Errors of Dr. Phil's Psychological Insights

Dr. Phil McGraw is a "life strategist."

His book "Life Strategies" outlined some interesting insights.

Some of them do not line up with Scripture.

"You create what you fear."

This lie is reminiscent of the maxim in the Alcoholics Anonymous book, how fear or resentment can cut us off from "the sunlight of the Spirit." Yet nothing, not one thing, can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8: 38-39)

Another suggestion that he gave to his clients: "Follow the 'what ifs'."

"What if" is a scary question that holds many people in bondage. What if I lose my job? What if  someone makes fun of me? What if my spouse leaves me?"

For the believer, for anyone who has had any experience dealing with fears and suppositions, the answer cannot be found in reasoning away our fears, thinking our way through issues. In fact, the more time that we spend looking over problems, the greater our fears. There is something uncanny, something that cannot be canned and kept in place, about our minds.

Jesus invites everyone to rest in Him (Matthew 11: 28). We want to settle all the problems, all the "what ifs?" in our lives, but the speculations of what could be, what might be staggers the imagination, and man simply does not have the time or the sanity to consider all the hardships and potential problems.

One of my favorite hymns, "Because He Lives", contains one verse:

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living,

Just because He lives.

Christ the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), the same who has us engraved on the hands of His Father (Isaiah 49: 16), He has everything ready for us. He died for us, and therefore we can trust that through Him we will receive all things that we need (Romans 8: 32; Philippians 4: 19)

We did not make ourselves (Psalm 100: 3), and we are not called to protect ourselves. God the Father has offered Himself to be our protection:

"He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler." (Psalm 91: 4)

The psychological, psychiatric, self-help world has very little to offer, for we are called to live by faith, which means resting in the promises of God, that His Word is true, that He will come through for us, for He gave His own Son, signalling to everyone who believes that we are indeed worth more to him than the birds of the air and the flowers of the field.

We need not so much to think through every concern which assaults our minds, but rather trust in His Word:

"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8: 31-32)

The human mind was not designed to sift through the rights and wrongs of every situation. Instead, we are called to be led by the Spirit of God, the Advocate and Comforter who sees us through hard times, who guides in all truth and all knowledge, who prompts us not just to do the right thing, but to remind us that we are the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 21), and as righteous we walk in the truth, prospering in all ways.