God, Ego, and the Devil

I have spent years trying to find the answer to a question; "What is the difference between our soul and our spirit?" The Spirit is well documented, and a much written upon and peached upon topic. The soul however is a little more elusive a topic. This is because it is hidden. Where you might ask? Answer: behind the ego.

After reading volumes of information I stumbled across a website cited below that explains the splendid, treacherous trick. To begin, birth means the emergence of a baby from the body of its mother; the start of life as a physically separate being. Genesis 2:7 states, "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." So we are born into this world, the world of the outside. A newborn baby has a soul, is a soul, but does not have an ego. A baby is born without any knowledge, any consciousness of his own self. The first thing he becomes aware of is not himself, but of the other. It is natural, because the eyes open outwards, the hands touch others, the ears listen to others, the tongue tastes food and the nose smells the outside. All of these senses open outward. The child becomes aware of the mother first. Then, by and by, he becomes aware of his own body. That too is the other, that too belongs to the world. He is hungry and he feels the body; his need is satisfied, he forgets the body. This awareness is a reflected awareness. He is not aware of who he is, he is simply aware of the mother and her reaction to him. If she smiles, if she appreciates the child, if she coos, "You are beautiful," if she hugs and kisses him, the child feels good about himself. Now an ego is born. Through appreciation, love, care, he feels he is good, he feels he is valuable, he feels he has some significance. A center is born. But this center is a reflected center. It is not his real being, he does not know who he is; he simply knows what others think about him. And this is the ego: the reflection, what others think; a false center.

The ego functions to benefit the good of the society. Everyone is adding to your ego all the time, and everybody is trying to modify it in such a way that you don't become a problem to the society. Society is concerned with itself, not you as an individual. They, the society, are not concerned that you should know thy self. They are concerned that you should become an efficient part in the mechanism of the society. You should fit into the pattern. So they are trying to give you an ego that fits with the society. Because the ego is a false center created by society it can be controlled and manipulated. Conversely, the soul can never be controlled or manipulated. So at this stage the child is completely unaware of his own center and is now unknowingly convinced that the center given to him by society is true.

If you recall, God breathed life into you and you became a living soul. So you were already born with a center before the ego arrived. Therefore you have two centers. One center, which is given by existence itself; that is the self, the soul. And the other center, which is created by the society, is the ego. The original center, your soul, will always be there waiting for you to discover it. It is your true center, your true self. As mentioned earlier, it cannot be manipulated or controlled. Yet it can only be found by seeing the false, so this makes the ego a necessity. The real can be known only through the illusion. One has to pass through it. You cannot know the truth directly. First you have to know that which is not true. First you have to encounter the untrue. Through that encounter you become capable of knowing the truth. If you know the false as the false, truth will dawn upon you.

God created it all, the living soul and the ego. Ego is a need; it is a social need, it is a social by-product. Genesis 1:27, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." So within the bible, what else do we know as a false center? Satan, the Devil. Could not all of the statements about the ego also apply to the Devil? Metaphorically, the Devil is the ego of mankind. Perhaps we come to know Christ only after knowing the misery of living under the rule of Satan, the one that we know as the false center. Recently, I overheard the question of why Jesus spoke in parables. Essentially, my answer would have been because without discernment, one cannot know the truth directly. Jesus knows His soul, His center as King and He does not owe the truth to any man. Jesus received His guidance from the Father and delivers the Truth as a great blessing. Matthew 11:25, "At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes." The disciples asked Jesus for an answer as seen in Matthew 13: 10 - 13, "And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand." He also repeated what he had declared earlier, "For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them." (Matt. 13:17)

It's my assertion that Jesus's message was complex and multi-leveled because understanding that sometimes we can only find the truth by understanding the false is not easy; it is not for everyone, which is built into the design. This is but one step in a journey, but I pray that it inspires you to seek knowledge, keep yourself open, and to retain a teachable spirit.

God speed!

References:
Bible: King James Version
Ego - The False Center, From Beyond the Frontier of the Mind by Osho http://deoxy.org/egofalse.htm - This website will give you the information one needs to learn how to recognize the ego and discover the self center, the soul.

The Unforgivable Sin

My daughter asked me if there was a sin that could not be forgiven. Without mch hesitation I replied, "Of course not; Jesus die for all of our sins." 

To which she replied, "Well, I had heard that blasphemy is unforgivable." 

