There are 2 ‘you’s’ that make up the whole peson you are.

And God loves both of these 2 ‘you’s’ —unreservedly!

The ‘True’ Self and the ‘False’ Self

That Make Up Each Person

The Apostle Paul calls these two selves the ‘old’ self and the ‘new’ self (Ephesians 4:22 - 24 NIV; Colossians 3: 9 - 10).

In current Christian spirituality, they are often referred to as the true self and the false self.

The true self is that part of you that actually participates in the Divine plan.

The false self is the ‘sham’ self that the Lord understands but can’t relate to, simply because He knows it represents a false picture of who you are, a version of you waiting to be healed by Him!

In fact, He longs to heal it.

Your true and false selves are continually at war with each other!

The Apostle Paul described this war taking place in himself:

For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.

Romans 7:19 NIV

 

 

 

Our Many Layers of Consciousness

Each of us is made up of several layers of consciousness.

If we are to be fully transformed into God’s image, some layers will need God’s transformation/healing.

The layers that need healing constitute our ‘false’ self.

But here’s the thing:

You and I are not always conscious of these several layers.

We aren’t able to see, therefore, that they need healing.

As a result, the Lord has to help us see that one or other of these layers needs His transformation/healing.

The Lord has many ways of doing this.

For example, He might alert you to the fact that you’re starting to feel less peaceful and joyful, and that your inner peace is not as assured as it used to be, or that you’re irritable and less patient with yourself and others —or that you’re angry with the Lord himself.

Or He might use a personal crisis to nudge you into recognizing that one or other of your layers needs His healing.

This was the case with me 37 years ago. 

This was when, at the age of 35, I got to meet for the very first time —up close and real —my 2 selves: my true self and my false self.

God used this completely unexpected crisis to allow me to see and understand that my true and false selves were operating extremely actively within me!

God showed me that these two selves compete continually for your and my hearts’ attention.

This competition never ceases until you and I take our final breath.

At the very same time, God taught me one other critically important thing.

It was that that the false self needs to be healed, not rooted out.

The truth is, you can’t root it out.

It’s far too powerful.

Only God is capable of performing that healing.

But you DO have a role, a singularly important one.

Your role is to cooperate with God, to allow God to do the necessary healing.

This is a lifelong process!

Why Your False Self Fiercely Resists

Even Tiny, Pocket-Sized Changes!

 

You see, you launched the false self into being in your very early childhood.

You did not do this consciously but intuitively.

As a small child, you found the world threatening. You adopted a ‘false’ self. Its role was to protect you from the harsh outside world.

As you got older, the position of your false self gradually became deeper and deeper entrenched in its position.

At the same time, it became more powerful.

By the time you reached full adulthood, you had actually identified totally with it.

Your false self became your identity!

Once this happens, your false self becomes far too entrenched to want to change of its own accord.

This is why it fiercely resists to the enth degree even pocket-sized changes!

The Rub of the Problem:

Your Identification with Your False Self

From Very Early Childhood

 

So …your genuine belief that your false self is part of the ‘real’ you, part of your ‘true’ self, can become a problem for you in your relationship/friendship with the Lord.

At some stage in your Christian walk, the Lord will invite you to come to terms with this.

Why?

Because, as I’ve already noted, although the Lord understands your false self, He can’t relate to it, simply because He knows it represents a false picture of the real person you are, a false version of you waiting to be healed by Him!

You see, God’s single goal for your life is to transform you into His image:

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son …’

Romans 8:29 NIV (My emphasis)

And we all …are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV (My emphasis)

At some stage, the Lord will help you realize that you need to be healed of your belief that your false self is part of the true ‘you’. 

Once you do, your continuing transformation into God’s image can truly begin!

The First Signals That Your False Self

Is Getting in the Way of Your Friendship with God and Your Overall Wellbeing

There comes a time in your life when your false self will let you down.

 It will no longer protect you from outside wounds to the degree it once did.

 Gradually, it will begin to dawn on you that, in fact, it’s now starting to work AGAINST your wellbeing!

 You might start to experience a lack of inner peace and joy.

 It’s also starting to get right smack in the way of God’s purposes for your life.

So … the Lord now has to persuade you that, deep inside you, there’s a far better, more noble, more balanced ‘you’ waiting in the wings to emerge; namely, the ‘true’ you who can be transformed into His image. 

The Truly Good News:

How the Lord Heals Your False Self

The good news is that there is a simple, yet guaranteed, way to get the Lord’s help to transform and heal your false self.

It’s called praying with and from your heart.

This way of prayer invites the Lord into all your experiences, joyful and painful.

It gives him your permission to heal whatever needs healing in your life.

When you practice this simple way of prayer for just a few minutes each day, (5 - 10 - 20 minutes, but no more than 20) you discover that s-l-o-w-l-y, but with great certainty, the Lord himself very gently, lovingly, and patiently starts the process of dismantling your ‘old’ woman.

As He does so, He begins to clothe you in your ‘new’ woman, your ‘true’ self.

This is the woman He’s always destined you to become!

This is the woman who’s truly capable of

• • • • accepting
      • enjoying
      • putting to good use

the abundant life Jesus promised you (John 10: 10).

You discover that this abundant life is gradually becoming a tangible reality for you.

And …you’ll never want to look back.

You rely now on God to initiate your transformation.

Note
Be assured that the Lord heals you with great love, sensitivity, and patience.

 He’s not in a rush like us humans!

And He’s far more understanding!

He never puts more on you than He knows you can deal with.

You’ll discover that the process is, in fact, very beautiful.

And that it brings genuine rewards.

 

----

 

 

 

 

Read Part 2 of this article here 

 

 

 

Scroll down for your Recap …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recap …