As I listened through one of Martyn Lloyd-Jone’s sermons recently, he mentioned the French Psychologist Emile Coue` in passing.

MLJ was discussing the scripture, “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” MLJ stated that Christianity is not psychology, that we should not practice Coue-ism, merely repeating something [like many repeat affirmations, e.g.]. But that we needed to know what it meant to be Strong in the Lord….

I became familiar with a widely known phrase by Emile Coue` in the late 1970’s when I took a continuing ed. class on muscle relaxation. Therein, we listened to guided relaxation and various related stuff.

The teacher introduced us to one of Emile Coue`’s phrases:  [Her phrase seems to differ a bit from his but it is very similar, or maybe I am remembering it wrongly?]

“Each and every day, in each and every way, I am getting better and better.”

We were taught that as an affirmation to repeat daily, throughout the day….

I was surprised to hear MLJ mention Coue`-ism, but I am finding that he kept abreast of current social trends and how those led people astray.

The following video briefly explains the ideas of Coue` regarding ‘autosuggestion.’

Below the video you will find a typed transcript of all the words on the video. I critiqued the transcript a paragraph or three at a time.

I do not recommend this material, it has a New Age flavor and is unbiblical, like the Word-Faith gospel. Please read the critique if you go to a Word-Faith church.

HIGHLIGHT POINTS:

Book by Emile Coue` that readers can examine online via the following link.

I AM NOT RECOMMENDING THESE IDEAS.

The following is one of Coue’s books that can be read online.

Self mastery through conscious autosuggestion

by  Coué, Émile, 1857-1926

Link to book:  https://archive.org/details/selfmasterythrou0000coue/mode/2up

BELOW IS THE VIDEO TRANSCRIPT WITH BIBLICAL CRITIQUES; AFTER THAT, THERE IS A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FAITH FROM ANOTHER POST:

The critique is quite long, but if you are a believer in the word-faith movement, I would consider it a necessary read. 

I had become familiar with Emile Coue when I took a class in 1978 or so, at YSU on muscle relaxation. Affirmations… were part of the class. The teacher used the following affirmation of his, to paraphrase:  ‘Each and every day, in each and every way, I am getting better and better.’

YOUTUBE VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

VIDEO: Autosuggestion, Repetition, and the Subconscious Mind

My qualifications for assessing this video: [If you know me already, then skip down to the pink highlighted paragraph]

I think that the author of this material stated some true things in the process of his explanation of the system he is trying to teach. But I also think that some foundational terms are not defined correctly, so his assumptions are not true because they rest on those inaccurately defined terms.

The observations he makes in the video, seem to occur in the real world; I think the millions that belong to the Pentecostal Word of Faith movement would say that he is speaking truth.

The words of the body of this text are the actual transcript of the video, I typed it out word for word so I could analyze it in terms of biblical truth; so I could point out foundational errors that cause his conclusions to be incorrect.

The material of this video seems to describe Word of Faith theology and the system that is foundational to those who believe they can ‘manifest’ realities into their lives… New Agers, etc.

My background:

Bachelor’s degree in Psychology; worked in that field for over two decades in a role wherein I used cognitive psychology in counseling; I was a front-line counselor, so I worked directly with the residents I counseled.

I have been a student of religion since my mid 20’s, I began that quest after my mother suddenly died when I was 22. At that time, I had to know more about death, find a spiritual path and discover what God required of me (by His grace, I did, at that time, believe that He existed).

I began my quest with eastern religion because to many of the people I met in my Christian upbringing were self-righteous and critical… so I assumed something was insufficient about Christianity – I know now that Christ is perfect, Christians are far less than that and often interact in Un-Christ-like ways, wrongly bringing criticism upon Christ….

In my studies, I looked into psychic phenomena, mysticism, Hindu mediation, Zen meditation…; did yoga for at least 15 years; was a Baha’i for about 5 years; read about and casually practiced Buddhism for more than a decade; actually thought I’d be a mystic….

Finally, I came to believe I had discovered a path whereby I might know God and what He expected / required of me. For reasons I can’t explain, I believed that there was a correct way to worship Him, and that I had not found it. (25 years later I did find it, the pages of the Bible describe it.)

I then fell into a spiritual paralysis for a decade or so. I did not know where to look next.

