How To Struggle Against Thoughts

Summary

The speaker discusses the challenges of overcoming passionate thoughts and self-abuse through spiritual practices. Emphasizing that thoughts will always persist, the key lies in watchfulness and prayer, particularly the Jesus prayer. The speaker explains that cultivating these practices requires persistence and struggle, aiming for continuous communion with God. They highlight the importance of maintaining a spiritual stance and vigilance to resist negative thoughts, using examples from the lives of Saints. Ultimately, the goal is to achieve freedom from passions and restore oneself to the image and likeness of God.

Takeaways

• 🙏 Entering the church can provide significant grace and help in stopping outward actions.
• 💭 Thoughts never completely stop; they are a constant part of our changing world.
• 🛡️ The challenge is not having thoughts but how to manage and control them.
• 👁️‍🗨️ It's important to train the intellect to be on guard and practice watchfulness.
• 🕊️ Prayer, particularly the Jesus Prayer, is crucial for managing thoughts and spiritual growth.
• 💪 Achieving effective prayer involves a struggle and persistence against old habits.
• 🙌 Cultivating a spiritual stance of watchfulness and prayer can help repel negative thoughts.
• 📜 The lives of saints show that persistent prayer and watchfulness lead to spiritual progress.
• ⏳ Significant spiritual practices, like fasting and intense prayer during Holy Week, serve as examples for daily life.
• 🎯 The ultimate goal of spiritual practices is to restore the image and likeness of God and become free from passions.

Q & A

What is the main challenge addressed in the video?

The main challenge addressed in the video is how to struggle against passionate thoughts and maintain spiritual watchfulness and prayer in the face of continuous and changing thoughts.

Why are thoughts described as constantly changing?

Thoughts are described as constantly changing because the world we live in is in a state of flux, and this constant change means that thoughts will never stop coming.

What is the importance of watchfulness and prayer according to the speaker?

Watchfulness and prayer are essential for maintaining control over one's thoughts and for spiritual growth. They help in being on guard against negative thoughts and in cultivating a constant desire for communion with God.

How does the speaker suggest one should handle thoughts of judgment or envy?

The speaker suggests handling thoughts of judgment or envy by being watchful and cultivating prayer. This includes being aware of such thoughts and actively working to repel them through spiritual practices.

What is the significance of the Jesus prayer in this context?

The Jesus prayer, 'Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me,' is significant as it has been a proven method for 2,000 years to help individuals focus their mind and spirit, aiding in the struggle against negative thoughts and promoting spiritual growth.

Why does the speaker emphasize the need for 'violence against the old man'?

The speaker emphasizes 'violence against the old man' to highlight the effort and determination required to overcome ingrained habits and thoughts that lead one away from spiritual growth. It signifies the struggle and persistence needed in spiritual practice.

What role does a spiritual father and the church fathers' writings play in this struggle?

A spiritual father and the writings of the church fathers provide guidance and understanding on what to watch for and how to deal with provocations. They are crucial for learning and maintaining spiritual watchfulness and prayer.

How does participating in church services and practices like fasting help in maintaining watchfulness?

Participating in church services and practices like fasting help maintain watchfulness by providing structured times of increased spiritual activity and mindfulness, which reinforce the habits of prayer and being on guard against negative thoughts.

What does the speaker mean by 'being the Lords over their manner and not slaves to the enemy'?

The speaker means that through watchfulness and prayer, one can gain control over their thoughts and actions, thereby not being passively influenced by negative thoughts or external provocations, and instead actively choosing actions that align with spiritual growth.

What is the ultimate purpose of spiritual practices according to the speaker?

The ultimate purpose of spiritual practices is to be fully restored to the image and likeness of God, becoming free from passions, and achieving communion and union with God.

