46. Общие правила для стоящего на пути истинной жизни

You have so decisively embarked on the path of serving the Lord. Bless, Lord! Work for the Lord! Above all, first of all, beware of conceit, it is the first enemy. Our goodness before God, while still only intentional, already gives rise to the thought of some specialness of ours before others and even before our past selves, especially when we have time to do something along this path. As soon as we stand in this order for a while, it seems like something wondrous - and we begin to dream of ourselves as perfect persons, performing wondrous deeds. And the enemy is inciting this in order to arouse self-esteem. Whoever gives in and falls into this conceit, grace immediately departs from him and leaves him alone. Then the enemy seizes him like a helpless prey. Secondly, do not let fear and apprehension leave you. We walk among networks. The enemy never immediately tempts with obviously bad things, but rather deceives with appearances of good. An inexperienced person will follow the bait and fall into the hands of the enemy, just as an animal carelessly walking through the forest falls into a covered hole. But if you are afraid, do not lose courage, for the Lord is near. Thirdly, let the fear of death and after death of judgment and retribution not leave you. In the morning, as you restore the memory of the Lord in your heart, take care to tie the memory of these last ones to it (your heart). Then be with this thought inseparably all day, just as you are with the Lord, and, going to sleep, say: “The grave is laid before me!” Death awaits us!” See what kind of guardians you will find in them. Fourthly, you cannot completely withdraw from society. But it’s up to you to be more in one that has less entertainment. And in this, when you are there, do not lose as much of your attention to the Lord, near and within what exists, and the memory of death, ready to take you. Do not give your heart to the impressions of present pleasures from the eyes, ears and other senses. Life in the world is not good because it fills the soul with too many things, persons and deeds, the memory of which then troubles the soul. And it doesn’t allow me to pray properly. There is only one remedy against this: how can you protect your heart from receiving impressions. Let everything go and pass by you without entering your heart. Fifthly, don’t run around, but don’t be sullen about people. In your position, this is inconvenient, and it will not benefit you. However, be more with your own people. Your arrangements are probably good. Do not retreat from them, so as not to give yourself away and not be subjected to human idle talk. Sixth, spiritual activities - prayer, reading and meditation - should be carried out every day without fail. What to do at what time, decide for yourself. Get up early and, before going out to your friends, complete all these classes to the extent you have time. Pray, however, longer. Express your deepest need to the Lord in childlike words and with childlike trust, intersecting the prayers of the prayer book with bows and short appeals to God. After prayer, read with meditation and apply everything you read to yourself or think about how to implement it in your life. I have already written and I repeat again: it would be much fruitful if every morning you briefly wrote down the thoughts generated or obtained by reflection while reading the Gospel and the Apostle. Take up this work and do it in simplicity, without any verbiage. Seventh, working hard, cast all your sorrow about success on the Lord. Confidence in God is the root of spiritual life. Suddenly nothing is given, everything will come in due time. Whatever you seek with faith will come. And when? When the Lord pleases to give. Be patient, standing firm in the orders you have begun. Be inspired by the hope that the day will come when the light of joy will shine in the heart and return it to freedom from all bonds, and will bring ease of movement and ascension to where the good marks of the spirit lead. You will then soar in the spiritual realm, like a bird released from a cage. The blessing of the Lord is upon you! May the Mother of God cover you with Her protection! May your guardian angel protect you from all enemy attacks! You might be interested in: