During the course of recent posts and comments it has become obvious to me that our greatest obstacle to moving closer to God is our own Ego!
Our Ego incorporates what we think of as being what we ‘are’. In that sense it is ‘selfish’ – it is ALL about ‘us’.
It is our personal God – the source of everything we think of and create about ourselves (as opposed to what God might create).
It is this we follow when we commit what Catholics describe as ‘sin’. Doing that which our ego’s justify over that what God is generally believed to ‘want’ us to do – which is to do unto others as we would REALLY want others to do unto us. – the Golden Rule – the Second Commandment of Jesus (not Moses) – To Truly Love thy fellow man as yourself.
Some of us believe in the Death penalty – how many of us would truly want someone else to Kill us, even a government employee doing his job – no matter what we had done or why?
Some of us hate Muslim fundamantalists with a fervent passion – for hating us with a fervent passion! (or so we would believe).
Loving thy fellow man does not come with a caveat that they must love us First. Jesus commands us to love everyone as our self.
Our ego has a huge problem with this.
Only by overcoming our own individual ego’s can we ever follow God.
The problem is the Ego is far quicker to react and much trickier than is our conscience. it will do anything to maintain it’s ‘rightful’ (in it’s opinion) place as our own personal God – even by convincing us that it has capitualted (so we eventually let our guard down) and is being and doing ‘good’, all the while plotting it’s own ‘resurrection’.
Defeating our ego to truly follow God is a lifelong struggle which is rarely if ever successful.
The best most of us can hope for is to diminish the number of errors our ego’s trick us into performing – especially those in God’s name.
One example is in taking pride that we have so humbled ourselves that we are more ‘perfect’ in God’s sight by defeating our own sense of pride!!!
Very Tricky thing that Ego! 🙂
BLob's Blog 
“”…Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.” Romans 12:3″
This post reminded me of this verse, I have it on my sidebar.
Related words to ego…Having an overly high…self-image – self-confidence – self-importance – self-worth.
If one can arrive at a place of humility by submitting to the Lord their whole being (very difficult task) then they truly become recognizable Gods-image, over flowing in God-confidence, Important in Gods eyes, and worthy only because of the Cross. Ego then turns into freedom in Christ to be exactly who God created us to be.
Does that make sense this early in the a.m.?
Oh – you’re link works! Yay!!!
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So my post today isn’t fiction. It is, roughly, the intro to the book I’m writing. I’ll be filling everyone in a bit more this week…
I just realized it’s late there in your land. Oh, how I would love a real beach right now! I grew up on the So. California coast line – I miss it terribly!
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“The problem is the Ego is far quicker to react and much trickier than is our conscience. it will do anything to maintain it’s ‘rightful’ (in it’s opinion) place as our own personal God – even by convincing us that it has capitualted (so we eventually let our guard down) and is being and doing ‘good’, all the while plotting it’s own ‘resurrection’.
Defeating our ego to truly follow God is a lifelong struggle which is rarely if ever successful.”
The first paragraph here is definitely ‘right on’ and very well stated! I think the second may be true from a human standpoint, but not impossible with God (nothing is =), if we obey Christ’s admonition to “take up our cross DAILY to follow Him” (Luke 9:23-25). As often as ‘do our part’ (die to ourselves) He faithfully provides the ‘RIGHT kind of resurrection’ (to new life =).
Are you ‘Thinker’ from “Love Thy Neighbor” on inworship? If not, I guess there are more around-not a bad thing for sure =)!
D-
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Welcome Tam and Lazarus! Please don’t be strangers here and make yourselves at home.
Tam – would you believe that i read that very Romans passage myself in the last two days or so?:-) I even heard it speaking directly to me (don’t they all? 😉 )
Our ego’s have many attributes and every single one of them is based upon our True Nature but is an Earthly worldly selfish corruption of our True selves – our Soul.
Some believe it is our job on Earth to recognise this and to ‘polish’ the dull, easily corruptible ‘lead’ of our ego into the Bright, shining, incorruptible Gold of our Soul. It is a corruption of this practice that was what many understood by the ancient term ‘Alchemy’. True Alchemists did not wish the riches of Gold on Earth but of God’s Gold in their Souls.
It takes a great deal of hard work and constant effort to polish the rottenness fully out of our selves and – like lead or iron – we will constantly be susceptible to rust unless we manage to eliminate all of each individual piece of our ego’s that are subject to this corruption on Earth.
We can accept God’s help through letting into us His Holy Spirit (as Jesus did – I am the Way) but we need to recognise that the ego will resent this and try everything possible to restore it’s own power over us till the day we die – or we completely overcome our many facets of Ego. ( Jesus’s death on the cross holds a parallel to our own ‘earthly’ death (of our ego) to be reborn anew ‘perfect’ in spirit.
