Selfishness and Pride

Selfishness is mankind’s fundamental defect. Selfish means: self-centered, self-serving, self-important.

At the root of every problem is selfishness. JAMES 3:16
Where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is also disorder and every kind of evil.

No other “religion” teaches to put others first, to love your enemies. Christianity is the only one that teaches you can be totally changed and become a person with a new nature.

We are products of a corrupt culture that teaches selfishness. All sin is selfish. No one ever sins for someone else — we do it for selfish reasons.

We must die to selfishness — or self-destruct. However, we are unable to do it by ourselves. We must allow Jesus Christ to change us inwardly.

You can’t change the fruit without changing the root. That is why you must be born again-renewed in your nature. Only by receiving Jesus Christ, and letting Him change you, can you be a truly unselfish person.

Being selfish is a sin.

It can cause

1. Illness,

2. No happiness, depression, always feeling sad, despise oneself

3. Loose your value of your earnings, no prosperity

4. Whatever good you do turns out negative for you

5. All your relatives and friend turn against you

6. You loose your standing in family

7. You loose your standing in society

Pride

Pride is self-importance and self-focus — which leads to selfishness which is selfish thinking and selfish acting — which is the opposite of Jesus’ command of agape love (John 13:34).

Pride and selfishness always go together. A truly humble person cannot be selfish at the same time.

Pride is the root of selfishness — and thus the root of all evil. Pride is hidden but manifests as selfish acts. Selfishness is the cause of all evil. All evil proceeds from selfish actions. Selfishness is the only manifest problem, but pride feeds it. Dealing with the root cause of the problem is the only lasting solution.

Pride produces selfishness. All selfishness is pride.

Doing things yourself, on your own, is a part of selfishness. Prayer is the opposite of doing things yourself. We must desire God’s: will, done in God’s time, and done God’s way.

]]> http://www.drpaulose.com/selfishness-and-pride/feed http://www.drpaulose.com/818 http://www.drpaulose.com/818#comments Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:57:46 +0000 Doctor http://www.drpaulose.com/general/818

“O God, the almighty divine healer, bless me with the art of healing. Strengthen me with your Holy Spirit. Let the knowledge acquired be bright and illuminant, and second to none. Let there be physical, mental and spiritual peace for every one I touch”

Kundalini is derived from a Sanskrit word meaning either coiled up like a snake. It is a reservoir of psychic energy at the base of the spine at the end of autonomic nervous system. Kundalini is curled up below the sacred-sacral bone. Kundalini is the potential form of prana or life force, lying dormant in our nervous system.

Chakras

Chakras -plexus-are energy centres which govern the subtle, psychosomatic aspects of our inner being. This Sanskrit term means wheel .

Kundalini Yoga

The ancient Yogis recognised long ago that in order to accomplish the highest stage of consciousness which is the realisation of the self, or God consciousness, a healthy physical body is essential.
Kundalini yoga concentrates on these psychic centers in the body in order to generate a spiritual energy, which is known as kundalini energy.

Kundalini awakening

A Kundalini release can be triggered by meditation, yoga, prayer, psychedelic drugs, a life crisis (such as extreme physical or emotional trauma, a near-death experience or the death of a loved one), childbirth, menopause, certain ascetic or sexual practices.
Kundalini can also awaken spontaneously from no apparent cause.
Unusual energy sensations are frequently or continuously experienced. These are often felt as tingling, vibrating, buzzing, prickling, stinging, itching, burning or crawling sensations. A host of other physical, psychological, psychic and spiritual changes may precede or arrive in the wake of the classic torrent of energy rushing through the spine and out through the top of the head in an explosion of light/ecstasy.
The ongoing Kundalini process differs from occasional pranic-energy releases or mystical experiences, after which the Kundalini settles back into dormancy, but these isolated experiences can be precursors to a future full-blown Kundalini process. When we are in the midst of this profound transformation of our body/minds, unless we are being guided by wise and experienced teachers, it is better to trust the innate intelligence of Kundalini than to attempt to control or push the energies along.

