May, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” be your breath.
Do not leave your mind idle, so that you aren’t taught evil things. Don’t let yourself look at the faults of others, because without knowing it, you will become the evil one’s partner without any progress in virtue. Do not out of ignorance ally yourself with the enemy of your soul.
The cunning enemy knows very well how to hide behind passions and weaknesses. So in order to strike him, you must fight and mortify yourself-all your passions, that is. When the “old man” dies, the strength of your hostile enemy is abolished.
We are not battling a man, whom you can kill in many ways, but with the powers and rulers of darkness. They are not fought with sweets and marshmallows, but with streams of tears, with pain of soul until death, with utter humility and with great patience. Blood must flow from over exhaustion from saying the prayer. You have to collapse from exhaustion for weeks as if gravely ill. And you must not give up the fight, until the demons are beaten and withdraw. Then you will receive freedom from the passions.
And so my child, force yourself from the beginning to enter the narrow gate, because only it leads to the spaciousness of paradise. Cut off your own will every day and hour, and seek no other path besides this one. This is the path that the feet of the holy fathers trod. Reveal your path to the Lord and He will guide you too. Reveal your thoughts to your elder, and he will heal you. Never hide a thought, because the devil conceals his cunning within it: as soon as you confess it he disappears. Do not reveal another person’s fault to justify yourself, because at once grace, which had covered you until that point, will reveal your own faults. The more you cover your brother with love, the more grace warms you and guards you from the false accusation of men.
In any case, now that you have entered the arena, you will undergo many kinds of temptations, so prepare yourself to be patient. Say the prayer constantly, and the Lord will help you with His grace. Temptations are never stronger than grace.
Elder Joseph the Hesycast, “Monastic Wisdom” pp. 51 & 52