After losing another marriage by divorce and losing a job because I had to retire to settle my divorce estate, I was in crisis and began to pray to God. I thereafter read through the Bible (after a couple of years of alcoholism and wallowing); all of my spiritual questions were answered.

That was 20 years ago. I have read through the Bible a couple dozen times since, and am finding I still have very much to learn about myself and about God. But I am confident that I can learn it on this path. No book compares to the Bible. It was revealed by God over a period of 1500 years through 40 some authors: kings to shepherds.

So, that is my background.

Because of my background, I have a strong desire to reveal false belief systems because I waded through a dozen or so of them looking for truth and did not find it.

This study is about another false system that I hope to expose via biblical truth. God is the origin of all truth. To get a sense for that, you would have to, at least, prayerfully read through the New Testament.

 [Each paragraph is numbered; my comments are in brackets; the critique of a given paragraph ends once the bulleted points end. UNDERLINED words and phrases will be commented on in critiques.]

Paragraph 1, transcript of video: Faith is the head chemist of the mind; when faith is blended with the vibration of thought, the subconscious mind instantly picks up the vibration, translates it into its spiritual equivalent and then transmits it to infinite intelligence, as in the case of prayer.

Analysis of paragraph 1:

• The Bible calls faith a gift from God: Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God…. Also: Heb 11:1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Acts 11:18  When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.” [one has to have faith to repent, in other words, God gave believers faith to believe and to repent.] [I have also heard faith described as an open hand that receives the grace of God; a straw through one drinks in God’s grace….]
• [At the end of this video transcript, I tacked on a portion of a PDF I wrote against the Baha’i Faith, therein I described faith, using some of the above scriptures AND a description of how I experienced it in my transition – when I was born again. It will help you get a definition of faith]
• The terms above, ‘thought’ and ‘subconscious mind’ are way too deep for me to explain. I believe in the subconscious – dreams incline me to believe in it. And thoughts, I have no clue where they come from. Our skill with the English language, our experiences, desires, aspirations… certainly impact our thoughts.
• In my former work, I learned that thoughts impact feelings and feelings impact behavior and those interact with one another generating more of each. I also learned that doing something like memorizing scripture impacts ones thoughts, feelings and behaviors; or hanging out with alcoholics at the local bar does the same. The author of this video gets into some of that and makes some valid points which are mixed in with his erroneous thinking….
• Faith blended with thought and the subconscious mind will be addressed further down the page, as well as I can do that.

Paragraph 2 of transcript: The emotions of faith, love and sex are the most powerful of all the major positive emotions. When the three are blended, they have the effect of coloring the vibration of thought in such a way that it instantly reaches the subconscious mind, where it is changed into its spiritual equivalent, the only form that induces a response from infinite intelligence.

Analysis:

• Faith, from the biblical definitions above, is not an emotion.
• Many believe that love is an emotion, but it seems more accurate to describe love as an action
• Sex is not an emotion. One certainly experiences emotions when having sex or even thinking about it. But it is an action.
• I am at a loss at to how anyone could ‘combine’ them.
• According to the author of the video, the subconscious mind is a factory that produces, changes into reality, as in alchemy, whatever thought brings it? I can’t agree with that idea.
• The Bible states that God creates things with His words and thoughts. He answers prayers, in ways He chooses, that might include material realities?
• That thought could cause a physical reality in proportion to itself I cannot agree with [later in the transcript, I say more about the role of thought… how it impacts one’s life by causing certain realities to materialize – the idea of repeating thoughts causing habit, causing lifestyles… is a reality that many know something about].
• The God of the Bible does not take kindly to people calling Him a non-personal intelligence. That idea is from New Age Spirituality, and eastern religion
• The spirit world, according to the Bible, contains many spirit beings. One third of the angels are demonic. Spirit beings do impact us and our realities. Read chapters one and two of Job and see what Satan did to Job, as God permitted him; chapters 4, 5 and 10 of Daniel report several supernatural events in the spiritual world; there are many throughout the Bible

Paragraphs 3: Love and faith are psychic, related to the spiritual side of man. Sex is purely biological and related only to the physical.

The mixing or blending of these three emotions has the effect of opening a direct line of communication between the finite, thinking mind of man and the infinite intelligence.

