The Ego In Man - Des Walter

In this study we will explore the vital factor that is the prime cause of the alienation from God that characterizes life in the world in which we live. It is a thing we call “Self” or “Ego.” Society today has been molded by a philosophy we call HUMANISM. Amongst other things this concept considers each person to have a unique identity which effectively separates them from everyone else. Here lies the basis for racial intolerance, bigotry and many other offending attitudes against others. This EGO does not develop naturally but has to be cultivated and encouraged both by family and also by all branches of society.
First of all, let me say that the thing we call EGO is probably the greatest threat to Christianity that we have to face. A great deal of Church life is founded by Pastors and other Church leaders ministering and functioning out of their own EGO, that multiplies like a virulent disease on contact with others. There are only TWO antidotes to this problem that are available to us, and these are L-O-V-E and T-R-U-T-H, and both of these are absolutely free and freely available.
However our exposure to this powerful force of the ego begins at home while we are very young. There are various patterns of behavior orchestrated by governments and society to create certain illusions, one is that both parents need to work in order to fund a satisfying lifestyle. This objective often causes such problems as a lack of cohesion in the family as the children strive to survive without sufficient parental influence and guidance. Very quickly they establish their own personal identity which they exert in every relationship.
Society today suffers from an expression of individualism that asserts the rights of an individual against the rights of the community. This attitude is reflected as a great deficiency in LOVE. The general focus has been turned inward, viewing the SELF as all that matters. Ethnic issues are causing fighting and bloodshed in Indonesia, Yugoslavia and Israel to name but a few. Ireland is divided on religious grounds, while other nations are in conflict over land and sovereignty. But to keep to our theme, I want you to know when the dust settles and we can examine all the evidence, we discover behind all conflict there stands the EGO OF MAN.
Was it the plan and purpose of God to create man who would find himself driven relentlessly by an inward force called EGO? Here is the Word of the Lord, “And God said, Let us make man IN OUR IMAGE and AFTER OUR LIKENESS, and let them have dominion….. so God created man in HIS OWN IMAGE, in the IMAGE OF GOD created he him.” Traditional theology sees man as a separate entity from God, but this account in Genesis 1:27 suggests that God and man are inseparably linked together.
Paul spoke to the Greek philosophers of his day on Mar’s Hill expounding to them something of the mystery of God. “God has made of one blood all men to dwell on the face of the earth, and has determined the times before appointed and the bounds of their habitation. That they should SEEK THE LORD, if haply they might feel after him, though he be not far from every one of us. FOR IN HIM WE LIVE AND MOVE AND HAVE OUR BEING….. For we are the offspring of God.”
This truth, that God and Man are inseparably linked together, may be a new thought to you, but it is true nevertheless. In John’s heavenly vision he heard the angelic host singing, “Thou art worthy, O Lord to receive glory and honor and power, FOR THOU HAST CREATED ALL THINGS, AND FOR THY PLEASURE THEY ARE CREATED.” However because of the blindness of our hearts we fail to see God’s involvement in our lives day by day.
Where then did this EGO come from? We have to look back to Adam in the garden to see many changes that developed in him at that time. Just imagine this man walking and talking with God in the most natural setting of a Garden, in a relationship most could only dream about. This is the relationship that existed at that time between the CREATOR and the man he created. He even shared with the creator in the naming of the animals in the garden.
Of course, for those who are firmly rooted in fundamentalism, the whole scene may just as well be “make believe.” Truth that has its source in the realm of heaven, cannot be transmitted intellectually to humans, as was proven in the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus. So we must see that the early chapters of Genesis are written distinctly in “parable” form. The “Garden” represents the HEART of man, and is designated as the only place where we can find God. Such an understanding brings to life all the facts recorded, and in no way destroys the Truth God wants to communicate to us. Thus right at the beginning of man’s existence, we find God and MAN walking together as ONE in perfect harmony. There is only one authority resident in this man Adam, and that is the voice of GOD speaking from the Garden within his heart. “Of every tree of the Garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL you shall not eat of it, for in the day that you eat thereof, IN DYING YOU WILL DIE.”
How simple life was for this man, who did not walk in confusion as to what he should or should not do. For him life was uncomplicated and certain. The voice of God did not give lengthy lists of do’s and don’ts that must be memorised, for the VOICE was always there when it was needed, giving guidance and direction to preserve the PEACE and beauty of the Garden. This is Paradise, expressed as LIFE in harmony with God. In the glory and order of this paradise man functioned as ONE with God. As a result we see MAN exercising his God given function of dominion over all the works of God’s hands. Adam had authority over the animals exercising his right to give them a name.
Remember in the Bible a NAME denotes character, and in those cases recorded where the character of a person changed God also changed their name, as in the case of Abram, Sarai and Peter to name just a few. So the peace and harmony of the garden was assured, for Adam was living in union with God. The animals in the garden represent the emotions in man, so each of these emotional forces were given their character and nature by ADAM thus ensuring there was no disruption or disharmony. Be assured this is not fantasy, but the reality established by God in the beginning, as his plan and purpose for all mankind. Under these circumstances, in the Garden of man’s heart, THE LION LAYS DOWN WITH THE LAMB in perfect peace and in keeping with the design of God. The LION representing the powerful emotions resident in man, is in perfect harmony with the LAMB that is symbolic of the very nature of GOD, both functioning in unison in the man. So we can see the pattern set for man to follow in the beginning is exactly the same for us today, walking boldly in love and harmony with God as we bow meekly in subjection to his voice. However the day came when this peace and harmony gave way to a new destructive force that destroyed the unity between God and man. The glassy surface of the “still” water reflecting a perfect image of the heavens, only needs a small pebble thrown in to cause ripples to radiate from the disturbance affecting the whole surface of the water, and so distorting the image
So it is with man who only has to disobey the inner voice of God by establishing his own authority, to throw his whole being into chaos.
Eve explored and finally embraced a knowledge that did not come from that inner voice, about which they had been warned. This knowledge birthed in the mind of man, is represented by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve was deceived by the “serpent” or the CARNAL MIND, that was more subtle than any beast of the field. God had already told them, that to eat the fruit of that tree would result in death, if they allowed this knowledge to exercise authority over them. This new unauthorised knowledge of GOOD AND EVIL, became the arbiter of all truth silencing the voice of God that had guided and directed them up to this time. A strange unrest broke the peace and tranquility of the Garden throwing everything into confusion. Adam became conscious that he was naked and an overwhelming desire came over him to run and hide from God, who came as usual to share with them, just as he had always done. Without any divine direction he hid behind the trees of the garden fearing the one who had been his constant companion and guide.
The face of God that had been so clearly reflected in his inner being, now appeared to be his enemy. His voice was still heard within calling to him, but only reluctantly did he respond saying that he was hiding because he was naked. The response from God directed Adam to the very seat of his problem when he asked, “WHO TOLD YOU?” Another VOICE had been birthed within the MAN which now occupied the position once held by God. It did not take long for the tranquility of the garden to disappear and be replaced by a form of organised chaos. The garden within man’s heart became a desolate and unfriendly wilderness and the animal forces of his emotions which once lived in perfect harmony within that garden, now expressed a new character more in keeping with the need to survive in this hostile environment.
This helps us to understand why so many are afflicted by depression, headaches, stress, ulcers, etc, and all the professional medical help in the world can only provide temporary relief to what is a SPIRITUAL PROBLEM. Thus was born this “thing” called EGO, referred to in the dictionary as the “I” or SELF, the PERSONAL IDENTITY. EGOISM is systematic selfishness, a theory that bases morality on self interest.
EGO is the controlling force developed in this SELF, having the power to govern because we perceive ourselves to be a separate entity from God. In the beginning Man’s direction came from God who dwelt within, showing the way and declaring truth as he spoke. All decisions made by man were made in unison with God for the two functioned as one. Thus the peace and tranquility of the garden was assured. BUT now, the voice of God is not consulted, for another voice had been raised up within man with the appearance of having all the knowledge required to direct his own path, so making God superfluous!
It was the Prophet Jeremiah who said, “O Lord I know that the way of man is not in himself, IT IS NOT IN MAN THAT WALKETH TO DIRECT HIS STEPS.” As the ego in man develops he becomes convinced he is master of his own destiny. Job said of the Lord, “He causeth the people to wander in a wilderness where there is no way, they grope in the dark without light, and he makes them to stagger like a drunken man.” The NATURAL MAN is governed by FIVE SENSES, sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell, none of which are capable of reaching God. Therefore man cannot know God until the Holy Spirit brings light and understanding. “Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun, because though a man labor to seek it out, YET HE SHALL NOT FIND IT.” God can only be found in a land that is beyond human imagination or understanding, where the SPIRIT is sovereign. Therefore it becomes a battle against the unbelief generated by the EGO to cross its border. The promise is, “When the Holy Spirit is come he will GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH.”
“Where does wisdom come from, and where is the place of understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air. Destruction and death say, we have heard the fame thereof with our ears, but God understandeth the way thereof…. And unto man he says, BEHOLD THE FEAR OF THE LORD, THAT IS WISDOM.” What does it really mean to FEAR THE LORD?
It means to stand in awe of, to reverence, honour and respect him. Adam lost his “FEAR” of the Lord when he began to take direction from the SELF or EGO he birthed within himself, and disobeyed the voice of God. Here is the cause of all man’s problems even to this present time. Israel was told “If you will OBEY MY VOICE, you will be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people.” But to deny the voice of God and bow down to the voice of “self” will cause us to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.
This principle is fully expressed in Jesus Christ who stated, “I only DO what I see my Father DO, and I only SAY what I hear my Father SAY. Herein lies the simplicity of the Christ life. Not studying the Bible or praying, or attending meetings, however helpful these things may be, but SAYING WHAT FATHER IS SAYING, which will result in DOING WHAT FATHER IS DOING. Remember the power of LIFE and DEATH are in the tongue, so what we say can produce LIFE or DEATH in us. Jesus said, “MY WORDS they are SPIRIT AND LIFE.” However the words that come from the carnal mind ARE DEATH. Since that time when man left the peace and harmony of the Garden of Eden, he has sought to discover where wisdom can be found, and where is the place of understanding? However, man does not know where to look or what is the cost to find it. Paul said, “For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I AM CARNAL, sold under sin.” Carnality is the condition Man finds himself in when he is subject to the ego. The word “Carnal” is the translation of the Greek word SARKIKOS and means FLESHLY or having the nature of flesh, being under the control of the “animal” appetites and governed by mere human nature instead of the Spirit of God.
It is obvious from the creation account in Genesis, that man was to be the pinnacle of the whole creation process because in him, God purposed to manifest his likeness and image. Not some cardboard cut-out or close replica of God, but a true manifestation that was preserved and finally revealed in Jesus Christ. The WORD that became FLESH has provided us with a true manifestation of our real identity and origin in Jesus Christ who is the man of Genesis 1.
The EGO is the great stumbling block preventing man from achieving the will and purpose of God. This alien force has assumed the place of God within man, boasting of its wisdom and ability to discern between Good and Evil, and so being able to achieve the image and likeness of God.
So much in Christianity today carried the title of CHRISTIAN but is simply a masquerade on the part of the ego. Man can dress up and go to Church on Sunday and sing the hymns and hear the sermon, then return home to a war zone that is camouflaged as a family. Man can declare in song that JESUS IS LORD, yet be driven by an out of control Ego to cheat and defraud. He may serve as a deacon or an elder but never hear the voice of God within. The great zeal of many Pastors to captivate their congregation and win souls for the Lord, so often is but the function of a disguised ego.
The ego creates its own agenda, but never reveals it to anyone until it is dressed up in some “spiritual disguise.” The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked and who can know it. It was said of the serpent (the carnal mind) in the garden, that is was “more subtle than all the beasts of the field.” The ego is a “chameleon” able to adjust itself to blend into the most acceptable surroundings. The Laodecian Church boasted itself that it was rich and increased in goods, and had need of nothing, and did not know that in truth it was “wretched, and miserable, poor, blind and naked.” The EGO is able to create an illusion of reality out of nothing.
