Episode 25: The Source of Strength

Episode 25: The Source of Strength

Author: Exodus 90 June 17, 2025 Duration: 11:55

Submit your question to Bishop Varden

Episode Overview

Join host Jamie Baxter from Exodus 90 for Episode 25 of Desert Fathers in a Year, titled “Amma Sara and the Battle Against Temptation.” This episode dives into the fifth chapter of the Desert Fathers’ systematic collection on lust, featuring a powerful saying from desert mother Amma Sara. Guided by Bishop Erik Varden, the episode explores how to face demonic temptations with fortitude and reliance on Christ, situating Christian spirituality within the pursuit of truth and freedom. Recorded during the Kings of Summer initiative, this reflection offers timeless wisdom for men seeking to conquer vice through virtue.

Key Themes and Reflections

  • Amma Sara’s Saying: Amma Sara endured a 13-year battle with the demon of lust, never praying for the struggle to cease but simply asking, “My God, strengthen me.” When the demon, disguised as lust and later vanity, claimed defeat, she humbly replied, “Not I have vanquished you. Christ my Lord has,” showcasing reliance on Christ’s victory.
  • Role of Desert Mothers: Women like Amma Sara were equals or superiors to male monks, correcting flawed perspectives (e.g., a nun’s quip to a monk avoiding women: “Had you been a perfect monk, you wouldn’t have noticed that we are women”). A pure heart sees God’s image in all, free from passion.
  • Theology of Temptation: Temptations aren’t unfair disruptions but opportunities for growth, purifying and clarifying vulnerabilities. God allows them for salvation, not destruction, despite the devil’s suggestion of senselessness.
  • Our Father Debate: Liturgical shifts (e.g., “let us not enter temptation” vs. “lead us not”) reflect modern discomfort, but the Greek text affirms God’s purposeful allowance of trials, balanced by human frailty and divine plan.
  • Fortitude in Combat: Amma Sara’s ascesis and prayer model spiritual warfare, abiding in temptation as a crucible to emerge as “gold” through grace, rejecting both sensuality and vanity.
  • Modern Misconceptions: Secular culture demands comfort, viewing temptation as unjust, but God prioritizes truth and freedom, using trials to mature believers.

Scriptural and Literary Connections

  • Galatians 3:28: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female,” reflected in the nun’s correction, emphasizing unity in Christ.
  • Our Father (Matthew 6:13): “Lead us not into temptation” expresses diffidence, acknowledging human limits while trusting God’s salvific purpose.
  • Athanasius’ Life of Anthony: Frames Anthony’s nuanced view of lust, setting the stage for Amma Sara’s similar reliance on Christ.
  • Bishop Varden’s Writings: His reflections on peace as conquered, not passive, align with Amma Sara’s active combat (cf. Chastity: Reconciliation of the Senses).
  • Mary of Egypt’s Life: Her holiness humbled monk Zosima, paralleling Amma Sara’s exemplary virtue.

Action Items for Listeners

  • Adopt Amma Sara’s Prayer: Pray “My God, strengthen me” when facing temptation to rely on Christ’s power.
  • Reflect on Temptation’s Purpose: Journal how past trials have clarified weaknesses or spurred growth, fostering gratitude for God’s plan.
  • Pursue Purity of Heart: Practice seeing others as God’s image, not threats, through daily acts of reverence (e.g., kind words, blessings).
  • Engage with Kings of Summer: Join the Exodus 90 app’s challenge, meditating on King David and Christian kings to grow in...

There’s a particular kind of stillness that feels almost impossible to find now, a quiet where you might actually hear something other than the next notification. Desert Fathers with Bishop Erik Varden is built around that search for quiet, drawing direct lines between our fragmented modern experience and the ancient, radical journey of the early Christian monastics. This isn’t a history lesson, though you’ll certainly learn. Instead, Bishop Varden, with the Exodus 90 community, acts as a guide through a year-long exploration, starting at the new year. Each episode becomes a point of reflection, using the stark wisdom of those who went into the literal desert to find God as a mirror for our own crowded lives. You’ll hear their stories and sayings unpacked not as relics, but as surprisingly urgent counsel for anyone feeling parched by the pace and pressure of today’s culture. The rhythm of this podcast is intentional-meant to be absorbed slowly, creating space to consider how their pursuit of essential truth challenges our own attachments and distractions. It’s an invitation to see your own daily landscape, with all its demands and digital noise, as a place where that same transformative silence can be cultivated.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Desert Fathers with Bishop Erik Varden
Podcast Episodes
Episode 43: Detraction [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:11
Bishop Erik Varden explores the theme of detraction and judgment through the lens of a hermit's vision. The conversation covers the consequences of gossip, the importance of conversion, and the efficacy of sacraments, em…
Episode 42: Scope of Judgement [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:15
In this episode of Desert Fathers, Bishop Erik Varden explores the theme of judgment through the lens of the Desert Fathers' teachings, particularly focusing on the story of Abba Isaac. He discusses the dangers of judgin…
Episode 41: Rejection [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:10
In this episode of Desert Fathers, Bishop Erik Varden reflects on the teachings of the Desert Fathers, focusing on the themes of forgiveness, community, and the transformative power of God's mercy. Through the story of A…
Episode 40: Q&A w/ Bishop Varden [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:43
In this Q&A session with Bishop Erik Varden, Jamie Baxter and Bishop Varden explore:The nature of love and self-forgetfulnessPhilosophical perspectives on progressThe relevance of Stoicism The implications of artificial…
Episode 39: A Low Profile [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:35
In this episode of Desert Fathers, Bishop Erik Varden explores the theme of humility through the teachings of the Desert Fathers, particularly focusing on Abba Moses and Abba Simon. He discusses how these figures exempli…
Episode 38: Professions of Humility [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:12
In this episode of Desert Fathers, Bishop Erik Varden explores the themes of humility and vainglory through the teachings of Abba Serapion. He discusses the importance of aligning one's words with actions and the dangers…
Episode 37: At the Baker's [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:06
In this episode of Desert Fathers, Bishop Erik Varden explores the teachings of the Desert Fathers, focusing on the themes of humility, the dangers of vanity, and the importance of genuine spiritual practices. Bishop Var…
Episode 36: A Fall [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:49
In this episode of Desert Fathers, Bishop Erik Varden reflects on the teachings of the Desert Fathers, particularly focusing on the importance of humility and the dangers of pride. Through the story of a young monk who p…
Episode 35: On Hunting Dogs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:51
In this episode of Desert Fathers, Bishop Erik Varden explores the theme of fortitude through the lens of monastic life, using the analogy of a hound pursuing a hare to illustrate the importance of unwavering focus on Ch…
Episode 34: Living with Infirmity [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:22
In this episode of Desert Fathers, Bishop Erik Varden and Jamie Baxter explore the theme of fortitude in the face of suffering, particularly through the lens of illness. They reflect on the teachings of Amma Syncletica,…