The devil has millennia of experience on how to bring us down

Summary

This video script delves into the spiritual journey of following Christ, emphasizing the importance of discerning between the Holy Spirit's guidance and the deceptions of the devil. It highlights the value of community and tradition in shaping one's response to temptation and the transient nature of human emotions and instincts. The speaker urges viewers to embrace humility, rely on the wisdom of the church's past, and avoid the pitfalls of pride and self-reliance in the ongoing battle against spiritual adversaries.

Takeaways

• 🛑 The only way forward for salvation is to follow Christ, emphasizing the importance of being a follower in the Christian faith.
• 🧭 There is a misconception in contemporary society that following Christ means following one's own feelings, desires, and instincts, which can be misleading without discernment.
• 🔮 Discerning the Holy Spirit from the spirit of evil is challenging and often only understood in retrospect as part of our spiritual journey.
• 🏆 Discernment is considered the height of all virtues, highlighting its significance in spiritual life and growth.
• 👹 The devil has millennia of experience in tempting humanity, making it crucial to learn from the wisdom of those who have faced spiritual battles before us.
• 🛡 Joining a spiritual community, such as a monastery, can provide guidance and freedom from the reliance on personal feelings and instincts.
• 🤔 The speaker reflects on the transience of human emotions and judgments, illustrating how feelings can change dramatically over time.
• 💔 The speaker warns against founding one's salvation on transient emotions and thoughts, as they are unreliable and can lead astray.
• 🙏 The importance of relying on the tradition and prayers of the church is underscored, as they represent the collective wisdom of centuries of spiritual warfare.
• 🕊️ Humility is essential in approaching Christ and following in the footsteps of those who have successfully navigated the spiritual path before us.
• ⛓️ The speaker advises against the pride that can keep individuals from embracing the church's tradition, which is a treasure of spiritual knowledge and experience.
• 🌟 The Orthodox Church is presented as a source of stability and truth, offering a path to freedom from the fleeting nature of personal emotions and thoughts.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the video script?

The main theme of the video script is the importance of following Christ and the Orthodox Christian tradition in order to find salvation and navigate the spiritual battle against evil.

Why does the speaker emphasize the need to follow Christ rather than our own feelings and desires?

The speaker emphasizes this because our feelings and desires can be transient and unreliable, whereas Christ's teachings and the guidance of the Orthodox Church are based on millennia of spiritual experience and wisdom.

What does the speaker mean by 'discernment is the height of all virtues'?

The speaker means that discerning the voice of the Holy Spirit from the spirit of evil is the ultimate spiritual virtue, as it requires deep spiritual maturity and understanding.

How does the speaker describe the experience of the devil in tempting humanity?

The speaker describes the devil's experience as extensive, going back to the first man, Adam, and having learned how humanity reacts to temptations and triggers over millennia.

What is the significance of joining a spiritual community like a monastery according to the speaker?

Joining a spiritual community provides guidance, freedom from dependency on personal feelings, and the opportunity to learn from the collective experience of the community shaped by 2,000 years of Christian tradition.

Why does the speaker warn against relying solely on our own feelings and logical judgments?

The speaker warns against this because feelings and logical judgments can change over time and may not align with eternal spiritual truths, potentially leading to spiritual instability and error.

What does the speaker suggest is the role of the Orthodox Church in our spiritual journey?

The speaker suggests that the Orthodox Church provides a stable foundation of spiritual truth and experience, guiding us in our battle against evil and helping us to discern the Holy Spirit's voice.

How does the speaker view the importance of tradition in spiritual warfare?

The speaker views tradition as crucial, as it connects us with the collective wisdom and experience of those who have fought spiritual battles before us, giving us a strategic advantage.

What is the speaker's perspective on the value of personal experiences compared to the teachings of the church?

The speaker believes that personal experiences, while valuable, are limited and can be misleading without the context of the church's teachings and the guidance of spiritual elders.

Why does the speaker urge humility and reliance on the church's tradition rather than pride and self-reliance?

The speaker urges humility and reliance on tradition because pride and self-reliance can lead to spiritual defeat, whereas humility and reliance on the church's wisdom can provide spiritual safety and victory.

What is the speaker's advice for those who wish to follow Christ effectively?

