OVERCOMING & SELF-IDENTITY

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Any self-identity is only an awareness of the physical existence. For this we have brains. And just like animals have that same awareness and their own brains, with which they navigate and coordinate movements, their souls carry instincts, which are feelings like those of self-preservation.

Fish, birds, insects, and mammals pass these survival instincts (in Hebrew: Nephesh Bahamit the animal soul) on to their offspring. Salmon spawns in fresh water swimming upstream, birds catch pray just as lions live in prides and hunt together. They all have the some coordinating movements. So brain and soul work together.

However in us, the self-identity is very much similar where self plays significant role. We also have a survival instinct, or self-preservation; and that's correct for indeed a dead person cannot keep God's word or learn anything new. So we must use self-preservation as something natural and already in us.

There is no point in fighting with sexual feelings or with hunger, just as one should not fight against bowel movement and elimination for these are only natural to the body.

[Matthew 15:16-20] Jesus said, “Are you still lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. These are the things which defile the man."

He did not say that sex defiles us. For He said in Matthew 5:28] "Everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Hence you or she must be already married - committed, in a love bond or spoken for; otherwise no one would ever marry and have no children. Adultery is what David did with Bathsheba. Lust is covetousness, wanting something not mine, something that belongs to someone else. Therefore, as a result there is pain hurt, brokenness and war. And these things harm us. Based on this fact Apostle Paul explains it all in (1 Corinthians 7) 15 "Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to PEACE."

It is also interesting to see with the eyes of a peacemaker what the Apostle Paul said.

[Romans 16:20] The GOD OF PEACE will soon crush Satan under your feet.

(Satan, means opposition, the faultfinder and prosecutor, often translated as an accuser), but notice that the God of PEACE will do it. No struggle and no fight. You will better understand it in a moment.

This eventually turns into wisdom, provided by the Holy Spirit when one lets him or herself be led by Him. (Romans 8:14) The peacemakers are sons and then we are led by the Holy Spirit into ALL the truth, not more fragments. [John 16:13] "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into ALL the truth."

Now the Holy Spirit reveals to us the truth of peacemaking; hence no struggles and no fights. The self must always preserve itself, but that is until the Holy Spirit takes over by guiding us into the complete and full truth. As a result we are not led of the instincts like animals do, but of the Holy Spirit. As a result of this wonderful guidance we are saved from deadly accidents for we are not in the wrong place at the wrong time… He leads us. We do not fall prey to a trap, which someone set up for us for we are, YES - superior. We see it all from above. The enemy does not see it; they plot and connive out of their warlike nature, but we are elevated above it all by being the peacemakers therefore sons of God.

If we educate our enemy then the 'enemy' might altogether stop even be called enemy. Any warlike disposition will vanish when the truth of the heavenly peace moves in. Even former enemies can become friends. I for one, keep that door always open. So the devil (or Satan) would have nothing to do, as it is assumed that it is the devil that uses people, for as Paul said there's no opportunity provided. (Ephesians 4:27) All doors are then closed. But that's only the first stage of a well-refined thinking. The reformation of our thinking continues.

We overcome darkness by coming closer to the light and do not fight with darkness. We overcome weakness by tapping into God's strength. We overcome falsehood by acquiring more of God's logical and perfectly wise truth. We overcome evil with good and war with peace. Etc.

Fighting with anything belongs to warriors and not to peacemakers. The apostles spoke of fights because that was everywhere under Rome.

[Note] Romans did very little to the Jewish psyche in terms of new thoughts and spiritual knowledge. It was Greece, before Rome, which Hellenized the Jewish people with their philosophy and with that philosophy also came Greek mythology. This was very damaging to the spiritual mind. When Jesus came it was the peak of DE-Hellenization and proselytizing, which means conversions to Judaism. Many people had no Jewish ancestry, but became Jewish through conversions and that created strong Jewish identity and the Jewish ego to this day. [End of note]

[Matthew 23:15] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves." - Jesus.