Like i said – many will not be able to fully achieve this in just one lifetime. These are the ones who Jesus is telling them – I Know You Not. (Lk 13:24-30)
You made perfect sense to me Tam 🙂 and as you said – it is not an easy task we choose to follow.
We need to be constantly vigilant also – achieving Grace does not ensure we still cannot fall from it over time. Even God’s brightest Angel fell. Lucifer derives from the latin for Light Bringing – the Morning Star.
It was a warning to us all. Think on that the next time you see Venus in the pre-dawn sky.
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I was afraid your book was more fact than fiction, Tam. I’m sure writing will be a blessing to you, though not without a trial or two along the way it seems? I look forward to reading more sometime 🙂
Don’t worry about the time – we’re 15 hours ahead of you guys over there – whatever day you’re in – I’m probably in tomorrow! 😉
And I live around 15 minutes from some of the most beautiful beaches imaginable, clean white warm sand, unbelievably blue or blue green clear Indian Ocean and brilliantly clear blue skies filled with days on end of bright sunshine. I even saw a humpback whale and calf about 2oo feet from shore recently!
Watch that envy now! 😉
Next time i’m down there I’ll get you a photo.
Oh Great – now what’s with my comment pic???
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Lazarus, I love it when there is ‘a meeting of the minds’ on a subject. I love it more when it is an agreable peaceful one but disagreement helps keep the mind sharp too.
Yes! I am Thinker from InWorships blog – I opened up this blog as it was easier to keep in touch with the new friends i have found here recently.
I was being careful to not dishearten people into thinking ‘perfecting’ ourselves was an impossible task. With God all things are possible – but some things are more possible than others! 😉
We need to be careful that we follow Jesus daily as you rightly point out and also that we not only don’t fall back into old (bad) habits but that we don’t find entirely new ones to fall into! 😉 I was hoping to emphasise this in my post.
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Ahhh, you had me at warm sand! Watch that envy??? TOO LATE! 🙂 Your land is one I’d love to visit some day.
So…my sin nature, in the midst of this sinful world, seems doomed to trip ups. That’s just reality. But I choose not to stay down. I just can’t! I have to recognize my ego, my pride, my self inflated view of ME for what it is – rebellion. I believe our flesh is in a constant pull and like you said we HAVE to be vigilant, and not let down our guard.
I had an Atheist tell me a couple weeks ago that Christianity is for the weak… I think not!
I’ll be explaining a bit more tomorrow on the blog about my book. It’ll make more sense then…I hope 😉
Well, it’s still yesterday here for us. It’s lunch time tomorrow for you. That’s just weird! Enjoy your day friend!
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So… a So-Cal Girl at heart, huh? 🙂
If you are ever fortunate enough to visit my adopted home city, I am certain you will find many memories (hopefully the good ones) flooding back in. – Its just our ‘mountains’ (more like molehills** lol) leave something to be desired.
Seeing as our two country’s have so much in common i am fairly confident that at some point in your life you will have the opportunity to visit Oz and will no doubt enjoy such an experience. Like the US it is a fairly big place (my state is BIGGER than Texas!! 🙂 It’s occupied by just over two million people though – over half of whom live in the Capital) so if you love wide open spaces, or a great big city we got both here! – with as near perfect weather as it gets to boot!
If you do get to visit don’t expect to see it all in one trip. I would be happy to offer suggestions about where to visit and in what season to get the best we have to offer.
You choose to not stay down – GREAT choice 🙂
Atheists don’t really ‘get’ what it’s all about – I know – I was one! They are by no means dumb – just as susceptible as the rest of us to being pre-judgemental before we know the facts. We gotta Love them for that, huh? 😉
Your book is YOUR book – as long as it makes sense to you that is what counts. Making sense to anyone else is a bonus 🙂
Happy to count you and Brent as new-found friends! 🙂
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So if we visit OZ, we have an open invitation to meet the “mane behind the curtain: 😉
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…man…
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Meet! Greet! – Heck, I even give guided tours up to a 100Km radius!! 🙂
Two things to bear in mind…
1. I share a two bedroomed house, space and beds are limited!
2. I own a large four door sedan that could sit five adults or three adults and three smallish kids at a squeeze. Any more than that and you need to hire a minibus for the tour! 😉
Oh – one other minor detail…
As you may have gathered already – I hardly ever shut up. You’ve been warned!
