Of course, stating that I am not God shocks no one. Yet I see an increase of teaching—yes, even among Christians—that seems to promote individuals behaving as if we ARE God.
I wish I could give you the instance that triggered my reaction, but I’ve buried the info in my subconscious somewhere. All for the better, I’m sure. But let me explain a little what I mean.
There is this positive-think movement that talks about each of us being in control of our destiny. For instance, we need to think positively about our finances, and good things will happen. We need to have hope about our health, and disease will disappear. We need to believe in our abilities as writers, and contracts will come our way.
You get the idea.
The fact is, some of this is true. Health professionals have done studies about the power of the mind in the process of healing. Some brain studies have shown that “phantom” pain is a real brain message being sent to the body though there is no physical cause. Sociologists have shown that infants are drawn to people who smile and people who are attractive.
Like most false teaching, however, the facts can morph into error when they are misinterpreted. Many people look at the amazing things our brains can do and draw the conclusion that therefore we are capable of unlimited success, health, happiness. It’s all in our control.
Isn’t that just another way of saying, I am God?
Any real understanding of facts about human abilities should lead us to gape in awe at our omnipotent God, not crow about our unlimited potential.
The most disturbing thing for me, however, is to see this “I can do all things because I’m empowered to do so” attitude creep into the church.
Sure, it’s couched in religious language, but at the heart is a belief that we are in charge. Not so.
Prayer changes things because God answers, not because I’ve put my mind to good health or happiness or hope. I don’t will myself into a better place because I’ve visualized it.
In fact, God seems to love coming through when all seems darkest, victory seems out of reach, despair seems the only option.
Look at Abraham. What must he have thought when he took up the knife to slay his son? Was it happy thoughts? A belief in his own ability to make this situation right?
No. He went no further than trusting in God’s promise and obeying His word. God said Isaac was to be the beginning of a great nation. And God said Abraham was to offer Isaac to Him.
No amount of self talk could resolve these two contrasting facts. Abraham had to believe that God meant what He said, both times. He had to accept that God would do what to him seemed impossible. He had to accept that God was God, and he was not.
Thank you Becky for these words. I can say from my own life that it is trials that have brought me closer to God, not the health, wealth and happiness in life.
Trials have a way of stripping everything every away and bringing us face to face with what we really believe (do we have faith or not?). When my husband lost his job, it sent both of us down a year long spiral of fear, doubt, and loneliness. It was during this year I learned to cling to God (because I had nothing to cling to). Every day, every hour I had to consciously cling to God. And my “faith muscles” grew stronger.
I”m not saying health, wealth, or happiness are not good things (in fact, they’re great things!), but its takes the forge of trials to heat up what’s inside of us, bring to surface the dross of sin and bad habits, and then in our broken state we cry out to God and he scraps away the dross, leaving us better than we were.
In the end, we cannot fix ourselves, only God can.