Have you ever felt powerless to stop a sinful habit? It could be something as addicting as pornography or excessive drinking or something more subtle like gossip.
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Whatever is your pet sin that you can’t seem to break from, here is a powerful remedy that can be a game-changer for many.
To discover this remedy let’s open up our Lenten reading, The Way of a Pilgrim.
After discovering the power of the Jesus Prayer, the Pilgrim continues wandering about the Russian countryside. Unfortunately, he meets a pair of criminals who steal the few possessions he had. After two days of traveling the Pilgrim catches up to a caravan of prisoners. It turns out that these men were arrested and the officers leading the escort had everything the thieves took from the Pilgrim.
While sitting down with one of the officers, the Pilgrim listens to his story of conversion and how he combated an addiction to alcohol. The officer related this story:
“One day I was sitting in the barracks deep in thought. A monk came in to beg alms for the church….and said, ‘My brother was once in a similar position, and I will tell you how he was cured. His spiritual father gave him a copy of the Gospels and strongly urged him to read a chapter whenever he wanted to take a drink. If the desire for a drink did not leave him after he read one chapter he was encouraged to read another and if necessary still another. My brother followed this advice, and after some time he lost all desire for alcoholic beverages'” (30).
The officer did as he was told and each time he was tempted to drink, he read the Gospels. One night he was severely tempted and kept reading until it was late at night. He read until it was past the curfew, which meant he wasn’t able to leave the barracks to get a drink. This went on for quite some time and eventually he lost all desire for alcohol, but continued to read the Gospels every day.
Why did this work?
To be honest, there is no hard scientific research to back-up this method of combating temptation and there probably never will be. It is focused on treating the spiritual causes of temptation: Satan and his demonic activity.
This method is about unsheathing the “Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). The Gospels have such power to combat evil precisely because God is present in His Word. We read in the Letter to the Hebrews how, “the word of God is living and effectual, and more piercing than any two edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12).
The officer went on to explain this spiritual dimension:
“One holy man says that, ‘even when you don’t understand the word of God, the demons do, and they tremble‘; and the passion for drink is without a doubt their work. And St. John Chrysostom in speaking about the power of the word of God says that the very room where the Gospel is kept has the power to ward off the spirits of darkness and thwart their intrigues” (31, emphasis added).
Even Jesus, when confronted with temptation in the desert, chose to combat the Devil with quotes from Scripture.
Try it!
If you find yourself trapped in a particular sin, try carrying around with you a small book of the Gospels and start reading when you begin to feel pulled in that direction. Don’t stop until the temptation subsides. This could be for 10-15 minutes, or it could be 2 hours! Whatever it takes, don’t stop reading the Gospels.
Reading the Word of God certainly does not have any ill side-effects and by doing so you will be inviting Jesus to join the fight against Satan. Remember,
“If God be for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31).
Read the Entire Series
- A Short and Simple Prayer That Can Transform Your Life
- Why We Must Never Stop Searching for the Truth
- My Spiritual Reading for Lent: “The Way of a Pilgrim”