The speaker advises to approach Christ with humility, abandon personal pride and self-reliance, and follow the teachings and traditions of the Orthodox Church, which have been tested and refined over millennia.

Outlines

00:00

🙏 The Call to Follow Christ and Discernment in Spiritual Warfare

The speaker emphasizes the necessity of following Christ as the only path to salvation, highlighting the importance of discernment in distinguishing between the Holy Spirit's guidance and the deceptions of evil. They discuss the transient nature of human feelings and instincts, which can be manipulated by the devil, who has millennia of experience in tempting humanity. The speaker advocates for learning from the wisdom of the church fathers and the community, rather than relying solely on personal emotions, to effectively engage in the spiritual battle against evil.

05:02

🌊 The Fickleness of Human Emotions and the Stability of Church Tradition

In this paragraph, the speaker reflects on the transient and unreliable nature of human emotions and thoughts, using personal anecdotes to illustrate how drastically one's perspective can change over time. They argue against founding one's spiritual journey on these shifting sands, and instead, call for embracing the unchanging tradition and teachings of the church. The speaker warns against the pride that can lead to self-reliance and the dangers of following one's own feelings and instincts, which can be easily swayed by the devil's influence.

10:02

🛡 The Shield of Church Tradition in Spiritual Combat

The final paragraph stresses the importance of the church's tradition as a shield in the spiritual battle against evil. The speaker prays for the freedom from being enslaved to fleeting feelings and thoughts, and for finding the steadfast truth in Christ that is preserved within the Orthodox Church. They urge the audience to abandon personal experiences that are dwarfed by the collective wisdom of the church's history and to align themselves with the teachings that have been tested and passed down through generations, directly from Christ and the Holy Apostles.

Keywords

💡Salvation

Salvation in the context of the video refers to the spiritual redemption and deliverance from sin and its consequences, which is achieved by following Christ. It is a central theme as the speaker emphasizes that the only path to salvation is through adherence to Christian teachings and the rejection of worldly desires and instincts that may lead astray.

💡Discernment

Discernment is portrayed as the ability to distinguish between the Holy Spirit's guidance and the deceptions of evil. It is described as the 'crown of all virtues' and is crucial for navigating the spiritual journey. The speaker uses the term to highlight the importance of recognizing true spiritual direction amidst the complexities of human emotions and instincts.

💡Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is mentioned as a divine guide that speaks through emotions and instincts when they are aligned with Christ's teachings. It is an essential concept in the video, illustrating the role of divine influence in the believer's life and the need to ensure that one's feelings and desires are sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

💡Contemporary Society

Contemporary Society is used to describe the current cultural context where individuals may be misled to follow their own feelings and desires, potentially straying from Christ's path. The term is significant as it sets up a contrast between modern temptations and the timeless teachings of Christianity.

💡Spiritual Life

Spiritual life denotes the believer's ongoing journey of faith and growth in Christ. The video discusses the development of spiritual discernment over time and the importance of learning from the experiences of those who have walked the path before, emphasizing the lifelong nature of spiritual maturation.

💡Tradition

Tradition in this context refers to the accumulated wisdom and practices of the Christian faith passed down through generations. The speaker argues for the necessity of adhering to this tradition as a means of gaining the knowledge and strength needed to withstand spiritual battles, underscoring the value of historical and communal experience.

💡Battle

The term 'battle' is used metaphorically to describe the struggle against evil and temptation. It is a recurring motif in the video, illustrating the ongoing conflict between the forces of good, represented by Christ and His teachings, and the deceptions of the devil.

💡Pride

Pride is presented as an obstacle to spiritual growth and humility. The speaker warns against the dangers of self-reliance and the belief in one's own feelings and instincts over the guidance of the church and its traditions, highlighting pride as a trap that can lead believers away from the path of Christ.

💡Humility

Humility is extolled as a virtue essential for following Christ. It is associated with recognizing one's own limitations and the need for guidance from the church's tradition and the teachings of the fathers. The speaker encourages embracing humility to properly follow Christ and to avoid the pitfalls of pride.

💡Temptation

Temptation is depicted as a lure away from the path of righteousness, often stemming from one's own feelings and desires. The video discusses the role of temptation in the spiritual battle and the importance of resisting it through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the teachings of the church.