Practices and techniques often recommended to rouse Kundalini can be outright dangerous. Once Kundalini is awake and active in the system, especially when it has awakened spontaneously and the individual does not recognize what is happening, the tendency to fight against it is strong. This can be mentally and physically harmful.
Healers, therapists and teachers who are familiar with Kundalini and who are respectful and sensitive both to the client and to the energies can help immensely.
When the Kundalini awakens, tremendous power is unleashed. The resulting expansion of consciousness affects every element of our being, from our biological functions to our personal relationships to our concept of reality to our influence in the world. We are irrevocably changed in ways we could not have imagined and in ways we may never fully comprehend.

Spirituality is the process of being spiritual, the truth of our Soul within. Spirituality is the way you find meaning, hope, comfort and inner peace in your life.
Some people find spirituality through religion. Some find it through music, art or a connection with nature. Others find it in their values and principles. Even communist can be a spiritual…
Simply stated spirituality is one’s character or quality that makes one transcend the barriers of worldliness, caste, creed and sensuality; and realize one’s connection with the Truth or God.

Spirituality related to health?
It seems the body, mind and spirit are connected. The health of any one of these elements seems to affect the health of the others.

Some research shows that things such as positive beliefs, comfort and strength gained from religion, meditation, yoga and prayer can contribute to healing and a sense of well-being. Improving your spiritual health may not cure an illness, but it may help you feel better, prevent some health problems and help you cope with illness, stress or death.
To improve the spiritual health, identify the things in your life that give you a sense of inner peace, comfort, strength, and love.

These following scriptures are important for the present times.

2 Thessalonians 2
2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,

4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?

6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed.

7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.

8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;

9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,

Yoga to make money

God men (and women) in Gods own country- We see lot of fraudulent swamis and Christian preachers are being caught by police for manipulating religious beliefs and faith of common men. Hindu, Christian and Muslim pundits are all involved. They exploit the believers by miracle healing, predictions and other cheap tricks. Most of them are involved in immoral sex activities, accumulating immense wealth mainly in real estate. They enjoy a luxurious style of living, traveling in Lexus cars, mediating in air-conditioned parlors and studios.
Religion - This turn out to be a good way of making few bucks in all religion. If one is a failure in life, politics and religion are the best way to get rich quickly. But one has to be a crook. These god men and god women are giving bad name for genuine spiritual people. Yoga and Ayurveda are put to shame. These are good ways to sell drugs and sex for foreign tourists. This is degeneration of our culture and the price to be paid for the new world order-globalization.

The sole purpose of Yoga is spiritual in nature.
Yoga is promoted as medical treatment, as if it was a mere physical therapy program. Treatment modalities such as Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy are very useful and needed professions. However, designing such treatment methods and calling them “Yoga” is a tremendous disservice to both those professions and Yoga.
Yoga is a systematic program whose sole purpose is spiritual, whether you call it enlightenment, Self-realization, or other similar terms. The goal of traditional Yoga is spiritual in nature, and the side effects include physical healing.

Yoga for moneymaking?

Yoga is turned out to be a good commodity to make money. The promoters sometimes don’t openly say that it is for money, but instead use the terms like prosperity, success, abundance or affluence.
They claim, using the subtle methods and powers of Yoga one can get monetary benefits and great financial wealth. Yoga is not a moneymaking technique, and any use of Yoga for such a purpose is devolution of Yoga.

Kundalini awakening ?

There is lot of myth about this energy centre which lies at the lower end of autonomic nervous system in our body. The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system lies on either side of the spine with several plexus along its path. The Yogis call it chakras. Stimulation of these plexus can result in various endocrine changes in our body. If not careful, it can cause imbalance in our nervous system and lead one into a state of pshycosis.Understanding these energy centers are very important while practicing Yoga.