She is right. In Matthew 12, Jesus is teaching us such a valuable lesson, especially in the climate that America has been melting in... a house divided against itself is will not stand. And he knows that without this "rule" that he cannot rally the people and perpetuate his cause. This has been an elemental requirement for any society since the dawn of time. Socrates' appeal in the "Apology" was to consider the state (one's society) before determining one's personal descisions. He states, "I did not go where I could do no good to you or to myself; but where I could do the greatest good privately to everyone of you, thither I went, and sought to persuade every man among you that he must look to himself, and seek virtue and wisdom before he looks to his private interests, and look to the state before he looks to the interests of the state; and that this should be the order which he observes in all his actions." Concurrently, each country has a threshold of tolerance to which they determine is dangerous to the good of the whole. It is called treason. The bottom line in

Matthew 12 is:

  30 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

However, I wasn't completely wrong either. One could only blaspheme if they were on the outside looking in. When we make our committment to God, when we invite Jesus into our hearts, we must be all in. There is no waffling. There is no half way. We willfully shed our old ways and are born again with new minds, with new hearts, with new lives. So one could not blasphemy the Holy Spirit if one were in love with the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ and 100% committed to God.

God speed!

In Touch

In my search of a holy and righteous life I earnestly follow the Lord through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It's a daily commitment and one I gladly choose, though it is often a struggle. I can get thrown off track so easily throughout the day when I'm around several people. No one in particular mind you, but I tend to be a loner and spend fair chunks of time by myself. Of course during those times I can easily commune with God. Its when I get around others that I loose focus and it seems that I fall down more than I stand up. But that's on my mind and I know in my heart that I need to be more of a stand up person for God. I also know that this comes about the same way one gets to Carnegie Hall; practice, practice, practice. I know that my time spent reading and studying God's word in the bible is the key for what we learn we can recite. Yet it's troubling that I so easily fall into the worldly ways of griping and gossip. I promise to have a better report in the very new future.

God speed!

Dear Friend, I'm Born Again...

Dear Friend,

You have been on my mind so much and the reason why might surprise you; it is because of a conversation we had quite a long time ago. I’d like to share with you my experience and the part you play in it. I can’t remember when we talked, but I remember chatting with you on the phone and for some reason we were talking about the church and some thoughts on Christianity. Within the course of our conversation you mentioned that, at that time, you didn’t really believe that people had to be born again. At the time I offered no opinion due to my embarrassment of being naïve in my faith; however in my spirit I thought the contrary.

This brings us to today. I have driven highway 231 in Alabama many times over the last two months and I have to pass a big white sign with bold black letters that reads, “Ye Must Be Born Again” (John 3:1-7). I have two thoughts every time I see that sign, the first of which is you. I wished I had been strong enough in my understanding to speak to you intelligently on the topic that day on the phone. I feel a tinge of regret whenever it comes to mind so you can understand that this letter is written as much for me as to you. Obviously you know the story of our lives as children; it was an unpleasant and confusing environment. That experience mixed with the other experiences out in the world has a large bearing on our development into the adults that we are today. And we have spoken about the many attempts to learn methods and coping skills to improve the quality of our lives. In that never ending quest to heal old wounds and prevent new ones, my journey lead me away from Christianity and then back to it. It was a circuitous and scenic trip that led me to meet a person who prayed with me. With his guidance I was able to accept that God knows me just as I am and still loves me and forgives me for my thoughts, my lifestyle, my transgressions, my mistakes, my sins. I admitted to myself what I had always known, that Jesus is the son of God and loves me and wants to carry my burdens but it is up to me to learn how to give my cares to him. Yes, I was saved; I was reborn with a newness in my heart. I was born again. It was like the heavy weights of the world had been lifted off of my shoulders and I knew things would be different and my life was going to be better; and it is.

The second thought that I have when I pass that sign is a reminder to me that being saved is not the final destination but just the beginning of life’s journey. Being born again takes us back to being a baby spirit with unlimited possibilities and potential. It is nothing more than renewing our mind to tune into our heart and spirit; to connect with God on a new level. This rebirth is a fresh start to become the person God intended me to be; to be myself. I think it is a misconception that we are saved and the world then conforms to our perfect place. The world does not and never will change; instead, we change. We are motivated by and look out at the world through our eyes of love instead of fear. Fear traps us in our own minds and continually feeds us the lies we want to believe. Love releases us to see through our hearts, to forgive, leave the baggage behind and keep moving higher. As we grow into more mature spirits we should be getting wiser and applying our knowledge to life. The world will continue to present challenges but the lessons that Jesus taught now have new meaning and in our Spirit we are developed, balanced and well adjusted to overcome each challenge. The result is, when the world is chaotic we are calm; when the world is in disarray we see clearly; when the world is a mess we are free and clean. In the end, it never ends; it is a process of maturing spiritually, a continual growth and enjoyment in the peace of the journey.

At this point my growth has steadily progressed since our conversation that initiated this so long ago and I appreciate you taking the time to read this. Of course my two thoughts lead to many more but I’ll spare you those for another time. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have it all figured out but I wanted to share this with you and let you know that I’m trying and do think of you all the time. I value you and feel blessed for your friendship.

God speed!

A Conversation

Do you believe in God?

Yes. I believe in God.

You mean to tell me that there is an existence of a life force that you cannot see, you cannot hear, you cannot smell, you cannot taste, you cannot touch.