💡Fathers

The 'fathers' refer to the early Christian leaders and theologians whose teachings and experiences form the foundation of the church's tradition. The speaker encourages the audience to seek wisdom from these figures, emphasizing their importance in guiding the spiritual life and providing insight into the battle against evil.

Highlights

The Only Way Forward for salvation is to follow Christ, emphasizing the importance of being followers as part of our Christian DNA.

Contemporary society often confuses following Christ with following personal feelings, desires, and instincts.

The value of feelings and desires is recognized, but only when they are blessed by Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit.

Discerning the Holy Spirit from the spirit of evil is a complex process, often only understood later in one's spiritual life.

Discernment is considered the height of virtues, highlighting the importance of spiritual maturity in understanding spiritual guidance.

The devil's experience in tempting humanity dates back to the first man, Adam, making the spiritual battle a challenging one.

The speaker shares personal experience in a monastery, where reliance on personal feelings was replaced by community guidance.

The freedom gained from not being dependent on personal emotions and logical thinking is discussed.

The transient nature of human feelings and thoughts is highlighted, questioning their reliability in spiritual matters.

The speaker warns against founding one's salvation on transient emotions and thoughts.

The importance of joining the ranks of those who have fought spiritual battles in the past is emphasized for knowledge and experience.

The tradition of the church and the prayers of the Saints are presented as tools for shaping one's prayer life.

The speaker advises against pride and self-reliance, urging reliance on the church's tradition and the teachings of the fathers.

The metaphor of an ant struggling against a lion is used to illustrate the futility of facing spiritual battles without the church's tradition.

The need for humility in approaching Christ and following in the footsteps of his friends is discussed.

The speaker calls for prayer and the keeping of those who do not listen in prayers, while continuing to move forward in faith.

The dangers of being spiritually dead without realizing it are highlighted, warning against distractions and bad examples.

The stability and truth of the Orthodox Church's tradition are presented as the rock and safety in the spiritual battle.

The speaker prays for the release from fleeting feelings and thoughts, seeking the truth of Christ within the church's tradition.