The strategy of the EGO is to bring God down to man making him to be even as one of us, so we can meet the standard, rather than lift man up to God. But in all the darkness and despair of the soul of man, God is today calling out a people unto his Name. For if you live after the flesh you will die, but if you through the Spirit do put to death the deeds of the body, YOU WILL LIVE. We must return like the prodigal son to FATHER and HOME, and forsake the illusion of SELF that has led us down the pathway of independence from God. Man studies the Bible with the help of a leader and books on theology, while the Holy Spirit who knows the deep things of God is ignored. The EGO has blinded man’s eyes to truth substituting the doctrines of man for the voice of God. The words of the prophet have come to pass, “Behold ye despisers and wonder, and perish; for I work a work in your day, a work that you will not believe, though a man declare it unto you.” Acts 13:41. It is because of this blindness that the greatest secrets of God are still largely unknown even though they have been made open for us to see. Jesus said, “In that day many will say unto me, Lord Lord, have we not prophesied in thy Name, and in thy Name have cast out devils, and done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I NEVER KNEW YOU!!”

The Problem Exposed

John 5:1-9. At the sheep gate in Jerusalem there is a pool with 5 colonnades, called BETHESDA. Here there lay a crowd of sick people, blind, lame and paralysed, waiting for the disturbance of the water. From time to time a angel came down into the pool and troubled the water. The first to plunge in after this disturbance recovered from whatever sickness had afflicted him. Among the sick was a man who had been crippled for 38 years. Jesus being aware that he had been there most of his life asked him, “Do you want to be healed?” “Sir I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is troubled, but while I am on my way some one else gets in before me.” Jesus said, “Rise pick up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was cured, picked up his bed and walked. This man represents the people today who become aware of the terrible spiritual condition in which they find themselves. They have been sick with both an inner and an outer paralysis, trying to walk and live for and from the ego. This man has been so long in that state that he knew no other life. However he has seen others who were in a like condition as his, who made it to the water. He knows there is an answer but is powerless to fulfill its conditions.
Of all the sick people lying there that day, Jesus only visited ONE, who knew there was an answer to his condition. The SELF or EGO is that paralysing force in every man that denies him access to the freedom available to us in the realm of Spirit. This power, locks mankind into the darkness of this world, so that it seems impossible for him to ever escape. Thus the darkened mind of man becomes also his prison, shutting out any hope of accessing the freedom available in the realm of Spirit.
God has sent a messenger that is Christ, to “stir the waters” within the human heart providing a door of opportunity for man to break free from the power of the self which has paralysed his spiritual life. The “WATERS” in scripture refer to the mind of man which like the ocean is in constant motion. It was in the beginning that DARKNESS was on the “face of the deep” that the sub-conscious mind of man was revealed. God’s answer was simply to turn on the light, which was not some doctrine or code of ethics, but is the impartation of a knowledge of himself. The man at the pool of Bethesda represents the person who endures an inward paralysis because up until that time the darkness within his mind had allowed the EGO to control his being. This man’s mind is like the ocean that is never still, and so would endure one wave only to find the next one right behind it, giving him no peace. Man under the control of self or ego is never able to rest, for he has set in motion forces within himself over which he has no control.
Paul explains it this way, “when I would do good evil is present with me.” But the confusion is worse, for he says, “That which I do (out of my ego), I do not really know why I am doing it, because what I really want to do, I do not do, but find myself ( out of my ego) doing what I hate.
This man is lying beside the SHEEP GATE through which the sacrificial lambs passed on their way to the altar in the Temple. He must have thought about those blood sacrifices and how he could benefit from them.
However he had to learn that the only sacrifice that is acceptable to God is the living sacrifice of himself, bringing death to the ego.
It is ones’ own EGO that needs to be dethroned and robbed of its authority, so that we might be free to hear and obey the voice of the living God who dwells within.
Religion has always endeavored to reconcile a deep seated duality that exists in human nature. Paul calls these two, the OLD MAN and the NEW MAN, but never suggests that they can abide together under any conditions. The OLD man, the SELF we consider we are, that is independent of God, must be put off and discarded, as our mind is renewed by the Spirit. This will allow the NEW man to exercise his rightful authority as the REAL SELF, and that is CHRIST. The paralysis we endure is induced by the OLD man that is always in conflict with the spirit. Paul says, “I delight in the Law of God after the inward or Spiritual man, but I see another power within, warring against me bringing me into captivity to the law of SIN and death.”
In this seemingly impossible situation I cry out, “who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” But the answer now is made known to me and that is, “through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The truth has now dawned concerning the duality that has kept the man at Bethesda paralysed for 38 years.
As long as a man remains under the power and authority of the ego or self, he will remain estranged from God. Jesus stated quite clearly, that a man must get rid of the SELF if he desires to follow him. Matt 16:24. The man lying by the Pool was indeed sick of his “self” which not only put him in the condition he was in, but it had the power to hold him there.
This is the condition we all must face before we will ever rise up and walk breaking the power of the spiritual paralysis that is keeping is in despair. However this time there was one at hand who was able to administered grace to him and at the “stirring of the waters” this man received the WORD of the LIVING GOD spoken into his heart, and he arose to walk in newness of life. How many times had that man witnessed the stirring of the waters?? Of course this whole episode was recorded for our spiritual edification, and not just to tell us that Jesus could heal the sick which is all many Christians see in this account. The stirring of the waters is that STILL SMALL VOICE which stirs something within us introducing a new thought or Truth that we can either accept or reject. If we respond to that voice of God we will live, but to disregard it will keep us bound in the darkness of our despair. So many Christians hear the voice of God but then look for a MAN to explain it to them or to discern IF IT BE OF GOD OR THE DEVIL. Thus they remain living beside the “pool” with all the rest of the impotent folk. There are many souls today attending Church, living beside the Pool of Bethesda who remain impotent like this man Jesus dealt with.
Cursed is man that puts his trust in man, says the prophet. Jesus said, “He that heareth my word and believes on him that sent me HATH EVERLASTING LIFE and shall not come into condemnation but us passed from DEATH unto LIFE.” Paul says, “The righteousness which is by faith speaks on this wise, Say not in your heart who shall ascend into heaven? That is to bring Christ DOWN to us, or Who shall descend into the deep? That is to bring up Christ again from the dead. BUT it has already been stated, THE WORD IS NIGH THEE EVEN IN THY MOUTH, AND IN THY HEART, THAT IS THE WORD OF FAITH WHICH WE PREACH.” Rom 10:6-8.
