'I have fear of the Lord': Jon Voight says he strives to be 'righteous' after getting off track
In a moment of deep suffering and despair, actor Jon Voight said he had a revelation that life has a purpose and he had better "straighten out" so he could be "a vessel for God." Since then, a healthy "fear of the Lord" has kept him in check.
In an interview with Fox News opinion host Tucker Carlson for his daily show on Fox Nation, Voight, an Academy Award-winner who's been an actor in Hollywood for over 50 years, and is also known for being the father of actress Angelina Jolie, said he was facing hardship following a divorce and his career was struggling when a voice of "wisdom, kindness ... clarity" spoke to him. It was then that he realized he was not alone and known by God.
Voight said God spoke directly to him.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
While inside his small house, Voight said he was on the floor when he cried out loud, ‘It’s so difficult.’ Then he heard a voice in his ear tell him: ‘It’s supposed to be difficult.’”
“At that moment in time, I knew, I’m not alone,” Voight recalled. “Everything is known. … I am known.”
Voight said that although his parents were devout Catholics, his own faith wasn't strong up to that point. And while hearing the voice was unexpected, he felt "a tremendous energy" afterward and he began to believe someone was rooting for him.
Despite having been a person who didn't believe someone was actually listening to his prayers, after that divine encounter he realized he shouldn't give up and his life had a purpose.
“Now, I know we’re covered. … Everything we think, everything we say, everything, it’s known. … They say God knows every bird that falls. … We all are known. We're being observed, and helped and loved,” Voight continued in the interview. “And we're expected to get up and ... do what’s right. ... There’s a purpose here. And the purpose here is to learn our lessons and grow. And what's the big deal? To give to each other, and to be here and be of help."
Voight said the next morning he spoke to God directly and asked Him: “What do you got for me today?”
He turned on the radio and he heard the lyrics to the song "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise," which he sang to Carlson on the show: “I’ll build a stairway to paradise with a new step every day.”
For the next few days, Voight told Carlson he kept having strange things happen to him. “I was drawn to certain things from that point on, and I’ve had many, many experiences. But that was the beginning,” he added.
“So that’s the moment you realized that God is real, knows you and is on your side. What were the implications of that?" Carlson asked.
“I had to straighten out," Voight replied. "If I’m going to be a vessel for God, I better be cleaner than I was. I've got to be a righteous fellow.”
Voight said he has always had good role models. He described his parents as being very righteous throughout his life. However, he said, he had fallen off track at that time and it took hearing God's voice to encourage him to get back on track and be a better person.
“I have fear of the Lord. ... I got it. ... I am afraid of offending God. Because God is everything; God is love, God is all these beautiful things, beauty, everything. And how can I live up to that? I need a lot of help. I think that is the fear of the Lord. It keeps you on track," he added, explaining that he's not afraid of being attacked, but fears doing the wrong thing or making a terrible mistake.
In a previous interview with The Christian Post, Voight, who also stars in the movie "Roe v. Wade," stressed the importance of family and raised concerns about factions in society that are working to dismantle the family structure God designed.
"Family is so important, and family is being attacked by people who are really trying to tear down the fabric of our society, it's true,” Voight said at the time. “I don't want to get into any kind of conspiracy stuff, but it's really happening. So we have to protect the values of our country and the values of family and guide the focused lives; we have to protect that aspect.”
