By: Santi Chacon
Business Coach
Denver, Colorado
The Two Thought-Systems: Our Problem
Two thought systems exist in our lives. One thought system is based on the will or sovereignty of God the other is based on fear. The thought system that is based on fear is called the ego (in the bible it's called 'the old man' or 'the flesh') and the thought system that is based on the will of God is knowledge or truth (under one law, the law of love or God. - ACIM).
The ego's thought system is formed in one of two ways, either, we model unhealthy behaviors in our environment or we make decisions based on what we perceive to be emotional voids or personal attacks. The symptomatic actions that derive from our mis-perceptions are products of a deep rooted belief system that is embedded in our subconscious mind. These actions are played out simply because we don't understand our "truth" or true nature in God.
What we discover later about these actions is that the emotions attached to them become an addiction, in which become self perpetuating. On this note St. Paul states: "The acts of the sinful nature (ego) are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God".
It is this type of addictive behavior that become the illusions to our truth. We mistake physical sensation and fulfillment as the only reality.
Our Three Gifts: Our Solution
- Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'there it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."
- God determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.'
- The third gift is the realization of the first two gifts. These sentiments weren't meant for the converted, but rather the unconverted. All along he has been with us, and all along we were in Him; and we have been guided by his hand. God is always within us and we inside of him it is what we call: 'OmniPresence'. There is nowhere we can go where God is not. - The Psalmist uttered: "If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there".
So, it is here we must begin our journey, to understand the way out of what some have described as a dream or unreality. The ego is simply an extension of our projections, based on a legacy that was left behind by whom the bible called the first Adam.
The Garden of Eden, or the pre-separation condition, was a state of mind in which nothing was needed. When Adam listened to the "lies of the serpent," all he heard was untruth. You do not have to continue to believe what is not true unless you choose to do so.
-ACIM
Into The Ego (Series)
Thought Systems
Our Condition