How to Lose Your Ego - Jesus Style.

(Recommended PRE-WALK READING for The Bay of Fires Walk For Spiritual Seekers, Tasmania).

By Tim Crawshaw

THE Bay of Fires Walk For Spiritual Seekers is an Authentic Tasmanian Wilderness Experience offered to supernaturally encounter God and receive spiritual transformation without religion through Jesus Christ and the holy spirit. it involves a 20km hike along some of the most beautiful isolated beaches in the world with a one night camp stop. It is led by Tim and Deb Crawshaw on a free/donation basis. More information about the walk can be found in the menu items above.

If this information helps you significantly please consider donating to support this ministry so it can continue to operate for free.

Your Ego and Flesh is what stands in the way of you experiencing everything that God wants you to know about ultimate reality and to give you - life to the full. Jesus Christ said “everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice” (john 18. Verse 37).

If you want to experience more love, freedom, peace, joy, miracles, adventure, authenticity, intimacy OR purpose in your life this Information is for you.

Ego can be likened to an old operating system on a modern day computer.

Yes, I know you are not a computer but allow me to use this metaphor to show you how your ego as an operating system is lousy compared to the SPIRIT operating system. God has already pre-installed this new software for you. He’s just waiting for you to activate it.

The death of Jesus Christ on the cross and pentecost (book of Actss) marked the end of God’s time frame for EGO/flesh to be humanities primary operating system. Jesus who was without EGO and sinless took the sin of all humanity past and future to death with himself to officially phase EGO out.

The Arrival of Jesus with Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit (acts 2) can be viewed as the introduction of the spirit operating system.

Everyone who allows Jesus Christ to come and be the center of their lives is able to upgrade to the spirit operating system and access all the benefits that accompany the change.

Here’s a comparison on how the two operating systems differ:

Ego software is outdated and limited in function. It can only focus on the physical world and it tends to keep people trapped in patterns of FEAR because it uses old wiring in a biological brain. It focuses on what we need to survive which is good however God planned so much more for humanity than just to survive and he sent Jesus to give humanity “life to the full”.

Origins of the EGO date back to the first humans. The Bible tells us that God made man in his own image in the book of *Genesis”. The garden of Eden represents humanity as God intended for us to be in relationship with him. It was paradise. God gave humans free will but they blew it for everyone when they chose to go their own way after being deceived by Satan to eat the forbidden fruit that God had instructed them not to eat “for they will surely die”. This disobedience marked the birth of the EGO operating system as the pre-installed software for everyone after. This is when sin entered into the relationship with God. Sin can be described as our actions that separate us from God as they are not compatible with his character. The Ego can be referred to as the sinful self.

God was really upset that his creation had decided to go their own way and rebel. This is a consistent theme in the bible which gives us the big picture of Gods plan. God had to give his people free will or there could never be authentic relationship between himself and humans because it would be forced which is not in God’s character at all.

God sent Jesus on a rescue mission from HEAVEN as a complete reflection of himself. He did this to reveal the sinful side of man and destroy the works of SATAN who was leading everyone away from God and encouraging them to sin with their EGO.

“The Son is the image of the invisible God” - Colossians 1:15.

“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him” - colossians 1:19.

“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” - 1 John 3:8.

Jesus came to bring people back to God, save them from the confinement and destruction of EGO and set them free.

Jesus taught us about the realm of spirit called the kingdom of heaven/God which is the ultimate reality it as it exists in love and never dies. It is a dimension that exists outside space and time. Jesus taught that the Kingdom of Heaven is already here on Earth and is a supernatural place that exists among people who follow him.

“The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” - Luke 12:20-21

EGO can not tap into this realm of spirit because it can only focus on the physical and social world (1 Corinthians 2:14). When we believe in Jesus Christ and activate the CHRIST-spirit operating system through faith we are able to perceive it. Jesus spoke directly against the continued use of EGO operating system as it separates us from God and ultimately destroy us.

