The Devil is Weak, the Cross is Strong - St. Paisios the Athonite

Orthodox Wisdom

Fellow soldiers in Christ’s army: our weapons are fully sufficient to defeat our spiritual enemies. In this brief passage, St. Paisios re-awakens us to the power of Christ and His Cross. Reading from “Spiritual Counsels, Vol. 1: With Pain and Love for Contemporary Man”, p. 58-61 -BUY “Spiritual Counsels, Vol. I”: https://www.holycross.org/products/with-pain-and-love-for-contemporary-man-elder-paisios?srsltid=AfmBOooG0oxZfwjniLoIMF1LXDQHdMBKr8W6eXoQxM2xf-AEqHLNx31u -BUY the Life of the saint: "Saint Paisios of Mount Athos": https://churchsupplies.jordanville.org/products/saint-paisios-of-mount-athos -LISTEN to my playlist "St. Paisios - Teachings and Prophecies" https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzFKi22k2KYiSgEA_N0bQIIeUFas-lw_P -FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ ______ —Geronda, my thoughts tell me that now more than ever the devil has great power. —The devil has malice and hatred but he does not have power. It is God's love that is all-powerful. The devil tries to appear powerful but he can't make it. He appears strong but in reality he is powerless. Many of his destructive schemes fail even before they start. Would a good father ever allow a few young hoodlums to bully his children? —Geronda, the demons scare me. —What are you afraid of? The devil has no power. Christ is All-powerful. The tempter is rotten. Don't you wear a cross? The devil's weapons are weak. Christ has armed us with His Cross. Only when we abandon our spiritual armour is the enemy strong. An Orthodox priest had only to show a small cross to a sorcerer and the demon he had invoked started trembling. —Why is the devil so afraid of the Cross? —Because when Christ received the spitting, the blows and the beatings, the kingdom and the power of the devil were crushed. How wonderful is the way in which Christ defeated the devil! The devil's dominion was crushed with a reed," used to say a Saint. When Christ was given the last blow with a reed, at that very moment, the devil's power was destroyed. In other words, patience is our spiritual defence and humility our greatest weapon against the devil. _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!