Forget about looking for a man to help you into the “water.” The word Christ speaks into your heart has all the power you need to cause you to rise up and walk whether it be after 38 years or 98 years if you will simply confess that word of the Christ with your mouth and believe it in your heart. The sick man was in the right place for it was called Bethesda, which literally means “the House of Mercy.”
How trivialised the Word and Work of God can become to the man who has never heard the voice of the Living God. The Pharisees became jealous of the ministry of Jesus. “Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees heard that he was winning over and baptising more disciples than John (in fact however, it was not he himself who baptised, but his disciples), he left Judea and went back to Galilee. The Jewish religious leaders were quite concerned about John the Baptist who seemed to come from no-where but spoke with great power and authority as was declared by the prophets. But now this JESUS was drawing bigger crowds who were following him wherever he went. The message Jesus preached became a real problem for the Pharisees who felt threatened by his words, for he spoke as one having authority. The Pharisees only spoke from tradition, which lacked reality for them and for their hearers also.
Their own ego prevented them from receiving the Truth but instead raised in them a hostile attitude toward Jesus and the truth that he was declaring. Their authority over the people was being threatened by Jesus who said, “I know that you are descendants of Abraham, yet you seek to kill me because my words finds no place in you.”
On the way to Galilee Jesus had to pass through Samaria and came to a town called Sychar. This was the plot of ground Jacob gave to Joseph and there was found Jacob’s Well. Jesus sat and rested at the well while the disciples went into town to buy supplies. A woman comes to the well to draw water and Jesus uses the opportunity to lift the woman’s understanding from tradition to Truth.
He says to her, “Give me to drink.” The woman who was obviously a religious person resorts to her tradition in order to form a reply. She says, “You are a Jew. How can you ask me, a Samaritan, and a woman, for a drink?” But the request for a drink carried a far higher meaning than she had considered. Jesus was really asking her to share the spiritual life she had received from this “traditional” well, which was dug by the Patriarch Jacob.
Jesus replies, “If only you recognised God’s gift, and who it is that is asking you for a drink, you would have been asking him instead, and he would have given you living water.” But again the EGO gets in the way and so she is forced to resort to her traditional teaching and heritage, to defend herself. “Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob who gave us this well which has supplied us with water all these years? In any case, this well is deep and you do not have a bucket. How then can you give me living water?” Her interest in this Jew is slowly being aroused. At first all she saw was a man who was a Jew, which triggered in her understanding all the animosity and bigotry her Samaritan tradition had taught her. The Samaritans were not recognised as part of Israel and Nehemiah refused their help in the rebuilding of the walls in Jerusalem after their return from captivity. But this man is talking about being able to give LIVING WATER, which would mean there would never be a need to search for life anywhere else. Could this man really be greater than Jacob, and does he have access to Truth beyond the traditions handed down through the ages?
Jacob represented the man who was the progenitor of the nation of Israel. Like Abraham, Jacob had a very personal dealing with God that transformed his life. After seizing the birthright from his brother Esau, he set about deceiving his father by assuming the identity of his older brother in order to obtain the patriarchal blessing. That false sense of identity continued in his life until he was reconciled to his brother Esau.
This reconciliation began the night Jacob found himself alone and wrestling a “heavenly messenger” (his true identity), who sort to overcome the lie that Jacob was living within himself. As the dawn approached this mysterious visitor found that he had not secured the victory, so he touched the hollow of his thigh.
This was a mortal blow to the ego as this heavenly visitor, who now asked to be released, so easily exposed its vulnerability. However, as the new day dawned a subtle change came over Jacob because for the first time he was powerless in the presence of this heavenly one. Jacob the cheat discovered the deceiving force that had controlled his life had been broken in the presence of this one from heaven. He said, “I will not let you go until you bless me.” This was the blessing he had sort for from his birth when he grasped the “heel” of his first born brother, but his ego prevented him from receiving it until now. Jacob was transformed that night and was given a new name suited to his new character, ISRAEL, a Prince with God. These things were a very real part of this Samaritan woman’s religion, which raised the question in her mind of superiority between Jesus and Jacob. However the thought of having the inner spring of life giving water, caused her to ask for it without hesitation. So Jesus takes her further along the road, by asking her to, “Go home and call your husband and then return.” The woman replied, “I have no husband.” This truthful admission makes her ready to receive further truth, Jesus said, ”You are right is saying you have no husband, for you have already had FIVE, and the one you presently have (your EGO) is not your husband.”
Jesus is not making any moral judgement here regarding the woman, for the word “husband” could be translated as “master” or “Lord.” In the Greek it is derived from the word for MAN = ANTHROPOS. The truth is that Jesus went straight to the very crux of the matter with this woman, and that was far greater than any moral issue. The woman’s problem was that there was no real authority in her life. Her five former ”husbands,” for whatever reason had not provided that authority.
If we are governed by the five senses we will be as a kingdom divided against itself, and brought to desolation. Jesus taught this principal in the sermon on the Mount. “The light of the body is the EYE, if your EYE be single your whole body will be full of light.” First of all we must understand that the eye is dependant upon light in order to function. You may have 20/20 vision but if you are in the dark you will not be able to see at all.
Secondly if the eye is functioning correctly, it will focus the light it receives perfectly on the retina and our mind or understanding will be filled with that light. However if the eye diffuses that light by dividing it and not allowing all the light to be concentrated, then we will receive a garbled message and so we will be filled with darkness having no understanding.
This woman of Samaria had been governed by the five senses of the carnal mind. As a result she had no single authority in her life and so had to rely on the confused direction of the five “husbands” or senses. However on this day she had met someone who so impressed her that she declared openly, “Sir, I can see you are a Prophet.” In this statement she sensed a wisdom and an authority she had not encountered before. But her old religious thinking was not yet ready to concede defeat.
“Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you people say that Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship God.” This revealed the confusion that was in her mind, so Jesus answered, “The hour is coming and is already here when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. YOU people worship what you do not understand, but we understand, for after all, Salvation is from the Jews. But the time is come when those who are the real worshippers will worship the Father IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH. These are the ones Father is seeking for, because GOD IS SPIRIT.” This woman is afraid because this “prophet” is taking her beyond the limits of her understanding, and she is powerless to resist. She has exhausted her inherited understanding, based upon sense knowledge but is now being drawn into into the unfamiliar world of the Spirit. Jesus had already brushed aside her limited knowledge and infused a desire in her to ascend into a higher realm, that of the Spirit. The power of her ego was broken as truth began to penetrate her heart. The question of ancestors and mountains is gone and now the focus is on a God that is Spirit.
The woman recalls, “WE know that the Messiah (CHRIST) is coming, and when he is here he will tell us everything.” Jesus replied, “I AM is the one speaking to you now.” This revealing of “I AM” was prophesied by Isaiah, “Therefore they shall know in that day, that “I AM” he that speaks, behold it is I.” In the presence of the “I AM” every other power (knee) must bow including the ego in man. Babylon is brought to desolation because she said, “I AM and none else beside me.” Isa 47 : 8-10.
Let every man beware of using this Name of God lightly, The only ones who can legitimately use this Name are those who are no longer the author of the words they use, and who only does what he see his Father do. This is the final destruction of the ego that has directed life from its secret throne within man, creating a pseudo identity in defiance of God’s declaration of man being in the image and likeness of God.
The Samaritan woman had now drunk her fill of that living water and so returned to the city. She must have had a standing as an honorable person in her community because her word was accepted by the people. Many came out to meet this extraordinary man who had living water to give to those who asked. Jesus used this occasion to show the disciples not to look at the work of the Spirit in human terms, such as set times for harvest. In the realm of spirit it is always harvest time, as typified by Aaron’s rod that sprouted, budded, blossomed and fruited in one day in the tabernacle.
The birthing of this new life in man requires radical spiritual surgery. Jesus said to his disciples, “Who ever wishes to become a follower of me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” This is not some simple intellectual thought process achieved by a changing of the mind. This strikes at the very root of the problem, for the cross as a spiritual experience, will totally destroy the ego or self that has reigned as king in the lives of men.
Jesus knew the multitudes did not follow him to receive of the Spirit but for purely selfish reasons. Within each of us there are the “inner multitudes” of thoughts and desires that have no unity or co-ordination, but each one is driven by personal desires, being pre-occupied with comfort and success. Just advertise a “miracle meeting” and invite those who need healing, and you will pack the house. WHY?? Because people’s focus is not on “seeking first the Kingdom of God,” but on their own personal needs. What have such desires to do with spirituality? The answer is nothing, for their interest in God is for reasons that are purely selfish.
Everyone is seeking for some external authority that will approve of what they think or believe. Most people look for the adulation of the crowd, or approval from their parents, or some spiritual leader, as well as traditions, verses from the Bible or some external God. The ego can only thrive when it has acceptance from others and approval of its thoughts desires and actions. The Church often becomes the “well” from which such acceptance is generated.
We must be careful not to bring “eternal life” down to our natural level of understanding, as if it is simply the life we now live with just a few religious overtones. Eternal life is only resident in the ageless identity in which, “I and the Father are ONE.” The “I AM” within a human being constitutes the bridge between this world and the realm of Spirit, between what is below and what is above. If this link did not exist there would be no hope of salvation, and mankind would be condemned to remain in darkness.
The Word becoming flesh shows us, that if the Eternal Christ could take on the form of man, (Jesus) then the presence of that I AM dwelling within us today, would produce the same results. So many Christians fail to recognise the real nature of I AM and so cannot receive it. It is recorded in John 6:16-21, “The disciples entered into a ship to go to Capernaum and it was dark, but Jesus had not come to them. And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew. So when they had rowed about thirty furlongs they see Jesus WALKING ON THE SEA, and drawing near unto the ship, AND THEY WERE AFRAID. But he said unto them, I AM, BE NOT AFRAID. Then they willingly received him into the boat and IMMEDIATELY they were at the shore where they were going.”
The minds of the disciples were closed to the meaning of the events that they witnessed with Jesus. They had not learned the lesson of the loaves and the fishes. Now as they witnessed Jesus walking on the water they cried out in fear supposing it had been a spirit. Mark 6:49-50, 52. These specially selected men had absolutely no idea of “I AM.” But in their fear and frustration Jesus revealed to them the power and majesty of the sacred Name of God, “I AM.” The NAME in Bible days was always linked to the recognised character of a person, and where they had a divine encounter with God they were given a name in accordance with the change.
To speak in the Name of somebody, is to participate in that person’s being and share in his power and authority. To speak for or “In the Name” of the government, is to speak with the authority invested in the Government. If a person believes in (into) the Name of Jesus Christ, it means that he understands the real nature of the Christ, and would be able to participate in his being and power, and could act on his authority.
The Greek word for “Name” is onome, and bears the connotation of power and being. It seems there is also a connection between the Greek words “onome” and “Logos”. So when we look at the Name of JESUS, we discover it is the English version of Joshua, who was chosen of God to lead Israel across Jordan and into the promised land. Now Joshua comes from the Hebrew word Yehoshua, which literally means Yahweh saves. Yahweh in its traditional form is the tetragramaton YHWH and is connected with “I AM” as the Name of God. So it could be said that the name Jesus literally means, “I AM SAVES.”
The Name “I AM” was first revealed to MOSES as the name of the one who would deliver Israel from bondage in Egypt. Moses asked God, “When they ask me who it is that sent me, what am I to tell them?” God said to him, “I AM THAT I AM.” Then he added tell them, “I AM sent me unto you.” Ex 3:11-14. This is the first time God revealed this most mysterious, powerful and sacred Name. The Greek word used in John’s Gospel and the Septuagint for the expression “I AM” is Ego eimi (pronounced ego I -mee). This expression of the divine Name is found particularly in the Book of Isaiah. “ I am, “I AM” that blotteth out thy transgressions.” Isa 43:25. “I am, I AM who comforts you.” 51:12. “Therefore my people shall know my name, in that day that “I AM” is speaking to them.
The Name “I AM” in these examples functions as the proper Name of God, with all the power and authority resident in him. So when Jesus Christ used this title he is identifying himself with God, so that the things he did were not manifestations of his own ability but the power and being of God. The ego says, “I am this” or “I am that” so as to identify everything that is done with themselves. As the “I am” Jesus came in his Father’s Name but the Jews would not receive him, however he said if another shall come in his own name, you will receive him.