Yes, I believe… believe in the existence of God.

Do you believe God created us?

Yes.

Do you believe that God created the earth?

Yes.

Do you believe that God create us and His desire is for us to have dominion over the earth?

Yes… with nature, in harmony with nature.

OK. So God created us; He created the earth. He gave us the earth with all of its sustainable resources to keep us alive indefinitely. He gave us intelligence, which no other creature has. And with our intelligence we are able to interpret and manipulate matter. So we are creators, just as God created us. So then, that is how God created us in His image. He made us all creators?

Yes, He has made us creators. He has given us life, intelligence and the earth.

What are we supposed to create?

Outside of food and shelter for our survival, we are supposed to create… love. To be able to interpret and manipulate matter can only be for our benefit or our detriment. Why would we want it to be for our detriment? Why would we want to destroy what God has given us? Why would we take the earth, which is supposed to sustain us indefinitely, and ruin it so that we will all eventually perish? What is the point? But if we live in harmony with the earth, we use it resources to sustain our lives, and we use our intelligence to replenish what we use, then we are using our creator-ness in a responsible way. The only thing outside of our own sustenance is to take care of one another. That is our purpose. We are creators, we are to survive, we are to take care of one another and love one another.

Do you believe that is all that God wants for us?

I believe that that is the basic idea, but that is not all that God wants for us. I believe God wants us to do more than just survive; just get by. I believe God wants us to prosper in all areas of our lives. He wants us to live in abundance, for what would be the purpose of barely surviving if we could not improve our station? And God's abundance is based in, and grows from love.

Our Daily Routine

Speaking for myself, I have spent a considerable amount of time studying the Word and pondering its meaning. It seems that the most challenging issue facing a believer in the Word and Jesus Christ is in the application. How are we to live our lives to not only attain citizenship in God’s Kingdom, but never leave? The following is a practice that I carry out daily to prioritize and act on Kingdom thoughts and ways. I pray that you will read this with an open mind and a teachable spirit for it is written in love to share love. God bless you in the name of Jesus as you go forward.

Our Daily Routine

Wake up and declare that God is our father.

Give thanks for the day and His son.

Ask for forgiveness of sins.

Declare victory over the day.

Declare that your spouse is your top priority after God.

Commit to whatever it takes to assist them today.

Ask your partner what they need to make their day their best.

Consider your children.

Offer up a prayer to God on their behalf.

Can I do anything to make their day the best?

Consider family, friends and all others.

Offer up a prayer to God on their behalf.

Can I do anything to make their day the best?

Consider yourself.

Offer up a prayer to God on your behalf.

Know that you are doing your best.

Keep your integrity and honesty and be active.

Create a habit of repeating these steps often throughout the day.

Before retiring to bed, tell your partner that you love them; hug and kiss.

Declare God is our father.

Give thanks for the day and His son.

Ask for forgiveness of sins.

Declare victory over the day.

Declare your spouse your top priority after God.

Commit to whatever it takes to assist them to make their day tomorrow the best.

Speaking praise and prayers out loud increases the Spiritual Power behind them! Amen!

Spiritual Energy

If you have ever tried to make some wholesale changes in your life, you’ve more than likely experienced an unpleasant phenomenon. It seems as though that when we set out to make improvements in any area of our lives, we invariably upset the apple cart and all of the rotten ones come rolling out to spoil our plans. I’ve often tried to change my habit of complaining; to stop myself before the words leave my mouth. I’ll set my mind to do it and when I feel the feeling to complain rise up in me, I’ll pause. Now you might think that suppressing a complaint may be like capping off a raging hot steam pipe; the result of which can be catastrophic when trapping such energy under pressure. But I can tell you that using that energy to try and think of a new thought and express a new point of view takes much more power and one will exert even more energy. When I have practiced not complaining I see immediate positive results, which of course motivates me to continue the practice.  However, it also appears that when I try to not complain, an increase of irritating events arise in my life. Not only that but I’ve had people tell me that not complaining is bad for my health! So the folks that should be supporting me with positivity are piling on the negativity; another reason to complain.

So what is this; this avalanche negativity that seems to roll over us when we make positive changes? Is it the devil? Some people would say so; Satan, bad karma, punishment for a sorry lifestyle. Or is it simply a phenomenon that occurs when we shine a light on the negative? Those annoyances, those irritating people and situations have always been there; we just accepted them and may have willingly and joyfully relished them! Now, in our desire to separate from them, they seem bigger and badder than ever. 

I see this as a milestone. I see this as a sign that I am on the right path, because quite frankly, when we choose a new path it usually doesn’t come with a roadmap. We don’t always know what to do different to break our old patterns and the only way to gauge if we’re on the right track is to be a little uncomfortable. It’s OK; it will pass. I know it’s just growing pains and I will be better for it. As a matter of fact, I have gotten to the point where I can get myself excited bout these challenges because I know a big breakthrough is coming!

God speed!