen Lucifer” (Translator’s note: Eosforos: the angel of
light). The Lord says of him: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from
heaven” (Luke 10, 18). He is the head of the angelic regiment of those
fallen from heaven when they wished to defect from God’s will. Then,
they were immediately crashed and fell from their value and status. They
also lost the exceptional and glowing beauty of their image. They
became horrific monsters whose memory is even unbearable. There is
nothing in their diabolic nature which is good, kind, just, simple,
rational or true.
The
devil, which once was the instrument of the glow of justice and
sanctification, suddenly became – by his rebellion against God- the
absolute instrument of darkness, of hatred, of deception, of complete
wickedness and of all those things which contribute towards the calamity
of perversion and death. He has become and will eternally remain the
blackness and the deception and the destruction- with an additional aim-
to thwart whatever belongs to God and whatever God provides for,
particularly man. He has become and will remain like this forever, the
heir of death and resident of Hades. His main goal is to deceive and
drag down with him as many as he can.
He particularly targets man who is
trying to unite with God. The devil cannot stand seeing him rise higher
than his initial value, the value he had before his fall. For this
reason he catapults his most fuming arrows towards him. He became and
has consciously remained a man-killer.
Because he is the personification of
deceit and wickedness, he does not come out clearly. He only incites the
mind and the senses by deceptive pretexts, in order to mislead the
thoughts and the will, to draw the rational to consent and thus supplant
the victim by deception, hypocrisy and delusion. Man more often than
not moves and acts by the inclination of his senses and emotions. The
enemy knows this. Therefore, he inflames the senses with seemingly
logical pretexts and thus he is more easily able to steal man’s consent.
You see, he pushes forward man’s biological needs. The same thing
happens with the body and the soul.
If man is free from passions and bad
habits, he can easily be released from demonic assault and incitement.
If, however, he is enslaved to wicked habits the battle is tough and
desperate. In any case, our resistance is feasible with the alliance of
grace which coexists with us, if we keep in mind our goal and the divine
commandments.
The Apostle’s suggestion that “Resist
the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4, 7) is correct and
certain. Also “if the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave
your place” (Ecclesiastes 10, 4).The devil does not have the authority
to tempt man directly or clearly. He can only do it with the use of the
imagination; with images he projects on the mind and by thoughts with
which he incites man. Then, it is up to man to decide whether he is to
accept the provocation (the attack) or to reject it. This is the main
method which the devil uses to come into contact with man. The outcome
depends on man’s will; either to succumb or to stand up and fight.
The most direct way with which we may
defend ourselves and resist him, is by calling on God’s name (by prayer)
and by remembering our goal and our destination. Our Lord’s example in
the desert, has drawn up for us the practical method of the battle with
the enemy, as well as with everything which goes with it.
The devil does not possess the gift of
foresight; neither does he know what man is thinking. He can only
estimate what his thoughts are by the movement of his emotions. Thus, he
incites man’s bodily parts accordingly and floods the senses with
impassionate thoughts. When he sees that man’s inclination leans towards
the image of certain things or thoughts, which he himself has projected
on man’s imagination, he understands that man has his desires and
intentions fixed towards such things and brings forth the appropriate
means to subdue his victim.
The
Devil is by nature similar to the nature of the mind. He is very fast,
tireless, sleepless and unscrupulous as well as unchangeable towards
wickedness and evil. He changes and transforms himself into various
forms and shapes to promote his evil purpose. He always moves swiftly
from place to place and uses any means to prevent God’s will.
Translated from the Greek:
Γέροντος Ιωσήφ Βατοπαιδινού, Συζητήσεις στον Άθωνα, Ψυχοφελή
Βατοπαιδινά 13, Ιερά Μεγίστη Μονή Βατοπαιδίου, Έκδοσις Α’, Άγιον Όρος
2003, by Olga Konari Kokkinou
Pemptousia.com
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