Hell? - Yes. This was the Pharisaic invention borrowed from the Greek 'Gehenna,' 'Hades' and 'Tartarus.' Flowery imaginations strengthen the self even more, for logic ceases to play any role. Religiousness is something God really hates for it is man's invention, but only with God's permission, for indeed He gives us the desires of our hearts. You want to burn a candle, bow and kiss a statute, cross, or the Western Wall. You want the temple to be built again because you can't wait for more sacrifices, burnt offerings and the slaughter of more animals? Have it then. Others would like the Ark of the Covenant to be found and brought back. Yet Isaiah (Isaiah 1) portrays God's heart. In Jeremiah 3 God cries out against religion and shows us His true heart, which is... "I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding."

Questions like these ought rule our renewed-by-the-truth logical mind: "How can a resurrected body experience even heat or the pain of fire?"

[Judges 13:20] when the flame went up from the altar toward heaven that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame…

If that’s so then we shall be like angels. Again, only like angels for we were on earth and had physical bodies. We were in the world filled with many obstacles, which we triumphed over by “dipping our mind” so to speak in the heavenly peace and its glorious knowledge. Jesus overcame this world. Why this world? Because in heaven there is nothing overcome; hence no struggles and no territorial wars… over what? Continual peace, continual fullness of joy (John 15:11) Etc. Do you see it now?

[Mark 12:25] when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. - Jesus the Way the Truth and the Life.

[Note] Devils were thought to be the fallen angels. All this came to us from those 200+ years of Greek domination. God reveled that to Daniel that after Babylon must come Medo-Persia then Greece and then Rome. [End of note]

Christianity over time created their ego and pride, which first competed with Jews and then, after Luther's reformation, became "superior" and even anti-Semitic.

Physical wars and philosophical/theological/religious wars deal with these attachments to culture and therefore thinking and imagining.

If we would keep on fighting with the imaginary enemy we would go crazy and die from sickness. Hence we do not fight.

Overcoming or conquering something, happens by being a standard. In other words: Being the salt of the earth, being the light on the hill; standing our ground. Paul spoke about it (which most completely miss because of the Greek/Roman influences)

[Ephesians 6:11] Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm. STAND FIRM not move forward. You are the clothed with GOD'S ARMOR standard. [13] Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. STAND FIRM. [15] having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. GOSPEL OF PEACE.

All that warring equipment, helmet, sword, breastplate and then STOP… PEACE. Naturally speaking it makes no sense, but spiritually speaking it makes perfect sense because Paul spoke of intercession rather than of fighting in whatever form.

[Isaiah 59:16-17] And He saw that there was no man, and was astonished that there was no one to intercede; then His own arm brought salvation to Him, and His righteousness upheld Him. He (GOD) put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; and He (God) put on garments of vengeance for clothing and wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.

All that is being spoken - in allegories and similes - is because of our warlike ways; through which we interpret things. But that's just the first stage in overcoming our old ways even psychology.

The second stage is an act of forsaking the way of war in exchange with the way of peace.

[Isaiah 59:8] They do not know the way of peace, (yet). Paul quoted this verse by using the past tense.

[Romans 3:17] "The path of peace they have not known."

With the arrival of our Lord and Savior Jesus came also new light and understanding. Matthew 5:9 (entire chapter) sheds new light on our warlike dispositions.

Everyone wants to be blessed and be happy, but the condition is, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called sons of God." An extra mile… Give your coat… Turn the other cheek… Peace over strife. Paul speaks of ‘hot coals piled on our enemy’s head…’

The Prince of Peace has arrived. While holding the baby Jesus,

[Luke 1:67; 79] Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying, “To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, TO GUIDE OUR FEET INTO THE WAY OF PEACE.”

Therefore I conclude to you my precious friends that we overcome not with opposing something or even fighting. We overcome by growing in the knowledge of the heavenly peace and standing firm in our position. Let understanding, knowledge and wisdom reign. That's the reason God anoints and choose. The realm of education and ministry is so important for during that time He comes and opens up our understandings; and that's how we overcome.

[John 14:27-28] Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.