Pride

Pride is a very strong emotion, one that has driven people to extremes. We have witnessed the pride of a man (or a woman) bring them down in a blaze of fire, and we have seen pride rebuild a man (or a woman) from the deepest despair life can offer.

Why is this, what makes one emotions so powerful and at the opposite ends of the spectrum.

This I can not answer, but I can offer my own insights on the topic. Anyone who reads my blogs an a regular basis will know that I often times return to the subject of EGO (Edging God Out), well I think Pride has a small place in EGO.

The pride that causes harm, pride that drives a man to extremes is a pride that is unhealthy.

To have pride in your work, in your life and in yourself and family is a very healthy, and necessary thing. It is when that pride overrides all, when that pride becomes the end all to all that is when it enters the EGO, that is when it becomes a destructive force, not only in your life but all around you.

When we feel that what we do is more important that others, or when we think that our actions are defining moments, when we place ourselves at the very center of life, the EGO has began its destruction.

How do we know when pride becomes EGO, were is that line? I think we all have a different thresh hold, but I also think we all know, internally, were it is.

For me, EGO is the evil part of my being, it is the original sin of Adam and Eve, it was there EGO’s that told them to eat of the fruit, to want to become god’s themselves. Pride, the feeling of being more than they were.

We need to be proud, we need that feeling and that emotion, but we need to control it, and not allow it to take over, when it takes over, that is when pride becomes EGO, a destructive force.

I am very proud of a the volume of work I have created, the programs I have developed but I am also very aware that there is always something more, something better out there, that what I have created is good, maybe even great, and I take great pride in the work, but I know I am only one of many. I will not allow my EGO to take hold of it, I do not, for one minute, think that what I have created is anything more than what it is.

Pride and EGO often times share the same fine line. It is easy to step on way or the other, Pride becoming EGO and EGO becoming pride. Careful where you step, look and see were you are headed and say on the side of pride.

Paul

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The many in the one

Can one be strong and weak at the same time? Can a person be over bearing and shy? Do we have the ability to be more than one self? Can we be many persons in one person?

Before I give you response, let me start off by saying I know people who act in such a way. They are a different person depending on who they are dealing with. Sometimes they are nice and understanding and other times they can be cold and harsh. It all depends on what is in it for them. The personality changes to benefit them and to please others around them. They may be shy if that is called for or strong if they see a chance to move in.

But are they truly two different personalities? Can one person really have 2 sides? I say no, is only one personality at play here. It is one of manipulation and control. It is a personality that centers on the self. It is one controlled by the EGO.

Now before everyone starts to yell at me, yes I do understand that we all act differently in different situations. We do what is necessary and called for at that particular time. That is not what I am talking about.

People know me; they know who I am and what I am like. When I meet people for the first time, they get an idea of whom and what I am. So if, for example, I meet someone for the first time at Church, they will see a more subdued me, but still me. So if that person sees me outside of Church they will not be shocked at what I am saying or doing. They understand me. The people above that I am referring to are not like this, they act in ways that are not true to themselves, they are manipulating the situation to cast the best light on themselves or to gather what they need. If the same person were to see them outside of the situation where they met they would not recognize them as who they knew.

We all know people like this, they feed off of others, they place the world and the entire universe around them, and they are the center. I have worked with them; they are in my family and are in my circle of friends. It is a frustrating relationship to have; the closer you are to them, the more you notice the many in the one. And the more you are expected to know who is who and when they will appear. Because once again, they are the center, you just revolve around them.

Their EGO’s are huge, and acts as there gravity force, keeping all inline and revolving around them, and any person that falls out of line, no longer revolves around them are sent off in too deep space or made to crash. That is until they decide they are needed once again.

So how do we deal with this, what are we to do with such a person? It has taken me years of learning to discover the answer to that question. I have read many books and as I have stated, I know many people who fit in to this, so my life experiences has taught me a lot, but I am a slow learner, and it has taken me many years to finally understand all that I have learned. So what is one to do with a situation like this, they are to leave it, get out of its gravitational pull.

Yep it’s that simple… Sort of…

I know that it’s not easy to leave a friendship or family member behind, but if you truly wish to make a better you, the key to a new you is to dust off all that is unhealthy for you. To leave behind anything that will pull you back. Read Dr. Wayne Dyer’s “The Power of Intention” to get a deeper understanding or even the Bible, Jesus himself walks away from unhealthiness. We must surround ourselves with positive energy, not and Egocentric energy, we must align with people and things that will make us better humans, more capable of creating change not only in ourselves but in the world around us.

Paul

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Edging God Out

(NOTE: This blog is also posted on my STATIC Youth blog site, I normally do not post the same blog to both site, but I felt that this was a blog that served both site)

 

 

EGO… It’s a word we hear a lot about, we all have one, some are larger then others, but in someway we all have one.