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So, I think I know now that you live in the only other place in the world my husband and I have really wanted to visit. In our journeys, we have met several people from there (as well as from your ‘island nation’ neighbor?)and would love to spend a month or more in that part of the world. Right now though we’re committed to Israel trips annually (my husband is there now without me this time ={), and with responsibilities to care for my aging parents, a long time away is not likely any time soon, I’m afraid. One event I’d not miss if we did come though is an annual worship conference/concert in the capital I believe you referred to? I know that it’s not about ‘going somewhere else’ to ‘bring something from there back’, but it would be a ‘taste of heaven’ just to be with that many whole-hearted worshipers in one place at one time =). Of course the scenery ‘down there’ is a vivid display of God’s majesty as well I’m sure. I look forward to experiencing both for all of eternity =) so ‘hope to meet you ‘there’ if not in this life ! If you’re ever up our way (same as B & T), we have 3 extra bedrooms and pretty good home cooking as well. You might have some ‘competition’ in the ‘talkative’ category from my husband though. Hopefully I’m learning to be quiet more and save my comments for those that can be better ‘edited’ before ‘sending’=).
D-
P.S. I love your new blog name. There really is no other way (because HE is love =)!
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Hi Laz2 🙂
Yep, I is a Adopted Aussie! (‘scuse the accent).
By Island Nation neighbour did you mean those mad Kiwi’s (New Zealanders?) or those from Tassie?? or another place all together?
As I mentioned to Tam – you could spend a month here and still miss most of it – still if you have the chance I think you’d most likely enjoy your time here.
I was not very clear though – the capital I was mentioning is Perth – the capital city of my state, which is WA (Western Australia, not WAshington). Our nation’s capital is Canberra and i think you were referring to a festival held there, yes? That is over on the other side of Aus to me. Where the other 90% of Aussies live – losers! 😉
I really feel like i should take a leaf out of your book and listen more than spout, but why change the habit of a lifetime? 😉
Blog name = philosophy! I kinda like it too!
It may not happen overnight, but with a little help and effort it WILL happen.
It’s everyone’s choice if they work for it or against it – or sit on the sidelines and cheer or jeer.
Are people really so afraid of what would happen if they worked FOR it? (present company excepted)
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‘Glad I got the country right, even if not the capital (showed my ignorance there I guess). And yes, I was referring to New Zealand, but also know someone from Tasmania as well. We met people from both places (Austalia too) while we were ‘medical missionaries’ in Africa (’92). The city I was referring to was Sydney (not a capital of anything apparently, but close to Canberra anyway).
I do agree that love takes effort (consistancy, discipline, and ENDURANCE
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‘Sorry I hit the wrong button and it went on it’s own. I was about through though:
“…ENDURANCE for sure!) but well worth it I believe. After all Jesus said that was how the world would know we belong to Him (so it must require HIS love that we daily surrender to, I think–since we don’t have that kind ‘on our own’=).
D-
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I think, LWKUT, that you have gotten to the crux of the problem. I was pondering the other day and one thing that makes Jesus stand out among men is that he appears to have no ego. He obviously does not suffer from either a poor self image nor is he pumped up with pride. It would seem to me that when one’s ego is completely devoid of self absorbing thoughts then there is a lot of room left for God and others.
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..HE obviously does not suffer NOT I obviously does not suffer… Jeesh! Feel free to fix that if you are feeling charitable.
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The Lord commands us to be charitable to our fellow man 🙂
Grammatical and typo errors fixed! – Was tossing up whether or not to cut your last comment also so no-one would know you are less than perfect 😉
I’m Still Tossing…
🙂
P.S. you are clearly the one of us who is more fixated upon that briliant duo of The Captain and the delectable Tennille…
It’s lwBut for me!
As I have been discussing with Tam and Brent (and you of course) the ego is what we have replaced our God with, as the source of what we most consciously listen to ( well those who have not completely perfected Jesus in their heart and mind anyway ) in our daily ‘life’.
Jesus is a perfect example of the ‘Thy Will not my will be done’ philosphy. He did His Father’s will which just ‘happened’ to perfectly ‘coincide’ with His (JC’s) own. (Mostly! there was that one moment of ego-centred doubt whilst on the cross ELOI, ELOI, lama sabachthani? Mk 15:34)
Like in Meditation, as we were saying, if we could be AS Him we would need not fear any ‘evil’ spirit.
‘He’ (while within each of us) is our protection.
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Hi Laz2,
I agree, of course. I do think though that anyone who has ever been a parent themsleves gets a better idea of the need for endurance while maintaining Love in their hearts for someone! 🙂
Can i get an ‘Amen!’ parents?? 🙂
No need to be concerned about your understanding of My country D – many non-Americans could be forgiven for thinking New York or LA were capitals of America when neither are i believe?
You had it kind of right anyway… Sydney, our largest city and home of the 2000 Olympic Games is the capital of the state of New South Wales and is a very pretty city geographically at least, and to many will be the gateway to Australia. It’s on the Eastern Coast but we can’t all be perfect! 😉
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