It’s amazing what you can find online. CNN picked up this story that first appeared on thesmokinggun.com:

Why would anyone tattoo “God” on their forehead? I can only assume that she considered it a label. She thinks she is God. That’s a pretty common New Age belief—see this post at SpiritLibrary for just one example.

As doctrinally correct Christians, we would recoil at proclaiming ourselves God. Or even god. We know better, right?

While we don’t come right out and ink it on our brow, sometimes I think Christians (myself included) slip into an “I am God” mindset.

Every time we tell God “no” we are proclaiming our superiority over Him:

• God tells us to give, and we want to save it for “just in case.”
• God says, “Go,” and we would rather stay.
• God wants us to tell someone about Jesus and we worry about rejection.

Our reasons may be obviously selfish, or they may seem valid according to our circumstances, but every time we disobey God, we are telling Him that we can run our life better than He can. We know what will make us happy. We know what our needs are, and how to provide for them. We have our goals and dreams, and He’s interfering. We trust ourselves—our wisdom, our judgment, our perspective—more than we trust Him.

When you think about it, all sin boils down to the same thing. We set ourselves up as gods, rather than submit to God. Satan is our role model. Isaiah 14 gives the account of his fall from heaven, including these verses:

¹³ You said in your heart,
“I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
…
¹⁴ I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.”

What is the solution to such hubris?

Humility.

I find that it’s easier to get the “big” things right—we’re pretty good at consulting God over major decisions. When God said to move to Colorado, we moved. When God indicated that He’d chosen a particular house for us, we bought it.

It’s the small, everyday things that trip me up. Do I eat the dessert that God wants me to avoid? Do I call the friend who needs some encouragement, even though my to-do list is a mile long? Can I keep to the speed limit? (That’s a really hard one!)

Maybe what I need is a tattoo, not on my forehead, but rather somewhere that I can easily see it. It might read, “NOT God.”

What do you think? What other ways to we try to usurp God’s authority?