9,49 €
Mehr erfahren.
I was in my early 30's when I met an angel - an angel of virtue - a messenger of God. She guided me through an insightful journey of self discovery - and taught me how to acquire a transformative and deeply personal relationship with God. And through this experience, I found enlightenment. I was no longer living in the dark.
Then, many years later, I lost my way - and experienced what I can only describe as my own "hell on earth." I made a myriad of poor decisions and found myself mired in financial purgatory, living a life of misery, while drowning in the depths of depression and anxiety. My life had become a living hell.
So, I had to find my way back to the life that I knew before. I also had to find my purpose. I then discovered the art of Game Theory and rediscovered my relationship with God. I began to intertwine the teachings from the (angel of my) past, with my newfound knowledge of Game Theory.
Then, my life began to change in the most amazing ways. I felt a powerful sense of purpose, as though God was leading me to do something that I had never imagined he would. I was once again living in the light - and came to experience a profound exploration in both personal transformation and supreme faith in God.
Then, this book came to life.
It is much more than a memoir; it is a living guide for anyone seeking purpose, direction, peace, courage, freedom, and fulfillment in this life.
It became my personal guide and provided me with a pathway to Living my Best Life - On Earth, as It Is in Heaven.
Das E-Book können Sie in Legimi-Apps oder einer beliebigen App lesen, die das folgende Format unterstützen:
Seitenzahl: 287
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024
Ähnliche
GOD and Game Theory
A Guide to Living Your Best Life - On Earth as It Is in Heaven
Tom Peterson
Copyright © 2024
All Rights Reserved
ISBN:
Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All Right Reserved Worldwide. www.zondervan.com
The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®). Copyright© 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright© 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation®. Copyright© 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (AMP) are taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright© 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher.
Contents
Dedication
__________
I would like to dedicate this book to my angel, Linda Tilton. Thank you for leading me to God and for being such a blessing to me and my family.
To my wife and daughter, Gigi, and Emily. Thank you both for enduring my walk through the darkest valley. I love you very much.
To my mom and dad. Thank you both for always believing in me and supporting me in all my endeavors.
And to God. Thank you for never leaving my side and always being there for me.
And a special thanks to Erik Sampang - for helping me to make this book come to life.
About the author
__________
I was born in a small town in Maryland on Christmas Eve of 1968. I was the last of four kids, in a middle class family with two working parents. My father’s job/career required several relocations before landing us in a small town in the mile high country of Arizona – and that is where I grew up. As a kid, my summers were spent catching snakes, fishing, and riding my ATC. Growing up there was pretty good - but I always longed for the big city.
So, once I graduated from high school, I didn't stick around for very long. I moved to the Phoenix area in an attempt to go to college - but had no idea what I wanted to do, so I bounced around between small colleges and several jobs until I started my first business at the age of 23. I was still going to college at the time – and finally earned a degree in Business Management at ASU in 1994.
Needless to say, I never experienced having a “job” ever again. I became an entrepreneur and never looked back. I married my wife in 2003 and we raised a daughter, who is now seventeen and soon to be on her way to college. In 2007, we moved away from the big city to a small town north of Phoenix, and have been here ever since.
And this is probably where you will find me until my last day – upon this earth.
About the book
__________
I grew up in a conservative Christian home, and I knew about God - but I didn't truly know God.
That didn't occur until much later in my life…
I finally came to know God in my early 30’s. It was then when I met an angel.
Now, this particular angel didn’t have wings or wear a long robe, she was an angel of virtue - a messenger of God. She became my teacher and provided me with a pathway to God that I never knew existed. She also helped me to begin “living in the light” through my own self-discovery.
And from that moment on, I knew I had something to share with the world. I also knew that I had been given the responsibility of doing God’s work - but I just wasn’t ready. I was young, selfish, and focused on other things in life. But I never forgot about her teachings - what she taught me had opened my eyes.