Jesus said:

“The Spirit gives life; the [ego] counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life” - John 6:63.

”The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” - John 10;10.

The thief that Jesus refers to in the last quote is SATAN. Jesus said that SATAN has come to steal all the blessings that God wants to give us by blinding us to what is really important in life. He does this through deceiving people to satisfy the desires of their EGO’s instead of coming into relationship with God. This separation ultimately destroys a person as they are no longer able to be in gods presence.

Even Jesus had to endure temptation from Satan. Jesus went out into the wilderness to fast for forty days and forty nights to resist the physical demands of his EGO to prepare for his ministry. Satan tried to tempt his EGO and disqualify him from his God ordained mission. He knew that Jesus had come to destroy him and phase out EGO in humanity which would put him completely out of business. Satan did everything he could to convert Jesus over to the dark side (not unlike Darth Vader tempting Luke Skywalker in Star Wars) but he didn’t succeed. Jesus was never going to be tempted by the offers intended to tempt his ego because he didn’t have one and by nature being the son of God represented the exact opposite to what Satan had offered him.

”Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me. Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only”. - Matthew 4;8-10.

How does this story relate to people today you might ask?

Just as he tried to tempt Jesus, Satan’s job is to keep people stuck in the material realm and in their EGO. One more person who enters God’s kingdom is one less person he can hold captive in his kingdom.

We are tempted on a daily basis to satisfy the desires of our EGO that leads us away from what is truly important in our lives.

Do any of these temptations have any control over you?

Drugs
Alcohol
Gambling
Binge TV
LUXURY ITEMS that provide sense of self worth and
symbolise pride of achievement or social status.

Casual meaningless sex
Porn
Ladder climbing for the sake of it
Spending countless hours working on being desirable
Chasing money for selfish purposes
Social media
Technology.

Satan ideally wants to keep you addicted to one of these common temptations so that he can keep you in bondage and keep your eyes away from discovering or paying attention to your Christ/spirit self which will give you freedom.

The Apostle Paul wrote one of the best parts of the bible about the difference between walking in the EGO and spirit that Jesus taught about.

”Those who live according to the [EGO] have their minds set on what the [EGO] desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the [EGO] is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the [EGO] is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the [EGO] cannot please God.”

- Romans 8:5-8.

When you begin to walk in the CHRIST SELF for the first few times, EGO kicks up a fuss and starts acting out in strange or more intense ways because it wants to steer your life. In short EGO is a control freak and does not want to surrender. It does not like being substituted for the ways of the spirit because it wants to be fed its desires and ways which are directly opposed to way’s of the spirit. More from the Apostle paul:

“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the [EGO]. For the [EGO] desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the [EGO]. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. The acts of the [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. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other”

Galatians 5:16-26

The EGO is the false self. It’s who we think we are. The social world we live in likes to attribute identity with occupation instead of WHO we are innately. To think that our occupation or social standing is who we are is to deny who we truly are in spirit according to God.

Jesus said:

“For if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself”.

Luke 9. 23-25.

What Jesus is saying here is that your EGO has to go in order to find your true identity in God and his kingdom. When you find your true identity in God you end up manifesting God’s kingdom into the world instead of being a consumer of it and being a slave to it. In contrast, the bible says “where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” 2 Corinthians 3. 17-18.

New followers of Jesus describe the chains of their EGO that kept them in bondage to sin being broken when they allowed the spirit of God to transform them through prayer and set them free.

Jesus said:

“Truly I say to you, whoever practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed”.

John 8:34.

In plain english, the slave in the house (the person) is the EGO which dies. Jesus says when his spirit enters a person they will never die as they have crossed over to the realm of spirit.

People who have high social status with wealth in occupation and social class generally find it the hardest to get rid of their EGO’s because they are so entrenched in their false identity. They feel that they stand to lose too much if they decide to walk in spirit despite feeling spiritually bankrupt. Because of this Jesus said it is “easier for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” because they are not willing to let go of their EGO’s material focus, it has them enslaved in sin.

