Controlling the Tongue: Unseen Warfare 3/3

(Text repeats at 2:47)
From the book Unseen Warfare:
When the conversation is of other things, let only the sound of the voice enter into your ear, but not the thought into your mind,
which must remain unwaveringly directed towards God. Even when it is necessary to listen to the speaker, in order to understand
what he speaks of and to give a suitable answer, do not forget, in the midst of listening and speaking, to raise the eye of your mind
on high where your God is, thinking of His greatness and remembering that He never loses sight of you and looks at you either with
approval or disapproval, according to what is in the thoughts of your heart, in your words, movements and actions. When you have
to speak, before expressing what has entered your heart and letting it pass to your tongue, examine it carefully; and you will find
many things that are better not let past your lips. Know moreover that many things, which it seems to you good to express, are
much better left buried in the tomb of silence. Sometimes you will yourself realise this, immediately the conversation is over.
Silence is a great power in our unseen warfare and a sure hope ‘of gaining victory. Silence is much beloved of him, who docs not
rely on himself but trusts in God alone. It is the guardian of holy prayer and a miraculous helper in the practice of virtues; it is also a
sign of spiritual wisdom. .St. Isaac says: ‘ Guarding your tongue not only makes your mind rise to God, but also gives great hidden
power to perform visible actions, done by the body. If silence is practised with knowledge, it also brings enlightenment in hidden
doing” (ch. 31 in Russian edition). In another place he praises it thus: ‘ If you pile up on one side of the scales all the works
demanded by ascetic life, and on the other side-silence, you will find that the latter outweighs the former. Many good counsels
have been given us, but if a man embraces silence, to follow them will become superfluous” (ch. 41). In yet another place he calls
silence ‘the mystery of the life to come; whereas words are the instruments of this world” (ch. 42). St. Barsanuphius places it above
preaching the word of God, saying: ‘•’If you are just on the very point of preaching, know that silence is more worthy of wonder
and glory.” Thus, although one man ‘holdeth his tongue because he hath not to answer”, another ‘keepeth silence, knowing his
time” (Ecclesiaaticus xx. 6), yet another for some other reasons, ‘for the sake of human glory, or out of zeal for this virtue of silence,
or because he secretly communes with God in his heart and does not want the attention of his mind to be distracted from if (St.
Isaac, ch. 76). It can be said in general that a man, who keepeth silence, is found wise and of good sense (Ecclesiasticus xx. 5).
I shall indicate to you the most direct and simple method to acquire the habit of silence: undertake this practice, and the practice
itself will teach you how to do it, and help you. To keep up your zeal in this work, reflect as often as you can on the pernicious
results of indiscriminate babbling and on the salutary results of wise silence. When you come to taste the good fruit, of silence, you
will no longer need lessons about it.

[@birukhailu7113]

Thank you

[@carolflower9672]

ORTHODOX REACH: Why does a black box "This video is unavailable" appear in your video? Perhaps this can be corrected. THANK YOU

[@OrthodoxReach]

Thanks for the notice, it’s supposed to be suggesting the next video but somehow is misfiring

[@carolflower9672]

@@OrthodoxReach EXCELLENT CONTENT & NARRATION. THANK YOU SO MUCH !!!

[@dimitrytsalinka7203]

It was repeated twice

[@OrthodoxReach]

Sorry about that, I will update the description

[@brandonbutela6269]

Perhaps it was important that we hear it twice 🤗

[@OrthodoxReach]

@@brandonbutela6269 😅 yes that’s it

[@dimitrytsalinka7203]

@@brandonbutela6269 maybe 😄

[@aron88205]

When did David Attenborough record this??

[@OrthodoxReach]

Never, it’s a computer narrator

[@aron88205]

@@OrthodoxReach Ahh well good choice for narration !

[@dimitrytsalinka7203]

@@OrthodoxReach what application / website you use?

[@htttppppp]

What chapter is this from?

[@sathsojourns]

Chapter 25: Concerning Controlling Your Tongue