An excerpt from “FROM CHAOS TO CHRIST: Out of Noise, into Truth” by Fr. Christopher Metropulos.
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Both Scripture and the Fathers give us insight into the process of being tempted and falling. Let’s begin with the explanation found in the book of James:
“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” (Jas 1:13–15).
The process James describes can move so quickly that we don’t even know what hit us or where we fell. James, along with the Fathers, tries to slow it down so we can understand what’s going on in the soul when temptation strikes. The goal is to make the process visible, so we can learn how to fight back at each stage. It is never too early, and it is never too late.
Recognizing the first appearance of an evil thought gives us a great advantage in the battle. That first appearance of temptation is the logismoi, the initial assaulting and tempting thought. The Fathers have taught the stages of temptation and sin in various ways. These five stages reflect the human experience of temptation:
Assault (Logismoi) — the initial suggestion or provocation to sin.
Interaction — when a person opens up to the idea of the logismoi and entertains thoughts as if in dialogue with it. The person begins to show struggle and weakness.
Consent — when the person agrees to do what the logismoi is presenting. Herein, the person has entered into sin.
Captivity — when the person becomes hostage to the thought, and resistance is very difficult. As the will is broken down, it becomes easier and easier to say ‘yes’ to the logismoi.
Passion or Obsession — when sin becomes a pattern, and the mind and body are passionate about it and obsessed with it. This stage describes an ingrained habit or an addiction.
An awareness of the stages is most important because it can put us on alert. As you read through them, they probably felt familiar. As we are aware, even with the smallest nudge, we can respond. We are weak, yes, but we also have tools. And with practice, we become spiritually stronger.
Jesus’ words in Gethsemane speak to this process. The disciples were sleepy and couldn’t stay awake to pray with Him. Still, He said: “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation” (Matthew 26:41). Knowing these stages helps us remain alert.
Watch and pray! We’ve already seen how nourishing prayer can be; it places us in the right posture to seek and respond to God’s will. The act of prayer itself is incredibly helpful when temptation assaults us. When in God’s presence and prone to His will, the logismoi is more likely to have a bad ‘taste’ right from the start.
In moments of temptation, we can turn to the “Jesus Prayer,” trusting Him to intercede. As Scripture reminds us: “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15–16).
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