Question: "What is “The Secret�? What is the law of attraction?"
Answer: The Secret â€" www.thesecret.tv â€" also known as the “law of attraction,â€? is the idea that because of our connection with a “universal energy force,â€? our thoughts and feelings have the ability to manipulate this energy force to our liking. According to “The Secret,â€? our thoughts and feelings attract a corresponding energy to ourselves. If our thoughts are negative, we attract negative things. If our feelings are positive, we attract positive things. The essential message of “The Secretâ€? is that we all have the power to determine our own destiny. We can all create our own reality. Through fully and consistently applying the “law of attraction,â€? we can be who we want to be and have everything we want to have.
Is there any truth to “The Secret�? Is there any validity to the law of attraction? As with most other popular ideas, “The Secret� is a nugget of truth expanded to unbiblical and illogical extremes. As an example, a thesis of the law of attraction is that our physical health is determined by our thoughts and feelings. It has been medically proven that stress and worry are harmful to the body, while joy and peace actually aid in the healing process. The Bible agrees, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones� (Proverbs 17:22). “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones� (Proverbs 15:30). As David was struggling with the unconfessed guilt of his evil actions, he declared, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long� (Psalm 32:3). Our thoughts and feelings do have an impact on our physical well-being. However, this is due to how God designed our bodies…not because of our connection with a universal energy force, and our negativity or positivity attracting negative or positive physical symptoms.
A second error in the “law of attraction� is its emphasis on money and wealth. The Bible has much to say regarding wealth and the management of money and resources. Proverbs 13:11 exclaims, “Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.� Similarly, Proverbs 17:16 proclaims, “Of what use is money in the hand of a fool,
since he has no desire to get wisdom?� Our financial success is determined by our decisions, our hard work, and our wise stewardship of what we have. No matter how positive our thoughts and how focused our mind is on wealth; if we have built mountains of debt, the bills will continue to come (Proverbs 22:7). The only impact the secret of “positive thinking� can have on our financial situation is in motivating us to work harder and spend more wisely. The Secret and its focus on achieving wealth goes directly against the teachings of the Bible. Solomon, the wisest and richest man in the Bible, observed, “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless� (Ecclesiastes 5:10). Jesus, who possessed everything, warned us, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions� (Luke 12:15). 1 Timothy 6:10 could not say it any more clearly, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.�
With that said, the primary error of “The Secret� / law of attraction is its view, or lack thereof, of God. In the law of attraction, God, if He even exists, is nothing more than a universal energy force that we manipulate by our thoughts and feelings. The law of attraction assumes a pantheistic (God is everything) view of God. The Secret denies the ideas of a personal God (with thoughts, feelings, and emotions) and a sovereign God (omnipotent and omniscient, perfectly in control of everything). The core message of “The Secret� is that we are in control of our own destiny. God knows the truth to be very different, “…All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be� (Psalm 139:16). Nebuchadnezzar, the greatest king of ancient Babylon, a prime candidate for someone who would know “The Secret,� declared, “Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified Him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; His kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back His hand or say to Him: ‘What have you done?’� (Daniel 4:34-35).
According to the proponents of the law of attraction, we are all “incarnations of God.� We are all our own god, able to create our own reality, able to control our own destiny. This lie is not a secret, and it is nothing new. Satan’s primary temptation has always been to obtain knowledge and thereby to become like God, “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God…� (Genesis 3:5). Satan’s own fall from glory was this same error, “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High’� (Isaiah 14:13-14). The message of “The Secret� is the same message that Satan used to tempt Adam and Eve into sin: “You do not need God…you can be God!� And just as Satan will fail in his quest to be God (Isaiah 14:15; Revelation 20:10), so too will all those who seek to be their own god will fail: “'You are "gods" … but you will die like mere men…� (Psalm 82:6-7).
The true “secretâ€? is that God is in control. God has a sovereign and perfect plan for us. The key is getting in-tune with God, thereby understanding His heart and knowing His will. Rather than seeking after wealth, fame, power, and pleasure (in which there is nothing but emptiness); we are to seek a relationship with God, allowing Him to place His perfect desires in our heart and mind, conforming our feelings to His â€" and then granting us the desire of His, and our, heart. “Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun� (Psalm 37:4-6).
If you have a desire to discover the true secret to a joyous and fulfilling life, please read our article on “What is the way of salvation?�
Recommended Resource: Cure for the Common Life: Living in Your Sweet Spot by Max Lucado.
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Comments
"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
MARK 8:36
"Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ."
Colossians 2:8
"...the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, 'All this authority I will give You.... Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.' And Jesus answered and said to him, 'Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ �
Luke 4:5-8
"The Secret: the Law of Attraction, that you can use mental/mind control to get what you want
is New Age/Theophostic/secret mystery religion/psychology/metaphysics stuff that has been around for thousands and
thousands of years.
The Secret teachers are not followers of Jesus Christ and have rejected the God of the Bible, and
the truth of God's word, and have rejected faith in His Son, Jesus. They have fashioned a system of
personal power, based on human power. This philosophy and method is just the doorway/lowest level
of the world of deep occultic mystery religion, which is the belief that either lucifer is god, or "we are god".
This has been around for a long time and can be traced to Egypt, the tower of Babel and
to the garden of Eden, when the serpent said, "yea, has God really said that?....", encouraging
doubt, rebellion and ideas of human deification, power and control; the idea that you can create
your own power and authority, for yourself. This is old. This is satan's religion; it is very popular.
In contrast, God calls us to have faith, to do what He commands, and to trust Him: The writer of Hebrews defines
faith as follows, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain
of what we do not see." True Biblical faith is
believing God can and will do exactly what He has promised in the Bible, and putting your trust in Him.
Those who pervert true Biblical faith make it about what we want, when true
Biblical faith is about what God wants, and our faith and trust in Him, and obeying Him because of our love for Him, and because He is God.
There are no secrets to living this life. God gave us
everything we would ever need in the pages of His Word.
Did you know occult actually means, "hidden", or, "secret".
God has openly revealed all truth that we need, and He has not kept it a secret.
Secret philosophies that come from the world of occult and sorcery have been
keeping these philosophies secret for a long time, but now they are beginning to introduce
them to the general public, because the whole world is being prepared
for Antichrist. Like the bible says, even now, there are many little "antichrists" in the world.
An anti christ is anything or person that opposes or makes itself a substitute in place of Jesus Christ.
There are many in the world now. Oprah is one for sure. Her following is huge.
People even talk of a 'church of Oprah'. She denies Christ, that He is the only way to God, that He is God in the flesh,
and she encourages her following to follow the new age philosophy of
"Do what you want, follow your dreams, be true/faithful to yourself, trust your heart" This is satan's religion.
These are anti christ messages which come from satan, because this is what he told Eve
in the garden, and she listened to him.
Instead, God tells us to, "Do what God says, follow Christ, be true/faithful to the Lord, trust in the Lord."
The world system has many things it offers for "help", but God's word says, "my help is in the Lord".
He is our help, not the power of our mind.
Following Jesus is hard because we have to count the cost. Part of the cost is deciding to choose to not follow
the world anymore, or follow those who promote the teachings of satan. This is hard for us all because we want
to do what feels good and what is easy, but Jesus never said it would be easy to be His disciple,
He just promised to be faithful to His promises.
He is our help ps 33:20
O Lord, be Thou my helper ps30:10
Behold, God is my helper ps 54:4
The LORD is my helper Heb13:6
If we are going to follow God, His word has what we need.
The Word has a lot to say about 'secret' in the NT. In all passages, the 'secret' is
the deity, incarnation, and revelation of Jesus Christ, now revealed to us.
Here's some cool verses about this:
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that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love,
and attaining to all the wealth (spiritual wealth) that comes from the full assurance
of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself,
in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
I say this in order that no one may delude you with persuasive argument. col2:2-4
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception,
according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, (the unbelieving world's philosophies)
rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form. col2:8-9
Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel
and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery
which has kept secret for long ages past,
but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets,
according to the commandment of the eternal God,
has been made known to al the nations, leading to obedience of faith;
to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen. rom16:25-27"
Quote from:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1787493/posts
A bad feeling warmed over my soul watching this "The Secret" DVD and reading about what their "Experts" have to say online. The temptation was sweet. I lost sight while experimenting with this horrid lie. The straw that broke my proverbial "camel's back" was a statement by them eluding that man can earn a place next to the Primemover by a process of reverse Genesis. Warn those who you Love and your enemies.
Posted by: Jason Cross | May 6, 2007 01:39 PM