For many years millions of people have flocked to any
minister or evangelist who focusses their messages on positive thinking, and
uses "faith" as the Christianize means for all our lofty dreams to
come true. Their central message is, if
we just have enough faith, or the right kind of faith, and keep repeating
certain verses (like a mantra), our lives will magically be transformed and all
our dreams will come true. We will have
enough money to help people, we will be strong enough to do mighty things, and
happy enough to attract the lost, and the list goes on.
What many people don't realize is that the teaching of
positive thinking as it is so often presented by televangelists, as one
example, sounds good on the surface, but what is really behind it is a secular
and humanistic belief system that, Biblically, can be proven to be another
doctrine contrary to what Scripture teaches.
It can even be grouped as a false doctrine once you really take a close
look at it and put it under the microscope of Scripture. We need to be careful to study the roots of a
movement or author of positive thinking books we are drawn to. After doing some research on some popular
positive thinking authors, whose books I had gobbled up years ago, I was
shocked to discover they were using techniques like "imagery," the
same techniques used by the New Age, and can be classified as sorcery. They teach that faith itself (independent of
God) is the tool that will reel in whatever we imagine we want. It's interesting, also to note, that faith
teachers, positive thinking gurus, and motivational speakers and authors make a
lucrative living from their teaching. After
all, who doesn't want to hear positive sermons and not worry about things like
personal conviction and repentance, and that a heart change is needed?
Having said that, if someone told you that you are going
to a church or are involved in a ministry that has another agenda, other than
what is soundly Scriptural, would you think twice about attending there? Yet, this is exactly what is happening
today. What is that agenda? If the
message is all positive, and lacks the depth of conviction that the true teaching
of repentance and salvation include, then beware! This church/ministry likely has
another agenda, ever so subtle, and they are teaching another gospel that the
Bible warns about.
Gal 1:8 But
though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that
which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
Gal 1:9 As we
said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you
than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
Gal 1:10 For do
I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased
men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Gal 1:11 But I
certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after
man.
Gal 1:12 For I
neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of
Jesus Christ.
Is the teaching pleasing to hear? Beware, for Scripture says that the Gospel is
a "stumbling block." It will
bring persecution and rejection.
1Co 1:21 For
after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased
God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
1Co 1:22 For the
Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
1Co 1:23 But we
preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks
foolishness; 1Co 1:24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
1Co 1:25 Because
the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger
than men.
1Co 1:26 For ye
see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not
many mighty, not many noble, are called:
1Co 1:27 But God
hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath
chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28 And
base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea,
and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1Co 1:29 That no
flesh should glory in his presence.
Is someone preaching that we must be well off financially
in order to reach the lost? Are they
teaching that we must be healthy, wealthy and wise before God can really use
us? Look at verse 26 - not many wise, mighty, noble are called. We think that we need to be and look happy,
or perhaps be successful in order to reach the lost. But in verse 27, God chooses things that are
foolish (they don't make sense to the world).
And in verse 28, he chooses things which are despised. Notice the last verse 29, that no flesh
should glory in His presence. More like,
He is able to use us when we are spent, weary, tired, exhausted all our own
strength and resources, and come to the end of ourselves.
We need to ask ourselves if the books we are reading
merely entertain us, or draw us closer to Jesus. Do they convict us and change our heart, or
do they promise us a false and fabricated future if we merely focus on what we
desire and then believe really hard that we will receive it? I have read books that were so convicting, I
only had to read them once and never forgot what they had written. These types of books are heavily into teaching Scripture and
sound doctrine, from authors like Watchman Nee, and a recent book by Dennis
Bank, Sanctiprize. Both of these authors had suffered great hardship to glean the deeper truths from the Bible, and they are known by their works. Sometimes these types of books are difficult to read through,
and yet these books are without a doubt, inspired and they are heart-changing. You come away having digested the meat of the
Word, and you do not have to read them over and over again like taking
positive-thinking pills to keep you on a high.
Positive thinking books and materials, in most cases, have such a
temporary effect that you have to keep reading them because they do not change
our heart (which is deceitful above all things and wicked- see Jeremiah 17:9). At least this has been true for me.
Perhaps if we are seeking positive thinking, we are doing
it for the wrong reasons. We are seeking
something for ourselves, so it becomes a pursuit for self, and not a godly
thing. Perhaps too often our focus is on
self and not on Christ. Jesus said: If I
be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto Me (see John 12:32). Are we pointed to Him and pointing others to
Him or are we deceived into falsely pointing them to what they can get from
Jesus and Christianity? When they look
at us they should see every evidence of the work of the cross in our lives (we
have died to sin and self and are alive unto Christ). When they look at Jesus they should see their
own opportunity to repent and be saved, and know that they are loved as they
are. We are not salespeople, we are
sinners saved by grace and our true salvation testimony is our greatest
witness, not how happy we are because we are positive thinkers. People want and need what is real, not what
is fabricated.
How are we to think positive in a right and trusted
Biblical way? We are to delight in The
Lord, keep our heart pure, be thankful (stop grumbling and complaining), be
content, fight the good fight of faith, stop focusing on self and get out there
and lovingly help others, make witnessing a habit. Paul beat his body into submission, realizing
he was running a race (see I Cor.9:24-27).
We need to stop trying to weasel out of running this difficult race, and
stop trying to find a comfortable place to soak up the presence of God. Meanwhile we are letting the outside world
remain lost in their sins, die without hope, and suffer in hell forever. Let us be faithful to the cross and do our
part, foregoing the fluff of positive thinking beliefs, and get to the enormous
task at hand, as faithful and good servants of The Lord.
NOTE: When I
researched this, there was so much material, I had to break it up into a series
of blogs. Please watch for my next blogs
in this series about positive thinking.
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