Temptation brings us closer to God. That is how Isaac of Nineveh saw it: "Without temptation there is no gaining trust in him, or learning the wisdom of the spirit, or solidifying the love of God in the soul. Before temptations you pray to God as if you were a stranger. After you have been withstood the temptations out of love for him, without letting yourself be led astray by them, God looks upon you as one who has lent to him and who is entitled to the interest, and as a friend who has fought for him will against the power of the enemies." His words show that the monks had no anxiety about temptations or about sin. The monks who fall into temptation become familiar with God in a new way. At the same time in temptations they sense the nearness of God more deeply than usual.
from Heaven Begins Within You
by Anselm Gruen
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