Believers know that the world will inevitably come to an end: the Antichrist will reign, but the Lord will win anyway, and this no longer depends on people. God did not define such a future. This is a consequence of the fall of man. And if not for the original sin, man would be “doomed” to a happy divine life.
The relationship between God and man
Living on Earth, we are often self-willed, trying to get out of the boundaries of what is permitted. So that we do not harm ourselves, God is forced to limit us. He does all this without violating our free will, and the last word always rests with the person. God does not want our suffering. They are simply necessary for the purification of the soul. Because of our sinfulness, such a remedy is found by man himself, and not by God who sends them.
Often people fearlessly "hang" slander on the Creator, claiming that this is his punishment, and do not pay attention to their spiritual state at all, not even suspecting that they are the source of troubles. The Lord, as a loving father, applies educational measures so that we, through suffering, could change and understand spiritual laws.
How demons fall under the power
People have become subject to demons because of their lifestyle. God, seeing our wrongness, allows distance from Himself in the hope that once we get burned, we will return to the true path again. It turns out that a person himself goes to meet his misfortunes, and then blames the Creator for this.
All of us, to one degree or another, are subject to demonic influence. Demons work well after studying us, because they are familiar with man from the very creation. Their experience is constantly growing. Coming to it, the demon first arouses passionate desires in a person, focuses attention on some vices and then pushes to sin. This is done imperceptibly and is disguised under the arising own desires. After all, it is not profitable for them to reveal themselves.
Demons can no longer hide from people who have gone far from God and are mired in sins. For example, patients with alcohol or drug addiction in a state of "delirium tremens" can see them face to face. They often persuade the unfortunate to commit suicide and take their souls for themselves.
By the permission of God or at the extreme sinfulness of people, demons are allowed to dwell in them. For example, Motavilov, who was next to Seraphim of Sarov, was not in grave vices, but, nevertheless, he was possessed by a demon. His conviction that christian Christians, who regularly receive communion, cannot be exposed to the influence of demons, apparently played a cruel joke with him, and he paid for his arrogance.
How to protect yourself
It is important for a modern person to understand not why this is happening, because in most cases the reason is clear, but how to get rid of it. The main force that can help is the Lord. Some novice Christians wonder how to recognize demonic action in themselves, because they will not rush to reveal themselves? The Holy Fathers advised to listen to yourself. They said that if there is peace and grace in the soul, this is from the spirit of the saint, and if confusion and doubt is an obvious demonic action.
All people on Earth are under demonic influence and there is no getting away from this. We are here as in training, but you can reduce their influence. Jesus Christ Himself said that this kind is corrected only by fasting and prayer. He promised that demons would be cast out by his name.
An Orthodox person can easily defend himself from such influence by simply repeating the Jesus prayer periodically: "Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Demons cannot calmly relate to the one who once deposed them. Regular communion allows the light of Christ to be present in us, and darkness cannot get close to such a person.
The God-bearing Fathers, with obsession, recommended, in addition to the main fasting days (Wednesdays and Fridays), to fast on Monday and pray to the Archangel Michael, take communion weekly and read the Jesus Prayer more often.
In our time, such a term has appeared as a lecture, which is a prayer against evil spirits. If a person does not live in the spirit of Jesus: he does not confess, does not receive communion and does not fast, but wants to get rid of the problem at the expense of other people's labors, there will be no sense. The effect is possible only from joint work. Often the priest himself, having a good motivation, takes up the lecture without having the necessary spiritual purity for this. In this case, nothing good will come of it. You can harm yourself and the person you are trying to help. So desire alone is not enough.
Modern people are trying to enter heaven on "someone else's hump". They find elders and hope through their prayers to correct their situation, without making any efforts of their own. Elders are highly spiritual people, but Christ is still higher than them, and it is better to try to turn to him with the help of prayer, especially since you can now count the real elders on your fingers.
A beginner Orthodox is scared to be with God. He is afraid to do something against his will and fears the consequences of this. So let us be strengthened in faith, prayer, good deeds and strive to be closer to God.
Conversation with Fr. Vlidimir Golovin
