Written by Greg Pantelidis BSc(Hons)
gregpantelidis@gmail.com
Obedience warriors! Obedience to our superiors makes us selfless, true, and happy.
Practice humility, helping, and love, always.
Always remember death and practice charity, humility, and continence always.
Always remember death and do not be attached to wealth, glory, or comforts. Remember that when death comes what has value is charity, humility, and continence.
The Lord is Holy and all that He creates is holy. Therefore all things are holy.
Spiritual counselors truly console. Secular counselors do not console properly the suffering of an Orthodox Christian.
The cross of suffering must be borne with patience, gratitude, and hope. The cross of suffering is poverty, dishonor, physical illness, and psychological illness.
Leave your own opinion and own will, and follow the common opinion and common will of the Orthodox Christian Church.
Seek the counsel and prayers of the humble and neptic fathers and mothers.
Are you crucified to food, possessions, glory, and romance? Are you living a life of fasting, charity, prayer, humility, obedience, and chastity?
Trust in the Providence of the Lord. The Lord will lead you to salvation. The Lord will lead you from virtue to virtue, knowledge to knowledge, and spiritual gift to spiritual gift.
Practice virtue with the co-working of the Lord. Practice faith, fasting, charity, prayer, humility, obedience, and chastity.
We must repent of every wrong thought, wrong feeling, wrong word, and wrong practice. To not repent is foolishness and the cause of perdition. (See Luke 13:3).
Repent, repent, repent! This is the call of the Lord. We cannot receive forgiveness and mercy any other way. Repentance is the only way.
Do not be a wrongdoer, a fool. Practice faith, fasting, charity, prayer, humility, obedience, and chastity.
What is the life of the secular church? The life of the secular church is: Unbelief, overeating, overpossessing, non-prayer, vanity, disobedience, lying, and unchastity. What is the life of the Orthodox Christian Church? The life of the Orthodox Christian Church is: Faith, fasting, charity, prayer, humility, obedience, truth-speaking, and chastity.
The spiritual life requires wholehearted devotion. A lukewarm devotee cannot succeed in the spiritual life.
Always contemplate death. When death comes all that has value is charity, humility, and continence. Wealth, glory, and pleasure have no value when death comes.
Every Orthodox Christian missionary must remember that great resistance is returned to a missionary who seeks to deliver people from attachment to wealth, glory, and pleasure. The enemies of salvation resist the message and deliverance of a missionary.
Study Holy Scripture day and night. Study Patrology day and night. Pray day and night. Practice Scripture precepts and Patrology precepts day and night.
We are all called to be spiritually married to the Lord. Marriage to the Lord is eternal life. Separation from the Lord is eternal torment. Those who heed the call, repent, and vow a life of chastity, charity, and obedience, become betrothed to the Lord. After death they will enter into marriage to the Lord.
When solitary we must practice our solitary work. When in company with others we must practice our social work. We must have discernment to not practice solitary work in company with others, or social work when solitary.
An Orthodox Christian makes himself a sacrifice to the Lord, devoting his freewill to the Lord.
Do not judge those who think, speak, or practice wrong. Recall the guilt they feel, the sorrow and the shame, the danger of eternal torment, the lament and suffering. Those who practice wrong deserve our pity, not our wrath and condemnation.
Do not expect anything and you will be grateful for all things.
Every person born into the world is a warrior of the Lord. Each person must wage war with the dragon and his angels.
Be careful to practice no injustice. Every single injustice will be judged by Lord Jesus. (See Matt. 10:26). Either we are judged and acquitted here through repentance, or face judgment on the Last Day.
Consider the following psychologies: Youth psychology, Teenage psychology, Young adult psychology, Adult psychology, Middle-age psychology, and Elderly psychology. These six psychologies must be considered from the point of view of canonical psychology and non-canonical psychology. Youth psychology is to learn the proper use of food and possessions. Teenage psychology is to learn the proper use of glory and romance. Young adult psychology is to learn the need for spirituality, work, monasticism or marriage. Adult psychology is to learn to be a canonical monastic or canonical parent. Middle-age psychology is to be a mentor in spirituality or work. Elderly psychology is to be a grandparent and a sage in your field.
Do not just eat and drink, buy and sell, seek reputation, and enjoy romance. Rather fast, give charity, seek humility, pray and study, practice obedience, and practice chastity.
