A rebuttal of Ch. 7 of Your Best Life Now

Chapter 7: Who Do You Think You Are?

Rebuttal
Joel begins the second section and the seventh chapter of his book by describing a woman who was at a societal disadvantage and somehow rose to be the CEO of her company. Joel attributes this to the woman having a positive self image and not letting people’s taunts and derisive remarks drag her down. While there is a certain amount of truth to this, one cannot climb the corporate ladder or “receive one promotion after another” based solely on the fact that one “goes through life with a smile.” Joel goes on to say what and how important self esteem and self image are, and I do not contest this point, it is the weight he puts on it that I object to. For instance,

Unquestionably, a healthy self-image is one of the key factors in the success and happiness of any individual. The reason your self-concept is so important is: You will probably speak, act, as the person you think you are. Psychologists have proved that you will most consistently perform in a manner that is in harmony with the image you have of yourself.

While this may or may not be true, one always has to be on the lookout whenever the words “[authoritative source] says” appear in Joel’s writings. As has been demonstrated in past editions of these works, Joel is often ambiguous at best when citing sources. In this quote, Joel does not give the names of the psychologists or the name or date of a study or survey or similar data. Adding the fact that Joel has no education or background in psychology himself, we have no way of knowing where Joel obtained this information, no way to check it for ourselves, and no way to verify its veracity. For just that reason, I have made every effort to cite the sources that I use throughout these works.

It seems as if there is an unwritten rule that every self-help book must include at least one chapter on self esteem, and this is no exception. Joel tells us that we really won’t get anywhere in life unless we put our chin up and realize that we are unique, just like everyone else. He says that the people who have high self-esteem “know that they have been created in God’s image and that He has crowned them with tremendous honor.” To support this assertion, he uses Genesis 1:26-27 and Psalm 8:4-5. Genesis 1:26-27 reads, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our own image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” All right, we’re made in the image of God. No argument here. Psalm 8:4-5 reads: “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.” Here we run into trouble. Joel used Psalm 8:5 just two chapters ago to try to prove that God has crowned us with favor, because the “glory and honor” in the original language could also be translated as favor. Which is it, Joel? You can’t have your cake and eat it, too. I’ll say again what I said in Chapter 5: that section of Psalm 8 is a messianic prophecy, quoted as such in Hebrews 2:6. This particular passage refers to Jesus’s incarnation.

Joel writes next: “God wants us to have healthy, positive self-images, to see ourselves as priceless treasures. He wants us to feel good about ourselves... He created us in his continually shaping us, conforming us to His character, helping us to become even more like the person He is.” Let’s take a look at this. If one of God’s purposes is to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, that makes God subservient to me. According to this, his job is to please me, not vice versa. The entirety of Psalm 69 is David crying out to the Lord for deliverance from his enemies, describing how he “endure[s] scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face.” In Jesus’s Olivet Discourse, he says that “blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil things about you because of me.” In Jeremiah 20:7 the prophet is proclaiming the doom Israel will suffer if they don’t shape up. “… I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me. Whenever I speak out, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the Lord has brought me insults and reproach all day long.” Two things of note that we should discuss here: at the end of Psalm 69, the one mentioned above, after David pleads to the Lord for deliverance he calls down God’s wrath upon his enemies and recognizes that the Lord is just. The same literary motif occurs later in Jeremiah 20, where Jeremiah likens God to a mighty warrior (not to Santa Claus) who ensures that his “persecutors will stumble and not prevail.”

Granted, I’m not saying that it’s God’s desire for all of us to develop an inferiority complex, but the assertion that making us feel good is on God’s top five things to do is a falsehood. As for the part about God “continually shaping us” and “conforming us to His character,” Joel makes this sound like a one-sided relationship, wherein we don’t need to “be holy, because I am Holy,” as Leviticus 11:44 tells us, but we can just sit back and let God do the work. For the next few paragraphs Joel writes about how God sees us as capable and “competent to do the job.” All of this is true. However, getting rid of a negative self-image, “stepping out in faith,” and “seeing yourself as God sees you” will not get you a new house, a raise, “a new leadership position,” or anything else but a good self image.

Pointing out that God tends to use ordinary people, people who don’t always feel “capable in their own strength,” for extraordinary things, Joel says that “God’s word states that He always causes us to triumph. He expects us to live victoriously.” To support this assertion, Joel uses 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. Although he cites both verses, he only uses the last sentence in verse 10, “When we are weak, He is strong.” This isn’t what the verse says in any other translation of the Bible; Joel is using his special translation here. The NIV, TEV, and the NCV all have “when I am weak, then I am strong.” (Emphasis added). This is a bit poignant, as I have used 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 as proof for my own arguments. This verse is about Paul explaining his thorn, which some to believe to be poor eyesight and others believe to be epilepsy, and how God’s grace is enough for us, and that in it is when we are weak that the “power of Christ rests on [us], and only thus [are we] strong.” (The Concordia Self-Study Commentary). There is no factual or scriptural basis for the assertion that God wants us to “live victoriously.” Without a doubt, there have been and are Christians who have lived very prosperous and victorious lives, and there are many people who are not Christians who have lived very prosperous and victorious lives. There are many more Christians who have led poor and impoverished lives, and many more people who are not Christians who have led poor and impoverished lives. According to Job 9:22, God “destroys both the blameless and the wicked.” David, who we have already established as a man after God’s own heart, almost lost his throne to Absalom, one of his sons, when he betrayed him and almost started a civil war. The story of Absalom spans 2 Samuel Chapters 13-18, and it was one of the low points in David’s life. Absalom rebels against his father, David, drives him into hiding, and tries to kill him. Absalom is ultimately killed, and tragically so. Point is, following God does not always equal fields of flowers and fluffy bunnies.

