Tiago 4
Desert Fathers
Tiago 4:7
A brother felt hungry at dawn, and struggled not to eat till nine o'clock. When nine o'clock came, he made himself wait till noon. At noon he dipped his bread and sat down to eat, but then got up again, saying, 'I will wait till three.' At three o'clock he prayed, and saw the devil's work going out of him like smoke; and his hunger ceased. — The Desert Fathers, Sayings of the Early Christian Monks
Tiago 4:7
A brother came to Poemen and said to him, 'Many thoughts come into my mind and put me in danger.' He sent him out into the open air, and said, 'Open your lungs and do not breathe.' He replied, 'I can't do that.' Then he said to him: 'Just as you can't stop air coming into your lungs, so you can't stop thoughts coming into your mind. Your part is to resist them.' — The Desert Fathers, Sayings of the Early Christian Monks
Tiago 4:7
A hermit said, 'If anyone says "Forgive me", and humbles himself, he burns up the demons that tempt him.' — The Desert Fathers, Sayings of the Early Christian Monks
Tiago 4:8
One of the hermits said, 'No one can see his face reflected in muddy water; so the soul cannot pray to God with contemplation unless it is first cleansed of harmful thoughts.' — The Desert Fathers, Sayings of the Early Christian Monks