In Church circles we have often seen preachers claiming to speak for God when actually it was their ego people were listening to. The man with the “Charismatic” personality, and great oratory ability soon gathers a crowd of loyal supporters. But he has come in his own name. How subtle is the ego that it has the power to sway the multitudes. However it is interesting that so many Christian people who also are still driven by their own ego are attracted to men who function in the same way. Jesus said to the people, “In very truth, I know that you have not come looking for me because you saw the miracles, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for that which perisheth but for that which endures unto eternal life, which the Son of man shall give unto you, for him hath God the Father sealed” Jn 6:26-27.
The people asked him for a sign that they might see and believe. They said, “Our fathers ate Manna in the wilderness, as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” How ever Jesus refuted their words saying, “MOSES did not give bread from heaven, but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the BREAD OF GOD is HE (the I AM) that comes down from heaven, and gives life unto the world.”
Jesus warned the people not to be satisfied with eating bread to satisfy their physical hunger, but to search for the nourishment that comes from heaven and gives eternal life. How many of God’s people go to Church to get healing for the body, or are motivated by some other selfish desire. How refreshing it is to see a soul seeks God with a pure heart, and not simply to fulfill some carnal desire. The wants and desires of the EGO so often obscure the deep longing of the soul to find her beloved, that they may be one.
The Jews asked Jesus, “How can we do the works of God?” He replied that they would need to understand and embrace the one sent by God (I AM) and follow the path he has set, seeing as he dwells unrecognised within the heart of every man. The pseudo ego of man has usurped the place of the ego eimi, (“I AM”) that is the true reality of our being. So many Christians are devoted to satisfying the wants and desires of the natural man, by giving mental assent to Bible verses and repenting of wrong doing and even being baptised in order to gain for this “self” some benefit.
I am not writing this paper with a judgmental attitude, but in an effort to expose this insidious “phantom,” the ego, that absorbs our time and energy to satisfy its wants and desires. Today the Spirit is revealing to us the ego eimi, the I AM that was manifest from heaven declaring our identity and oneness with God, while demonstrating the glories of our being and the miraculous nature that waits to find expression in our lives. Lord open our eyes that we might see you, as you really are.
Jesus said, “I AM the bread of LIFE, whoever comes to me shall never hunger and whoever believes in me shall never be thirsty.” Beloved let us grasp these words and the TRUTH they contain that we may LIVE. I AM dwelling in you as Lord means you will never suffer lack. Even the prodigal son knew that in Father’s house there is always an abundance of bread and no one ever went hungry, but at the same time he was eating the food offered to pigs because the ego was ruling his life. “I am” dwelling in you as Lord means you will never be thirsty, for every desire of your heart will be satisfied under his authority for he says to us, “all that I have is yours. Man’s identity in the natural, is wrapped up in his ego. That is why we say “I am” this, or “I am” that, for in this way we lay stress on our particularity, being special and so in a class of our own. We could say the ego makes us exclusively important, and so it becomes very difficult for us to discover the truth of our real identity. The real reason for the destruction of Babylon is because she said, “I am, and there is none else beside me.” Isa 47:8-10.
However when we are liberated from our ego we discover the truth, that of ourselves we can do nothing. However as we enter into ego eimi, man finds himself absorbed into the “ALL THERE IS,” of God, outside of which life is but a vapor. So instead of man being centered in himself now finds his center IN GOD. There was a time when man thought that the earth was the center of everything and the sun and the moon revolved around it. Now we know that the earth is not the center but it revolves around the sun. Neither is man the center around which life revolves, for our center is found only in God.
Jesus said to the people, “No man can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up in the last day. It is written in the prophets, and they shall all be taught of God. Everyone who has heard the Father and been taught of him comes to me.” Jn 6:43-45.
The knowledge of God cannot be gained by studying the Bible, for the things of the spirit can only be revealed by the Spirit. God has revealed himself to us in his only begotten son, Jesus Christ. He is the true “Bread of Life” providing spiritual nourishment which alone can give to us eternal life. Many Christians believe that without the Bible and the so called “Christian Church” people cannot know God. If this were so then Salvation is denied to millions on the earth today who live in heathen countries and many have no Bible. Our God is not a man as conceived in the minds of many Christians, but Spirit, and that Spirit fills the universe, from the darkest jungles of Africa to the major cities of the developed world.
That Spirit is omnipresent so there is no place where God is not to be found. The Spirit that is God is also omniscient, being the fountain of all wisdom and knowledge, and omnipotent in power so that the prophet could say unto Zion, “Thy God reigneth!!” There is not a man on this earth who cannot be wakened by the voice of God, “for the earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof and all they that dwell therein.”
Jesus said, “Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you.” Jesus did not come into this world to set some kind of example for us to follow. The Christian life has been reduced to, “What would Jesus do” in any given circumstance, and then seeking to do whatever we happen to think he would have done. But Jesus made it very clear that we must become what he is in the reality of his being. He never suggested that by believing certain facts we could possess eternal life. Eternal life is in the Son, so if we have “the Son”, we have life but if we are not in possession of “what the Son is,” we do not have life. To help us understand what this means, Jesus said, “Except you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in you.” We must discover the reality that what he is, in actual fact is what I am. There is no other way that we can enter into life. The Word became flesh, the flesh did not produce some superficial changes to accommodate the Word! At that point he was speaking about the spiritual sense of body and not the gross physical body, which Jesus said PROFITS NOTHING. Jn 6:63. Physical flesh is necessary for physical life, however the flesh of Christ is needed for eternal life, for which the natural body is of no use.
Paul says, that there is a natural body just as there is a spiritual body, one is dissolved as the other is raised up. The first man became a Living Soul but the Last Adam has become a life giving spirit. The first was from the earth but the second is the Lord from heaven. “Even as we have borne the image of the earthly just as surely we will bear the image of the man from heaven.” 1 Cor 15. In Man we find the meeting place between the earthly and the heavenly, as the two levels of life converge. Paul says, “I live, but it is not I that lives, but Christ, (I AM) that lives in me.”
