Demonic attacks during prayer. What the Fathers teach us about fighting against them.

Summary

This video script offers spiritual guidance on combating evil thoughts during prayer. The speaker, drawing from the wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Saint John of the Ladder, emphasizes the importance of ignoring these distractions and focusing on God. By asking oneself if a thought is desired or one's own, and then redirecting attention to God, one can avoid engaging with the evil one, thus starving the thoughts of substance and allowing them to dissipate. The message encourages reliance on ancient spiritual teachings over modern advice, suggesting that recognizing these attacks is a sign of being on the right path towards spiritual growth.

Takeaways

• 🙏 Ignoring evil thoughts is the primary strategy to combat them during prayer, as advised by the Desert Fathers and Saint John of the Ladder.
• 🤔 When confronted with negative thoughts or images, ask yourself if you want them and if they are truly yours to determine their origin and your desire for them.
• 🛡 Evil lacks substance unless it is given life by our acceptance of it; thus, not engaging with it prevents it from taking hold.
• 🧘‍♂️ Maintaining focus on God during prayer is crucial to avoid being distracted by the evil one's attempts to divert your attention.
• 🔄 The purpose of the evil one's distractions is to prevent us from developing into the image of God that we are created to reflect.
• 🎭 The devil uses our weaknesses and past experiences to create a 'spiritual theatre' to distract us from our communion with God.
• 🕊️ Prayer should be about God, not about battling the evil one; any time spent fighting imagined battles is time taken away from focusing on God.
• 🌟 The Desert Fathers likened evil thoughts to flies buzzing around for attention; noticing them is a sign that our prayer has weakened.
• ⏳ Over time, by consistently ignoring evil thoughts and refocusing on God, these thoughts will naturally diminish and lose their power.
• 💬 The speaker emphasizes the importance of following the teachings of the Holy Fathers over modern advice, especially in spiritual matters.
• 🏆 The speaker encourages taking comfort and courage from the fact that spiritual attacks are signs we are on the right path, following in the footsteps of the Saints.

Q & A

What is the main advice given by the speaker for dealing with evil thoughts during prayer?

The main advice given by the speaker is to ignore the evil thoughts completely and to focus on engaging with God instead.

What are the two questions the speaker suggests asking oneself when encountering an evil thought or image during prayer?

The two questions are: 'Do I want this?' and 'Is this mine?' These questions help to determine if the thought or image is something the individual desires or if it originates from within themselves.

According to the speaker, why should one not engage with evil thoughts even if it feels like a righteous battle?

Engaging with evil thoughts, even in what feels like a righteous battle, can lead to distraction from prayer and communion with God, which is the true purpose of the attack by the evil one.

What does the speaker compare evil thoughts to when trying to distract us during prayer?

The speaker compares evil thoughts to flies buzzing around, trying to catch our attention and distract us from prayer.

Why does the speaker emphasize that evil in itself does not have substance?

The speaker emphasizes this to explain that evil only gains substance and existence when a person unites their will with that thought, thus giving it being and reality.

What is the purpose of the evil one's attacks during prayer according to the script?

The purpose of the evil one's attacks is to distract individuals from facing God in prayer and to refocus their attention onto the evil one instead.

What does the speaker suggest is the best way to fight against the evil one's attacks?

The best way to fight against the evil one's attacks, as suggested by the speaker, is to remind oneself that they stand before God and to refocus attention on God, completely ignoring the attacks.

Why does the speaker recommend the advice of the Desert Fathers over modern wisdom?

The speaker recommends the advice of the Desert Fathers because they have firsthand experience fighting the evil one in a way that modern people may never experience, and their wisdom has been tested and proven over time.

What image does the speaker use to illustrate the futility of engaging with the evil one during prayer?

The speaker uses the image of physically beating the devil with a stick during prayer, explaining that doing so would actually be a defeat, not a victory, as it distracts from focusing on God.

What does the speaker suggest is the outcome of ignoring the evil one's attacks during prayer?

The speaker suggests that by ignoring the evil one's attacks and refocusing on God, the attacks will eventually diminish in frequency and intensity because the evil one does not want to aid in better prayer.

How does the speaker describe the spiritual journey of individuals in relation to prayer and facing God?

