4 "EGO" WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT

"Ego" what we can do about it?

All of us have an ego – the positive sense of self-esteem that says I am a unique and valuable person, fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God, and I've got something worthwhile to contribute to this world. But when that self-appreciation of who God made us to be turns into selfishness, then it becomes a self-centered negative attitude that says, "It's really all about me," then our own out-of-balance egos will rob us of much of the joy and peace that God intends for us to have in life. Our 'dark side' is ego.

Our 'light side' is True Self. We can only manifest godliness when we are operating from our True self. We will always manifest recurring pain from our false self. When we understand that our ego is a false self, we need to know how to get out of the darkness and stay out as much as possible.

One of the major issues that cause dysfunction in people's lives is having an ego that's out of its proper place.

If we are the center of our own universe, we are then the source of all good and bad in our lives. The sin of pride is taking credit for God's work; assuming that our power is making things happen; taking responsibility for meting out justice when offended. In reality however, all that we have, all that we need is supplied by God's provision and His power and He does so because of His grace. God works from a basis of grace but we work from a basis of pride.

When we recognize that our entire life is supported by God's grace several things happen: Our world finds its correct order. God is God, we are the created - we are freed from the trap and sin of idolatry. The ego we see most commonly goes by a more casual definition: an unhealthy belief in our own importance, Arrogance attitude, Self-centered ambition… The need to be better than, more than, recognized for, far past any reasonable utility — that's ego. It's the sense of superiority and certainty that exceeds the bounds of confidence and talent.

Your ego is what prevents you from hearing critical but necessary feedback from others. Ego makes you over-estimate your own abilities and worth, and under-estimate the effort and skill required to achieve your goals. All of this means that you lose touch with reality, and you miss opportunities — to improve, to connect with others, and to achieve your goals.

Your ego creates unrealistic expectations and entitlement. Ego makes you assume that you "deserve" — It creates a feeling of entitlement: I want what's mine, what's due to me. I know what I deserve.

Your ego needs honors in order to be validated. [With ego], we need to be recognized. We need to be compensated. Your ego feeds on fear doubt and pain. The more you attach yourselves to your ego thoughts, the further you move away from your soul truth. The more you subdue and dissolve your ego, the freer you are to experience a wonderful life. One of the greatest obstacles people with out-of-place egos face is that they are usually unaware that this is their issue. They really believe they are the normal ones, and it's everyone else who has a problem. So, how can I know if my ego really has overstepped its proper bounds?

When my ego overflows its proper bounds, it puts a strain on all my relationships. Self-centeredness and the pride that comes with it disrupt our relationship with God and others. If it's all about me, then it can't be all about Him.

But there is only one God of the universe, only One who should rightly be at the center of all attention; and that One is not me. God is God and He will not share His glory with anyone. Lucifer was the most beautiful of angels, but his ego got out of place and he tried to elevate himself to God's position. That's how he became the devil. James 4:6 says that God actively resists the prideful, but gives grace to the humble. So, I must get my ego in order if I am to have a real relationship with God and others.

Think about what it's like when my focus is all on what's going wrong in my life; when I spend a lot of time talking about this person or that person who hurt ME or offended ME; and, oh, look at what so-and-so did to ME, and how inconsiderate they are of ME; and the more I think about it, and the more I talk about it, the more bitter I become because of how they've treated ME. When I allow myself to go down that path, my emotions will be in a continual state of turmoil, irritation, and resentment. The more I allow my emotions to spiral downward into negativity, the more my peace and joy just evaporate away. I become a perpetually unhappy person.

Nobody likes dealing with a self-centered, egotistical, "me-first" type of person. Think about all the words commonly used to describe people who have that kind of attitude -- proud, arrogant, thoughtless, inconsiderate, rude, and unfeeling.

Selfishness probably destroys more relationships than any other single factor. Particularly in a marriage, when both spouses are as concerned about the other as they are about themselves, the partners can face just about anything together. But when that factor is missing, and either spouse is looking out for himself or herself at the expense of the other, the marriage can become an exercise in torture.

The more noise on the outside, the emptier the inside. A proud heart is empty of grace. Recognizing God's grace enables us to remove self at the center of our lives and place God in that position because He belongs there and we don't. We all understand the idea that "nobody's perfect" but most of the time we operate under the impression that we ought to be! There are many ways that I let my ego keep me from God's perfect plan for my life. "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do" (Romans 7:15).

Bible says "Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin"? (Prov. 20:9) "Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: 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." (Rom.

12:3)These are not suggestions or criticisms leveled at us - they are a divine confirmation regarding what God knows to be true about us.

God knows that we are imperfect; He wants us to know that He knows. The problem is getting us to accept it, not Him! The first step in deflating egotism is to recognize that there is no good reason for it. Recognizing that there is no ground for our pride is the beginning of humility. Humility is not the absence of ego - A humble person isn't without personality; he simply is one who has an accurate assessment of his true strengths and weaknesses. God hears the prayers of the humble. We begin to serve God rather than self which produces joy and peace in our hearts rather than anger and fear.

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