I invite you to take a look at my books here: www.amazon.co.uk/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AFather+Spyridon+Bailey&s=relevancerank&text=Father+Spyridon+Bailey&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1
From personal experience, finding the bottom is necessary to rebuild a solid foundation. I drank a couple shots short of a 1/2 gallon of booze daily for years. Medical induced coma from delirium tremors and major pancrentitus attack for a month. Had to learn to walk again. 2 weeks later I relapsed for a month. Woke up one day and said enough. That was over 8 years ago and I haven't had a drop. I am nobody special, not built differently, nothing. Life is too wonderful and short for bullshit! You have more power than you know. I hope this finds you well, and of course may God bless you!
A tree is an amazing creation of God. It springs up and takes in all the carbon dioxide, all the poisons that would kill us and releases the oxygen that keeps us alive. It gives Life to all living creatures as does the CROSS of Christ. I cannot Father graff myself into a tree but through struggling I hope to be grafted into the tree of Life. I hope in my Savior and He is the husbandman who can graff me in to it. Please pray for me.
Beautifully spoken. We are wronging God every day, yet every day, God comes to us, and forgives. In all His glory. Yet if someone wrongs us, wretched sinful people, we hesitate with forgiveness. It moved me inside, I know I will remember this message, thank you for this video. God bless
Another timely and outstanding video. The sin of pride is so strong and this message is perfect for this season of the Church to fight this sin. Thank you.
Thank you Father. As a Catholic you have taught me much. I will pray for you and your fortitude. I will pray to carry my own cross and others to put the old man to death and let the new man rise. I pray that one day we can all see how much we can learn from one another.
Father you have a way with painting a great picture of how good Christians should be. I keep a note pad & pen nearby when I hear your talks. You have great wisdom. Thanks for carrying the message of Christ to me in such an understanding way.
Your blessing father. I have noticed that my first experience with God's grace was when I was young and with problems ( financial, career, love etc). As I get older those problems are no longer there, and the devil uses the absence of problems to create in me a false sense of stability. The prideful, like myself, sometimes think that this stability is earned, and not given by God. Here is where pride takes me out of communion with God and I start befriending the world and sin. Your homily today was specially edifying because you emphasized the reality of carrying ones cross in a very direct way. I will us this video to practice continuous humility and thankfulness. Thank you father for your work. Please pray for me.
May the Lord bless you, father. Thanks to you, I have taken up fasting twice each week and have been working on ceaseless prayer: Both have helped me struggle against sin! Never doubt what these videos mean to your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Please remember, your prayer and fasting (doing it as a daily rule), especially fasting, MUST be done WITHIN the Church. Are you Orthodox? Please do not try too much on your own without the guidance of a spiritual father. Trying to lead a spiritual life without the Church and without a guide can lead us into many problems and traps of the Devil. The greatest and easiest trap to fall into is “pride”. Without the Church and a guide, we can think we are making spiritual progress, yet we’re driving off the cliff.
Father you are wonderful Teacher and Priest God bless you and keep you safe from all Evil attacks and May blessings be upon you... Bless us all Father ✝️✝️✝️🙏🙏🙏❤️
Thank you Father Spyridon. I am today grateful for my Greek Orthodox religion. I also have alcoholism, I have been sober for 27 years by the Grace of God, because I have a medical illness for which there is no medical solution - This was proven in the 1930's in Akron, US. A Spiritual Solution is what has been proven to work. Each day, as part of my continuous Spiritual and emotional sobriety growth, I surrender my self will to God, asking Him to replace it with His will for me. I do this surrendering self will throughout the day, because I can so quickly take self will back in a few seconds! Thank you, I deeply love listening to your Spiritual guidance videos. 🙏💙
@Llahsram Auhsoj well it doesn’t hurt to serve as something for introducing orthodoxy. The teachings of the father are important to follow as well, but to deny the holy gospel and it’s teachings along with the church and the holy fathers would be missing the mark. We need the whole of it all. We need the truth. To deny something for aid would be damaging to us. Let us explore. I also feel there’s more context to what was quoted as well.