The speaker describes the spiritual journey as a development process where individuals, like fetuses in a womb, grow and evolve to reflect the image of God, which is their natural state and calling.

Outlines

00:00

🛡️ Overcoming Distractions in Prayer

The speaker emphasizes the importance of ignoring evil thoughts and distractions during prayer, suggesting that these are tactics by the evil one to divert attention from God. The advice is to focus on God rather than engaging with these negative thoughts. The speaker also introduces two questions to ask oneself when faced with such thoughts: 'Do I want this?' and 'Is this mine?' These questions help determine if the thought is genuinely one's own or an external distraction. The goal is to not give these thoughts substance by refusing to entertain them, thus starving the evil of its power.

05:02

🧘‍♂️ The Nature of Evil and Spiritual Warfare

This paragraph delves deeper into the nature of evil, explaining that it lacks substance unless it is given life by an individual's will. The speaker stresses that recognizing and rejecting unwanted thoughts is crucial to not giving them power. The paragraph also discusses the importance of maintaining focus on God during prayer, as this shapes us into the image of God, which is our ultimate goal. The speaker warns against the devil's tactics to distract us from prayer, even using our good intentions or worries against us, and highlights the need to see through these distractions to maintain our spiritual growth.

10:07

🎭 The Deceptive Tactics of the Evil One

The speaker describes the devil as a master of deception, using our own weaknesses and past experiences against us to distract from prayer. The paragraph discusses how the devil can use even good things, like prayer itself, to divert our attention from God. The speaker warns against focusing too much on the method of prayer rather than the act of communion with God. The paragraph concludes with the advice to ignore the devil's distractions and to refocus on God, as this is the most effective way to combat these spiritual attacks.

15:11

🕊️ The Power of Ignoring Evil

This paragraph reinforces the idea that the best way to fight evil is through ignoring it, as engaging with it only gives it power. The speaker uses the analogy of flies to illustrate how the devil's attacks are meant to distract and how noticing these attacks indicates a weakening of prayer focus. The advice from the Desert Fathers and Saint John of the Ladder is to refocus on God when attacked, as this maintains the reflection of God's image on our souls and prevents the evil one from taking root within us.

20:17

🙏 Embracing Spiritual Growth Through Prayer

The final paragraph discusses the ongoing battle against evil thoughts and the importance of using prayer as a tool for spiritual growth. The speaker warns against the mistake of engaging with the evil one during prayer, as this turns the prayer into a battle with the evil one rather than a communion with God. The paragraph concludes with encouragement to see the attacks as a sign that one is moving in the right spiritual direction and to take comfort in the stories of the Desert Fathers, who also faced such trials, as a testament to the possibility of overcoming these challenges through faith and prayer.

Keywords

💡Evil One

The term 'Evil One' in the script refers to the embodiment of evil, often associated with the devil or demonic temptations. It is central to the video's theme of spiritual warfare and the struggle against negative thoughts and distractions during prayer. The speaker emphasizes the importance of ignoring the 'Evil One' and focusing on God to overcome these spiritual challenges, as seen in phrases like 'the way to fight him and defeat him is to engage God'.

💡Distraction

Distraction, in the context of the video, is used to describe the interference of evil thoughts or images that pull one's attention away from prayer and communion with God. It is a key concept in understanding the spiritual battle depicted in the script, where the speaker advises to 'get yourself more focused on God' despite the distractions, highlighting the importance of maintaining focus in prayer.

💡Desert Fathers

The 'Desert Fathers' refers to early Christian monks who lived in the Egyptian desert and are known for their spiritual wisdom and teachings on monasticism and prayer. The script frequently references the Desert Fathers' advice on dealing with evil thoughts, showing their influence on the speaker's perspective and the video's theme of spiritual combat.

💡Prayer

Prayer is the central practice around which the video's theme revolves. It is depicted as a battleground where one's focus is tested by the 'Evil One'. The speaker discusses the importance of prayer in shaping one's spiritual life and the need to protect the prayer time from distractions, as in the phrase 'prayer time is between you and God'.

💡Focus

Focus is a key concept in the script, representing the mental and spiritual concentration required to maintain a connection with God during prayer. The speaker advises to 'get yourself more focused on God' in the face of distractions, illustrating the importance of focus in the spiritual journey.