An Orthodox Christian teacher must teach the following: 1) When death comes what has value is charity, humility, and continence. Wealth, glory, and pleasure are vain when death comes. 2) Pride and lust are the two great weapons of the enemy. Pride obscures faith and logic. Lust should be approached as fire which will burn body and soul. You must seek to be a monastic or marry early, before lust intensifies. 3) You must seek the Lord through study and prayer. 4) You must repent of every injustice in thought, feeling, word, and practice. Repentance is necessary for all the sacraments of the Orthodox Christian Church to be effective. 5) Refer all your matters to your mentor in Christ, your spiritual father.
Remember that every book, spiritual or secular, can be studied and practiced unto infinity. Each book has infinite knowledge to learn.
We must sorrow only for moral evil and not for natural evil.
Lord Jesus established the New Testament through His sacrifice on the Cross. All who partake of this sacrifice receive the forgiveness of sins, sanctification of soul and body, the engagement of the Holy Spirit, and hope of eternal life. Without the New Testament these four blessings are not bestowed on a person.
A true Orthodox Christian is co-crucified with Lord Jesus, co-resurrected with Lord Jesus, and awaits to be co-ascended at death with Lord Jesus, into the eternal kingdom of Lord Jesus.
You will achieve all things by your efforts and the Lord co-working. Remember that you require both factors: your own efforts and the co-working of the Lord.
A sign of good prayer or good study is to receive the Pentecost of the mind or the Pentecost of the heart. Always aim for these Pentecosts when you pray or study.
God answers all prayers. His answer though is frequently ‘no’.
If you return to the Lord in faith, repentance, humility, and obedience, He will bless you in every way, leading you from virtue to virtue, knowledge to knowledge, and spiritual gift to spiritual gift.
Pray, chant, and meditate always. Never be idle in these three.
We must repent and confess every wrong thought, wrong feeling, wrong word, and wrong practice. We will never be reconciled to God and our brethren unless we repent. To repent is life. To not repent is death.
Our life should contain our Grand Repentance which occurs at our conversion to Orthodox Christianity, and our continuing Lesser Repentance which occurs throughout our Orthodox Christian life.
Test your ideas. Ask your elders. Obey your elders. Do all things with testing, asking, and obeying.
Seek to change yourself only. You have the authority to change yourself. Do not seek to change others against their will. You do not have the authority to change others.
Some people have the attitude of a problem-solver. Other people have the attitude of a problem-creator. Always be positive. Always be a problem-solver.
Remember the two great horns of the dragon: pride and lust. We must always be on our guard against these two giants. We must always turn to the Lord and seek His help in fighting these two giants.
Remember the three common temptations: greed, vanity, and pleasure. Always abide in their antidotes: charity, humility, and continence.
The Lord is Almighty, but He cannot change a person who is unwilling. Only the willing and obedient can change. Only the willing and obedient can be helped by the Lord to change.
The Providence of the Lord governs every detail of life. We should say therefore that all good that comes to us is from the economy of the Lord, and that all evil is from our sins. We should trust completely in the Providence of the Lord.
The logical person asks his elders. (See Deut. 32:7). The logical person obeys his elders. (See 1 Peter 5:5).
Remember that what has value is charity, humility, and continence. Avoid what has no value: greed, vanity, and pleasure.
The ungodly see life as: Eat and drink, buy and sell, praise and be praised, give romance and receive romance. The godly see life as: Fast, give charity, avoid praise, and practice chastity.
Without faith in Lord Jesus there is no eternal life. (See John 6:47).
Will you join the army of Lord Jesus?
Oppose your thoughts by considering their antidotes. If your thought tells you that you are great, tell it: “I am the greatest of sinners.” If your thought tells you that you will perish, tell it: “I hope in the mercy of Lord Jesus to save me.”
We must repent and confess always. If we accept wrong thoughts, wrong feelings, wrong words, and wrong practices, we must repent and confess to an Orthodox Christian Confessor Priest. Without repentance and confession we cannot be absolved of our guilt.
Love persons, but hate their wrong thoughts, wrong feelings, wrong words, and wrong practices. To hate wrong is necessary.
Practice charity, humility, and continence, and these three will teach you all things.
Beware of old wrong thoughts and old wrong feelings. Identify them, repent of them, confess them, and think and feel them no more.
Orthodox Christian life begins with faith and repentance. These are the two foundations of the Orthodox Christian spiritual life. Always teach repentance. Always teach faith.
(1 Peter 2:17): “Honor all people.”
Repent and confess if you practice the following: 1) You do not give charity to him who asks of you. 2) You dishonor a person by your words, countenance, or practice. 3) You practice incontinence. Non-charity, dishonor, and incontinence are our three great transgressions.
Do not accept self-limiting thoughts. Your abilities are infinite in the Lord. (See Phil. 4:13).
