Слово 33. О многих изменениях, последующих уму и испытуемых молитвою

To prefer a good will is the business of the wisher; to complete the choice of good will is God’s work. For this, man needs God's help. Therefore, let us make sure that the good desire that appears in us is followed by frequent prayers, and we will ask (God) not only to help us, but also to discern whether this will serve to please the will of God or not. For not every good desire enters the heart from God, but only that which is useful. Sometimes a person desires good, but God does not help, because some desire similar to this comes from the devil and is considered to serve to help, and yet it is often not according to a person’s measure. The devil himself intends to do harm to a person and forces him to seek what he wants when either he has not yet achieved a life corresponding to it, or the desire is alien to his way of life, or the time has not yet come when it is possible to fulfill it or begin to fulfill it, or the person is not strong enough in deed, or knowledge, or body, or the circumstances of the time do not contribute to us in that time. And the devil in every way, as if under the guise of this good deed, either confuses a person, or harms his body, or hides snares in his mind. However, as I said, let us diligently perform frequent prayers when a good desire appears in us, and let each of us say to himself: “Thy will be done, until I complete this good deed that I wanted to do, if it pleases Your will. For in this matter, to desire is convenient for me, but to fulfill the matter without the gift sent by You, I cannot, although from You I have both this and that, both “to will and to do” (Phil. 2:13), because without Your grace I would not have decided to accept even this desire aroused in me, or I would have been afraid of it.” For this is the custom of those who desire good things - when reasoning the mind, to use prayer as an aid to action and to the acquisition of wisdom, to distinguish truth from falsehood. And what is good is distinguished through many prayers, doing 189, keeping 190, unceasing striving, with the help of frequent tears, humility and heavenly help, especially when a person has resistant thoughts of pride, for they do not allow God’s help to reach us, but we bring them into inaction through prayer. You might be interested in: