Presented by: (301)533-0458 Article by D. James Sell You have someone living on the inside of you right now! It's not you-it's your "other self". It's not the "real" you-it's a "fake you" that is trying to convince the real you that "it" is really who you are. This "fake self” is the cause of every problem, set back, and hinderance that you have ever experienced in this life. This "other self is also known as an "ego identity". An ego identity is basically your mind's opinion of itself. PS{UEPGE Thrcefold Productions ‘i ) OOS 603 Bast High Street, Apt. 1 Oakland, Maryland 21550-1642 ©2006 All Rights Reserved It's a combination of what you are currently thinking and what you have thought about in the past. This combination of current and past thoughts stirs. your emotions and causes you to feel what you feel. These feelings are deceptive because they are derived from this "false self” The "real you" is the silent part of yourself that watches what you think and feel. This is your spirit. The false self is a part of your soul (the mind, the will, and the emotions). (continued on page)Your spirit is the eternal part of you-the real you-that will either live "in" God for eternity or exist "outside" of Him eternally in "death" and separation. The false self will perish just like the physical body will decay but the thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs of the false self can determine your spiritual state of being if you believe that “it” is the real you Where did this false self come from? Your false self or ego identity came from your thinking while your spirit (the real you) ‘was unconscious. Since your true self (your spirit) was not awake and so aware of the truth-your ego identity formed from your ‘thinking about your thoughts and actions. Your spirit didn't recognize that "it" is the real you so you began to believe that you are actually what you think about. ‘This-thinking about your thinking-or-ego identity robs you of all inherent self worth and enslaves you to continuously "think" more and more about, who youare. The ego identity must constantly "think" in order to maintain its existence. That means that it will take over all of your actions and energy. It robs the real you of all life and then creates a false life and identity that exists on a never ending series of problems. You see, your mind was created to navigate the physical world, When it encounters resistance, it begins to search for a solution that will overcome the resistance. The mind was intended to be a tool that the spirit could use in order to remove any resistance in the physical world so that the ‘truth of the spiritual realm could be manifested physically. When the mind is truth of the spiritual realm could be manifested physically. When the mind is used as a tool by the spirit, it manifests the truth or spiritual reality into the physical world, When the mind believes that "it"-not the spirit-is the real you, then you experience a never ending series of "problems" that must be solved by the thinking of the mind. Since itis a tool that is designed to remove stance, the mind naturally searches for solutions. But when the mind is separated from truth and the spiritual realm, it attempts to do its job and remove any resistance. It no longer has the truth of the spiritual realm and so it no longer has any solutions. The result of this error in thinking, causes the mind to view anyone or anything that opposes its narrow perception as a threat to its own existence. It searches for a way to remove all resistance to what it thinks about itself. It is attempting to fulfil a spiritual directive re without having a spiritual connection. Without the tuth of the spiritual world, the mind must find a way to remain "switched on" so that it will not go out of existence. It believes that it is the true self but it is only a tool that is supposed to be utilized by the tue self or human spirit, Since the mind is only a tool and has no real power, it must resort to "force" in order to get what it wants in the physical world. This "force" mentality, is what the bible refers to as "the flesh”. It is a mindset that is in opposition to the truth of God's nature and character. ‘ontinved on page tes)(continued from page 0) If someone is rude to a person who is funetioning from the standpoint of an ego identity, that person must "win" in their own mind by producing a mental argument that in their perception, defeats the opposing mindset and person. Since the ego identity is a false self that has no real "power" or spiritual connection, the person suffering from this delusional condition must resort to "force". "Force" is the opposite to true spiritual power from God. It is the flesh mindset that opposes God's true nature and character. Force is an attempt to change the physical reality without changing the state of being first. In God there is the "flow" of His power which is His Presence, In the "flesh" there is the absence of God's Presence and so the absence of His power and the result is the need for "force" in order to accomplish results in the physical realm The added problem of this type of mindset is that when a person believes that they are what they think, they must "win" in every conflict, conversation, argument, and debate or they will "go out of existence" and die! This person will either fight claw and tooth against anyone who disagrees or opposes them, or they will find a subtle passive resistance where they will disregard the other person in some way, This problem manifests because the real self is asleep and therefore, unaware of the reality of truth. With no truth, the mind becomes convinced that "ie" is the real self, and that "it" consists of what Nit’ thinks about. If someone introduces a thought that is different than the mind's current perception of itself then it will "die" in the light of the new information. In order to avoid its own extinction, the mind must find a mental argument that can defeat the opposing thought, person, or situation, The only way that the mind can accomplish this is if it can “think” constantly about how “it's way of thinking" is right and how everyone and everything opposed to “it's way of thinking” is wrong The way of God is "flow" through the manifestation of His Presence, while the way of the "flesh mindset" is "force" brought about by a way of "thinking" that is opposed to God's nature and character. The "flesh mindset" is cut off from God and His power to manifest, so it ean only produce physical change through the use of "force", This "force" can be a physical expression that is exerted upon another physical aspect, or it can be a mental force that is exerted upon the thoughts and beliefs of another in an attempt to control or manipulate them. ‘As you can see, living as "your other self” can have some very destructive consequences. Not only does it cause separation between you and the power of God, but it enslaves you to constantly "think about your own thinking” and you feel in your emotions that you must foree and control others in order to exist and feel safe. You become a slave to your own thinking and since your thinking is in error, your emotions produce a great deal of pain. You lose the spiritual concepts of joy and peace and are ruled by "happiness", Happiness, is the "feeling" you get when you get your own way. Joy and peace, on the other hand, are not "feelings". Joy and peace are states of "being" and they are not dependant upon external conditions. Contied cn page fo)(continued Bo ag te) Joy and peace are spiritual experiences and they do not have "opposites". You either have joy or you don't, You either experience peace, or you don't. Happiness, can change to "unhappiness" if you don't get your way, or if something happens in the environment which you can not control or foree. A person who is physically injured and in pain can experience joy and peace, but a person who is based in an ego identity of their "other self" cannot be "happy" as the result of physical pain from injury. No one likes to be hurt but the point here is that injury to the "body" and the resulting "physical pain" does not change the spiritual states of true "being". Happiness will change to unhappiness whenever external situations can not be changed or manipulated, The mind goes crazy in these situations because it must "win" in every perceived conflict. Whenever the mind can't change the situation, it must find some external cause for its own unhappiness or it will be proven "wrong" and will go out of existence. ‘This is precisely the problem that people face when they exist in an ego identity. This constant need to be "right" causes the mind to just "run" and remain "switched on” all of the time. This "other self" makes the person paranoid and suspicious of everyone and everything around them. They begin to misinterpret what others say and do, and they get frustrated when the external environment will not bend to their liking. Since they can not be "wrong" in their thinking, they begin to blame those around them for any short coming, delay, or lack of success. The ego identity exists by believing that it "is" what it thinks about itself, so it must blame “something outside itself” in order to survive. Because it lives in the constant threat of going out of existence, the ego identity frequently triggers the "fight or flight" response and exhausts the body by keeping it ina state of arousal. It further complicates the real potential for life, by it's inability to be "wrong" about anything. This is especially damaging when a person has developed a destructive habit like an addiction. Since the ego identity cannot be "wrong", a person who has developed an addiction slips into a "state" of denial that there is any problem that exists with the addictive behaviors or practices. Substance abuse and dependency usually fill aneed of some kind so the person "using" cannot "think" that there is anything wrong with their behavior since it helps them to cope with every day life situations. To admit wrong, or that a problem even exists, would involve the death of the ego itself. Meanwhile, the true self, or spirit, sleeps beneath this false self image with no chance of being awakened as long as the ego is able to keep "thinking about it's own thinking". You can not fight this false identity. The only way that you can defeat it is to stop the mind from "thinking about its own thinking" and come to experience that you are not what you "think about", You must understand by experience that the "real you" is the silent part that watches your thoughts and feelings. (continued on pg tve) aglow