Outlines

00:00

🛐 Overcoming Outward Actions and Managing Thoughts

The paragraph discusses the challenges of stopping outward actions like self-abuse with the help of religious practices and the greater struggle of controlling passionate thoughts. It emphasizes that thoughts are a constant part of life and the importance of not being passive receivers of these thoughts. The goal is to train the intellect to be vigilant, using watchfulness and prayer, particularly the Jesus Prayer, to manage thoughts effectively. The process involves continuous effort and discipline, often requiring lifelong dedication.

05:04

🙏 Cultivating a Stance of Continuous Prayer and Watchfulness

This section highlights the necessity of cultivating a stance of continuous prayer and watchfulness to maintain spiritual vigilance. It discusses the importance of being prepared to combat provocations and the role of spiritual guidance in this journey. The passage also addresses the challenge of maintaining this watchfulness outside of special religious periods like Holy Week and emphasizes the role of fasting and consistent spiritual practices in achieving autonomy from passions and thoughts. The ultimate goal is to restore the image and likeness of God in oneself and to be free from passions.

10:06

🎶 A Reminder of God's Presence

This brief segment, accompanied by music, serves as a reminder of God's presence and the ongoing spiritual journey.

Keywords

💡Grace

Grace refers to the spiritual assistance and favor bestowed by God. In the context of the video, entering the church and engaging with its Mysteries is described as a way to receive Grace, which helps individuals overcome outward sinful actions.

💡Watchfulness

Watchfulness is the spiritual practice of being constantly alert and attentive to one's thoughts and actions. The video emphasizes that continuous watchfulness, along with prayer, is crucial for combating intrusive and negative thoughts.

💡Prayer

Prayer is the act of communicating with God. The video highlights the importance of the Jesus Prayer, 'Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me,' as a central practice in maintaining spiritual vigilance and resisting sinful thoughts.

💡Passionate thoughts

Passionate thoughts are intense, often negative emotions or desires that can lead one away from a spiritual path. The video discusses the struggle against such thoughts, suggesting that they are a lifelong challenge requiring continuous effort and spiritual discipline.

💡Spiritual father

A spiritual father is a mentor or guide in one's spiritual journey. The video suggests that guidance from a spiritual father, combined with personal prayer and watchfulness, is essential for understanding and combating negative thoughts.

💡Prostrations

Prostrations are a form of physical devotion involving bowing or lying face down in prayer. The video describes how saints and ascetics perform numerous prostrations as part of their prayer routines, demonstrating their dedication and struggle against their old sinful nature.

💡Ascetics

Ascetics are individuals who practice severe self-discipline and abstention from indulgence, often for religious reasons. The video references ascetics who reach great heights of spiritual purity and control over their thoughts through rigorous practices.

💡Self-abuse

Self-abuse in this context likely refers to harmful behaviors or actions driven by negative thoughts or passions. The video discusses the struggle to overcome such behaviors, emphasizing the role of spiritual practices and church Mysteries in aiding this process.

💡Mysteries

Mysteries in the Orthodox Christian context are sacraments or sacred rites that convey divine grace. The video mentions how participating in these Mysteries provides spiritual strength and helps individuals stop outward sinful actions.

💡Jealousy and Envy

Jealousy and Envy are negative emotions where one covets what others have. The video discusses how these thoughts frequently occur and advises on how spiritual vigilance and prayer can help in recognizing and combating these feelings.

Highlights

Entering the church provides significant grace to help stop outward actions.

Stopping self-abuse is relatively easy, but struggling against passionate thoughts is a lifelong challenge.

Thoughts never stop because the world is constantly changing; the key is how we deal with them.

The question is not about having thoughts, but whether we become slaves to them or can control and set them aside.

Watchfulness and prayer are the two pillars of spiritual life in combating thoughts.

The Jesus prayer, 'Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me,' is central to Orthodox spirituality.

Cultivating prayer and watchfulness requires continuous effort and violence against the old man.

Saints often practice intense and lengthy prayer rules, including thousands of Jesus prayers and prostrations.

