Bear in mind the Lord’s words; when you shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, we are unprofitable servants, we have done that which was our duty to do. (Luke 17:10)  This leads us to the humility of counting ourselves as nothing, which is a suitable material for His refashioning.

This is where the God of Christians creates from.  It is proper for our God to create from nothing.  When we reproach ourselves for the misery of our fall and embark on a downward journey, the proud spirit of the enemy is unable to follow us.  Thus, we are freed from his power.  The enemy cannot go down.  By self-reproach and journey downwards, we confess the universal truth that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  Then we attract the Spirit of Truth.  The practice of self-reproach leads us to having an ever increasing number of humble thoughts which have an effect of kindling in us the grace of repentance, thus, increasing our inspiration for salvation.

Source: http://patristicnectar.org/bookstore_160329_1.html Prophetic Life and Authenticity in the Church, Archimandrite Zacharias (Zacharou)