Then, I came to experience my own “hell on earth." In the depths of the great recession, my business and financial house of cards came tumbling down. What ensued thereafter, is what I would consider to be the most brutal 12 years of my life. I managed to make a myriad of bad decisions - decisions based on my elevated emotions of fear, panic, and desperation. I then began to lose access to the controls in my mind - and found that I had been suffering from stress-induced depression and anxiety, for many years.
My life had become a living hell.
I had to start over. So, I did. I went back to those teachings from long ago, and I learned about Game Theory. I then began to rebuild my life with God and Game Theory as my pillars.
I knew that God had plans for me, and it was time that I dedicated my life to him. I also knew that I had to make better decisions moving forward, so I incorporated Game Theory into my decision-making process (and my life).
I had also rededicated my life to learning, and seeking more knowledge.
I was praying to God for guidance each and every day, and I fully trusted in him.
And soon thereafter, my life began to change in the most amazing ways. I began to feel a powerful sense of purpose – as though God was guiding me to do something that I never imagined he would.
I then began to combine the teachings of my past, with my newfound knowledge…
And in the process, I had found that I had created a guide to living my current and future life. I was following it, as I was creating it, so I could test the validity of its principles in my everyday life. I was experiencing the cause and effect of living by the teachings of old – in combination with my newly acquired knowledge of Game Theory.
I became fully committed to God - with great intention, which enabled me to acquire an extraordinary relationship with him.
And this, is when I began to experience living in “Heaven on Earth.”
Just know, that no matter where you are in life, God is always there.
I followed him, and he led me here.
He was my guide along the way.
May this book be your guide – each and every day.
Introduction
__________
There is undoubtedly, no question, that the choices and decisions we make in life - will ultimately determine our quality of life here on earth…and beyond.
So, you have to ask yourself the question: Do I have any regrets about the choices and decisions I’ve made in my life? What is your answer? Truth is, I don’t know of anyone who has absolutely no regrets about the prior choices or decisions they’ve made in life. Some may have only a few...others may have a substantial number more.
The reality is, the choices and decisions that we make, in large part, determine the outcomes that mold and shape our lives. According to sources, the average human being makes as many as 30,000 decisions in one day. Granted, the vast majority of these decisions are subconscious - but there are a number of conscious decisions that can, and will, determine the course of your life – and the ultimate outcome.
The means by which we make these conscious decisions is determined by many factors - those of which I will cover in this book. For the purpose of this example, our conscious decisions are made with either our “head," or our “heart,” or perhaps, both. So, which one should you utilize, given the particular decision that you will need to make? It might even require a combination of the two.
And if your head isn’t in the right place…or your heart isn’t in the right place, you may very well make the wrong decision - and pay the ultimate price.
This is where the combination of God and Game Theory come in.
For now, let’s consider God as your guide when making decisions with your heart – and consider Game Theory as your guide when making decisions with your head. Let’s also consider how your decision-making process can benefit from always having these “guides” by your side - each and every time you make what could be, a critical “life-changing” decision.
Game Theory encompasses many disciplines. For the purpose of this book, I will define Game Theory as the practice of critical thinking, logical thought, strategy, and math - all of which are utilized in order to achieve a particular outcome. By practicing Game Theory, we are able to remove illogical thought, and emotions, from our decision-making process.
These “life-changing” decisions will not only affect your life - but the lives of others too. In Game Theory, each and every one of us aspires to make the best possible decision, in order to obtain the best possible outcome - for ourselves. But what about the people in our lives who we love and care about? It's also important that we make the right choices and decisions in life – when it comes to the betterment of others, as this will impact the lives of our parents, partner or spouse, children, relatives, and friends, as well.
As you can see, your heart will also play a substantial role in the critical, and life-changing decisions that you make. This is why it is so important to have God in your heart - if you want to be of benefit to the lives, and well-being of others.
How many people do you know who have regrets about the choices and/or decisions they’ve made in life, especially when it comes to their relationships? Simply put, the choices and decisions we make in life cannot be reversed. We don’t get to take them back, or have a do-over. And what about regrets over things they may have said? Things we may say can be taken back - but oftentimes, the damage is already done.