 

The ego serves only one purpose, and that is to make you feel better about whom you are. That in-of-it self is not a bad thing, but the ego has no concern for others, or really for it’s self.

 

The ego will, and has, destroyed many a great person, all in the name of defending it’s self. The whole purpose of the ego is to self preserve it self.

 

The ego’s job is to make you feel better about yourself, and it will do what ever it needs to do to make that happen. The ego is the voice inside of you that tells you to kick them when they are down, to make others feel bad about them-selves; all in the name of lifting yourself up, making you feel better about you.

 

We see it all the time, and I am sure we have all lived it. We take the opportunity to use others disadvantages to our advantage. Sad but true… We here about it on the news, read about it in the paper, or we see it first hand, and we all say, tsk tsk tsk, how sad that another human would treat someone that way… But we fail to see it when we are the ones doing it, we justify it, we turn it around and repackage it, dress it up to make it look better, we may even call it by different names, but in the end its all the same, it is the ego doing its job, using others misfortunes to its advantage.

 

Some will argue that the ego is needed, that it really does serve a good purpose. But the argument is week at best and self-serving at all times. We tend to want to hold on to that which makes us feel better. Much like a drug addict, we need to get that ego fix daily or we start to go through withdraws. We start to feel the tingling of self-doubt setting in, the layers of falsehood start to peel off, and we head in to a tail spin of despair, as we try to piece back together the image of self that was created thru deception and ignorance of others.

 

The ego does not allow for God to truly be present in you, there is no room to serve to gods, the god of self and the one and true God. The ego replaces God with the god of self. This is why, many times through out the bible, we are warned about the sin of pride, the sin-of-self.

 

Why is that? If the ego is a good thing, God or Jesus would have said so, but they did not, they keep reminding us that pride (ego) is a road block to true happiness.

 

1 Corinthians 4:6
Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not take pride in one man over against another.

 

St. Paul warns us about pride, as do the saints and writers of the Old Testament. Pride is the work of the devil, it is his tool that is used to separate us from God, the ego (Edging God Out) is the most powerful tool he has, it is deceiving in its ways, make us feel that we are serving others, when in reality we are serving ourselves.

 

The ego needs to be dealt with; it needs to be overcome and destroyed, we need to remove the ego from our hearts and allow God to live there.

 

Pay for the Holy Spirit to come upon you, and wash you a new, pray that he removes from you the sin of pride, the sin of ego and allow him to work through you and with you.

 

Ego has no home is Gods creation, ego has no reason to live in the temple of God, it is an impure thought, one of distraction, and destruction of self and others.

 

The battle is long and hard, all the Saints of the world have battled with it, some have lost and some have won, but all have seen it for what it is worth, all have heard its true voice, the voice of lies the voice of death.

 

Matthew 16:23
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

 

Paul

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Key #1 Go Past

The next few postings will be breaking down the 10 Keys to success, this is the first: 

Key #1:  Go Past

It happened, learn from it, and move on

This is the first step for a reason, it’s the key to all of the others. We need to learn to let go of the past. We all have had bad things happen to us, yes some greater then others, but all where bad.

If we can not let the past be the past, then how do we plan of going forward? It’s a paradox we all have to deal with. We have to GO PAST the past, to move forward.

The past is like an anchor, it keeps us grounded in what was, and will not allow us to move to what is and what will be. For example, someone, in the past, may have taken money from us, or may have hurt our feelings by speaking badly of us. Yes both accounts are wrong, and yes the people involved should pay for the harm, either by returning the money, or taking back the false statements. But they should not have to pay for the same sin for years to come.

We need to learn to let go and forgive and to GO PAST the past. If we hold the grudge over this person, in the end we are the only-ones who suffer. Resentment, and hatred are both very heavy emotions to hang on to.

Have you ever seen a happy person who is resentful or full of hatred?

NO!

And you never will. The two emotions can not share the same spot in our life. We can not be a happy hateful person.

We need to GO PAST the even, to move on with our life, to bring ourselves back in to the light, the light of goodness, kindness and forgiveness. We need to reconnect to God, who does not understand hatred and resentment, he only understand forgiveness and love.

the ego (Edging God Out) needs to be left out of your life, your ego will and does keep you from forgiveness, and keeps you from GOing PAST the past, because the ego was harmed, bruised and it has a long memory. Remember that the ego (Edging God Out) is not concerned in your healing, but rather it is interested only-in it’s feelings. Nothing else matters! Remove the ego, and you will learn to GO PAST.

So start today, and pick one person you are resentful toward, and offer them your forgiveness, it matters not, if they except it… it only matters that you offered it.

Key 1 GO PAST is the key to all others, open your heart mind and soul and let this key set you free.

Paul

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