in this examination i will be looking at some claim this lady make in regards to a set of scriptures, these scripture have been hoisted out of context and re-interpreted falsely ..
but before i lay out a biblical exegesis of the four scriptures, i want to first lay out a case on where this false teaching comes from as it is not from God, or the bible
we must understand that this teaching is a demonic source
this is the teaching know as law of attraction .... the basis is that what ever you want in life, no matter what it is .. you just visualise it and it can be yours (more on this can be seen in joel osteens teaching which there is a great series on youtube documenting its origns called Joel Osteen : origins and errors in his teachings ... in short it comes from a group of satanist called the
now lets start this examination
now i have 4 scripture on the mind, because your thought become your words and your attitude .. how many understand that ... what a man think he becomes... as a man thinks in heart .. so it is where your mind goes .. the man follows
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the first scripture used
ephesians 4 :22 -24 to put off your old self which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness
okay you have a new nature, but you have to put off the old nature, delusion are the lies that we never become wise to refute, turn to the person next to ya, ans smile so they dont get mad at you .. and say get your attitude renewed
lets look at the next verse as this always amazes me .. remember he starts by saying put off the old nature, now his over here saying put on the new nature
stop living like your not saved . start acting like christ .. what is the branch to get there .. be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind have a fresh renewed and spiritual attitude
your never going to change your life or your behaviour until you change your thinking .. yes i said change your thinking, yes i said you change your thinking -- now we do nothing without Gods help
God gets all the credit for any success that we ever have .. apart from him we can do nothing but neither is God going to do everything for us -- with out us joining him with a faithful effort -- leaning on the holy spirit . certianly with the holy spirit .. but being determined that working with the holy spirit .. we are going to be the person God wants us to be
my response to this ....
baring what i have said on the origins .. we now must show this is not the correct interpretation ..
the passage in question
Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you
we must not isolate verse from its context as we can get the wrong impression ..... this passage is speaking to the overall living in the spirit as a new creature in Christ
we must note that the passage gives us a few contextual clues as to how this is possible
Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!
assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
here we note paul is making a contrast that of the new life in christ which he has expounded upon possibly in person or in letter ... and that to the lif style of the unbelievers ... how different we are from them by the work of the holy spirit
due to the hardened heartness these individuals (unbelievers) live as they are world .. doing the following "given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity"
we must in the spirit of God put to death the deeds that we once partook in as sinners ... this comes from obedience to the teachings and living that spirit guided life
and this is the important factor in the study of all scripture .. we can ask a simply question based on the teaching paul gives ..
what does paul mean by "to put off your old self.. put on the new self" ....
it is not as this false teacher puts it in the above assertion .... "your never going to change your life or your behaviour until you change your thinking .. yes i said change your thinking, yes i said you change your thinking -- now we do nothing without Gods help
God gets all the credit for any success that we ever have .. apart from him we can do nothing but neither is God going to do everything for us -- with out us joining him with a faithful effort -- leaning on the holy spirit . certianly with the holy spirit .. but being determined that working with the holy spirit .. we are going to be the person God wants us to be"
the basic message here is to put on the new you .. you must think new possitive thought and become them .. and that God will be an aid in this transformation
lets consider all the bible teaches in respect to the new birth .... man does not have any part in this ... this is an act of God in the persons life ... by the work of the spirit to transform him into the likeness of his son
so when pauls says to " "to put off your old self.. put on the new self" .. he is using concepts and word pattern which man can follow but the truth of the actual work is far different to that of which the words are expressing ....
the way to understand this is that these people the believer have been regenerated already .. and that paul is given advise for us all to fully comprehend the magnificent new manner of life we have in christ
this is the work of the spirit in the believers life period!
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the second scripture used
colossians 3 :1-2 "set your mind on things above"
this is joyces fave scripture .... they tell us to set our minds and keep them set so let it suffice to say that your mind .. if your operating in the mind of christ .. its so powerful .. so powerful
you have a choice ... to set your mind to the things of the flesh or you can choose to live in the things of christ
you can learn the word of God to such a degree that soon as a bad thought starts to roll over you can think .. no..no not going to think that
then she speak of other people fault and how you stop yourself from going to that line of thinking
my response to this
here we have a case of selective citing and reading a concept that is not found in the text ....
lets begin with the text
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
as i said on the last one, we must allow the context to define its meaning, and assume a meaning upon it from isolated verses ...
