Temptations: Where they Come From, What They Mean, and How to Defeat Them

Are you still tempted? Then reach for this modest book by Fr. P.J. Michel, S.J., a savvy professor of theology whose wisdom and common sense have been forged not only in the classroom, but by decades of ardent prayer and service to penitent souls in the confessional.

Here Fr. Michel explains where your temptations come from and helps rid you of them (and of your fear of them). He teaches you how to best respond to the different kinds of temptations that assail you, and he even shows you how to profit spiritually from your temptations, no matter how strong or frequent they may be! From these clear, succinct pages you’ll learn:

• Why you, in particular, are still tempted (and why God allows it)
• Whether your temptations show that you’ve turned away from God
• Whether the evil thoughts and impulses that afflict you regularly are merely temptations . . . or sins to which you have somehow consented
• Whether your temptations are a test, a punishment, neither, or both
• How to arm yourself against temptations… before they occur
• When it’s better simply to ignore — rather than battle — certain temptations
• The one, simple thing you must do when strong, persistent temptations occupy your mind
• What makes it easier to fend off sensual temptations
• Which temptations you must never reason with (as did poor Eve, to her sorrow – and ours!)
• What to do about temptations that arise from acts of virtue (e.g. pride that you’ve fasted well)
• The one promise of God you must be sure to remember when temptations discourage you
• And why you must never yield to despair, especially after you’ve yielded to temptations (and what to do instead)