And how often do we make money, career, investment, or business decisions that determine our quality of life here on earth? How often do you hear others refer to the regrettable decisions they’ve made in the past with regard to money? Shoulda, coulda, woulda, they say.
Then there are those who are stuck in a life, or a career, that leaves them unfulfilled, miserable, or even broke.
There are also those who lost everything they had - due to poor business decisions, or investments. They can’t get that back. They may be able to start over - but they can’t get back what they've already lost.
Artificial Intelligence. It’s already here - and advancing faster than you may even realize. And it just so happens, that Game Theory is the foundation of “machine learning” and AI agents.
With the utilization of Game Theory, the machines will be able to improve on their performance over time.
Will you be improving upon yours - so you can compete in a world of new competitors?
Will you be ready and prepared, when AI is fully integrated into our lives?
In this book, my aim is to help you learn and understand how to benefit from having God and Game Theory in your life. These immensely powerful and enduring "life assets" will empower you to accomplish remarkable things - and do good works - in a world of both man and machine.
They will also provide you with a life of peace, fulfillment, abundance, success, and joy.
And now that I have shared them with you - you will have to read this book to the very end - in order to realize how to utilize both to their full potential.
And do not be surprised if you become fearless, confident, and courageous, along the way.
Preface
__________
I have been an entrepreneur for most of my life, and I am currently 55 years old. So, the critical decisions that I made in the past have had a very profound impact on the outcome, and quality of my life to date – and will continue to do so, well into the future.
As an entrepreneur, every business-related decision is magnified. You are ultimately the one making (or approving) the critical decisions that will impact the success, or failure of your business. So, in reality, the decisions that I made (or approved of), were going to have a significantly high probability of influencing the quality of my life. It’s a reality that will surely make you realize your mistakes.
I have achieved both great success - and great failure in my life. I have made good decisions and bad ones…and it’s interesting how the good decisions led to my success, and the bad decisions led to my failure(s). By in large, the emotional decisions that I made led to far worse consequences and failures than the logical ones - which, more often than not, led to my greatest achievements, and success.
And now that I’ve had the opportunity to reflect upon my life (something you do more of as you get older), I have found, that at times, we can get off course. It can happen without even knowing it at the time. Next thing you know, your life has become something you never wanted it to be, and you’re desperately trying to find a way out. I have been there. And this, is ultimately what led me here. I needed to find a way out, so I knew I had to make better decisions moving forward. I also had to start living my life with a purpose much greater than myself.
After achieving success at a fairly early age (in my early to late 30s), I spent the next 15 years of my life struggling and fighting - just to keep my head above water. It took everything I had to get out of bed each and every day. I would wake from my dreams - just to enter another nightmare. I was constantly on the verge of losing everything I had. I was broke, and deeply in debt. I was burned out, tired, and flat-out miserable. Then, I started to actually lose my mind.
I was done.
It was time to start over.
So, I relied heavily on God for guidance, and I focused on learning and understanding more about what led me to that horrible place. When you’re caught up in the eye of the storm and just trying to survive it - it is exceedingly difficult to see clearly when the debris is flying all around you. I had to remove myself from the storm, obtain clarity, and attempt to understand how I ended up there to begin with.
I then came to the realization that my decision-making process had become deeply flawed. So, I learned about Game Theory – and put it into practice. I also had to make some substantial changes within – and reinvent myself. This required me to relearn everything, as I could no longer trust in my previous methods. Retraining oneself is not an easy task, and it doesn’t happen overnight - but it will happen, if you remain dedicated to doing it.
Then, incrementally, I began to rebuild my life. Step by step, brick by brick.
I also needed to find my “purpose”, as this too had been lost in the storm.
When it comes to living a purposeful life, we must have sanctity in something much greater than ourselves – in order to be fulfilled.
I rarely found fulfillment in my prior endeavors, and because of this, I would make risky decisions based on unrealistic future outcomes. These were just desperate attempts to fill a void. This is why it is so important to be fulfilled in what you do.