The goal of these practices is to achieve uninterrupted communion with God.

Being on guard and watchful allows one to repel intense provocations and thoughts.

Continuous preparation and stance of watchfulness are essential for spiritual combat.

Holy Week and Pascha are not exceptions but examples and rules for a spiritual life.

The ascetics and saints fast continually to maintain watchfulness and avoid being slaves to the enemy.

Understanding the ultimate purpose of spiritual practices is crucial to their effectiveness.

The end goal is to be fully restored to the image and likeness of God and be free from passions.

Transcripts

let's say this person has some success

maybe he enters the church and that's a

big help you know for people uh that was

a help for me in my experience entering

the church you get a lot of Grace from

the Mysteries to help you to stop these

outward actions those are actually the

easy ones to stop but then we go into

the realm of f

which is a struggle probably a lifetime

struggle um so let's say so the person

is able to stop the self-abuse but then

they still are having passionate

thoughts so can you give us some advice

for how to struggle against

thoughts so first and foremost the

thoughts never stop because there is

this this whole world we live in is is

is in Greek prepos which means

constantly changing

and the thoughts will never stop so the

question is not are you going to have

thoughts of course you're going to have

thoughts are you going to have thoughts

that are at least for most people I mean

there are there are atics who reach

Great Heights of total dispassion and

they they're in another realm but for

the for vast majority of us we're going

to have always have thoughts and we're

going to deal with them the question is

how and what thoughts and how are we

going to be slaves to them are we going

to be uh able to look at them look at

them and put them aside and and have

have that which is going to elevate us

as opposed to bring us

down so

um let's think about let's for instance

let's think about some thought that

moves us to judgment or

[Music]