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If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
just from studying this context we see that man is not the central issue of this passage .. but surity of salvation ... and how the regenerate life will be living a life in accord to the gospel ....
beyond this .... this scripture is good for predestination ..... "Set your minds on things that are above" .... how can you do this when you have not been raised with christ ... you only know this through regeneration which leads to true saving faith in christ .. hence this is depicting an action that first is an eternal act .. that we are given to christ by the father .. we are chosen .. we do not do the choosing
and this is why paul starts with "If then you have been raised with Christ," .. it is speaking to a process that leads one to know christs death is his death, his resurrection is his resurrection .... and this is the measure that comes from regeneration
and what does this grant us ... "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them."
the true peace with God through christ as we have been released from the former living we once knew was our death
so when joyce states things like this "you have a choice ... to set your mind to the things of the flesh or you can choose to live in the things of christ"
then we should realise she's not communicating what the passage is actually speaking too.. as if the passage is speaking to a choice we make ... there is no such teaching in this regard ... the passage is address a certian reality of the transformed lives of the believers in regeneration
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the third scripture used
2 corinthians 10 :4 -5 "For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ"
you mind is a battle feild but set your mind and keep it set ... it pretty much means once you made your mind up, i mean really really made your mind up you can do anything that is in the will of God for you .. anything God tells us to do we can do it if we set our minds to it and keep them set on it
im not going into all the details here ... but you can even get out of bed if you set your mind to it, you save money, be a millionaire if you put your mind to it
my response to this ....
here we have selective citing coupled with a false application -- lets consider the context
I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— 2 I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete
this passage is addressing spiritual attack .. and is a great one to put with ephesians 6. but as we have already noted that this women has falsely read something foriegn into the last text and is doing the same thing here
paul whole point is not the same point a the last passage where he is addressing regeneration .. here he is giving sound advice against the idea that his message is one of a fleshy origin .. by this words "as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh" ... showing this is directed at a oposing challenge
when we get these words .. "For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete" .. there is no human emotion involved it is the spirit guiding us to formulate spiritual response to arguments
hence the words "For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power " ...
joyces words .... but you can even get out of bed if you set your mind to it, you save money, be a millionaire if you put your mind to it ...... well since this is not even closely related to the passage in question .. it is render useless talk, even to the point that it is a false application of the previous passage
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the 4th scripture used
romans 12 :2 "Do not be conformed to this world,[c] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect"
God provided everything for the israelite in the promised land but they were never gonna prove it out .. face it, see it, use it .. if it didn't get there minds straightened out while they were in the wilderness
where are you at in your journey ?
how Godly is your attitude ?
how quick do you forgive when someone hurts you?
my response to this
we have here an unrelated topic being forced on the the verse in question .. that being the exodus of the jews (more on this later)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another
here is the context which that one verse is found in ... and what we see here is that paul is given the infant church some sound advice which can also be helpful to us today -- but like the other passages this advice may seem like it is a human application / work but in reality it is the work of the spirit
the first thing to note here is that the passage is being addressed to the brothers in faith, so immediately we know they are saved, regenerated by the spirit .. by these words " appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship" .. it is a spiritual offering mean one has to be in the spirit .. indicating a connection to christ
the second thing to note in this ... the wording "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." .. may seem like an human application but it is far from it ... the whole point of this is that paul is teaching spiritual truths .. this is the work of God in a believer
no man has the ability to do this task .. it is the work of the spirit in the believer ....
joyce states .... God provided everything for the israelite in the promised land but they were never gonna prove it out .. face it, see it, use it .. if it didn't get there minds straightened out while they were in the wilderness
while this is a biblical topic and one a christian must fully understand from context .. it has little baring on pauls teaching in romans 12 ... he gives no direct connection to it ... so why does joyce bring it in the first place .. and what has this mind business got to do with anything ... this is new ageism being forced unto the scripture
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conclusion .....
on every contextual basis this lady like her team mates, has completely twist these 4 scriptures to speak to something in which .. the original author .. that being paul never had in mind .. let alone the early church had even heard of since it is a 19th century ideal which these false teacher are all incorperating into their feel good, mushy sermon speaches .... the real problem is that they could not for the life of them walk through any text in a fair exegetical manner and show where this "think what you desire, manifest into life" concept
as i have briefly mentioned in the introduction of this article that this is the power of thought prossess commonly known as the law of attraction deadly to any true christian
think of this from apostle peter
Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures
here peter make a declaratoy pronouncemant on just a subject as what this article is presenting, not that paul doesn't make such statement .. but i feel this is a good place to end this critique on ... that there will arise false christian minister who pervert the biblical teaching for personal, selfish gain -- but not the underlined words .. they will ignorant and unstable ... and this charge is made on the basis of all scripture being falsely handled .. but pauls letter singled out with attention
now why do i choose to focus on this heretic above others, it is not the case i have done articles on many other heretics, but i turn my attention on this one due a constant facebook promotion i have seen of her qoute .... but also to show that she is not doing this for the benefit of christis people but mislead and misguide people into her brand of falsehood
so what are ment to do .. we are out them and there falsehood, but do it in live .. a gentle rebuke goes further than a harsh comment ...
final thought ... do not trust this wolf in sheeps clothing .. it is poison in form of a treat .. "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths." .. head these words of apostle paul
