For the benefit and comfort of those tempted by Satan

The work “For the benefit and comfort of those tempted by Satan” is a translation of the work of St. Macarius of Egypt, executed by St. Tikhon Zadonsky. Using the example of the story of righteous Job, the author shows that all trials occur by God’s permission for the spiritual benefit of man. The purpose of temptations is to strengthen faith, shame the enemy and purify the soul, like gold in fire. “What is written about Job, as Satan asked him, is not simple. For Satan could not do anything on his own, without God’s permission. But what does the devil say to the Lord? “Give him (Job) into my hands,” and so on (see Job 1–2 ch.). So now there is the same Job, the same God and the same devil.” And a little later the father says: “Satan asked him, saying to the Lord: “He serves You because You help him, protect him; leave him and hand him over to me,” and so on. When the soul is cooled by consolation, then grace is hidden, and the soul is given over to temptation; the devil comes to the soul and inflicts countless evils: despair, bewilderment, evil thoughts, embittering the soul in order to overthrow and remove it from hope in God.” “The rational soul, even being in such evil and embitterment, does not despair, but preserves what it has, and no matter what is inflicted on it through many temptations, it endures, saying: “Even though I die, I will not depart from Him (from God).” And then, if a person endures to the end, the Lord begins to say to Satan: “You see how much evil and bitterness you inflicted on him, and he did not listen to you, but he serves Me and fears Me.” Then Satan is put to shame and has nothing to say. And as for Job, if Satan had known that Job, having fallen into temptation, would endure everything with constancy and would not be defeated, he would not have asked him, so as not to be put to shame. So now, by the patience of those who endure bitterness and temptation, Satan is put to shame and regrets that he did nothing, for the Lord begins to say to him: “Look, I allowed you to tempt him. And what could you do? Did he listen to you? Until this place – Saint Macarius. From the teachings of this holy father we learn: 1) Saint Job, tempted by Satan, is set as an example to all tempted Christians. 2) The soul that begins to serve God is first comforted and feels the sweetness of God’s grace. 3) It is appropriate for her to go through temptations: does she truly and constantly serve her Lord, and does she stand in every state in her service, that is, does she have the same zeal in happiness and misfortune, in consolation and embitterment, when grace appears and when it is hidden. Temptation is like fire, which shows gold and silver and distinguishes it from other metals. In temptation it is shown who is silver, who is gold, who is iron, who is tin, who is hay and wood. Gold and silver remain intact in the fire and become purest; iron leaves rust and becomes whole; the tin soon melts; hay and firewood burn without a trace. So is a person who is in temptation. And so on. 4) Every temptation comes from Satan, but with God's permission. 5) He tempts not as much as he wants, but as much as God allows him. 6) Such a soul is not under anger, but is in the mercy of God, for Satan, in his temptation, wants to overthrow a person, turn him away from God and deprive him of His mercy. 7) Satan cannot tempt a person by himself, without God’s permission; He must first ask permission from God. 8) Virtue, like a shadow to a body, will be followed by temptation, which distinguishes it from hypocrisy and in which it is recognized. 9) Temptation is allowed by God for a good purpose, that is, for the sake of shaming the devil, for the sake of crowning and glorifying a person, and so on. 10) The devil does not know what will happen to a person and himself, and if he knew that a person would not be defeated by his temptation, he would never tempt him. 11) The devil intends to turn temptations into evil for a person, but for him it turns into good if he endures it, according to the apostolic word: “all things work together for good to those who love God” (Rom. 8:28). 12) So Satan, as the proverb says, is wounded by his arrow and falls into the hole that he digs for a person. That is, he thinks to cause evil to a person, but that evil turns on his own head, that is, to shame and great destruction. 13) This is how the power of the holy cross works. 14) When tempted, one must pray unremittingly so as not to be ridiculed by the tempter. 15) After we endure temptation, we must thank God and attribute everything to Him, because we ourselves cannot do anything. Glory to God, our Helper and Defender. Amen. (Translated from Greek, from the works of the great Macarius of Egypt).