Fulfillment brings a tremendous amount of peace, contentment, and satisfaction in life. Without it, you may be left feeling as though something is amiss, and ultimately make misguided decisions because of it. Without fulfillment, you will always be chasing something - trying to fill that hole inside.
I found fulfillment in doing God’s work.
This is what ultimately led me to write this book.
And in doing this, I had to trust in God – and my knowledge of Game Theory moving forward. Without having that trust, faith, and confidence, most people will not take that chance. I know many who never could - and never did. They are still stuck doing “the same old thing” because they didn’t take that leap of faith. And honestly, I don't know that I would have done it either - without having God and Game Theory in my life.
“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust in him and not be afraid” (Isaiah 12:2 KJV).
And since that day, my life has changed in ways that I never imagined it would.
Trust me, when you have been face down in the gutter for well over a decade, it tends to skew your view of what life could be. If the worst is greater than you could have ever imagined, the best will also be greater than what you could have ever imagined.
Life is short. I spent well over a decade of my life living in fear, panic, and desperation - wasting my best years away. Do I have any regrets? Absolutely. I wish I had the knowledge then that I have now. I wish someone would have shared this knowledge with me long before I went careening off-course. I will never get those years back…they are long gone.
Life also goes by very fast, and it seems as though the older you get, the faster it goes. Next thing you know, you’re faced with the reality of all your past decisions - and mistakes…and you can’t turn back the clock.
So, I hope the content in this book is as valuable to you as it has been to me. It has changed my life in so many amazing ways.
I hope that it will do the very same for you…
God’s Order for Your Life
(The Foundation)
God’s Order is designed to provide you with the following:
A Framework to Live By
A Priority List for Your Life
A Success Formula for Your Life
A Divine Relationship with a Higher Power
The Ability to Change the World…and Our Future
Consider God’s Order as a template for your life. When you think about it, your life (may or may not) consist of a higher power - but it will always consist of you, your work, your interests, and all of the relationships you have either inherited, or chosen, along the way. That pretty much sums up the components of our lives here on Earth.
Relationships are a very big part of our lives, especially if we have a partner or spouse and/or children. So, making good choices and successfully managing the relationships in our lives will be key to our success, and happiness, in life. Living by God’s Order will help you to choose the right people in your life, so you can surround yourself with those who are best for you, and your well being.
God wants us to be the best version of ourselves. He wants us to be at our best, so we can have a positive impact on this world. He knows what our individual potential can be, so long as we are living by his guiding principles. He also knows what our collective potential can be, so long as we are living collectively, by those same principles.
So, in the process of reading this chapter, be thinking about how much your life can change, once you are actually living by God’s Order (for Your Life). You will need to remain dedicated to living it, each and every day - until it becomes natural for you.
Once you begin to live by God’s Order, you will notice when things feel “out of sorts." If your life feels chaotic or “out of order," check to make sure you didn’t let something get out of order, within God’s Order (for Your Life).
Once you begin to proactively and intentionally live by God’s Order, I believe it will transform your life, in much the same way it has mine.
I. God
II. You
III. Your partner and Your work
IV. Your child or children
V. Your parents / Your extended family
VI. Your friends / Others
VII. The none others
I grew up in a Christian home, and my only exposure to God was during church on Sundays, and prayer at the dinner table. My relationship with God at the time is what I can only describe as “existent." I didn’t truly realize, or understand, the relationship that I could have with God – until much later in my life.
Fortunately for me, God sent me an angel.
Then came the Enlightenment.
This angel helped me to realize, and understand, that my relationship with God was ever-present. He was always going to be by my side, even if I missed a prayer, or didn’t go to church on Sunday. And if I wasn’t perfect, or fell short of the religious beliefs and requirements I had come to know - he would still be with me. She simply taught me about God’s unconditional love for us – and God’s Order for Your Life.
It was explained to me that God is a God of order - and without God’s preference for order, our world would become fraught with chaos and confusion (and isn't that the truth).