It's ok. I expected more from the Church Fathers in the commentary though. I think that aspect could have been greatly enriched by taking a more Patristic-centred approach.
It’s great and one I’d recommend, there are other Orthodox Bibles as well that I think are great too. I’d say having a few of these is always great and can give you plenty of insight in not the scripture and the patristic teachings. People complain the OSB isn’t full enough of patristic commentary don’t realize the undertaking it is to put together something like the OSB, it’s a great base and one that helps you understand and study the scriptures. There’s plenty of supplemental Orthodox text that can fill in any gaps that you might be in the OSB, this is why we have these supplemental text.
Enjoying and hopefully growing in Christ because of your teachings father. After listining to many protestant teachers over the years your teaching is both informative and insightful. Thank you my brother
Proverbs 1:8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Colossians 1:23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
We must care for the body God gave us. Physically, mentall and spiritually. A duty. Not just neglect and fall apart. Soldiers are fed and clothed and given medical care. God loves us as children. We care for our children also.❤
Naked, small and helpless, you now pass on to the most difficult of all human tasks: to conquer your own selfish desires. Ultimately it is just this "self-persecution" on which your warfare depends, for as long as your selfish will rules, you cannot pray to the Lord with a pure heart: Thy will be done. If you cannot get rid of your own greatness, neither can you lay yourself open for real greatness. If you cling to your own freedom, you cannot share in true freedom, where only _one_ will reigns. - Tito Colliander, Way of the Ascetics
Regarding being the first to pursue reconciliation after someone has wronged us…I believe this does not apply to people who are narcissists or evil. Such people do not, as a general rule, seek peace and harmony with others, but rather they seek to take advantage of you. Seeking reconciliation with such people would only embolden their abuse and actually is not even good for them in the long run. You’d be doing them a favor by disengaging. Doesn’t the Bible also say that God turns his face from us sometimes when we deliberately sin?
Hello Father Spyridon from an Eastern Orthodox in Serbia, it is great to see an English gentleman becoming Eastern Orthodox. This is really a painful and difficult topic. When I desire something, it is difficult to distinguish is it God's will in me or just will of my ego or even will of some demon. We need humility in order to look at the things with more clear eyes, but it is still difficult. I think I can understand that some people want to follow their self-will and try everything in order to gain experience, those people I call "stone spirits", the soul feels frightened and endangered in the company of such, the soul desires for a quiet humble man who speaks little and contemplates and meditates more. I am not an idiot to just go around and try everything, it would be too spiritually low for me, I feel that I know what I want and what I don't want.
Thank you father!!! Ever since I’ve been reborn I’ve been struggling because I don’t know what that means. How and when to know when we do things we love vs gods will - is it overcoming sins alone? Also beautiful background - looks like a green screen because it’s so still 😂💚 Please explain more on gods will in our lives and how to recognize it 🙂
I wanna learn but my unwise heart wonders just how to practically do this especially as a parent. How goes basic week with children and all earthly obligations and other peoples needs around yourself without getting physically killed in sleep deprivation etc.
Change brought about through our heavenly father's will cannot ever be called heresy. Change being brought about through our own eyes in opposition to our heavenly father's will while being called heresy. The fruit of that sort of thing is called only wrath and bitterness.
Confused about one thing you said, father, that Christ laid aside his own will at gethsemane. as God cannot be divided, didn’t he have the same will as the father? please instruct thank you
Define "self will" either "positive" or "negative". Please. I think an "adult" person can do anything they want as long as it doesn't "hurt" another thing (animal, human, plant, environment, property). Oh by the way, define "hurt".