As we partake of the body and blood of Christ we are building up within us that spiritual body of Christ. In this process we become one with him and partake of his being. Those who so partake of Christ, dwell in him and he in us, just as Christ dwells in God. We must learn to distinguish between the physical body and the Spiritual body, or we will be in confusion. When we eat our natural food it is translated into the tissue that forms our natural body. But it is obvious that when we partake of the Spiritual Flesh and Blood of Christ this does not become part of our natural body, but builds up that Spiritual body of Christ within us. Paul says, ”We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved, we have (present tense) a building of God a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavenly realm.” 2 Cor 5:1. This cannot refer to our natural body for it is a Spiritual body and it is eternal. The Psalmist says, “Lord thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.” Ps 90:1.
That “dwelling place” is Christ where we once were, but now through natural birth our dwelling place is in a physical mortal body. So Paul goes on to say, “We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for by faith we are walking and not by perception, yet we are encouraged, and delight rather to be away from home out of our body, and to be at home with the Lord.” 2 Cor 5:1-8.
Religious people believe that to be at home with the Lord is to die physically! This proves that they have no concept of the indwelling Christ who is Lord. Beloved if we have not found our dwelling place and oneness with Christ n-o-w, we have nothing in this life. Christ dispensed with his physical body at the Cross and entered his glorified body which is spiritual so he can dwell in this earthen vessel, in which we groan until we are clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
Jesus said to the disciples, “I am going away, and you will look for me and not find me, where I am you cannot come!” The Jews said, “ Where is he going that we are not able to find him? Will he go to the Diaspora among the Greeks? What is he talking about? The natural mind flounders in its attempt to understand Spiritual truth. The natural mind has sought him for 2000 years trying to find out where he is. Christendom has not been any more successful. When the Christ disappeared in the midst of the disciples on the Mount of Olives, he entered the world of Spirit. The source of LIFE, the Son of the Living God, the hope of all mankind, the desire of the ages, has cut himself off from all those “who are separate from him! “If any man be in Christ, he is a New Creation”. Only then can we partake of Spirit and become One with him. As Spirit, Christ fills the universe, from the highest heaven to the lowest hell, while puny man thinks that he has an identity apart from him, and so gropes in the dark seeking to find him.
But we have one more issue we must pursue, concerning the problem of the ego in man. Anyone who thinks we can just make some glib commitment to God and so become a new creature has no concept of reality. Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters.” So there can be no room for our “ego” and “ego emimi”. They are totally incompatible and our life would be filled with confusion if we tried to function with these two authorities.
Christians have devised all kinds of teaching to solve this question of authority. We only have to look at the confusion that reigns in the lives of so many that say they are Christians, to know there is a problem. God is not the author of confusion, or of fear. Some have suggested that the “old man” with the ego as the driving authority, was destroyed at the Cross when Jesus Died. I can testify that I “reckoned” as much as I could, that I was dead unto sin because Christ died on the cross for me, but my “old man” just refused to die.
This answer to the problem of the ego in man has no easy solution for we are not dealing with some small appendage to our lives, but an integral part of our identity. If we were very unhappy with our opinion of ourselves we may be willing to seek a change, but the fact is that we like what we are, and many times are even proud of it. We take the credit for our achievements in life believing we are responsible for our own success. Such is the depth of the deception into which we have fallen. Jeremiah says, “O lord I know that the way of man is not in himself!” It was immediately after being declared a SON OF GOD that Jesus was LED OF THE SPIRIT into the wilderness. The wilderness speaks of an place which has not been farmed and where the wild animals roam free without restraint. The animals refer to the emotions and desires within the heart of man. These were named by Adam in the garden, so that he gave them the nature he wanted them to have. The result there was no problem in the Garden of Eden with the “animals” so the Lion could lay down with the lamb. But subsequently outside the garden through disobedience the animals has a change of character due to the change that took place in Adam.
If he was to be the manifested as the I AM the EGO EIMI, there must be a swift and certain victory won over any other conflicting authority in Jesus. This testing is attributed to the “devil” giving it a surreal setting. The word “devil” used here means the accuser or slanderer. In the Garden this slanderer said that Adam would not die as God said he would, if he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, BUT that they would be GODS in their own right. Adam believed this word and man’s EGO was born, as this human authority in man took over the control of his life ascribing to him an identity separate from God.
Now Jesus the pattern man is put to the test to see what authority reigned in him. First he was subjected to the power of selfish desire. “If thou be the Son of God, command this stone be made bread.” Remember this took place after he had been forty days without food. The ego saw this as an opportunity to declare to all that he had the power to meet his own need. But Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone but BY EVERY WORD OF GOD.” There was no craving for food, that the ego could use to entice him to act out of himself, for he was being sustained not by anything from this world but by the Father. So he won the first round.
Then he was transported into a high mountain and shown all the kingdoms of the world, and was told he would be given power over all these kingdoms if he would but worship his EGO. Pride and achievement are two of the strongest responses that drive the ego. Being one with the Father he knew the EARTH IS THE LORDS and the fullness thereof. So he denied his ego the pleasure of being anointed king! Finally he was taken to the temple in Jerusalem and set on one of the high pinnacles. He was told to cast himself down because the angels would not allow him to be hurt. This test involved presumption, in that because of his position he could take chances knowing that he would be protected. Again Jesus was victorious. Now I have had many people say to me that it was impossible for Jesus to sin. Of course if that is so then this whole episode is simply a charade. But we are told that he was tested in all points just as we are, yet he never sinned. Beloved I have not written this paper just to give you some information. I want to challenge you today to declare, “what is the authority in your life?” Is your EGO producing your identity and therefore dictating how you live?
The same “test” Jesus experienced in the wilderness, with the ego fighting for supremacy, is being played every day, in your life as well as mine. The religious cliché, “Have you given your heart to Jesus,“ is irrelevant to our problem. The question is, “did your ego dictate your attitudes to others making you feel superior to them?” Did you satisfy your selfish desires when you should have pleased your Heavenly Father? Did you succumb to pride and a sense of having made a success by your own efforts? Did you deliberately try and impress others today with your “Christian Faith” giving the impression that your prosperity or health is the result of your commitment to God? As a Christian have you thought or acted presumptuously today assuming things that were not legitimate for you? If your answer is YES to any of these questions you can be assured that your EGO IS STILL ALIVE AND WELL, and that you have an identity, quite apart from God.
