When Temptation Calls

An Orthodox Ascetical Guide to Conquering Lust and Acquiring Purity of Heart

When Temptation Calls is an Orthodox Christian guide for those seeking freedom from lust and a deeper life of purity, prayer, humility, and communion with God.

Rather than offering modern self-help techniques or relying on willpower alone, this book returns to the ancient spiritual wisdom of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Drawing from Holy Scripture, the Philokalia, the Desert Fathers and Mothers, and the writings of Orthodox spiritual fathers, it explores the traditional understanding of the passions and the path toward healing.

Across six chapters, the book examines:

• Understanding the passion of lust and how temptation develops within the soul
• Watchfulness (nipsis) and guarding the senses and mind
• Fasting and bodily discipline as part of Orthodox asceticism
• The Jesus Prayer and the practice of unceasing prayer
• Humility, grace, and the danger of relying solely on personal willpower
• The purification of the heart and the transformation of desire
• The inspiring life of St. Mary of Egypt as an example of repentance and transformation

The book emphasizes that the goal is not simply to suppress desire, but to heal and redirect it toward God. It presents purity not as a quick achievement, but as a lifelong journey of watchfulness, prayer, repentance, humility, and cooperation with divine grace.

Whether you are struggling with temptation, seeking to strengthen your prayer life, or simply wanting to understand the Orthodox Church's traditional teaching on the passions, When Temptation Calls offers a sober and spiritually grounded path toward repentance and purity of heart.

“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” — Matthew 5:8

A book for the soul that desires to return to God.

By Orthopath