💡Communion with God

Communion with God is the state of spiritual unity or oneness with the divine, which is the ultimate goal of prayer according to the video. The script emphasizes the importance of striving for this communion despite the presence of evil thoughts, as it is in this state that one is shaped into God's image.

💡Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual warfare is the struggle against evil forces or negative influences, particularly within the context of prayer and spiritual growth. The script describes this warfare through the metaphor of flies buzzing around, seeking to distract from prayer, and the need to 'fight these attacks' by refocusing on God.

💡Reflection

In the script, reflection refers to the process of shaping one's soul and character in the image of God through prayer and spiritual practice. The speaker warns against allowing the 'Evil One' to turn one's reflection away from God, which would result in becoming 'devilish' rather than God-like.

💡Saint John of the Ladder

Saint John of the Ladder is a reference to Saint John Climacus, a 7th-century Christian monk known for his spiritual teachings, particularly his book 'The Ladder of Divine Ascent'. The script cites his teachings on prayer and the importance of ignoring the 'Evil One', as in 'remind yourself, as Saint John of the Ladder teaches us'.

💡Substance

The term 'substance' in the script is used to describe the lack of inherent existence of evil thoughts unless they are given life by an individual's will. The speaker explains that evil 'does not have substance' and only comes into being when one entertains these thoughts, emphasizing the importance of not giving them substance through attention or action.

💡Modern Wisdom

Modern wisdom in the context of the video refers to contemporary psychological or philosophical advice that may contradict traditional spiritual teachings. The speaker expresses a preference for the advice of the Desert Fathers over 'any sort of modern, contemporary wisdom', highlighting the video's theme of adhering to traditional spiritual guidance in the face of spiritual challenges.

Highlights

The importance of ignoring evil thoughts and focusing on God during prayer to defeat the devil's attempts to distract us.

Two key questions to ask when faced with evil thoughts: 'Do I want this?' and 'Is this mine?' to determine if the thought is truly ours and desired.

The understanding that evil lacks substance unless we give it being by accepting the thought or image, making it crucial to reject it to prevent its existence.

The devil's tactics to distract us from prayer using our weaknesses, past experiences, and even good things or prayer itself.

The spiritual growth that occurs when we face God in prayer, slowly shaping us into God's image, which the devil desperately tries to prevent.

The advice from the Desert Fathers and Saint John of the Ladder to completely ignore the devil's attacks and refocus on God as the way to fight them.

The metaphor of flies buzzing around to illustrate the devil's attempts to distract us, and the importance of not engaging with these distractions.

The realization that engaging with the devil's attacks, even in the guise of defeating him, actually results in defeat as it turns our focus away from God.

The reassurance that being attacked by the devil means we are walking in the right direction towards God, and the encouragement to take comfort in these attacks.

The example of Saint Paphnutius being attacked by blasphemous thoughts even during his martyrdom, showing that such attacks are not a sign of failure but of being on the right path.

The Desert Fathers' saying about putting scorpions and venomous snakes in a jar, which devour each other and die out, as a metaphor for how ignoring evil thoughts will cause them to lose power.

The importance of making prayer time about God and not the devil, and the need to refocus on God at every attack to maintain the quality of our prayer.

The acknowledgment of the ongoing nature of spiritual warfare and the need to continually ignore the devil's attacks and refocus on God to maintain our spiritual growth.

The expression of love and appreciation for the viewers, and the request for prayers for the monastery, showing the speaker's humility and gratitude.