Asking of humans to lose their will is firstly an oxymoron because you need to will that action to happen which is a performative contradiction just like budists desire to abandon all desire. how do you make someone do the opposite of their desire ? I don't desire any afterlife , how do i make myself desire it ? how does one make himself desire what he doesn't desire already ? When i was a kid our orthodoxy teacher told us that we must simultaneously fear and love god. how can that be ? i realized even as a kid that that's impossible those are mutually exclusive emotions. and how would one even make himself have an emotion if it's not already implanted inside them involuntarily ? even when i was a christian I never loved god, which is what J.C. demands in the book. How could I, if i'm afraid for my self preservation and he's extorting obedience out of me ? Ultimately you have to ask yourself why would a benevolent god create a being that he implanted in desires that he himself despises ? where did the will come from, if not from god himself? could we have possibly created our own will ? how would we create our own will if we didn't have the will already by default ? could we invent the sin of lust ? which is nothing else but the instinct to reproduce, without which we would become extinct . If god is mad at human's will then there is only one guy in the room to blame, and point the finger at : himself. He created this reality he is responsible for it, we chose none of this. we didn't chose either our will or our desired or being pushed into existence in the state of vicarious original sin. why are we guilty of adam's sin that we didn't do ? And why would adam himself be guilty of anything if he had no discernment of sin, since he had no knowledge of it ? god is creating accusations for humans, then blames humans of the things that he inflicted upon them. It's exactly as if I created a computer with a malfunction programmed in it's hardware, and i knew exactly how this computer would fail, and when it inevitably does so, I get mad at it and set it on fire with gasoline. It is impossible for me to distinguish between the instincts and thoughts in my mind (the self will as you call it) and myself as a mind. I identify with it, the will IS me ? what else would I be? why would god implant will in me and then demand that I somehow abandon it ? just to make me suffer? and even if i wanted to do it, I don't know how to do it. it's impossible! what you people are demanding is impossible. that's probably why the church came up with this demand, because it's impossible to meet, so that believers feel perpetually unworthy and inadequate. But suppose for a second that a human could somehow deplete himself of his will and desires and thoughts. what would that human even be at the end ? a nothing? what else is there left of a mind ? Is this what J.C. wants from humans, an empty hust with no life, no desire to exist, only self loathing and fear ? what is the point of existence at that moment? what has been achieved other then the ruination of a human? I find it ironic that you people talk about the meaning of life, and how atheism does not provide a meaning to life. ok then what is the meaning of life in christianity ? because I found none.
To love God completely, and His Son. To do His Commands. To love your neighbor. To enjoy the Peace and Love of doing His will, for all eternity. May you find that peace! Love to you!
휴전을 한다고 하는데..빨리 휴전을 하는게 좋읍니다....경제에 집중하시면 잘 될것입니다. 그러기 위해선 유럽과미국의 관계가 좋아야 합니다.....그러면 잘 풀릴것입니다.. 러시아에 경제는 러시아의 지도부의 의지에 따라 굉장히 빨리 잘될것입니다.....러시아 정부가 의지만 있다면 아주 잘될것입니다. 우리나라만 하더라도 세계 최고의 빌딩..도시건설을 다 했기 때문에 ....러시아 경제는 아주쉽습니다. 증거가 있기 때문에 조사 하면 다나옵니다...다시 반복드리지만 유럽과 미국을 적대시하지 마시고 좋은 관계로 유지 하셔야 합니다. 우크라이나와 러시아에 평화가 빨리 오기를 바라겠읍니다 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
@@TheRealRealOK he specifically doesn't here, but this emphasis on denying one's will has some implications that the will is inherently evil.(which... technically yes, any non-God being is corruptible and therefore at least open to the possibility of evil)
@@idfk_vfx No, it doesn’t. Orthodox believe that free will can also mean choosing between multiple goods. I can choose to direct my will toward God and what He wills or I can direct my will away from God and toward what I want (my passions). Fr. Spyridon is referring to the latter.