Understanding and following God’s Order allowed me to have an intimate, and unbridled relationship with God. It has also provided me with a model on how to prioritize who, and what, is most important in my life. God’s Order ultimately became an equilibrium mechanism for me - purposely designed to keep my relationships, and life, in balance.
Once you live by God’s Order, your relationship with God will always be above all else - and there are reasons for this. Once I made my relationship with God a priority in my life, I realized that I could have - and was worthy of having - a divine relationship with him.
I just had to follow him, as well as His Order - and live my life according to it.
If you know the Ten Commandments, then you will know the first one. “Thou shall not worship or serve any other God." That commandment may seem obvious and elementary to a Christian - but there is much more to it than that. Oftentimes, we make earthly objects and human entities our God - simply out of priority, fear, greed, addiction, dysfunction, or temptation. Sometimes, this occurs without us even being aware of it at the time. If we idolize something, or someone, we are giving it (or them) the power – that only God should have in our lives.
Alcoholics can make alcohol their God, drug addicts can make drugs their God, sex addicts can make sex their God, co-dependents can make their partners God…and if money is the God of choice, there are those will stop at nothing to obtain it. Truth is, we can make most anything our God - if it becomes our savior. If it consumes our thoughts and our focus, and we place it above all else, it, in essence, becomes the one that we worship, “our God”.
So, if we don’t place God first in our lives, how can we expect to have a divine relationship with him? How can he reach us if our focus and desires are elsewhere? How can we be truly connected to a greater power than ourselves - if our worldly desires continue to come between us?
Our relationship with God is what makes us whole. It’s what keeps us centered in this universe. It’s what allows us to trust, and rely upon, a power greater than ourselves. This “oneness” with God is crucial to our well-being.
In order for us to be the best version of ourselves, we need to know that we are loved unconditionally, and have a higher power to answer to, and call upon - for anything, at any time, anywhere, for any reason. God will always be there for you, trust me. It may not seem like it at times - but he is.
So, in order to attain this oneness with God, it is important to understand and know what might be getting in the way of actually attaining it. In my case, I felt unworthy of having this unique relationship with God. I felt, for a very long time, as though I didn’t live a life that was consistent with the religious beliefs I had come to know. I knew my sins were forgiven - but I still didn’t feel worthy.
I then realized that being imperfect didn’t make me unworthy. It just made me human.
Everything else in your life will begin to fall into place once Your Order is unerring and true. Because, once you are on a solid foundation with God, you then have a solid foundation to build upon.
You will need to put yourself above all others. Now, that may sound selfish - and it is - but in a good way. By doing this, you won’t let anyone, or anything else, get in between you and your direct relationship with God. Consider God as the foundation of your “house,” and consider yourself the structure or framework that resides on top of the foundation. You must remain solid - and firmly connected in your relationship with God, in order to support all of the other components (in your life) that rely on you to be “structurally sound." If you are not solid, and well connected to your foundation (God), your house will always be at risk of collapse.
So, you will need to take good care of yourself, put yourself above everyone else, and become the best possible version of yourself, in order for God’s Order to work as designed. This is why it is so important to learn as much as you can about yourself (more on that later in the book) and grow through self-discovery. Then, you can become “whole”. By doing this, your house won’t have any “structural” issues with regard to your structure or framework. You may not be perfect, but you will be solid. You will also be permanently attached to God (your foundation), which allows you to remain sturdy and sound - even when the storms come.
Keep in mind…if you ever find yourself inheriting an “it’s all about me” attitude, then you have officially placed yourself above God in His Order. Remember, it is not all about you. It is about God first, then you, second. God’s position at the top of His Order must always remain as such. Otherwise, you will find yourself attempting to fill a role that you are not capable of filling.
"The servant is not greater than the lord" (John 15:20 NIV).
Secondarily, if you happen to find yourself fighting battles that should be left in God’s hands, you may very well be attempting to fill a role that is God's, not yours. Consider yourself a missionary (a vessel of his mercy), as opposed to an attacker (a vessel of his wrath).
