Jon Voight, one of Hollywood's most well-known and seasoned actors for decades, recalled a time in his life when things were rough, but following an encounter with God, he knew he needed to straighten himself up.
During an interview with Fox News presenter Tucker Carlson, Voight said that he was in a lot of difficulty following a divorce and had some issues when he found himself on the floor repeating to himself, "It's difficult."
He said he heard a voice telling him that it was supposed to be difficult. He got up with renewed energy, touched by the "wisdom" and "kindness" of that voice.
"Everything is known. I am known. That's what it meant to me," he told Tucker.
"Somebody's rooting for me. It's like, don't give up. There's a purpose here. You've got a way to go son. And I felt great," he added.
Voight explained that he was just concerned about survival at the time. When he switched on his radio the following day, the song "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise" was playing, and the lines "I'll build a stairway to paradise with a new step every day" stayed with him.
Voight explained that he was just concerned about survival at the time. When he switched on his radio the following day, the song "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise" was playing, and the lines "I'll build a stairway to paradise with a new step every day" stayed with him.
He said that he had that kind of experience for several days when things simply started happening and he was immediately drawn to certain things.
"So that's the moment when you realize that God's real, knows you, and is on your side right? What were the implications of that? Well, I had to straighten out if I'm going to be a vessel for God," he went on.
The actor said that he had excellent role models in his life. He characterized his father as "a very righteous man." He also had his mother and many other wonderful people in his life, but he went off course, which he soon realized at that time.
Voight said that he has worked hard since then to become a better person. He was intrigued by what it did to his "joy levels." He also said that he feared the Lord, but not in the way that one is afraid when he's about to be harmed.
"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 said.
While he voiced concern about not being able to live up to God's expectations, he discovered himself becoming a happier man.
"I've been a happier fellow. I may not look like it right now, I don't know what I look like, but I'm a happy fellow," he said.
