Elder Ephraim on Forcefulness and Courage in the Spiritual Struggle

Elder Ephraim on Forcefulness and Courage 

in the Spiritual Struggle

…Behold. Great Lent has come. However, it is not the fasting of the body as much as the fasting of the tongue, of the mind, of the heart, and of the senses that should preoccupy us especially now during Great Lent. Let us purify ourselves with this kind of fasting internally, where spiritual snakes are lurking that poison the life of our soul and deaden our spiritual strength, leaving it unable to correct and transfigure our soul.

Now, during Lent, compel yourselves even more. Become stubborn in your resolve; this stubbornness is holy and not egotistical. You will see how much you will profit spiritually. 

The martyrs struggled with faith and complete self-denial, and thus they obtained promises and crowns of eternal glory! Thus we, too, through faith in our Christ and complete self-denial, shall be able to prevail by His grace.

Our inner courage must reach the point of saying with resolution: “Even if I am put to death, I will not take a single step away from my faith in Christ Who has called me. I will give up my life for Christ, but not one inch of concession will I concede to sin.” If our inner courage boasts in this manner, we may hope that victory, by the grace of God, will be ours. 

Say the [Jesus] prayer fervently, struggle mightily; abstain, pray; wear simple, humble clothes; read spiritual books; get up at night and pray in order to be warmed and become as sturdy as a rock. This is also how I, the wretch, used to struggle when I was still in the world; I secretly got up at night and did metanoias; I prayed and our Panagia miraculously intervened for me, the lowly one.

My children, just think about what the martyrs went through for our Christ!  And the more martyrs were killed, the more did Christians flourish; our Church has been watered with the blood of martyrs. We are martyrs in this corrupt society of ours, for with our chaste - by God’s grace - lifestyle, we censure the immorality of mankind and its estrangement from the worship of God.

Abide, my children, in this chaste lifestyle; abide close to our Jesus, and may you resemble Him by enduring slander and false accusations. This is what our Lord endured from the Scribes and the Pharisees and the chief priests; unjustly did he suffer on the Cross. Therefore, those who want to be His followers will undergo similar trials.

Kneel at the holy feet of our Jesus and shed tears of love, follow Him with loyal dedication till death, and if the waves rise up to heaven and descend to the abyss, so be it. Our Christ, the true God, with a dreadful, divine nod will calm all the waves, as long as we have faith. Believe truly and steadfastly in Him Who said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Jesus is with us; do not lose heart. He will fight for us, through the intercessions of the invincible Theotokos, and grant us the victory.

Sacrifice yourselves in order to find eternal life in paradise!... Be valiant soldiers of Christ. Do not renounce Him by your deeds, but glorify His name. Become a whole burnt-offering for God’s sake, so that He may smell a fragrant aroma.

…Compel yourselves, my children; time is passing. Attend to yourselves; the devil does not sleep but vigilantly fights, seeking whom he may devour. My children, be careful not to lose your immortal and priceless souls, which are worth more than thousands of worlds.

Struggle, my child, for the sake of our Christ. …Drive away every thought that will defile your intellect and heart, which were sanctified during the divine washing by the Holy Spirit, Who came to dwell in us at baptism. Fear God - this is the true wisdom. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Do not fear the threats of thoughts from the demons, but lean a mighty arm on God Who delivers you from faintheartedness and tempests. Take courage and walk like a brave man towards the heavenly Jerusalem, and its light will meet you in exultation. 

…Stand firm, tighten your belt, and put your best foot forward in the good fight, for the struggle is not to acquire material things, but to attain the heavenly inheritance of God! As the Apostle Paul tells us, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 

Don’t despair when you see the strength of the passions and of the demons  - nothing is impossible for God. Therefore, take courage and don’t lose heart. The Lord will fight for us, and we shall be still.

Struggle upon the spiritual battlements, for our struggle is for the acquisition of heaven. What is more beautiful than a spiritual struggle! Just think what songs of victory the angels in heaven will make for those who overcome sin, and what praise they will offer up to God, for there is a joyous celebration amongst the angels for the return of only one sinner! So then, why are we negligent? Our toil is nothing in comparison to the good things stored up in the heavenly kingdom!

So, my children, onwards! Be brave; take courage - the Lord is with us. Hold on tightly to humility, lay hold of prayer, fortify yourself with reading. Run with courage, cry out the prayer: “Upon Thee have I hoped, put me not to shame; upon Thee have I laid my hopes.” Encourage your governing mind. I am with you, strengthening you with my poor prayer. 

My children, with a complete sacrifice of our self-will and desires, we must declare war against the devil, the world and our evil tendencies and weaknesses. The “old man” of passions must leave our heart, and the man in God’s likeness must be born, that is, with dispassion and the purity of both heart and body.

Constant forcefulness is necessary for us not to remain outside the bridal chamber of Christ, as did the foolish virgins. Rather, our spiritual forcefulness should continuously light our lamps, so that we can see Christ entering His bridal chamber and enter together with Him into the eternal wedding of the Lamb!

Courage, my child; keep your chin up when you face the enemy, for we are soldiers of the great King, Who triumphed at the battlefront on Golgotha. If we are ever defeated, let us rise once again, and after we have bandaged our wounds, let us take up our weapons again with bravery and a firm heart. Since we have this kind of victorious Commander-in-Chief, we, too, shall be victorious with the power of our Christ, as long as a spirit of humble-mindedness dwells in our souls.

Do not lose your courage, my child, no matter how much the tempestuous sea of various passions might rage at times… If our longing for Christ grows, my child, all the obstacles will become very small and easy to pass. But when we have no love nor any longing for our Christ, they become difficult to bear, and they water our days with burning tears. Yes, my child, let us keep calling upon Jesus until His flame ignites within us, and then all the weeds will become ashes.

Always remember that we have to take up our cross every day, which means afflictions, labor, temptations, and every diabolical influence. Which saint has ever walked the dark paths of this world without afflictions and perils? And if we have been called to walk the same path, why do we find it strange to face afflictions? Since we have chosen to fight the devil, why are we surprised to encounter difficulties? Let us have the lamp of our eagerness lit, and let us await with patience and vigilance the coming of the Lord Jesus.

..in order to obtain these heavenly blessings, we must display bravery and mettle, and must engage in battles without turning our backs in defeat, keeping before us Jesus, Who said to us: “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world,” and “The ruler of this world will be cast out.”

Who, then, shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or nakedness, etc.?  “I count all things as rubbish, that I may gain Christ,” cried out the mouth of Paul. Aren’t we obliged to imitate Paul and attain the same grace and love towards Christ that he had? 

Struggle, my children. Together with our Christ we shall endure everything. The world will hate us, primarily because it hates our Jesus-our love and adoration!

Love Christ; breathe Christ; make Jesus dwell within your soul. Fear no one, for we belong to God; the King of kings has us as his royal servants; no evil will touch us, for we serve Christ-to Him are all things subjugated!

Whoever loves God sacrifices everything, solely to please God. Spare nothing, for before the love of God, everything was rubbish. The demons are troubled when they see us preparing for battle; the angels, though, rush to drive away every obstacle preventing victory. So let us  ally ourselves with the angels of God, so that we may bear witness that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”