IC XC NIKA Orthodox Cross | Medieval Floral Design | The One Who Conquers (Revelation 3:21) | Orthodox Christian Art Poster

Man's personal efforts are like a receiver for the grace of God. The greater and more decisive these efforts are, the greater is the grace-filled help from God that they attract. These efforts in and of themselves are not as significant in unseen warfare as the sincerity of one’s good will that is revealed in these efforts. The more forcefully one battles, the more intense the efforts of his good will—the greater is the grace that he receives from God. Incidentally, this clearly demonstrates the significance of good deeds for salvation [c.f., Matt 25:31-46], an idea that is rejected by the Protestants. It is not in and of themselves that good deeds have meaning, nor is it the personal effort of doing good that saves man; what saves him is the earnestness with which his will is directed towards good. In forcing himself to do good, one shows that his will seeks virtue. This is what attracts the all-powerful grace of God which, conjoined with one’s personal effort, makes him a victor over evil in his own soul, which is the ultimate purpose of unseen warfare.

- Archbishop Averky, The Struggle for Virtue: Asceticism in a Modern Secular Society, p. 123