Analysis:

• Faith certainly is mysterious and is not a physical thing.
• Love is an action, as stated above.
• Mixing faith, love and sex? How does one do that? I see those sentences as meaningless,

 

Paragraph 4:

How to develop faith:

Well, there comes now a statement which will give a better understanding of the importance of the principle of autosuggestion; and assumes in the transmutation of desire into its physical or monetary equivalent, namely, that faith is a state of mind which may be induced or created by affirmation or repeated instruction to the subconscious mind through the principle of autosuggestion.

Analysis:

• Luke 6:38  give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
• Regarding the above verse, do you think that the person giving, causes by his actions a good thing to happen to him in return? No, God, Who knows all things, would cause such a thing to happen to the giver. God often meets physical needs, but He is more concerned with spiritual growth, and would likely bless in that area.
• In the case of the autosuggestion in paragraph 4, it is indicated that the person giving is bringing that stuff into his life by his actions.
• I disagree, per the biblical definition above; but I think that God-given faith might be bolstered by abiding in God’s truth, learning more about the nature of Christ and His work…. In other words, it can become stronger or weaker over a born-again Christian’s life.

Paragraph 5:

You may convince the subconscious mind that you believe that you will receive that for which you ask; and it will act upon that belief which your subconscious mind passes back to you in the form of faith followed by definite plans for procuring that which you desire.

Analysis:

 

• Mark 9:23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”

24  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 25  And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

• The above verse says something similar to paragraph 5 above, but in Mark 9:24, the man would have been helped by Jesus to believe and his faith would have had to be placed in Jesus to fulfill his longings in prayer.
• That is NOT the same as convincing your subconscious mind to believe and it thereafter granting you your desires.
• Not the same as your subconscious spelling out for you the steps to accomplish that your desires might be fulfilled.
• I am not saying that a person can’t pray for guidance and be helped by God to formulate a series of steps via which he might accomplish some goal. Or even that a person can’t establish steps by making a list and organizing it such as to enable him to achieve some goal (spiritual or material). But the way it is stated in Paragraph 5 seems like he put information into a computer and it kicked out some answers. That seems to put all the power in his own actions. Some is definitely there however.
• For example, one might pray, research like topics on the internet, make a list of related activities, rely on God for guidance, etc.

Paragraphs 6:

The method, by which one develops faith, where it does not already exist, is extremely difficult to describe; almost as difficult, in fact, as it would be to describe the color ‘red’ to a blind man who has never seen color, and has nothing with which to compare what you describe to him.

Repetition of affirmation or orders to your subconscious mind is the only known method of voluntary development of the emotion of faith. Perhaps the meaning may be made clearer through the following explanation as to the way men sometimes become criminals.

Analysis:

• As noted in the first critique above, the Bible states in many places that faith is a gift from God. It is a very mysterious thing; its object is to be God.
• The kind of faith that one has when he believes that the bridge he is driving over will hold him is very different; it is also not the kind the author of this material is describing. His description is more akin to biblical faith, but he is very wrong in his assumptions of what it is and how it operates.

Paragraphs 7:

Stated in the words of a famous criminologist, when men first come into contact with crime, they abhor it. If they remain in contact with crime for a long time, they become accustomed to it and endure it. If they remain in contact with it long enough, they finally embrace it and become influenced by it.

This is the equivalent of saying that any impulsive thought which is repeatedly passed on to the subconscious mind, is finally, accepted and acted upon by the subconscious mind, which proceeds to translate that impulse into its physical equivalent by the most practical procedure available.

Analysis:

• The first paragraph above denies the doctrine of depravity in the Bible and puts forth the doctrine from eastern religion / psychology, which states that men are born with a divine spark within / or born innocent and later become corrupted by society…. Why do little children know how to lie and steal without being taught such things?
• The Bible is wholly about sin and God’s response to it, ultimately providing Christ and His atoning work and righteousness which is imputed to the sinner when he is regenerated.
• He makes a good point in the paragraphs regarding the following old proverb or saying, to paraphrase: continue in a pattern of thinking and you will develop a habit; continue in a habit and reap a lifestyle; continue in a lifestyle and reap a destiny. A habit of using drugs or alcohol to cope can, if persisted in, ruin one’s life…. All types of addictions are described in the above statement.
• The Bible puts it like this, God will not be mocked, if you love your sin, then God will let you wreck your life pursuing it. Romans 1 talks about that very thing. MacArthur described that type of judgment from God as the judgment of abandonment.
• That is, his last statement does not describe why that process occurs; the Bible states that it occurs because a person has stubbornly refused to honor God and submit to His authority; that person has persisted in pursuing his own lusts, as in Romans 1, and as a result, God gave him over to them.

