When one receives grace, there is then need for the greatest prudence and discernment. God gives these to the person that asks Him for them so that he may serve God in the Spirit Whom he receives, and also that he may not be conquered by evil and be deceived, led astray through ignorance, presumption, and carelessness by acting against all that the Lord wills.
–Saint Macarius the Great (295-392)
Steer the ship of my life, good Lord, to your quiet harbor, where I can be safe from the storms of sin and conflict. Show me the course I should take. Renew in me the gift of discernment, so that I can always see the right direction in which I should go.
–Saint Basil the Great (329-379)
The mind is capable of tasting and distinguishing accurately whatever is presented to it.
–Saint Diadochus of Photike (c. 400 – c. 486)
In the measure that we pay attention and take care to carry out what we hear, God will always enlighten us and make us understand His will.
–Saint Dorotheus of Gaza (Sixth Century)
Seal your senses with stillness and sit in judgment upon the thoughts that attack your heart.
–Saint Thalassios the Libyan (Sixth-Seventh Centuries)
Blessed is the mind which, praying without distraction, acquires ever greater longing for God.
–Saint Nilus of Sinai (d. 430)