Transcripts

Is this thought mine? Do I want it? If the answers  are no, then completely ignore the evil one,  

and the way to ignore him, the way to fight him  and defeat him is to engage God; don't engage him  

in any way---the more these thoughts, these flies  try to distract you, the more focused get yourself  

on God; the more he screams around you: Me! Me!  Me! It's about me! Make this about me! This time  

make it about me! Look at me! Focus on me! Defeat  me! The more he screams: Me! Me! Me! around you,  

the more quiet and focused be before God; remind  yourself, as Saint John of the Ladder teaches us,  

remind yourself that you stand before God  Himself and then you are not giving any entry  

to these thoughts, and in time because you've  not received them and because evil by itself  

does not have substance, it will just  die out. [singing] God is the Lord and has appeared  

unto us; blessed is He that cometh in the name of  the Lord. All the nations compassed me round about  

and by the name of the Lord I warded them off. God  is the Lord and has appeared unto us; blessed is  

He that cometh... Hello, my dear ones! I hadn't really  intended to record a second video on this topic;  

I hadn't intended to go any deeper in this  particular subject; but two things have happened:  

on the one hand I've noticed a great number of  comments on the previous video which means that  

this is affecting a lot of us, and that means  that if I can do something to be of help I  

should; the other side of the story is that  among those comments I've seen a lot of  

pieces of advice which I wouldn't necessarily  encourage you to follow, and you can blame it  

on me being a monastic but I'm, I'm not at peace  applying any sort of modern, contemporary wisdom  

that goes against the advice of the Holy Fathers,  particularly when the Fathers we are referring  

to are the Desert Fathers who have a fought  with the evil one in a way that we shall never  

experience---glory be to God, glory be to God---I  would always at any time in any circumstance  

choose the advice of the Desert Fathers  over anything any of the modern contemporary  

psychologists, therapists, philosophers,  whatever they are, advise us to do;  

so for those two reasons I want to share  with you what I know, which is very little,  

mind you, I have to say this from the very  beginning but it is what I know from the  

Fathers concerning fighting these evil thoughts,  evil images that are attacking us during prayer,  

and that entire advice, that entire tradition  of the Fathers can be reduced to one word:  

Ignore; do not interact in any way, do not get  yourself involved in any way with the evil one  

even if it feels righteous, even if it feels  like, Oh, I'm doing battle and I'm, I'm winning  

in this battle. I'll go into a bit of detail, but  first, first I want to give you two simple tools  

that have helped me not get trapped, not get  involved into this dialogue with the evil one:  

whenever I note an evil thought or a  bad image approaching me in prayer,  

I've learned to ask myself two questions:  one, do I want this; and two, is this mine.  

Do I want this? Do I want this particular thought?  Do I want this particular image? Do I want this  

memory? Is this my doing? In other  words, do I want this now? And  

there is a very clear immediate answer that  gets yelled from, from the depth of your heart  

if it is a yes or if it is a no, and one of the  clearer signs that this is not something you want  

is that you feel dirty, you feel like you shudder  away from it, you do not allow it to become  

material by turning it into words or into deeds  by not allowing it to enter your mind and then you  

entertain it and you develop it and  you get yourself trapped in this  

circle of thinking; if you do that, if you, if you  shudder away with disgust and with, with horror  

from the image or the thought that attacks you and  

you, you do not want, there's no, no desire  in you to welcome that thought in you,  

then that's the end of it, that's the end of  any sort of interaction, conversation with that  

particular thought, and even in this case, I want  to stress this you are not asking the thought,  

you are not addressing the image, you are asking  yourself, Do I want this? I am asking myself:  

I am not in any way engaging with the image  or the thought. The second question is,  

Is this mine? which is more subtle but extremely  important; it's extremely important because you,  

you have to understand that evil in and of itself  doesn't have a substance, it does not exist in  

and of itself, evil only has being, only comes  into existence when a person, a living being is  

uniting his or her will with that  particular thought; so in other words,  

as long as I don't accept that evil thought  or image in myself, it lacks a substance,  

it does not properly exist; it only comes into  being if I give it being, if I allow it to---

It's like an insect that would like to  prick your skin to lay its eggs inside you:  

as long as it doesn't happen, as long as  you don't open yourself to the thought,  

then that insect and its eggs have no chance of  life; that's why just a random thought, that's  

why when we pray the Lord's Prayer, Our Father  who art in Heaven, we do not say at the very end,  

And deliver us from evil, but, Deliver us from  the evil one, because of the same reason: evil  

in itself has no substance; the evil  one, the reality of a spiritual being  

which has welcomed evil and acted out evil gives  evil substance and the reality of existence,  

which is why it is so important for us to ask  this second question after Do I want this?---Is  

this mine? and if it is not yours, if the source  of it is not in you, then you are not guilty  

of anything, you are not guilty of absolutely  anything and there is no reason for you to react  

in any way, to respond in any way; ultimately the  entire purpose of these attacks, the only thing  

the evil one wants to do is to distract you  from prayer, to distract you from the one thing  

you are supposed to be doing at that  time, which is communion with God.  

