Recently, a friend of mine asked me to help hold him accountable as he struggles to overcome pornography. I sent him this brief quote from a book called "Spiritual Direction and the Care of Souls: A Guide to Christian Approaches and Practices", edited by Gary Moon and David Benner. The chapter on Orthodoxy describes the process of guarding our thoughts. I hope you find it helpful.
"Another aspect of the purification of the heart is the struggle against the thoughts (logismoi) that ultimately develop into passions. This struggle should begin when such thoughts first emerge in the consciousness, before they issue forth in outward actions and take root as passions. The pattern to be aware of is as follows:
- A sinful though (a momentary disturbance of the intellect)
-'coupling' with the thought (considering acting on it)
-assent
-action
-the development of a sinful passion.
"The earlier in the process one is able to gain control of the thought, the better...by keeping watch over our heart we acquire watchfulness and discernment. We are able to detect the thoughts, to discriminate between good thoughts and evil thoughts, and to guard the heart by rejecting evil thoughts. This wrestling should be accompanied by grief, sorrow for our sins and the gift of tears."
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