Paragraphs 8:

In connection with this, consider again the statement, “All thoughts which have been emotionalized and mixed with faith, begin immediately to translate themselves into their physical equivalent or counterpart.”

The emotions or the feeling portion of thoughts are the factors which give thoughts vitality, light and action.

Analysis:

• The above two paragraphs make a truthful point, emotions do charge thoughts with intensity: if someone survives an abusive event or terrifying event and they were with another person, their bond with that person is strengthened, for example. Or if a person had been emotionally abused by a parent, who belittled and criticized them for years, then that person may internalize those words and believe they are worthless, stupid… the painful emotions of those experiences intensify the experiences and make them resonate on a deeper level. That is, abuse causes one to think certain things about himself; those thoughts cause feelings; feelings cause more thoughts… behavior could become involved at any point.

Paragraphs 9:

The emotions of faith, love and sex, when mixed with any though impulse, give it greater action than any of these emotions can do singly. Not only thought impulses which have been mixed with faith, but those which have been mixed with any of the positive emotions or any of the negative emotions may reach and influence the subconscious mind.  [already analyzed]

From this statement, you’ll understand that the subconscious mind will translate into its physical equivalent a thought impulse of a negative or a destructive nature, just as readily as it will act upon thought impulses of a positive or constructive nature.

This accounts for the strange phenomenon which so many millions of people experience, referred to as misfortune or bad luck. There are millions of people who believe themselves doomed to poverty and failure because of some strange force over which they believe they have no control.

They are the creators of their own misfortunes because of this negative belief which is picked up by the subconscious mind and translated into its physical equivalent.

Analysis:

• There is some truth to paragraph 2 above. I already described how abuse works on the thoughts and self-concept of a victim. Self-talk can cause the same type of negative impact. I suppose it could have a positive impact as well. I am not sure of the role of the subconscious mind in that process, but I believe it is impacted and contributes to the process.
• “Bad luck” can certainly be an impact of that process.
• It is relatively easy to notice how victims of physical and emotional abuse have poor self-talk (their thoughts about themselves, related feelings and behaviors), engage in addictions to escape their emotional pain… and thereby contribute to their own misfortunes. In counseling, victims are helped to examine the abusive events of their lives and to re-interpret them with adult eyes / insights so they can gain a more appropriate set of opinions about themselves. That kind of work doesn’t easily happen by, for example, reciting affirmations, or finding a group of friends that like you. But even when events are processed in the above way, it takes time and repetition to undo the opinions. Positive affirmations couldn’t hurt.
• That is, the “translating” is done by one’s own mind / subconscious mind; and it needs to be done in a mindful way, deliberately examining events and assessing them in an adult and objective manner….
• Above, I get that he is saying the translation is an automatic thing?

 

Paragraph 10:

This is an appropriate place in which to suggest again, that you may benefit by passing on to your subconscious mind any desire which you wish translated into its physical or monetary equivalent, in a state of expectancy or belief that the transmutation will actually take place.

Analysis:

• We established in the analysis of paragraph 5 above that your subconscious mind does not translate thought into material object or money; God does answer prayers and gives gifts to help His children.
• Alchemy: A medieval chemical philosophy having as its asserted aims the transmutation of base metals into gold, the discovery of the panacea, and the preparation of the elixir of longevity.  2. A seemingly magical power or process of transmuting: “He wondered by what alchemy it was changed, so that what sickened him one hour, maddened him with hunger the next” (Marjorie K. Rawlings).  [the definition of Alchemy, from The Free Dictionary by Farlex  https://www.thefreedictionary.com/alchemy  ]
• The analysis of paragraph 4 above covers the idea of expectancy regarding thoughts and prayers.

Paragraphs 11:

Your belief or faith is the element which determines the action of your subconscious mind. There is nothing to hinder you from deceiving your subconscious mind when giving it instructions through autosuggestion as I have deceived my own son’s subconscious mind.