It is important that we live in faith, with grace and mercy – just as Jesus did.
When Jesus was persecuted, he left the wrath in God’s hands. And we should be doing the same.
I was led to this angel through a friend of mine who had experienced her teachings. He recommended that I see her, as I was having challenges in an intimate relationship (with my future wife) at the time.
In my particular case, I wasn't capable of having a healthy and fulfilling intimate relationship – because I wasn't able to give all of myself to that relationship. In other words, I was not whole.
And if my partner was relying on me to make her whole, that wasn’t going to work out very well – for either one of us.
My upbringing, like most, made me who I was in many ways. So, I had to learn and understand who I was inside – and why my upbringing was negatively impacting my ability to obtain a healthy, and fulfilling, intimate relationship.
This angel helped me to peel away the layers, and focus on gaining the necessary knowledge for my self-discovery. This allowed me to identify, and better understand why I had this condition. And over time, I was able to see more clearly, and better gain a better understanding of my inner myself. I then began to receive awareness, clarity, and understanding, like never before.
Prior to this, I was just a confused, angry, and frustrated individual. Turns out, I just needed to “turn on the lights” in order to see. From that point on, I was no longer “living in the dark."
I had found Enlightenment.
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life" (John 8:12 NIV).
Dysfunctional individuals will have dysfunctional relationships – and that was me. In God’s Order, you must first be whole - in order to have a healthy, functional, and intimate relationship with another. Intimacy can often be described as “into me see." So, it stands to reason, if you or your partner are afraid of being “exposed," or have “skeletons in the closet," it is going to be difficult to have a truly intimate relationship with another. If you are faking it, you’re more than likely not going to make it – long-term.
So, I had to come to terms with the role of my parents in making me who I was. My upbringing was not a bad one - it was quite good in fact, but there were factors that led to my inadequacies as a partner. So, spend the necessary time to learn about your upbringing, and discover how it has impacted you as a person, and molded you into the individual you are today. You can then gain a better understanding of how this may (or may not) affect your ability to have a healthy, and intimate, relationship with another.
Know that you may need to forgive your parents as part of the process. If you don’t, you may end up sabotaging intimate relationships - due to your unwillingness to let go of the past. You will need to do the necessary work; just gaining the knowledge will not be enough.
To genuinely love someone else, we must first learn how to genuinely love ourselves. If we are not able to love ourselves in this way, it becomes rather difficult to love another in this way. This is also part of the process. The process of becoming enlightened is eye-opening. You must expose yourself, and strip away the layers, in order to see yourself for who you really are. It may not always be pretty - but it will give you the opportunity to learn how to love yourself, as you are. It will also give you the opportunity to hold yourself accountable, heal, and forgive, focus on self-improvement - and move forward as a better person, and partner.
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32 NIV).
Once we have become whole with God, and whole within ourselves, we then have the opportunity to become whole with a partner who completes us. We are also able to accomplish this without making our partner “our God." The beautiful thing is, once you are whole, you are also more inclined to meet and/or be attracted to the same - when you ultimately find your significant other.
Ideally, your partner should also be living (or be willing to live) by God’s Order. If not, do not be surprised if you find yourselves “disconnected” from one another to some degree. Living by God’s Order makes it much easier to know if you and your partner are a good match in terms of being “life partners." This is what your marriage should be predicated upon. If you are not living by the same Order in life, how are you going to support one another in doing so?
And if your partner isn't filling his or her role within God's Order, you may need to reconsider having him, or her, as a partner. Is your current partner better suited as a friend, an other, or a "none-other” (to be discussed later)? It is imperative that your partner meet the requirements of God's Order, in order to complete your trinity with God (i.e., God, man and woman).
Your partner or spouse should be someone who supports you – and wants the absolute best for you. He or she also needs to be someone you can count on – someone you can trust. Otherwise, your partner is not going to be providing for you, as required, within God's Order.
This is why it is so important to be whole as a unit (i.e., one in the flesh), if you are planning on having a life together.