Transcripts

hello my dear ones I'm going to jump

straight into this one because I don't

quite know how to introduce this

topic The Only Way Forward which is

safe for our Salvation is to

follow

Christ hear that word to

follow it's in our calling it's it's

part of our DNA as Christians to be

followers and there is something in

nowadays contemporary Society in our

times that makes many of us think that

somehow to follow Christ is in fact to

follow our own feelings to follow our

own desires and our own

instincts and there is value in our

feelings and desires and instincts as

long as Christ blesses them and as as

long as the Holy Spirit speaks through

them but how do you discern when it is

the holy spirit working through you

speaking through your emotions and your

instincts and so on and when is it the

spirit of the evil

one the very blunt painful reality is

that there is no way we can know that we

can only get to know that much later on

in our spiritual life to the end of our

spiritual life because if you look at

what the fathers are telling us

discernment discernment is the height

the crown of all

virtues don't forget my beloved ones

that our experience of spiritual life is

maybe a year or two or maybe a decade or

two whereas the experience of the devil

goes all the way back to the first man

to ever be created the devil managed to

push Adam into sin and he has learned

how Humanity reacts to his Temptations

to his triggers he knows when to attack

he knows when to withdraw he knows when

to play dead when to play defeated so

that it feeds in US pride and

self-reliance don't forget that you are

entering a battle when you begin to

follow Christ and in that battle you

have a choice to either learn how to

fight by yourself as you go into the

battle or you have to listen to the

generals who have leaved decades

centuries Millennia before you before us

and who have gained experience and have

passed on that

experience you are not struggling in

against another human being you are

struggling against the spirits of hell

and they have Millennia of experience

about how to catch us how to push us how

to trigger our our negative things our

negative behaviors or sins in

us I remember when I went into a

monastery and all of a sudden I no

longer had to rely on my feelings or my

bre or my instincts because I had this

community around me that was guiding me

and I had this freedom of no longer

being dependent upon what I felt and how

I felt I had them to teach me how to

react how to respond to the Temptations

that were coming my way and this was not

some sort of random Gathering of people

this is a gathering that is brought

together within the same church within

the same tradition shaped themselves by

the same experience of 2,000 years of

Christian battle against the

devil and that gave me Freedom it lifted

me up from

this network of of my own emotions and

my own logical thinking I mean think

think about your own life think how

passionately you have loved people in

your life with such passion that you

could have died for them and now think

where is that

relationship has it survived are those

people whom you loved in your 10 years

or your 20s are those people for whom

you you risked everything are they still

in your in your life in your heart do

they have still the same value I know

from my own experience and from the

experience of the people I know from

confession how I think the word is

fickle is that a word how how transient

and how unserious all our feelings can

be and also all our logical judgments

and thinking I know that there were

things I could have died for in terms of

what I thought values of this world and

then my mind changed and 10 years later

10 years down the line I no longer agree

with my own mind 10 years ago and the

emotions I have now no longer agree with

how I was feeling about certain things

or certain people 20 30 years ago I do

not want it's it's an active choice I do

not want you or myself or anyone else to

found our Salvation on these transient

waves of emotions and feelings and

thoughts that come and go and stay with

us for a while and then they leave us

because this is not the way

forward in the battle against the devil

and Christ tells us very plainly that we

do not do battle with human beings we do

battle with the

devil we lack his

experience he has Millennia old of

acquired experience about how to defeat

us we have a few years or a few

decades the only way the only way that

we can be equal in this knowledge about

the spiritual war is for us to join the

ranks of all those who have done battle

with the evil one in the past this is

why we rely on the tradition of the

church this is why we allow the prayers

of the Saints to shape the way in which

we ultimately end up praying with our

own words this is why we pray for our

minds to become the mind of the fathers

because otherwise we are an ant a little

insect struggling to defeat a

lion

don't allow

Pride to keep you away from the safety

of The Treasure of the tradition of the

church don't allow the voices of the

world that preach to us to be

self-reliant and to follow your own

feeling and your own Instinct don't

allow those voices which are just masks

for the voices of the devil to bring you

down the only way forward is to approach

Christ in humility and to follow his

friends it's not by accident that he

calls them his friends it's not by

accident that he sends them forward to

teach the world about how to follow him

it's not by accident that he tells them

those who honor me and follow me will

honor and follow you it's not by

accident that he tells them that those

who do not listen to you

don't even bother just move forward pray

for them keep them in your prayers but

move forward there is an act of being

taught how to follow Christ and that

teaching comes from Millennia of

experience it's not something that you

just make up as you go that's as dumb

spiritually as entering a battle as

going into Ukraine now or going into

wherever there's a major war like the

invasion of of Gaza and trying to do

battle there without you ever having

held a gun in your life you will

certainly

die what's even more

perverse is that in the spiritual battle

you can be dead and not even realize it

because the devil needs dead people who

are

successful in their spiritual lives the

devil needs needs them in the world

because then they become distractions

for others they become bad examples for

others and others will follow them

instead of following the church instead

of following the fathers those who have

lifted up their crosses and moved

forward with patience and with humility

being true followers of the one who

taught us to be humble like he is humble

and to follow him the way he follows the

father without the safety without the

shield of the tradition of the church we

shall be defeated sooner or later it

doesn't matter how alive you may feel in

your spiritual life because our feelings

are made of nothing we are made of

nothing our feelings are just the result

of you know the soups of hormones that

feed our brains they come they go they

change like Seasons they change like the

waves of the ocean that I see outside

there's no Rock no stability no truth in

them that stability and that truth only

belongs to the experience of the church

so if you want to fight the right way if

you want to be sa safe in your battle

against the enemy against our spiritual

enemy abandon your

own

tiny decade long experience and join the

ranks of those who are following those

who came before them who are following

those who came before them and so on and

so forth all the way down to the Holy

Apostles all the way down to the mouth

and to the truth that came out of the

mouth of Christ

himself I pray I genuinely pray that I

myself and all of us get to experience

one day

that release that freedom of no longer

having to follow these fleeting feelings

and thoughts of all

and that we find the safety and The Rock

the truth of Christ himself which is

hidden in plain sight in the Orthodox

Church be

blessed my beloved one be

blessed be

blessed amen amen

amen