Remember, dear ones, that we are not yet  finished, we have not yet reached our  

full potential, we are in a state of development,  we are in a state of---like a foetus in a womb:  

we grow, we evolve, we develop, and we shall  develop into the image which we reflect;  

in prayer we face God, we are facing  Him face to Face, person to Person;  

as long as we are looking at God, we are  slowly being shaped into the image which is  

naturally ours, the image of God into which we  have been created, which is why the Devil is  

absolutely desperate to turn our focus away from  that action of facing God and he will use anything  

to get that done. The Devil is an amazing actor,  an absolutely brilliant actor, and he also has the  

horrible advantage that he has very closely  watched us since we were created in the  

wombs of our mothers, and then as we  grew into the adults we are today,  

he knows our weaknesses, he knows our past, he  knows to what we respond and he will use anything,  

anything to distract us from facing God in prayer,  and you will notice that because very frequently  

he's going to use good things, he's going to use  valid worries about your job or about your family,  

he's going to use even prayer itself---the  Fathers are very, very careful to warn us about,  

against giving too much attention to the way in  which we pray, to, particularly when we sing,  

when we sing the psalms, for instance, because  the devil will use anything, including the  

How of prayer, the method of prayer, in order  to distract us from the one Living Being,  

God, Whom we should be facing in prayer. This  is all theatre, nothing else, but spiritual  

theatre which the devil puts on by our side,  surrounding us with all these images and all these  

excitements which he knows we have responded to in  the past, and he does that in order to distract us  

from the act of prayer and so that we can refocus  our mind and our hearts and our beings from God  

and focus on him, and that is because  as we said earlier the Devil is aware  

that we are slowly shaped into the image which we  reflect, into the image which is mirrored on our  

consciousness and our souls, and as long as we are  facing God in prayer, that image of God reflected,  

imprinted, mirrored onto our souls will slowly  shape us into being increasingly more God-like,  

which is our proper calling, our proper, real  being, and the devil wants us to abandon this  

act of reflecting the face of God onto our souls  and switch our souls towards him and his actions  

so that we reflect him, and that weakens us and  that opens us once again to passions which we have  

long ago managed to defeat, and in  time instead of becoming God-like,  

we become---may that happen to no one, but the  risk is that we become not God-like, but devilish;  

this is why ignoring everything is  the only valid way of of fighting  

against these attacks. Saint John of the Ladder  for instance, I mean, Saint John of the Ladder is,  

is the one teacher of prayer in whom we should  trust a hundred and one percent and he agrees a  

hundred and one percent with everything that  the dead Desert Fathers who lived before him  

have taught him, his generation, and our  generation: When the devil attacks you, you must  

respond by refocusing your attention on God, the  simple fact that you've noticed these attacks,  

and the Fathers described these attacks like, like  flies just buzzing around to catch your attention,  

the simple fact that we've noticed these attacks  is already a signal that we've weakened our  

prayer, and the way to fight these attacks, say  the Desert Fathers and Saint John of the Ladder,  

the way to fight these attacks is to remind  yourself that you are standing before God; notice  

what they do, the way to fight the evil one is to  remind yourself that you are standing before God,  

this fight against the evil one has  nothing to do with the evil one himself,  

they don't say curse him or laugh at him  or mock him or do anything concerning him.  

