How to "Fight" Temptations

In the "Screwtape Letters", C.S. Lewis describes how the devil may go about confusing a soul, to prevent it from the union with God. It's like a game to him:  Using the "client's" traits of character and life events, suggest a way of thinking about them that would drive "the client" away from God. None of these are intrinsically bad: neither our thoughts nor our inclinations or the events of our lives. But it is the confused way of thinking about them that may drive us away from God.

One may try to "outsmart" the devil by constant attention and logical examination of one's thoughts, or to override one's thoughts with words of prayer or positive affirmations (e.g. the Jesus prayer or the cognitive behavioral therapy approach in psychology). Because the devil is a fallen angel, and therefore is very intelligent, "outsmarting" him in one's thoughts may not be the best strategy. Prayer and positive affirmations may help. But there is one more way.

The devil cannot access our soul and "sit" inside us. All he is able to do is to suggest distorted ways of thinking to confuse us. So if we remain present in the center of our soul, there where God resides, no one and nothing can harm us. If we are able to always be there, in God's presence, and to act from that center trusting that God will lead us to Him, all the temptations and distortions become like plastic bottles and other garbage flowing on top of the water, while we stay on the bottom of the river. We may say: "I allow myself to drawn in God's love." This is the state of permanent prayer (St. Paul speaks of "prayer without ceasing" in one of his letters).

One may ask, how do I perform the daily tasks then? We must learn how to operate from our center, our true self. It is like driving a car. When we want to turn, we do not go to each wheel and turn it, but simply turn the wheel inside the car. We may ask God to teach us how to act in every situation in such a way that we always remain in our center. Sometimes we will get out, then we just go back as soon as we realize it.

Obsessing about the devil trying to do us harm may be just another way of getting confused, so we can reformulate this question as follows: How do I avoid obsessive thoughts or confused thoughts that do not correspond to the truth and drive me into isolation and mistrust toward other people and God? By always returning to my heart and residing there with God.