"As long as a man only philosophizes about God he is weak and completely
helpless against the evil spirit. The evil spirit ridicules the feeble sophistry
of the world. But, as soon as a man begins to fast and to pray to God, the evil
spirit becomes filled with indescribable fear. In no way can the evil spirit
tolerate the aroma of prayer and fasting. The sweet-smelling aroma chokes him
and weakens him to utter exhaustion. In a man who only philosophizes about
faith, there is spacious room in him for the demons. But in a man who sincerely
begins to pray to God and to fast with patience and hope, for the demon it
becomes narrow and constricted and he must flee from such a man. Against certain
bodily ills there exists only one remedy. Against the greatest ill of the soul,
demonism, there exists two remedies, which must be utilized at one and the same
time: fasting and prayer. The apostles and saints fasted and prayed to God. That
is why they were so powerful against evil spirits."
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