Don't. Absolutely nothing. Completely, completely  ignore those attacks and just refocus yourself,  

remind yourself that you are facing God Himself  in prayer and that will keep you safe, because you  

are continuing, continuing to reflect the image of God, and at the same time it denies evil  

the chance to take being in you, it  denies evil the chance to lay its eggs  

in you. You know, I understand things better if I  visualize them and that's why this image of flies  

has been so helpful to me; to put things  in a different visual way, if for instance  

you are attacked at the beginning of your  time of prayer by images and thoughts  

and you manage to get a stick and you spend  the ten minutes or one hour of your prayer time  

kicking, beating up the Devil, like physically  beating him up and spitting on him and cursing  

him, at the end of your prayer you have actually  been defeated, you have not been victorious,  

you haven't come out victorious of this battle  although you've spent your entire time cursing  

the evil one and physically beating him up with  a stick---again this is a visual image just  

so I can understand better what the Fathers are  teaching us---that is not a victory but a defeat,  

because although it looks like you've been the  victor, in fact what has happened is that you have  

stopped reflecting, stopped mirroring God onto  your soul, and you have refocused on the evil one,  

what has happened is that you have made  those ten minutes or one hour of your prayer  

not about God but about the evil one. Do  you see how horrible actually that is?  

that the time that you intended to offer to God in  prayer, you've made that time about the evil one,  

not about God. The evil one will do anything to  distract us from prayer, including play defeat:  

he's going to collapse on the floor and he's  going to keep on crying and asking for mercy and  

encourage us to stop hitting him because he  knows that that's going to tickle our pride and  

we are going to keep on engaging him, seemingly  defeating him, when in fact he's tricking us and  

defeating us by turning our attention from  the One Life-giving Being, God Himself,  

and refocusing us onto him; he will do anything to  turn your prayer time into a devil time, into a he  

time instead of a God time; the simple reality is  that as long as we are going to walk towards God,  

we are going to be fought, so we should actually  take comfort from the reality of these attacks,  

because as long as we are attacked, that means  that we are walking in the right direction.  

There will be no peace from  these attacks: again, if you read  

the Holy Fathers, if you read the Fathers  of the Desert in particular, you'll see  

some horrible examples: Saint Paphnutius for  instance, he, during the time of his martyrdom,  

Saint Paphnutius during the time of his  martyrdom was attacked by thoughts of blasphemy,  

so the evil one even as the same Paphnutius was  literally offering his life as a sacrifice for his  

faith in God, he was tempted by the evil one even  as he was dying as a Martyr for Christ with evil  

images and blasphemous thoughts: take comfort from  this and find courage in these stories because  

they simply mean that we are following these  Saints and if we are following in their footsteps  

that means that by the grace of God and under  the protection of the Mother of God and with  

their prayer, we shall also by the grace of God  find salvation and be with them in the Kingdom.

Is this thought mine? Do I want it? If the answers  are no, then completely ignore the evil one,  

and the way to ignore him, the way to fight him  and defeat him is to engage God; don't engage him  

in any way---the more these thoughts, these  flies try to distract you, the more focused  

get yourself on God; the more he screams around  you: Me! Me! Me! It's about me! Make this about  

me! This time make it about me! Look at me!  Focus on me! Defeat me! The more he screams:  

Me! Me! Me! around you, the more quiet and focused  

be before God; remind yourself, as Saint John  of the Ladder teaches us, remind yourself  

that you stand before God Himself and then you  are not giving any entry to these thoughts,  

and in time because you've not received them and  because evil by itself does not have substance,  

it will just die out. Remember that saying of  the Desert Fathers, dear ones, that if you put  

scorpions and venomous snakes and insects into one  jar and you cover it with a lid and you leave it  

there, in time they are going to devour each other  and just die out; the same principle applies to  

evil thoughts and images, fight them by completely  ignoring them and never in any way engaging them,  

prayer time is between you and God and you should  remind yourself at every attack that I am here to  

face God full stop, and the more you do that,  the better you do that. The attacks will just  

disappear, because of course the evil one doesn't  want to be himself a tool for you to pray better,  

so if he sees that you ignore him and that  every time he attacks you, you refocus on God,  

you'll understand that he's actually helping  you pray better and in time he will go away,  

he will not disappear, he will  find other ways to fight you,  

but at least these thoughts and these  images will become less frequent.

I love you all so much in Christ  and I'm so happy that again this  

feels now like a conversation; I appreciate  that. I thank you for all your comments. I  

thank you for all the support you are sending  for the monastery. I kept meaning to thank you,  

but then I stopped because I didn't  want this to be mainly about that,  

but we do need the help and we appreciate  it more than I can possibly express it.  

Be blessed, dear ones, and keep us all at the  monastery in your prayers. Amen, amen, amen.