To make this deceit more realistic, conduct yourself just as you would if you were already in possession of the material thing, which you are demanding, when you call upon your subconscious mind.

Analysis:

• Faith / belief is a gift from God; it does influence your mind and subconscious mind as already established above.
• The following Bible verses will show that the ideas above about faith are in error:
• James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7  For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord
• The faith of James 1:6 asks in faith, believing God will provide; not that his own subconscious mind will provide.
• James 4:2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3  You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
• James 4:3 is the problem with the prosperity gospel mentality, it is about acquiring spiritual power and / or material prosperity, despite the fact that Jesus called for self-denial

Paragraphs 12:

The subconscious mind will transmute, into its physical equivalent, by the most direct and practical media available, in the order which is given to it, in a state of belief or faith that the order will be carried out.

Surely enough has been stated to give a starting point from which one may, through experiment and practice, acquire the ability to mix faith with any order given to the subconscious mind. Perfection will come through practice; it cannot come by merely reading instructions.

If it be true that one may become a criminal by association with crime, (and this is a known fact), it is equally true that one may develop faith by voluntarily suggesting to the subconscious mind, that one has faith.

Analysis:

• Subconscious… transmute: I don’t agree, I believe that God answers prayer, He may also allow Satan to answer prayers for those He has judged it seems: 2 Thessalonians  2:9  The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10  and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11  Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12  in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
• Ability to mix faith…: this statement is kind of fantastic, requiring one to speak affirmations to the subconscious mind with the enthusiasm and belief as to make it deliver?
• Again, truth comes from God; He gave it to us by revelation to Moses, the prophets and Jesus; the Bible tells us to ask of God the things we need; it tells us also that we are depraved and not at all trustworthy…, so looking within for any answers is a bad idea, wrongheaded. This system is certainly eastern, believing that there is a ‘divine spark’ within from which some goodness might come.

Paragraphs 13:

The mind comes, finally, to take on the nature of the influences which dominate it. Understand this truth and you will know why it is essential for you to encourage the positive emotions, as dominating forces of your mind, and discourage and eliminate negative emotions.

A mind dominated by positive emotions becomes a favorable abode for the state of mind known as faith. A mind, so dominated, may at will, give the subconscious mind instructions which you will accept and act upon immediately.

Faith is a state of mind which may be induced by autosuggestion.

Analysis:

• We have already agreed that statement to be true regarding self-talk; behavior, habit, lifestyle and destiny….
• The first paragraph reminds me of the old preacher from the mid-20^th century, Norman Vincent Peale, I don’t see harm in that regarding self-talk and such; but the Bible states that we are helpless sinners. We can’t heal ourselves by our thinking. In fact, part of the healing we get from the Bible is confrontation about pride, vanity, selfishness…. Jesus stated that there is nothing good in us. The goodness comes from the Holy Spirit and our submission to Him after he humbles us….
• The second paragraph, again, faith is not a state of mind. It is a gift from God, it can be enhanced or diminished somewhat by our involvement with His Spirit and word, not by autosuggestion….

Paragraphs 14:

All down the ages, the religionists have admonished struggling humanity to have faith in this, that, and other dogma or creed, but they failed to tell people how to have faith.

They have not stated that faith is a state of mind and that it may be induced by self-suggestion.

Assessment:

• A psychologist would say that; but anyone who knows the Bible, never would. They know that God gives faith, it is not stirred up from within a human being.
• The idea of faith certainly viewed differently by those who practice religion, even Christians disagree on its nature. However, the Bible specifies what it is and where it comes from; the Bible is the manual for the Christian life.

Paragraphs 15:

In language which any normal human being can understand, we will describe all that is known about the principle through which faith may be developed, where it does not already exist.

Have faith in yourself; faith in the infinite.

Assessment:

• The Bible makes very clear that the object of our faith is to be the Lord Jesus Christ. I know that athletes and others talk about faith in themselves… but a big part of what the Holy Spirit does in the lives of His children is to show them, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that there is nothing inside them which they can count on. We must trust Christ and His Spirit in this life.

