As I continue to lean into written spiritual direction, I've been reading letters of spiritual direction from people of the past. Namely, Francis de Sales and Padre Pio.
Francis de Sales lived during the 17th century and served for a time as the bishop of Geneva. Padre Pio, meanwhile, was an Italian priest from the 20th century.
I have enjoyed learning how these two men—and more like them, I'm sure—wrote letters to others in spiritual direction. They are the forerunners of my more modern-day style of spiritual direction, in which we use email to write back and forth.
Today, I want to share a couple of excerpts from their letters to others specifically about facing temptation. This is something we all obviously experience, and thinking about how to approach such temptation or how to stand strong against it is both useful to us and a way for us to strengthen our faith and spiritual lives.
Kari
BIBLE VERSES & RESOURCES:
- "Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil." (Ephesians 6:10-11 NLT)
- "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8 NLT)
- "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. And when you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure." (1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT)
- "But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord's victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you." (2 Chronicles 20:17 NLT)
- "A time for war and a time for peace" (Ecclesiastes 3:8b NLT)
- "The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10 NLT)
- Letters of Spiritual Direction, Francis de Sales and Jane de Chantal
- Padre Pio's Spiritual Direction for Every Day, by Gianluigi Pasquale
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>> Journal Gently: An 8-week program designed to help you process grief and trauma with God
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