Friday.

The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God (Wisdom 3:1). But in whose hand are the souls of sinners? The Saviour said to the apostles that satan seeks to sift them like wheat, that is, he seeks to knock them from the right path, to take them into his hands and do with them what he wants. That is why everyone turning away from the Lord is in the hands of satan, and he sifts them and casts them wherever he desires. Due to this the heads of sinners are constantly spinning, because the enemy, dragging them here and there, does not give them a chance to come to their senses. As soon as the enemy notices that someone is starting to have second thoughts, he starts to shake him even more strongly, so that his head again becomes clouded and his thoughts become scattered.

Thursday.

   Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler (Prov. 6:4–5). Everyone who in his heart has set out now, before the face of the Lord, to live according to His commandments, should take this rule as his guide. He must not give sleep to his eyes—not these outer eyes, but the inner eyes of his mind—so that they will gaze into his heart, and faithfully observe all that occurs there, and thus enable those who are zealous to find the enemy’s snares and avoid danger from them. The heart now becomes an arena for struggle with the enemy. There the enemy unceasingly sows his own [seed], which is in turn reflected in one’s thoughts. Such thoughts, however, are not always outrageously bad, but are for the most part disguised by false kindness and correctness. The chain of all thoughts is like a net of artful design! He who sets out after them heedlessly will not escape entanglement, and, consequently the danger of a fall. This is why, brother, you must keep the eye of your mind sharp-sighted by means of strict attention toward everything that occurs in you and around you. Notice what your relentless “advisor” proposes to you on the left side, and sift out the reason it was proposed to you and where it will lead, and you will never fall into his nets. Only, do not forget that attentiveness alone is not effective—it must be joined with abstinence, vigilance, and unceasing prayer to the Lord. Combine all these, and it will be hard to catch you.