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A sermon by St. Nicholas of Japan at the Council of the Japanese Church in July 1887
Holy Scripture says, "Son, when you come to serve the Lord God, prepare your soul for temptation. Prepare your heart and be patient. And do not be hasty in time of adversity. Cleave to Him and do not turn aside, that you may grow up in your latter end" ( Sirach 2:1-3 ). All of us here, of course, have come to serve God and thus know well that serving God means forcing ourselves to work. But we also know that this service also contains great joy. For the all-seeing God not only sees those who serve Him but also helps them, and the merciful One loves them. However, the path of serving God is filled with dangers and stumbling blocks, weaknesses and falls, and therefore Holy Scripture teaches us that if you want to serve the Lord God, then prepare your soul for temptations.
There are two types of temptations: the first are trials coming from above; the second are temptations from below. Scripture tells us the following about temptations from above: "As gold and silver are tried by fire, so God tries the heart of man" ( Proverbs 17:3 ). Gold can be pure, mixed with alloy, or counterfeit. When tested by fire, pure gold suffers no harm, but rather becomes even more beautiful; gold mixed with foreign alloys separates its pure part; and counterfeit gold ultimately becomes worthless. Likewise, a person's virtues can be genuine, mixed with conceit and pride or other passions, or even completely counterfeit, unreal, as was the case with the hypocritical Pharisees. Thus, temptations coming from above determine the quality of a person's virtues. God knows a person's heart from the very beginning, so temptations are not sent so that God can learn our virtues, but for the sake of the person themselves, so that if they see a trace of falsehood and counterfeit in them, they will repent and turn to goodness. May we not be deprived of such temptations coming from above.
But besides this, there is another kind of temptation, namely, temptations that come from the devil, who puts darkness into a person’s thoughts, pours various kinds of impurity into his heart, leads him into confusion and, thus, leads a person to evil deeds with the goal of turning away from God the souls of people who work for Him.
We who have begun to work for God must always remember that we are in the midst of these temptations and seductions. Scripture says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, like a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour" ( 1 Pet. 5:8-9 ). All catechists and priests are under the close attention of the devil, who, wishing to defeat them, fires many fiery arrows. The most harmful of these arrows is self-satisfaction and pride. For many catechists go out to preach while still very young, and people already call them teachers and mentors. It is not surprising that the devil, taking advantage of this, easily instills pride in them; and how many ministers of the Church have already been struck down by this arrow! Every year I graduate many catechists, but not a few of them fall. What is the reason for this? It is all from self-satisfaction and pride. If any Christian tries to admonish them, they are enraged. The devil has many other fiery darts with which he strikes down those who cannot resist him. Such, without exception, are all those who were excluded from the list of catechists. And how many, brethren, have begun to serve God, but failed to overcome temptation and fell? How sad this is!
Therefore, it is crucial that we always prepare ourselves for temptations, for this is the foundation of our strength. If we do not prepare ourselves, we will always be overcome by temptations. The devil will strike such people with his arrows and kill them. Now, before the beginning of the Council, recalling the past and imagining the future, I have decided that all of this must be said to you as of the utmost importance.
The Holy Scripture clearly tells us what methods we must use to prepare ourselves for temptations .
First, "direct your heart" ( Sir. 2:2 ), that is, guard your heart, correct your actions, and acquire virtues, and thus you will avoid falling into temptation. Just as a ship, if well-maintained and steered, will not be afraid of storms or raging waves, but if it is not well-maintained, there is a danger of its wreck. And just as a horse, if not properly controlled, can run wild and eventually capsize or fall into a pit, so it is with the human heart: if it is not well-controlled, what will happen to it? Only that the devil, approaching us, will begin to implant various evil plans in our thoughts and throw our hearts and our actions into disorder.
Second, "be patient ." Humans are inherently inclined to evil, so to overcome temptation, we must willingly endure various kinds of toil and sorrow, restrain ourselves, and direct our hearts toward truth. If we do not endure toil and sorrow, we will be unable to overcome anything, for without toil and sorrow, who can overcome the enemy?
Thirdly, “Cling to God and do not let go” ( Sir. 2:3 ). By clinging to God, we will be safe in any temptations, just as a ship that has reached the harbor is no longer afraid of storms.
I wished to say this word to you, brethren, before the beginning of the Council, and I want you to put this word in your hearts and keep it.
Source: https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Nikolaj_Japonskij/ugotovi_dushu_tvoyu_vo_iskushenie/