[MOST OF THE REMAINING PARAGRAPHS HAVE ALREADY BEEN ADDRESSED IN THE ABOVE, IF THERE ARE ANY THOUGHTS NEEDING A CRITIQUE, THEN I WILL PLACE IT IN A BRACKETED STATEMENT JUST BELOW THE THOUGHT.]

Before we begin, you should be reminded once again that faith is the eternal elixir which gives life, power and action to the impulse of thought.

[Much has been said about faith above, but there is a description of faith below this transcript, it is from the PDF I mentioned at the beginning. If you aren’t clear on faith, you will likely benefit from reading that easy read.]

The foregoing sentence is worth reading a second time, and a third, and a fourth. It is worth reading aloud.

Faith is the starting point of all accumulation of riches.

[The goal of those who preach the ‘Prosperity gospel’ and the ‘word of faith’ gospel]

Faith is the basis of all miracles, and all mysteries which cannot be analyzed by the rules of science.

[Yes, true faith, as described in the Bible transcends reason, the senses and the field of science; it depends upon God and all things are possible with Him.]

Faith is the only known antidote for failure.

Faith is the element, the chemical, which, when mixed with prayer, gives one direct communication with the infinite intelligence.

[The Bible states something like that, faith is required to believe God exists and especially to commune with Him in prayer. Eastern gods and the god of the New Agers might be called infinite intelligence; but the God of the Bible would count that blasphemy, a violation of the 3^rd commandment.]

Faith is element which transforms the ordinary vibration of thought, created by the finite mind of man into the spiritual equivalent.

[The infinite mind sounds very New Age and eastern; eastern religion believes that God is in all things; Christianity, the Bible states that God created all things and is not in them, He is utterly different and above all of His creation]

Faith is the only agency through which the cosmic force of infinite intelligence can be harnessed and used by men.

[This is a New Age Spirituality idea, the universe and powers that are out there to be harnessed; no one can harness God. The Bible makes that very clear. Not that plenty of Christians believe they can manipulate God, but they really can’t. Those Christians are on a very superficial level or they are Christians in name only..]

Every one of the foregoing statements is capable of proof. The proof is simple and easily demonstrated. It is wrapped up in the principle of autosuggestion.

Let us center our attention, therefore, upon the subject of self-suggestion; and find out what it is and what it is capable of achieving.

It’s a well-known fact that one comes, finally, to believe whatever one repeats to oneself whether the statement be true of false. If a man repeats a lie over and over, he will eventually accept the lie at truth. Moreover, he will believe it to be the truth.

Every man is what he is because of the dominating thoughts which he permits to occupy his mind: thoughts which a man deliberately places in his own mind, and encourages with the sympathy; and with which he mixes any one or more of the emotions, constitutes the motivating forces which direct and control his every movement, act and deed.

[The above 2 paragraphs are true. The lame-stream media is always uttering a fake ‘narrative’ to those who listen to them. If one receives that, in time, that person will believe it. Brainwashing is the science behind that. It is also true that if one reads the Bible daily and meditates upon it, receiving its truth deeply, then one will come to believe that. The person is being impacted and changed in both cases, but there is a different quality to those transformations: being deceived and manipulated by what one has come to believe is far different than grasping greater truth, being made into a more spiritual, loving… person.]

Comes now a very significant statement of truth: thoughts which are mixed with any of the feelings of emotions, constitute a magnetic force which attracts from the vibrations of the ether, other similar or related thoughts.

[The above is the theory of Attraction, part of the false, unbiblical Word Faith Gospel.]

A thought, thus magnetized with emotion, may be compared to a seed, which when planted in fertile soil, germinated, grows and multiplies itself over and over again, until that which, was originally, one small seed becomes countless millions of seeds of the same brand.

[Jesus said that in the following parable:  Matthew 13:3  And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4  And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5  Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6  but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7  Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8  Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9  He who has ears, let him hear.”]

[The lying prosperity gospel preachers say, “plant a seed of faith that will grow for you.” They mean, give our ministry money and God will give you a blessing. They twist scripture to get rich.]

END OF VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

DESCRIPTION OF FAITH FROM PDF DOCUMENT:

[To read the whole PDF, go to the following link at my blog and scroll down until you see, Covenant with Bible refs. 4-2-20 click on that orange link and the document will open up. It is 22 pages long.