to uh comes and undermines us and uh

which is very very often in confession

you'll hear especially women come and

say you know I'm moved to jealousy Envy

Ang

um you know by these these thoughts and

I'm thinking about these

people and so how do we get ahead of

that how do we get ahead of that so

we're not just just victims and we just

like passive receivers I mean because

that's that's the nature of of the

passes right we're we're passive

receivers they they act on us from the

outside not we controlling them same

thing happens in the realm of the

thoughts so how do we get ahead of the

thoughts and and our in

control um the only way we're going to

be able to do that is to train our

intellect to be on guard continually to

be at the to have watchfulness right

nipes in Greek so the C the heart of the

spiritual life there's two things and

that in terms of Prayer in terms of the

inner man right it's watchfulness and

prayer that's that's everything if you

read the Pia read the writings of the

church fathers on these topics that's

the the pillars the pillars so you can't

just have watchfulness without prayer

you can't have prayer without watch

because the thoughts are constantly

coming so you you through the prayer the

Jesus prayer first and foremost and what

has been handed down to us and proven

for 2,000 years is the prayer of Jesus

the Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me

and at the heart of the hesus life and

the Heart of every Monastery that is

making progress spiritually is going to

be the prayer and so

uh when we get up in the morning before

we go to bed and throughout the whole

day but especially in our rule in the

morning we cultivate the prayer and the

prayer is going to be achieved in the

sense of becoming a part of our uh inner

life is going to be achieved with

violence against the old man it's not g

to come easy you're gonna have to push

yourself and you're GNA have to push

your intellect and your intellect is

going to fall away again and again and

again you're going to bring it back

again and again and again and this

process will go on for quite some time

time maybe for the all for all of us the

rest of our life um and that's that's

what you see in the lives of the Saints

you see for instance St Joseph hesus all

night long they'll have their prayer

rule which could be you know if you want

to just get a sense of just the degree

of love and and and violence against the

old man that these men practiced you

just just think about the the rule that

they had which very few people could

could withstand today but their rule

would be thousands upon thousands of

every night prayers Jesus prayers and

also um Most Holy Theus most holy mother

of God save us if they were in younger

age they would be in hundreds and

hundreds if not more and sometimes they

talked about even more prostrations full

prostrations to the ground saying the

prayer in the in the desert there uh and

then after they got the rule done then

they would have just hours of prayer

without any numbers without counting

anything right so that would be the time

of noetic prayer where there just

focused in their noose right in their in

their Spirit on the the on the prayer uh

and so so what is that all that's that's

the the focus of the whole person

Desiring communion with God and asking

and begging and knocking at the door to

have that communion to be in communion

be uninterrupted communion with God uh

and that's that's that's the The Stance

of all Orthodox Christians whether we

have thousands or hundreds or de or or

or or dozens of prayers That's The

Stance we need to cultivate to be always

desires some of communion and Union with

God so if we are H if we have that

spiritual stance we're cultivating the

prayer we're

watchful we're learning over time

through the GU guidance of a spiritual

father and through reading of the church

fathers what to watch for how to

understand the coming then when the

provocation comes because they're always

come all the time but certain

provocations really intense provocations

if you're on guard over your soul in

your heart then you're going to have a

chance to repel the enemy right but if

you are totally sleeping or not even

near the gate or or the gate is wide

open they're going to walk right in

that's that there's no there's no battle

there there's no there's no struggle

there we're just we're just passive

receivers of the thoughts right so you

got to get on the gate you got to be

over the the city wall on guard and you

got to see the enemy coming and that's

only going to happen when you're

cultivating it you're prepared from the

day beginning of the day you're you're

prepared to fight right your stance so

that's how you're going to deal with

those thoughts so the thoughts are going

to come and especially if you've if

you've given yourself over in the past

to this passion or other passions you've

become a slave to them you've become

addicted to these things you've you've

you as I said you've dug the canal so

that the the water easily flows to and

fro and comes comes back then you're

going to have even more patience

necessary and more of a struggle over

time but by the grace of God we have we

we can achieve many degrees of autonomy

from that and Union with God over time

by the grace of God through humility

through obedience through prayer you can

and and many have come freed from even

that lifestyle in life that you led

before baptism which was so ingrained in

fulfilling and becoming a slave a slave

and obedient to the

passions you can become free but it's

going to take a struggle it's going to

take a struggle in that cultivation of

the of that stance and that watchfulness

there's no other way around it I don't

know of any other way and I don't think

any other way has come down to us to be

free of the thoughts uh that are

besieging

us uh the thought things I'm thinking

about right now is uh that this seems to

be easier like around uh Holy Week in

PCA when you're going to church every

day and you're kind of it's a a time of

more intense

watchfulness but uh it's easier to fall

away from that watchfulness the rest of

the year you

know absolutely but just the fact that

you just said that and we recognize that

and we all Shake our head what does that

tell us that it's possible yeah with God

it's possible uh the church gives us 40

days and the pasca I mean the Holy Week

and pasca not as an exception but as as

an example and as the rule for our life

so we have to remember that um it's

exceptional to fast as we do during the

40 days before pasca and maybe we won't

actually you know keep that that fast

from particular Foods throughout the

year obviously but the stance can be

applied the watchfulness the mindfulness

that's the that's

why that's why the the the Aesthetics

fast that's why the Saints fast

continually is to maintain the

watchfulness and therefore to be the

Lords over their Manner and not to be

slaves to the to the enemy uh that's the

end goal right I think I think a lot of

people today they don't understand why

and what they're doing in church like

why do I go to church unfortunately much

of what passes as Orthodox spiritual

life is is more is more akin to a

western

moralism than than an orthodox spiritual

life today and so we've got a first and

for foremost say why am I what am I

doing why am I getting up at 4 or 5 in

the morning saying to Jesus prayer

what's the end goal why do I go to

church why do I commune what's the point

and it is to be totally and fully

restored to the image and likeness and

become a become a free from the passions

that's the ultimate purpose of our life

in Christ the Incarnation you know bring

man back to the the way God intended him

to be um so we have to keep that always

before

[Music]

us my God

is