Just a cursory glance at the life of Christ reveals his selflessness, and dedication to “please the Father” without thought for himself. But after all the miracles and demonstration of supernatural power, he is faced yet again with the greatest test of his fidelity. He tells the disciples there is yet one more thing declared by the prophets that must be accomplished in himself. Isaiah said, “And he was reckoned among the transgressors, for the things concerning me have an end.” Luke 22:37.
The word “end” here does not relate to time, but means to set out for a definite point or goal, which constitutes the aim or purpose of a thing. This is how the Prophet saw this experience. Isaiah 53:12. “Therefore I give a portion to him among the many, And with the mighty he apportioneth spoil, Because that he exposed to death his soul, And with transgressors he was numbered, And he the sin of many hath borne, And for transgressors he intercedeth.” (Young’s Lit Translation.)
What does it mean to “expose one’s soul to death?” This is the ultimate end of the independent function of the soul that has provided the basis for the operation of the EGO. Never before in the history of man was there such a purging of the soul. This took place on the Mount of Olives with the disciples, who were left about a stone’s cast behind to “Pray that they enter not into temptation.” They were not yet ready to participate in such an experience.
Being alone Jesus faced the real reason for his coming to the world, to provide the sacrifice that would release all mankind from their slavery to sin through the offering of his body. In that sacrifice his “flesh and his blood” are made available as the food and drink, that when consumed give to us eternal life. This is not a “dead” sacrifice as the Hebrews made through the centuries, but a “Living Sacrifice” providing a New and Living Way through the veil of our flesh into the Most Holy Place of God’s presence.
Jesus now faced his darkest hour as he contemplated the “cup” containing the will and purpose of his heavenly Father. He entered into the world as a babe at Bethlehem in obscurity and now as he was facing his departure, he was being reckoned among the transgressors. Even though he came to this earth to bring light and life to all men, and a revelation of man’s true identity as well as a manifestation of God so that we might know him. But now he must become identified with all those who in their minds had become enemies of God. Surely in the holiness of his being he would distance himself from all those who were living under the law of Sin and Death.
It was Father’s will that he become identified with ALL MEN, the obedient and the disobedient, the good and the bad, the rich and the poor, the black and the white, for “I AM” has no human limitations, and none can be excluded. Think about it beloved, and tell me if we who name the Name of Christ have ever faced such a death sentence to the carnal activity of our souls, enabling us to drink that “CUP” and be willing to say, “Not my will but thine be done." The King of Glory departs this earth scene, numbered with the transgressors. I declare to you, a powerful compulsion rises within me, like Peter and I want to cry out, “Not so Lord, this must not be so.” But I hear the voice of the Master saying, “Get thee behind me satan!” In the agony of soul through which Jesus passed it is recorded that he sweat as it were great drops of blood. Who of us has any idea what transpired that night on the Mount of Olives? The disciples fell asleep as so many of his followers have done today, ignorant of the inward tribulation through which we also must pass if we are to enter into the Kingdom of God.
In our ignorance we magnify the image of the physical cross, making it the record of the suffering of Christ. The nails that pierced his hands and feet and the crown of thorns become the major issue of our outrage, while the death process that brought purity to the soul of the Master in the Mount, is glibly overlooked. No beloved, the agony was not the nails or the thorns, but the drinking of the cup the Father gave to him, as he became identified with the transgressors. He was made to be “sin” for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him
Never before was there a time when “Mercy and truth have embraced, and righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Ps 85:10. For Christians generally, Truth has made us intolerant and lacking in mercy. Is there a place where the redeemed and the transgressors can find common ground in the world today? Yes, for the Holy one of Israel, became the representative of all mankind in “I AM”.
That night on the Mount of Olives, those who represented the Political and Religious powers of this world came to arrest Jesus Christ, not realising that they were dealing with a superior power that was not born out of the carnality of man’s soul. History records, that when the soldiers who probably numbered about 600 came to arrest him, he answered them, “I AM,” and they stepped back and fell to the ground. However I want you to know that the “I AM” is not an identification of a particular person such as Jesus Christ. This concept has crept in amongst many Christians today, leading to this “Name” being adopted as a means of identification.
]When the expression “I AM” is understood, we find ourselves in the presence of something extraordinary, and totally incomprehensible to the natural mind. This can only be expressed as the state of a relationship that exists between the FATHER and the SON, as the Son participates in that mysterious and sacred NAME of GOD, I AM or EGO EIMI. In this relationship there is a fusing together of the Father and the son in a mystic unity that allows God total expression through his creation. Jesus said, “But when the Holy Spirit is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of TRUTH which proceeds from the Father, he shall testify of me. And you shall also bear witness, BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN WITH ME FROM THE BEGINNING.” Jn 15:26-27.
There is a mysterious transference of SPIRIT from the Father to his sons that is designated the “Spirit of Truth.” This Spirit of Truth is the antidote to the falseness of the ego, if we can receive it. The truth concerning our origin has nothing to do with this world. Jesus said, “Call no man on the earth your Father!” We have been begotten of God, and have been with him from the beginning. The word “begotten” indicates that what is brought forth remains true to its origin without change.
The ego is built up on the false notions of the carnal mind, that sees man as an individual entity capable of functioning out of its own capacity to decide its own destiny. The pathway of salvation involves not only the correction of the false concepts generated by the mind of man, but breaking the estrangement that has developed between the Father and the son until they become one. Jesus said, “I have manifested thy NAME unto them.” Not just told them what your Name is, but I have become an expression of your name “EGO EIMI.” Sanctify them (set them apart) through thy Truth. Just as thou hast sent me into the world, in the same way I have sent them into the world. And for this reason I sanctify myself that the Truth might sanctify them also. That they all may be one, just as you Father are one in me and I am one in you in the merging of your essence to become an expression of the “I am,” which will be to the world the proof of our origin and of theirs also.
I have declared thy NAME and will continue to declare it unto them that the mysterious bond of love that unifies us will have the same effect upon them enveloping them in that same mystery of Godliness.
May these words humble and challenge you even as I have been challenged, whilst writing them.
As bound together in Him………Des Walter.