When we talk about the evil one, the next thing that comes to mind is temptation.  It's preached that temptation comes from three places: the world, the flesh, and the devil.  It is easy to see where the temptation from the world and the flesh come from, just look at any billboard with a half naked girl holding a brewski, or some of the soft core porn commercials on TV.  The hard part is analyzing where a temptation comes from, especially when the devil's main tactic these days is to convince the world he does not exist.  I don't want to get too deep into temptation, what I do want to dive into is a tactic on how to fight them and hopefully avoid losing a battle when the devil hits his hardest.  I am speaking of virtues, and once trained and skilled at using them, will become a very powerful weapon. 

I always look at the virtues as an arsenal that God gives us, but like any weapon you need to train. You need to know not only when to use them, but which one to use as well. I remember the first time I shot a shotgun.  As soon as I pulled the trigger, my shoulder was like a rubberband, and I missed my target by a mile. Immediately embarrassed I realized I had no idea how to use it, and the same comparison can be made with the virtues. A virtue is pointless if you don't know how and when to use them.

Very simply, they are used to prevent sin.  If you have a particular struggle, knowing the virtue to use at that  moment will prevent you from falling.  If you are struggling with lust, practicing chastity will be your ticket to abstaining from a temptation.  If you struggle with greed, familiarize yourself with the virtue of charity. Here are a couple basic steps.

First, learn all the virtues and the meaning of them.  If you go to war, do you want as your weapon a handgun, or would you also like a bazooka, a grenade launcher, a mini gun, a survival knife, and maybe a little C4 for good luck.  I would say the latter, and the same goes with virtues.  You never know what situations will present themselves in this crazy world.  Familiarizing yourself with all of them will help you in your mission toward holiness.

The next step is simple recognition of opportunity.  Knowing when to use a virtue is vital and I suggest starting small.  Just observe on a daily basis opportunities when you or someone else should have exercised a virtue and figure out which one would neutralize a situation most effectively.  It will prepare you for when you need take the first step of putting it into practice.  If you try to use a virtue during a time of distress and you are not honed in it, you will probably fail and fall.  So the next lesson in virtue training is to recognize situations when you can use a particular virtue and which one.  

Next, start with exercising them, and start slowly.  Now that you have started recognizing times you can use a virtue, identify a situation, pick your virtue of choice, and let it rip!  Do this once a week.  Then increase the frequency, and eventually you will start to see that virtue will become part of your life and how you live.  
This isn't complicated and we are blessed that God kept it so simple. The hardest part is consistency and practice, but like everything else in life, it's when we really work hard at something when we achieve the greatest satisfaction.  

A little hint. Before you start anything, a prayer to the Holy Spirit is necessary.  Ask Him to help you and show you opportunities.  Only He can show you the truth, but beware, when you ask for His help, He always keeps his promise, even if it hurts.  If you plan to practice humility, prepare for some humiliation.  If you are preparing for temperance, prepare yourself for temptations to eat yourself sick.  God will provide the testing ground, you just need to ask.  

Virtues are one of the many gifts God has given us to fight the evil one.  As I started the article with temptation, I will also end it in the same way.  Once you can achieve the knowledge of the virtues and how to apply them, when the evil one strikes with a temptation, you will be ready with the self knowledge and foresight to know how to battle them.  Stay strong!