Young man joins the military. He is in boot camp. He becomes homesick. He misses mom. He misses his favorite meals. He misses beating the block with his homies. He misses a lot of things. His drill sergeants are mean. He has to do things he doesn't care to do. When Drill Sergeant says jump, he jumps.... or else. At night, he cries into his pillow some. By the end of bootcamp, there was an acceptance of his situation. Mom wrote letters to him, and sent him goodies from home. He became used to Drill Sergeant, and even learned to appreciate the lifestyle some. He learned to be motivated. Our young man, he went through some States of The Soul.
A soul is a person. Part of the soul is identity. A young man accepting his new identity as soldier, that may hurt. There is a process. Given a new soldier deploys to combat.....he continues on his journey towards being Hardened. Artillery could be hitting landing near him, he learned to sleep through it. Boot camp was just the beginning of the journey. Afterwards, our soldier, he looks at new recruits as young and green. He sees people differently. He see or sense the lack of hardness in someone.
Joseph from the Bible, he was loved. He was loved by his mom and dad. He had a big family with many brothers. He enjoyed shepherding his dad's herds, and holiday feasts with family and friends. Joseph was given a coat of many colors, a great honor. Suddenly, Joseph was sold into slavery. All those nice things he had before, they were taken away. Would he ever see his family again? Joseph may have had to accept his situation. In acceptance, he went through some States of the Soul. In going through that transition, he may have had to "Hold Tight to" or Cleave Unto God. He couldn't rely on mom and dad. He didn't know if he would be safe. He had to learn to lean on God.
Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12:25)
Growing in Faith with God, there may be several States of the Soul a man needs to go through. The Desert Fathers lived hard. They fasted and lived in isolation. Monks in monasteries may have been living hard. Various men, growing in faith, chose to live hard. They needed to go through some States of the Soul.
Given someone is becoming a leader in Christianity, and they haven't gone through these States of the Soul......they may have a hard time leading men into faith.
I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. (1 Timothy 2:12)
Men and women have different trials. Men and women are different.
Was
a Pastor a Utilitarian, aligned with War Protestors during Vietnam, and
philosophers working to build "Alternative Masculinity?" That Pastor
was a false teacher. Faith is a journey. He didn't have the trials.
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)
To consider it all joy when a man faces trials, he may have had to have gone through some States of the Soul. God likes Glory. Glory is gained through overcoming trials.
Philosophically, is there more to States of the Soul? Probably. For our purposes here, States of the Soul as an idea or concept are being pointed out to you.
Growing in faith, someone who had suffered, and been through trials, he may be able to find God and advance quicker, depending on his heart, than a young man who had grown up Christian. Someone who had suffered had already been through several States of the Soul.
Growing in Faith, there are several States of the Soul a man may need to go through. A Christian learns to Hold Tight To or Cleave Unto God.
Does the Battle Hymn of the Republic make someone nervous for some reason? Given it did, someone there in their soul, they may have accepted some "Alternative Masculinity" from false teachers and Utilitarian/Secular Humanists.
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