Jesus disciple John warns readers in the bible not to love the things of the world that the EGO desires because it desires things that are temporary. he emphasises what is gained from doing the opposite of EGO’s natural inclination to go it’s own way away from God.

“For all that is in the world - the desires of the [ego] and the desires of the eyes and the pride of life - is not from [the father (God)] but from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but who ever does the will of God lasts forever”.

1 John 2:16.

If the primary wish of EGO is to be in control, the primary wish of CHRIST SELF is to surrender to God’s will. This involves “getting out of the way of yourself” for God to flow through in spirit and to manifest God’s character which is always good. Instead of relying on individual will power the person allows the spirit of God be the fuel for actions. The spirit knows the will of God and the person that allows the spirit to manifested through action into the world becomes a conduit for God himself from heaven. Examples of spiritual manifestations include loving others as ourselves, compassion, kindness, altruism, etc.

The purpose of the CHRIST/SPIRIT self is to bring God’s kingdom to Earth and transform it from an EGO orientated world into a world that reflects HEAVEN and humanity made in God’s image which is GOOD.

Jesus described this in a parable:

“The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened”.

Matthew 13:13.

GOD’s big picture plan is restoring what he originally intended for humans from the start which is to live in perfect relationship with him. The purpose of God giving us free will in our EARTHLY lives is so he knows who is with him or against him at the end of the age. God will not give people eternal life in his kingdom if they reject him.

God has given us all an invitation to come into relationship with him but it is the EGO that is disinterested because it is interested in doing it’s own thing.

Jesus told a parable to illustrate this:

“A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”

Luke 14:15-24.

God wants everyone of us to confess our sin to him that is manifested by our EGO. To confess the sin made by our EGO is to seek forgiveness. Gods lifeline to us is an offer to accept Jesus as our saviour who represents everything that God is and everything that EGO is not. When we receive Jesus and make him the center of our lives God supernaturally changes us to live primarily in the ways of the spirit and we become members of God’s family in the Kingdom of Heaven while we are still alive! This is called the miracle of salvation.

”Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

2 Corinthians 5:17.

Many people describe salvation as a supernatural experience or encounter they have with God where they feel an overwhelming sense of his presence. Their life changes after the encounter and the things that they once did driven by their EGO dramatically cease because EGO’s ways no longer satisfy the person. The receiver of salvation realises that God can only truly satisfy their desires through his presence and involvement in their life. The supernatural presence of God that a person often feels through the experience of salvation is the holy spirit.

“When you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit , who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory”.

Ephesians 1. 14-17.

A supernatural encounter with God through the holy spirit is often so real it shifts people from a faith perspective of God into a knowing perspective of God which is far more powerful. The generosity of God in giving us the holy spirit to experience him tangibly on Earth through presence, healings, signs, miracles and worship is a gift to be incredibly thankful for. It is proof of the power of Jesus Christ and God’s Kingdom being released into the world.

After we become transformed by Christ, Jesus promises us that if we seek first God first he will take care of our physical demands that EGO worries about.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own”.

Matthew 6:25-34

Through his character and teachings, Jesus brought a blueprint of Gods plan for humanities spiritual evolution that directly opposed the egocentric values of conventional society up to this present moment. This is best summed up in Jesus’ words that appear in Lukes gospel:

“What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight”.

Luke 16:15.

Experience and life dissatisfaction in an EGO orientated world gives us the ability to discover everything that we are not in order to discover who we truly are. From darkness we are led to Gods light. Spiritual transformation in the form of salvation through Christ is life changing. Receivers of Christ know that they no longer belong to the world which their EGO Once navigated but instead belong to God in his kingdom with Jesus in their real identity and eternal home. Many of these people wonder why it took them so long to make the upgrade that God has made available to everyone.