What a misunderstanding!!! And here is why, read if you dare Galatians 5:18 "Furthermore, if you are being led by spirit, you are not under law." And Revelation 1:6 "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." We are kings and without laws, and we are with the crucifixion of our flesh and in a new identity as knowingly spirits united with our heavenly father and the Son as told in John 17:21 "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." Conclusion, let's love UNCONDITIONALLY the Father, the Son and our fellowmen in the faith
"If you are being led by The Spirit" "All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God" "If it were not for the Law, I would not have known sin" Humbly, for your consideration. Love to you!
@No Way Your "The Spirit" is not in the Greek Bible. Look it up, it's a hoax. Are your citations saying that Paul is contradicting himself or are you stating further that we are under no law? Paul is talking about realizing that we are children of God as spirits. Romans 8:16 makes this very clear "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God" Or 1 Corinthians 2:11 refers to our own personal spirit differing from God's spirit "For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." Read the context and see that you can understand the depth of even God with this knowledge. It was common speak among Christians referring to their spirits and found everywhere in the scriptures, here 2 Timothy 4:22 "The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen." God bless you.
Salvador Dali the heretic - I mean I guess, but are we talking about his rendition of a vision by St John of the Cross? So quick to condemn the west, the message sounds tainted.
Roman Catholics are the most persecuted church because it was the true church. But now because of the modernisation of Roman Catholic Church, Society of Pope Pius X is the True church of Lord Jesus Christ. Sadly there aren’t many of these churches.
Satan follows the will of the Father. Satan is a tool that the Father put here to exercise us and he is carrying out his task exactly as it was predestinated before the world began. Look at Job when Satan came among the sons of God. There is no rebellion there, he had to give an account of his work. The Father is in control of everything. We have no power other than what He has given us. Just as Christ told Pontius that he had no power other than what the Father had given him. Free will is an illusion.
Mmm. Question to the 51k subscribers: Why does “do not covet thy neighbour 🇺🇦” provoke a really good homily from Fr Spyridon after weeks of unprovoked barbarism from Russia in Ukraine, without a hint of a challenge to Russia’s government by an allegedly Christian Russian Orthodox Church? No priest or pastor I know has avoided the issue in homilies. It is totally depressing and underwhelming that an anglophone Russian Orthodox priest has neither opinion, insight nor advice on the issue. Very sad and disheartening. Shames the Russian Orthodox Church to be frank and undermines all the otherwise solid teaching.
Perhaps he’s not interested in letting the media, a viciously anti-Christian network that never tells the truth, dictate the contents of his mind or heart.
I presume in demanding a priest speak on the political issues you choose, you assume he says things with which you agree. Do you demand the American priests speak out on Somalia and Yemen?
@@olgapedinski6115 I’m not asking for a political opinion, it’s a case of having a moral, pastoral interpretation of what is happening in Ukraine, how should we be praying for the situation and the thousands of souls dying there daily. A Church without social action or perspective will find it hard to deliver the gospel in a challenging way to modern society.
@@brotheraugustine Understandable but if, for example, the UK annexed the Republic of Ireland (again) in such a brutal fashion as that in Ukraine and Anglican priests were silent on the issue, one could only conclude that either the Anglican Church was in collusion with the government, oppressed by the government or indifferent to the plight of people’s suffering!?! Which of these is it in the present case of the Russian Orthodox Church? To western anglophones it seems the former which, regardless of the undoubtedly solid teaching it proclaims, casts the Russian Orthodox Church in a very demeaning shadow.
The world preaches "self care". Christ taught denial of self. I pray I can be like the Widow, who gave her two mites in faith. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.
If God has given you a mission you MUST care for self. If you are a mother you have an OBLIGATION TO CARE FOR SELF. Or you will darn near destroy your family. You have to use common sense.
I must testify Jesus healed my heart issues a month ago. I was afraid to return to work, a whisper told me Trust Jesus. I do just that everyday. Repent people for I tell you Jesus is real and will return soon to stop this madness. Read the holy word everyday if even for 5 minutes.
