Some of the steps in this regard recomended by Imam come as following:
After making a vow to be a person of strong will‑power and resolution, he must understand that the hereafter is the place where his secrets will be exposed.
Thus he should evaluate himself on a daily basis to get rid of evil habits and desires, to acquire more noble human character, and to perform better actions than before. He must realize that committing sin takes away from him noble essence of humanity and he must pray to God for His assistance and for the intercession of the Prophet (PBUH) and the members of his Household.
The resolve and self-evaluation from the previous steps should form themselves into specific commitments to self-conditioning. For example, one who has an evil habit of lustful eyes, backbiting tongue, or inflated ego should say to himself, “I will not violate the Law of God today” and consciously avoid such habits for one day.
By performing such an experiment with sincerity and resolve, he will realize how easy this task is. He should ignore Satan and the evil ideas that will magnify this small task as being difficult or even impossible. Thus, gradually, he can extend this period by experiment and see how easy it is to get rid of an evil habit or to acquire a positive merit.
A person struggling against his own self should constantly concentrate upon his intentions.
If any time the idea of violating divine commands occurs to him, he should know that this idea has been instilled into his mind by Satan and his allies, who want to deter him from his good resolution. He ought to curse them, seek God's compassionate protection, and banish those evil ideas from the realm of his heart.
He should reply to Satan that this day also he has to abide by the condition imposed upon his own self that he will not go against God's commands. Thus with the help of God, Satan will be driven away.
According to Imam Khomeini, during the whole journey of struggle against self, one should constantly remember God and the graces bestowed by Him. He must at each step, thank Him constantly for His help, mercy, and guidance in fulfilling his intentions.
The degree of gratitude to God should increase as he attains a higher stage in his struggle against self. He must realize that it was because of God’s help and response to sincere prayers that he was able to get rid of Satan and his allies from the domain of his heart and attain sublime human attributes loved by God.
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