The following was copied from it. Copying from PDFs is difficult because the material never transfers well, that is why it is spaced in a strange manner. But the words are there that will explain faith from my experience of being born again….]

INTRODUCTION: [All underlining, emboldening and square brackets are mine, to emphasize or explain; the scripture verses in this

essay are from the NLT because it is very easy to read. My words are in a different font from those of the Bible.]

At age 16, in biology class, I was introduced to two competing worldviews: creationism and evolution.

Although I was not a very serious student, I distinctly remember leaving that class wondering how

anyone could accept either of these unrealistic theories regarding the origin of the world. I didn’t then

realize that faith was necessary to accept either of them as valid; it was clear to me, however, that I

could only believe in what I could see.

After I enrolled in college at age 28, I became acquainted with the “scientific method” as I studied

psychology; we used the scientific method to assess information from our environment, and to make

predictions from the sample data we collected. I also learned about “empiricism,” a field of enquiry that

rejects any data that cannot be perceived by the five senses; and “rationalism,” the belief that reason is

the chief means of acquiring knowledge. So, my initial college experience seemed to support what I had

always believed, that it was foolish to hold viewpoints that could not be supported by empirical data.

However, all that changed in my early 50s. My third divorce brought me to my knees, literally, and after

a couple of years of seeking God, I was born-again during my first read of the entire Bible. I was

apparently given faith during that read.

The following verses from the Bible indicate that faith is a gift

from God that enables a person to believe in spiritual realities:

Eph 2:8 God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a

gift from God. [Most other translations of Ephesians 2:8, 9 indicate more clearly that faith is a gift

of God, e.g., the following text from the ESV]

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of

God, Eph 2:9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

3

2Pe 1:1 This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to you

who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and

fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior.

Heb 11:1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us

assurance about things we cannot see.

Rom 10:16 But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “LORD,

who has believed our message?” Rom 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the

Good News about Christ. [“good news” is what the NLT calls the gospel message]

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at

work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.

Rom 1:17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in His sight. This is accomplished

from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has

life.”

So faith is required to believe spiritual knowledge, it apparently goes beyond the limits of one’s reason,

to bring down to earth, so to speak, the realities of a realm of knowledge that lies beyond our senses

and reason. Furthermore, a point that is inherent in the above verses and found throughout scripture is

that the only true and accurate knowledge we can have of God and the spiritual realm is revealed to us

by God via scripture. [I should note, that in Leviticus, and Deuteronomy, God forbids divination to obtain

information about the spiritual realm that He has not revealed, see, e.g. Lev. 20:6 and Deut. 29:29; yet

many Christians are currently using eastern meditation to obtain fresh revelation from their personal

spirit guides– the Bible calls these guides demonic spirits; only God’s revelation can be trusted.]

Two very dramatic examples of God revealing Himself to men are clearly seen in the conversions of

Moses in Exodus 3, and the apostle Paul in Acts 9. The Apostle Paul was a Pharisee (a religious teacher)

of high standing and probably had memorized the first 5 books of the Bible and the psalms, yet he was

not born again until God revealed Himself to him on the Damascus road (Acts 9). So, Paul was an Old

Testament scholar, but the Spirit of Christ had not regenerated his heart as in John 3 where Jesus says

that one must be born again to enter into the kingdom of heaven.

I am saying all this, because it is abundantly clear to me now, that faith is necessary to believe either of the worldviews mentioned above; and all I can say about the faith I have is that it was given to me by

God because that is what the Bible says. I know I have it, and that faith enables me to believe the Bible is

true with a certainty I never had about any holy writ (I sought God in eastern religions and philosophies

for 15 years); and that I didn’t obtain it by my own efforts. I cannot say anything more about it because

faith is too mysterious to understand; but if we have been given faith by God, then evidence of this gift

will be seen in our lives, as it was seen in Abraham’s life as shown in examples on pages 11-15 below.

[End of excerpt]

Link to Baha’i post wherein the link to the entire 22-page document about Bible covenants is located. Open the post and scroll down most of the way until you see an orange link that says “Covenant with Bible references 4-2-20” click on that link and the PDF will open, you can download it to your computer to read if desired.

Link to Baha’i post:  https://sheeplywolves.com/bahai-progressive-revelation-shown-to-be-irrational/