I was struggling with something similiar recently and read "Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." - Proverbs 16:3 Whatever we do we should strive to glorify God
Amen, regarding the daily Bible reading! I watch n.bol on YT for NKJV audio/visual books of the Bible. You can listen while doing the dishes or getting the kids ready for bed. :)
Thank you father for introducing me to orthodoxy. I have found you a few months ago and am now starting to read the philokia. I never knew about orthodoxy, though being a Christian for many years. I find such help reading the lives of the old church Fathers, and saints, and find myself gaining help from these teachings more and more. Thank you!
It is good to hear that you are drawn to Orthodoxy. But a word of caution. The Philokalia is a very advanced collection of spiritual writings by tough ascetics and monks who have battled with many vices and passions and many have become saints. You might not understand (I am not saying that I do, which I do not) a concept or a word that might lead you astray or put you off completely. It would be best to start with something more down to our level. God bless you
The book “Way of a pilgrim” is a condensed and easier to read book on the teachings of the Philokalia and the Jesus prayer. I would say that might be a little more accessible, however attending a vespers service on Saturday night would be better if you are interested.
Thank thank you all for your comments. And yes the philokia here’s a very in-depth read. I wouldn’t necessarily consider myself a newbie at least two theology I have five years of studying theology on the college level and have been preaching (independent fundamental baptist) for around 13 years. As I stated above I had never really looked into orthodoxy. We did cover some of it in college but mostly all I got from that was that it was just another Catholic whore (please excuse me I mean no offense neither do I now believe that).! I find it rather startling that much of what we consider within the Protestant denominations as Catholic or Orthodox he is so very wrong from what the actual teaching sort. I have watched many documentaries in recent months and also subscribed to many of the different orthodox theology channels or different priest or fathers as I find their views fascinating. I do understand what you were saying about the different people who wrote the book. And their personal struggles. I had recently rid of a man who struggled so much with lust that he ran naked into a thornbush. Personally I find these accounts of struggles so greatly helpful, because I am also a man of like passions that struggles and have struggled for years even though considering myself saved and living a decent Christian life. What really is appealing to me about orthodoxy is its humility and its deep sins and longing for God. Within our denomination if you listen to any preaching at all much of it comes off as extremely prideful and over the years this has become a major diss taste to me and often times has left me unsatisfied even doing it myself. Where I live there is only one Orthodox Church in the area but it is a Greek orthodox and currently I don’t really know the difference between Greek or Russian or Ukrainian I do understand there are many different splinters of churches all representing the one main church. Just pray for me on this journey I do hope that eventually I can be led to someone that I could talk to one on one about different beliefs and why certain things are done the way they are. At first I had a major fall out with the fact that orthodox do not believe in Sola Scriptura, but after hearing father trenham explain that in acts when the Jewish believers wanted the gentile believers to be circumcised, and no scripture to guide them, they had to consult the early fathers…. -which makes sense to me- Just keep me in prayer as I go along this journey RU-vid is most valuable I’ve also found many podcasts and radio programs currently I listen to ancient faith radio constantly as I enjoy it’s theological discussions. I do hope and pray to take a trip to Mt Athos someday, and I do find the hestchastic lifestyle wonderful. Like I said please pray for me! Thank you.
Each time i listen to you Father Spiridon, my day gets brighter, my soul more enlightened towards God, & i feel less lonely. May god bless us all through Jesus Christ
I sometimes daydream about what it would be like to have no worries; usually this involves fantasies of wealth. I kid myself about all the good id do with it. However, if im honest it's just another selfish, run of the mill, desire. However, i do pray that the Father's will be done. I realise that my will and my following temporal desires is not the way to fulfillment. Love in Jesus.
"Consider yourself worse and more infirm than all others in spiritual respects, and despise, hate yourself for your since- this is pious and right- and be indulgent to others, respect and love them in spite of their sins." St John, Wonderworker of Kronstadt. The sayings at the end always move me.
Humility is the solid foundation of all virtues. Thank you again, Father Spyridon, for your inspiration and for sharing your wisdom. God bless you and keep you.
