Reverend Robert Schuller, of Crystal Cathedral fame, made quite a market for himself with the power of positive thinking.
Championing the philosophy of Norman Vincent Peale, he exhorted his congregants to tap into the power of this human force. If we put our minds to any problem, claims Peale's followers, if we pepped ourselves up with good thoughts, then everything would work out for the best according to what we think.
Now beset by mounting costs, bankruptcy, and a forced sell-off to Chapman University or the Catholic Diocese of Orange, it would appear that Schuller's trust in positive thinking is not enough.
What happened?
The truth is, we are not called to think our way to prosperity, but to believe in Him, who in turn works in us His blessed, prospering will!
And faith is not hard to tap into:
"And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." (Matthew 17:20)
Jesus shared this truth in the context of the disciple's failure to cast out a demon from a tormented boy.
The disciples were frustrated in their efforts by their unbelief, Jesus told them plainly. Then he told them that it takes very little faith to accomplish anything!
We do not have a faith problem. In fact, every believer is gifted with the faith of the Son of God Himself:
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
The problem is not faith, then; but what about thinking positive thoughts?
If our thoughts line up with the Word of God, then we have nothing to worry about. However, thinking the right thoughts are having the right amount of faith is not the problem.
The issue is unbelief:
"24And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." (Mark 9:24)
Once again, a father with a demon-possessed child cries out for help. He recognized that despite his faith, he had unbelief, which was pulling away, undoing the power of the faith that he had in the Son of God.
No matter what positive thoughts we may be telling ourselves, unbelief will undermine every hope, every dream..
What lies have we allowed to fester in our bodies, in our minds? What are we telling ourselves that does not concord with God's word?
Therein lies the problem for believers. They believe, and they also "un-believe"
Positive thinking in opposition to negative thinking will neutralize the power of God:
Refer back to Paul's glorious declaration:
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
"I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain."
Paul acknowledged the infinite power of God's own faith within him, but he also pointed out his role in maintain the effectiveness of this faith. He did not frustrate the grace of God, he did not interlope his own thoughts, his own efforts contrary to God's promises.
Paul writes more at length about frustrating God's grace:
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
"Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
"For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
"Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
"For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith." (Galatians 5:1-5)
What must we do, then, not to foster unbelief and dampen the faith of the Son of God within us? "Stand fast in the liberty" that Christ has given to us. We do not "do" anything for it, but we trust Him for everything. How then, do we fall from standing, or more explicitly, "fall from grace"? Not by sinning, but by trying to keep the law in our strength, by trying to justify ourselves with our own works, by trying to do things ourselves -- this includes the tapes in our mind, the fixed beliefs that we have grown up with and grown accustomed to. Jesus had harsh words for such fixed ideas that contradicted the Word of God, they are so prevalent, so pernicious, that they slip by; but these traditions of men are a stumbling block that must be removed at once:
"For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do." (Mark 7:8)
Paul also strongly warned of relying on any frame of mind or thought not in line with Christ:
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." (Colossians 2:8)
So, what do you believe? What trains of thought are running through your mind that are not in line with the Word of God? What do you do about it?
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
"(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
"And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)
We cannot fight bad thoughts with more of our own thinking, and that includes positive thinking, or any kind of optimistic "rah-rah".
No one can claim with straight confidence that he is "good enough, smart enough, and dog-gone it . . .etc." on its own merits. Even by our own petty standards, we do not measure up; and even if we attempt to live by the letter of the law in our strength, we only stir up sin:
"The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law." (1 Cornithians 15:56)
In trying to do the right thing, even in trying to think the right thoughts in attempt to thwart the insidious lies which lie in wait to sabotage our own efforts, we only empower those wicked lines of thought, we empower sin in our lives, we fall from God's grace.
Yet Paul follows this stinging indictment with the Hope that saves us all:
"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:57)
This promise accords with Paul's comfort in 2 Corithians 10:3-6. . .
We do not war after the flesh, but after the spirit.
"For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." (Galatians 5:17)
Then how do we war according to the Spirit? With the Word of God!:
"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:17)
And
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)
Amazing scripture -- the Word of God puts to the test every thought, the good, the bad, and those in line with God's Word.
Jesus Himself also confirmed that His Word is Spirit:
"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63)
Here, Jesus underscores the power of His word, not our own efforts, whether in our own pep talks or our own self-esteem boosts.
Now, the Word of God, what exactly does it do with the errant thoughts in our minds? Referring back to 2 Corinthians 10:
"bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"
The obedience of Christ is His eternal sacrifice at the Cross, which declares ever-lasting righteousness, every sin covered, grace in full-force released for and in and through every believer.
Not only that, but the Word of God also:
""And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." Here, "Revenge" speaks to correcting, and "disobedience" speaks literally to "mis-hearing" or "not heeding." The Word of God supplies us with the truth and puts asunder any line of thinking that does not line up with God's truth.
I do not think my way to peace. I rest in the promises of His Word, and His Word brings all thoughts into captivity to the supernatural, never ending work of grace in my life.
We are not called to have faith in faith -- we are not called to be heard for our much repeating (cf Matthew 6:7) We are called to trust in His word, and feed on the faith that he gives us:
"Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." (Psalm 37:3)
This verse is more accurately rendered thus:
"Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness."
No, we do not think and think and then get from God for our much thinking, which depends on our efforts. We receive from God by faith in Him, trusting in the Word of God, which cannot be broken (John 10:35) or be cast away (Mark 13:31).
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