This topic includes all reasons that lead to spiritual lukewarmness,
among which are laziness, slackness, and negligence in all spiritual practices.
Laziness and negligence can quench the Spirit.
The spiritual person is characterized by seriousness and zeal in every spiritual practice.
But once a person begins to slack off, they may start inventing excuses, justifications, and reasons—
and over time, this becomes a habit or a disposition.
A time may come when they try to rise from their slothfulness but are unable to!
One remedy for laziness is forcing oneself.
A person must force themselves to do spiritual work and force themselves to reject laziness—
even if they have no desire for sacred acts.
This is why Saint Isaac the Syrian said:
“Force yourself to pray at night, and increase your Psalms.
If you are weary with sleep, do not surrender to it without prayer.
Force yourself to stand and pray. Lengthen your prayer…”
Likewise, force yourself to read spiritual books, to fast, to stay up in vigil…
When the Spirit calls you to any holy act, do not delay or procrastinate.
Procrastination is a form of laziness and a love of comfort.
It leads to quenching the Spirit, extinguishing the heart’s yearning to be in God’s presence,
and deprives the Spirit of its sustaining nourishment.
This includes procrastinating repentance, confession, or communion.
When the heart of Governor Felix was ignited as St. Paul spoke to him about righteousness,
self-control, and judgment, he quenched that holy flame by postponing action, saying:
“Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.” (Acts 24:25)
This is unlike the Prodigal Son, who, when he realized his dire condition,
said, “I will arise now and go to my father.”
And immediately he arose and went—he did not extinguish the fire of repentance through delay.
The fervent monk, when the bell rings at midnight, rises immediately from his bed and goes to the church.
If he hesitates or delays, he falls back asleep.
Do not try to cover your laziness with excuses and justifications.
Rather, strive to overcome yourself and conquer your excuses.
Approach spiritual life with zeal and fire, and do not quench the Spirit within you.
Be sure: if you become lazy, the devil will seize the opportunity, helping you grow even more negligent.
He may say, “What use is prayer when you are tired and have no desire?
Surely it will lack the reverence due in God’s presence!”
Laziness encourages the devil’s interference.
Laziness is not solved by argument or excuses. The only remedy is to force yourself into action.
Even if you start prayer without desire, desire will come in time.
Surely, grace will visit you and grant you spiritual warmth.
Do not be negligent in resisting wrong thoughts.
If you delay in rejecting them, they will grow stronger and gain dominion over you—
because of your laziness and your choice to keep them.
Your delay in rejecting thoughts reflects an inner desire to indulge them,
because of a hidden sin that feeds on such thoughts.
Delaying the rejection of such ideas is itself a way of quenching the Spirit.
A person fervent in spirit should be fervent in both positives and negatives—
fervent in every spiritual act done in communion with the Holy Spirit,
and fervent in resisting sinful thoughts, laziness, and every evil desire.
Neglecting prayer quenches the Spirit.
Another reason for quenching the Spirit is neglecting prayer.
No one reaches spiritual lukewarmness without first neglecting their prayers and Psalms.
Prayer deepens our connection with God and ignites warmth in our hearts toward Him.
So do not neglect your prayers, even if it is just a single word or a brief phrase.
The devil may tempt you with the excuse that you don’t have time.
But this is a known and obvious battle.
Prayer doesn’t require time—it requires a heart.
A heart longing to speak to God, even with a few words that take only seconds.
Surely, you have these seconds!
Once you begin, grace will help you to continue, and your heart will want more.
Seconds will turn into minutes.
Care for your prayers during the day, especially during times of work or spiritual warfare.
Lift your heart to God, even with a single phrase—
just like the tax collector (Luke 18:13) or the repentant thief (Luke 23:42).
Such prayers will be accepted and bear much fruit.
Do not think your prayer is only valid if it is long—this is another form of warfare.
God wants you to remember Him even during your worldly tasks.
Don’t forget Him during work, conversations, or distractions.
Do not be distant from Him during the day, even if you’re surrounded by many engagements.
Even saying “Lord” from your heart during your work or walk or social interactions—
this alone grants spiritual warmth.
How much more if you recite a phrase from your prayers or a Psalm that touches your heart?
Your neglect of prayer and alienation from God quenches your spirit.
If your mind is not occupied with God, it will be occupied with other things—it never rests.
Your spiritual life will fall into complexity and confusion.
Why allow your mind to wander in spiritual emptiness?
Instead, occupy it with something edifying—like meditating on a favorite verse, a virtue, or a divine attribute.
This kind of thought ignites the heart. But emptiness leads to harm.
Know that inner emptiness invites outer warfare.
Both will collaborate against you.
I advise you to memorize prayers, Psalms, or Bible verses,
and repeat them during the day.
At the third or sixth hour, lift your heart in a brief but appropriate prayer, even if for seconds—
and see what the result will be.
Don’t sit at the third hour as a frozen block on your chair!
No spiritual feeling, no warmth.
Be aware: the devil has built a great company for manufacturing deep freezers—
to freeze souls and hearts, or at least to cool them down,
lest they burn with spiritual zeal.
Don’t give him the opportunity. Preoccupy yourself with inner spiritual activity.
This is the difference between the fervent monk and the idle monk, as the Desert Fathers said.
The term “idle” does not mean evil—
but that he has ceased inner spiritual labor.
Don’t limit your spiritual activity to just specific times,
lest the fire of the Spirit within you be extinguished.
Remember: a fire that is not fed will eventually die.
So:
Constantly feed the holy fire that God placed in your heart—
through prayer, meditation, spiritual reading, hymns and psalms, spiritual gatherings,
holy memories, inner work, and good thoughts.
Say to yourself: If I neglect feeding this fire, my warmth will vanish, I will grow cold and be lost.
Know from experience what fuels your spiritual fervor—and never stay away from it.
If you do grow cold, don’t wait—rekindle yourself and ignite your spirit once more.
Constantly feed your spirit.
Daily, and in every moment—using every form of spiritual nourishment.
Feed it with prayer, virtue, divine love, constant reflection on God and holy things,
with the companionship of saints and the inspiration of their goodness.
Don’t say, “I don’t have time for spiritual matters.”
You make time for entertainment, chats with friends, reading the news, or even trivial things—
so why deprive your soul of its food?
⸻
Worldly Desires and Love of the Flesh Quench the Spirit
Another reason for quenching the Spirit is worldly desires and love of the flesh.
Every bodily lust, sinful craving, and worldly desire can quench the Spirit within you—
whether it’s the desire for revenge, money, possessions, status, vain glory, lust, praise, or worldly pleasure.
These lead you away from God and the spiritual atmosphere.
Remember what the Scripture says:
“Friendship with the world is enmity with God.” (James 4:4)
Especially when desire moves from the heart to the mind, inflaming the senses,
then to the will, and seeks to express itself through action.
A person may find that not only has their spiritual fervor been quenched,
but that they have actually fallen into sin and become separated from God.
So, ask yourself:
What desire in your heart has quenched your spirit?
Strive to overcome your desires, letting the desire of the spirit overcome the flesh (Galatians 5:16–17).
Redirect the course of love in your heart—toward God and the heavenly.
As the Apostle says:
“We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.
For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)
⸻
Being Preoccupied with Entertainment Quenches the Spirit
Also among the causes of quenching the Spirit is preoccupation with entertainment—
when entertainment occupies your emotions, senses, desires, and time,
distracting you from the love of God and spiritual pursuits.
It becomes your source of comfort and joy.
Thus, it quenches the Spirit—
especially when it exceeds its limits and becomes dangerous to your spiritual life.
B
