You are NOT God bro.

It wasn't long ago when I still believed that I was the god of my own life, lol. Encapsulated in mysticism, psychedelics and all things new age I believed that I was in perfect alignment with the universe. Except that, I was unhappy, broke, and struggling emotionally.

Have you ever had that hippy friend who thinks he knows it all but can't even take care of himself? Yep, that was me.

Embarrassing…but true.

Unfortunately, I'm not the master of the universe, and eventually, I recognized that something greater than me, greater than everything and everyone we know set this thing called “life” in motion long ago.

I’ve always had a sense that God was there since I was a kid. I remember a vivid experience at the age of 5 pondering the concept of infinity and life after death. Such concepts at such a young age were extremely profound at the time. It’s no wonder that I was studying the paranormal more than my schoolwork in 6th grade. All of this “beyond the physical” thinking led me down a path of self-discovery in my teen years and shaped the next decade of my life.

Many lessons were learned but in short, it all ended up bringing me to a special moment when I gave my life to Christ. I didn’t expect it, I didn’t plan it and no human influenced this encounter. I wasn’t in a church, studying a bible, or at worship. In fact, I was in my car after a stressful day in which I surrendered everything I thought I knew at the feet of the lord and asked him to forgive me.

You see up until this point I thought I had it all figured out. I studied business, marketing, psychology, many ancient spiritual texts (except Christianity), psychedelics, meditation, the paranormal, etc…I knew there was a spiritual force behind this physical life and had real encounters that validated it.

BUT…the whole time I never really knew god. I had hunches and insights every now and then but it didn’t all come together until this specific moment. After this, I began consuming the word like I never consumed any subject before and it led me to learn TWO key things that I would like to share with you.

1. We are created in the IMAGE of god, but we are NOT god. (In reference to Genesis 1:27) Did you forge the valleys of this earth with your hands? No. Can you create music, technology, and arts that mimic God's creation, Yes.

Generally speaking, our innate capabilities and gifts were given to us by god. The reality is most people use their gifts for selfish gain and never really give thanks to god for what he gave them. In addition, our identity can become wrapped up in idolatry and we can begin to feel like “masters of the universe” if we do not stay humble and recognize the blessings we’ve been given by god.

1. Your thoughts hold weight. They dictate your actions which influences your results in life. So yes, you should rid yourself of negative programming and do personal development. BUT God’s will conquers your will. (Romans 12:2) Did you think yourself into existence? No. Does your thinking affect your life, Yes. Therefore be transformed by the renewing of the mind and do not conform to the pattern of this world.

I believe that god’s word has been hijacked and used by greedy people that were turned into half-baked spiritual truths to convince people they are their own gods. Personal development and spiritual growth outside of Christ can be dangerous. I’m not trying to instill fear in my readers but we must be wary of thinking that we can think ourselves to success for our gain. Remember, god has a calling on your life and it would be easier to follow that than to battle against the grain in the ways of this world. Remember, Paul said to NOT CONFORM TO THE PATTERN OF THIS WORLD.

Most people do what everyone else does and therefore get what everyone else gets. I don’t know about you, but I’m more concerned about slipping up and not following what God has in store for me. Do you think you know better than God what he has in store for you?

At the end of the day…you are NOT God bro.

But it doesn’t mean you get to slack off on your skills and talents. Use them to spread his word and build up others with your short time here on this earth.

Live each day with reverence for God. Be inspired by his awesomeness. Go look at some mountains, look at your body, and think about how your organs work in perfect unity. Think about how babies are made in the womb. Be perplexed by nature and all of the animals, trees, and plant life. Gain a fresh perspective and recognize the sheer power of our creator to make all of this. Then go and channel that energy into something meaningful bro.

-Honest Bro #01