Next, Joel draws on the story of Moses sending scouts into Canaan. The consensus is that the Promised Land is indeed one of abundant resources, including single clusters of grapes so big that it required two men to carry them, hanging on a pole between them. However, ten out of the twelve spies view the taking of the Promised Land as highly implausible, and say as much. They base their position on the fact that the inhabitants of Canaan were at that time exceptionally big. According to Numbers 13:33, the scouts “seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” Joel uses this to say that by “grasshoppers in our own eyes,” they actually meant that “the mental image they had of themselves was as small, weak, defeated grasshoppers, ready to be squashed, helpless before the giants opposing them.” Do you really think any person would view an answer to the effect of, “My self-image is poor; I have issues” to a question of “What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kinds of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified?” This has non sequiter written all over it. Besides, the answer incites the entire nation of Israel to near rebellion; do you really think ten people’s low self esteem could do that?

Joel says that God had already guaranteed the Hebrew people victory in Canaan; it was their poor self-images that prevented them from entering. Didn’t we hear this before? In Chapter 4, Joel uses the exile in the desert as an example, to prompt us out of our own “poor, defeated mentality.” Then, as now, the reason the ancient Israelites wandered around in the desert, waiting for an entire generation to die off, was not because of their limited thinking but because of the fact that, days after being delivered from 400 years of slavery in Egypt, they decided that the God who got them out wasn’t good enough for them anymore. This comprises most of Exodus 32. Would Moses have to plead with God not to wipe out every last Israelite for having a negative self image? What Joel says next is pretty shocking:

The image God wants you to have of yourself has been distorted; the mirrors in which you have seen yourself- reflected in the words, actions, or opinions of your parents, your peers, or people who have hurt you- have become grossly cracked, delivering a contorted and distorted image of yourself. When you accept that warped image, you open yourself to depression, poverty, or worse. If you are not careful, before long you will begin thinking that the image you see in those cracked mirrors is a true reflection of the way life is supposed to be. You won’t expect anything better. You won’t expect God’s blessings and victories. You will drift through life haphazardly, accepting whatever comes along, spinning your wheels until you die.

That’s kind of extreme, don’t you think? Unless we shape up and have good self esteem we’re just doomed to be poor and depressed forever? It’s interesting how Joel uses poverty and depression as the absolute worst things that could happen to a person. Not total separation from God, not hearing those words, “Away from me, I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23), but having inadequate material assets or struggling to view oneself in a positive light. I don’t know about you, but in my mind the latter pale in importance when compared to the former. Let’s take a look at what the Bible has to say.

Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.”

1 Samuel 2:7 “The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and exalts.”

Mark 10:25 “‘It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’”

Throughout scripture God is portrayed as someone to go to when you’re in trouble, hurting, or need help. The book of Psalms is full of examples.

Psalm 30:8-10 “To you, O Lord, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: ‘What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? Hear, O Lord, and be Merciful to me; O Lord, be my help.’”

Psalm 31:11-15

Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors; I am a dread to my friends- those who see me on the street flee from me. I am forgotten by them as if I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side; they conspire against me and plot to take my life. But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and those who pursue me.

Psalm 126:6 “He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.”

I’m not trying to minimize people’s problems, the reality of chemical depression, or the effectiveness of modern medicine. I’m saying that God is perfectly able to get us out of any problem on his own.

In the next paragraph, Joel says that God gives good things to his children. Not untrue. But, referring to the previous paragraph, Joel says that we can’t let ourselves “accept that as the way life is supposed to be.” Where is it written, in the Bible or elsewhere, that life is supposed to be fair and that people are supposed to be successful? Joel say that we should “reprogram your mind with God’s word,” something rather laughable considering nothing that he has said so far has been based on God’s word. He says that if we improve our self-image and visualize ourselves “winning, coming out on top.” Only one person can win. If two people do exactly as Joel says, who comes out on top? Joel also says that we should visualize our “marriage as restored” and our “business as flourishing.” He says we must “see it through your eyes of faith, and then it will begin to happen.” Once again, the fact that I think it will or want it to happen doesn’t mean it will. I can sit here and visualize through my eyes of faith the economy improving, but that has no bearing on whether or not it will.

The way Joel claims to know exactly what God wants, how he thinks, and what he does, with no legitimate scriptural support is extremely ostentatious. He does his usual song and dance of twisting facts and scripture to meet his own ends, and tells us that if we close our eyes, use the magic pixie dust, and think happy thoughts, we can fly; just take the second start to the right and straight on ‘till morning.