(Ref : http://biologyofkundalini.com/)

“O God, the almighty divine healer, bless me with the art of healing. Strengthen me with your Holy Spirit. Let the knowledge acquired be bright and illuminant, and second to none. Let there be physical, mental and spiritual peace for every one I touch”

Sometimes we forget how we got where we are and the choices we made or paths we took to get there. I can reflect on the day that my path was carved out the right direction .

I took a chance to come to work in Bahrain military hospital in 1986.Any how it clicked.
After completing the training in UK for 9 years, I was offered jobs in King Faisal Hospital of Riyadh (with a fat salary) and BDF Hospital in Bahrain. I opted the latter with a much less salary. The silly reason was Alcohol was plenty in Bahrain! But God “blessed” me with a bad attack of Chicken pox in 1988 and a severe Gastritis, couldn’t even drink water for days…end of the alcohol days.

Life in Bahrain was fruitful in every ways. In my carrier, in my social and personal life. I’ve learned more valuable skills in my specialty too.

Shukran Jazilan BDF

Renewal experience
It took place in 1993-Baptism in Holy Spirit

It was the long-awaited change of winter to spring in my life. In spring seeds sprout, flowers bloom, and the sun warms the earth, a time of regeneration, new beginnings, and a renewal of spirit.

The results were many, a deeper personal knowledge and commitment to our Blessed Lord ,a new meaning of all kinds of prayer, a new love of the scriptures, a new and deeper appreciation of the sacraments etc. It was new life all around.

http://www.holyspiritinteractive.net/features/charismaticrenewal/

We always desire to go back. The Israelites faced a similar problem as they departed from Egypt; upon arriving at the promised land they decided not to go in. Why? It’s too tough - there are giants in the land! And Egypt - how our life was better back then! Slavery? Well, yeah, that was a bummer, but the food was good!
When God calls you out of the world and into the promised land it’s time to get moving!

I miscalculated and made a stupid mistake in 2005. Trying to get back to “Egypt” was against God’s will. After lot of pain and humiliation , I had to return. Life may be hard. But you and God are a majority in any group; you’re in the promised land - why go anywhere else?

Again It must have been God’s will, Masha Allah.

Global food prices rose 65 percent in the last year.

The crisis is widespread and the result of numerous causes - According to some experts, the worst damage is being done by government mandates and subsidies for “biofuels” that supposedly reduce carbon dioxide emissions and fight climate change. Thirty percent of this year’s U.S. grain harvest will go to ethanol distilleries. The European Union, meanwhile, has set a goal of 10 percent bio-fuels for all transportation needs by 2010.A huge amount of the world’s farmland is being diverted to feed cars, not people.
One in four bushels of corn from this year’s U.S. crop will be diverted to make ethanol, according to estimates. Nevertheless, despite the recognition that the biofuels industry is adding to a global food crisis, the ethanol industry is popular in the U.S. where farmers enjoy subsidies for the corn crops.

Another contributing factor to the crisis is the demand for more meat in an increasingly prosperous Asia. More grain is used to feed the livestock than is required to feed humans directly in a traditional grain-based diet.

Bad weather is another problem driving the world’s wheat stocks to a 30-year low - along with regional droughts and a declining dollar.

High gas prices, increased food production costs and Global warming are the causes of present famine blamed.

Don’t blame God

When something bad happens, we want someone to blame. When the bad thing is a natural disaster, there’s no one left to blame but God. Wars, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tidal waves, lightning strikes. The insurance companies call them “acts of God.” Nobody is to blame.

Why does God let anyone die? Why did God let Mother Teresa die? “She was old,” someone might say. “It’s the natural way.

When someone we love grows old and dies of “natural causes” we accept it as the way God has designed the creation-there’s a time to be born and a time to die.

But when someone we love dies before growing old, we ask, “Why would God allow this to happen?” Death is part of life, and every person who lives will also die.

Whom to blame then?

While millions die of hunger, rich Western nations burn millions of tons of food a year to keep prices high. Famines are largely a result of Man’s corruption and greed and unwillingness to care for others.

Everyone one is looking for an answer on mans terms when there is none.