Practice charity to all. Honor all. Practice continence always. These three constitute the true son or daughter of the Lord.
Are you seeking Presence, or are you seeking possessions?
You must break your self-limiting thoughts. It will be difficult at first but the Lord will help you.
Are you only increasing in wealth? Or are you increasing in Presence, virtue, wisdom, and spiritual gifts?
There is cosmic war going on between the priests of Lord Jesus and the priests of the dragon.
Orthodox Christian mysticism is the path that leads to detachment from wealth, glory, and pleasure. Such detachment seems death to the world, but this detachment is freedom and leads to true devotion to the Lord.
Proper repentance is to say goodbye to sin forever. You must never again practice the particular sin. After identifying your guilt, you must feel regret and remorse, confess to a Confessor Priest, and abstain henceforth from such transgressions.
Are you a branch of the vine of Lord Jesus? (See John 15:5). Abide in Lord Jesus and you will bear the fruit of virtue, wisdom, and spiritual gifts.
Reject self-limiting thoughts. The infinite power of the Lord wishes to raise you to perfection in virtue, wisdom, and spiritual gifts.
If you cling to self-limiting thoughts you hinder the infinite power of the Lord to work in you.
The desire of every spiritual teacher is that every person rises to the heights of perfection in virtue, wisdom, and spiritual gifts.
Stop clinging to the self-limiting thoughts of the enemy. You must move forward towards perfection. (See Matt. 5:48).
Our great enemy is self-limiting thoughts. These thoughts limit our visions.
Awake to the spiritual life! Detach from wealth, glory, and pleasure!
The worldly first will become last when the time of the Kingdom comes. (See Matt. 19:30).
Do not accept any hostile thought against another person. View all as holy, and yourself below all.
Guard your mind always. Reject every hostile thought. Guard your heart always. Reject every hostile feeling.
The Lord wills that you: 1) Repent, 2) Guard your mind, 3) Obey your superiors, 4) Be happy, 5) Enter eternal life.
Only the crucified and resurrected understand spiritual things. (See 1 Cor. 2:15). The uncrucified and unresurrected are attached to wealth, glory, and pleasure.
Have you transgressed in wealth, glory, comforts, or service? Then repent, confess, and correct yourself.
The worldly person is commended for speaking well, but a monk for keeping silence. The worldly person is commended for changing clothes, but a monk for wearing a single garment. The worldly person is commended for wealth and glory, but a monk for frugality and humility.
When death comes people will remember you for your charity, humility, and continence, not for your wealth, glory, or pleasure.
Read a daily portion of the ascetical writings. Guard your mind and heart. Remember death. Practice charity, humility, and continence.
Always guard your mind from illogical thoughts. Always test your thoughts. Always think good and logically. Always be simple, humble, and logical in thought.
Identify the two cultures: secular culture and Orthodox Christian culture. Observe the structures of secular culture, observe the structures of Orthodox Christian culture.
When you enter an Orthodox Christian church leave secular culture outside. Embrace the spiritual culture of Orthodox Christian services. Embrace the culture of worship and piety.
Practice obedience and logic always. Use logic and obedience in all situations. Obedience to superiors is necessary. Logic when there is no superior is also necessary.
Remember the Way of Darkness: Unbelief, overeating, overpossessing, non-prayer, vanity, disobedience, lying, unchastity. Remember the Way of Light: Faith, fasting, charity, prayer, humility, obedience, truth-speaking, chastity.
Are your superiors soft or hard? A soft superior lifts up. A harsh superior casts down and induces illogicality.
Trust in the Providence of the Lord. The Lord will lead you from virtue to virtue, knowledge to knowledge, spiritual gift to spiritual gift.
Obey your superiors. (See 1 Peter 5:5).
Always seek advice in the spiritual life. Seeking advice is security from delusion and heresy. Remember that all who fell into delusion and heresy were supported by their own ideas without seeking advice.
Live the life of wisdom: Charity, humility, continence. Reject the life of foolishness: Greed, vanity, and pleasure.
Practice your cyclic typikon with eagerness and joy. Practice your cyclic readings with joy. Practice your cyclic work routine with joy. Practice your cyclic duties with joy.
In your relationships practice the following three: First, humility. Second, respect. And third, love. You cannot reach love unless you practice first humility, and second respect.
When you hear or read about an idea or a precept, meditate on it, seeking to make it a reality in your life. There is no need to meditate on many ideas or precepts. Meditate on ideas and precepts one by one.
Do not be attached to the material. Seek the spiritual.
Remember that when death comes what has value is charity, humility, and continence.
