A rebuttal of Ch. 9 of Your Best Life Now

Chapter 9: Become What You Believe
Rebuttal

In Chapter Nine, Joel tells us that “we don’t always get what we deserve in life, but we usually get no more than we expect.” This, to a certain extent, is true. I should point out, though, that “no more” means up to a certain amount, not “equal to or less than.” Joel fails to see this; his view is that we “receive what we believe.” If this sounds familiar it’s because Joel said pretty much the same thing in Chapter One. This time, Joel adds that the inverse is true, as well.

To drive his point home he uses the story of Nick. Nick was a big, though man who had worked for the railroad company for a long time. He was a model employee, but had one flaw. He had an “attitude that was chronically negative.” He was Eeyore; your model pessimist, basically. One day all the workers get to go home early, and Nick somehow locks himself in a railroad car that is marked as refrigerated. His escape attempts are in vain, so he dies. Here’s the twist: the refrigerating mechanism on the railroad car was turned off, and had been for some time. Nick froze to death in room that was sixty-one degrees above zero. Joel says that because Nick fully expected to die, because he “saw himself as doomed with no way out,” Nick “lost the battle in his mind.” Another odd aspect of the story is that an autopsy “revealed that every physical sign indicated that he had frozen to death.” To support this odd bit of storytelling, Joel makes reference to a book called Empires of the Mind.

This book, for the record, is not in the Bible. The author of Empires of the Mind, Denis Waitley, uses the above event much to the same ends. In his bibliography he attributes this “true story” to a reenactment by American Media Incorporated, a company that has since gone out of business. I could film a reenactment of the time I singlehandedly delivered four small children from the jaws of a voracious jackalope while simultaneously saving the world from a global nuclear conflagration. The veracity of that “reenactment” might come under question, and rightfully so. I find it preposterous to believe that a person could quite literally think himself to death. The idea that a person could believe with such sincerity that death via exposure was impending that one’s own body manifests signs of prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures all by itself lacks the support of any empirical evidence, not to mention logic.

Next, Joel tells us to “believe for good things.” That very sentence, “But you can believe for good things,” implies that all we need do is believe, and viola: good things. Joel says that when tough times come around, “don’t expect to stay there. Expect to come out of that trouble. Expect God to supernaturally turn it around… don’t make plans for failure.” This is getting old. At the time of this writing, the American economy has taken a turn for the worse with no clear sign of recovery in the near future. If everyone in public office sat down, twiddled their thumbs, and expected God to turn things around, where would that take us? As for not making plans for failure, there is no merit in planning to lose a race but it is equally foolish not to have a good contingency plan. Next, Joel writes that if you “get into agreement with God” then your “faith can cause God to show up and work supernaturally in your life.” Really, Joel? Don’t you think an all-powerful God could show up whenever he wanted; not like some genie that just pops out when certain conditions are met?

In the following paragraph, Joel uses Matthew 9:27-30 to support the concept that if we believe it, we will receive it, and no one can believe for us. How is it, then that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead in John 11:43? Lazarus had been dead for four days; God only knows what he was believing in at that point in time. Matthew 9:27-30 is the story of Jesus healing two blind men. Joel says that “When Jesus heard their cries, He stopped in His tracks. He walked over to them and posed a most intriguing question.” This, while not technically contrary to what the verse is communicating, is not what took place. According to Matthew 9, verse 27, Jesus is leaving a ruler’s house in Capernaum and two blind men follow him. Verse 28 says “When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, ‘Do you believe I am able to do this?’” As you can see, we do not have Jesus stopping in his tracks and approaching the two blind men, it is quite the opposite. This is a minute and perhaps insignificant detail, but it is a point in which Joel distorts scripture for his own ends, and therefore it must be pointed out and refuted.

Next, Joel tells us that no one can have faith for us. This is true; no one can accept Jesus into your heart for you. But there is the ever present however: Joel says that “your own faith will bring you a miracle much faster than anybody else’s.” So if we have faith we will unequivocally bear witness to a miracle, just sooner if we rely on our own faith rather than the faith of others? The Judeo-Christian worldview holds that if one has faith one will be indwelt by the Holy Spirit and have assurance of salvation. We may define this as a miracle, but I don’t think this is the miracle that Joel is referring to. There is no cut and dry formula that faith = miracle.

Joel continues to draw from the story of Jesus healing the blind men. He gives us Matthew 9:29 in The Message, which reads, in part, “Become what you believe.” The Message, as Joel tells us, is a paraphrase, which means it has been translated from the original language and reworded to make it more compelling to read. One always has to use a great deal of care when using periphrastic translations because what you read has been slightly changed based on one person’s judgment. Also, the wording that is displayed in a periphrastic translation may or may not correspond with the wording of the same passage in the original language. This verse’s NIV component reads, “According to your faith will it be done to you.” As you can see, the two different translations can mean two very different things. Before we get too excited, though, there are three Greek words that are used for the verb “to become,” and none of them are used here. Like I mentioned above, the text has been reworded to make it more compelling to read at the expense of accuracy.

What Joel tries to infer from The Message’s version of Matthew 9:29 is exactly that; that we will become what we believe. So, if we believe we can surpass our peers, live in the lap of luxury, and be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, we can make it so. Not only is he taking scripture out of context, but he’s taking scripture that isn't actually scripture out of context. As I just explained above, one must be very careful with versions of the Bible like The Message, the wording of which should not be taken so seriously without consulting at least two other translations of the Bible.

According to Joel, God doesn’t want “you to drag through life, barely making it. He doesn’t want you to have to scrimp and scrape, trying to come up with enough money to pay for food, shelter…” He also says that “God wants you to have a good life, a life full of love, joy, peace, and fulfillment. This doesn’t mean it will always be easy, but it does mean it will always be good.” Where does it say that, Joel? Where? Paul says something to that effect in Philippians 4:11-13, but his definitions of easy and good don’t really match Joel’s definitions of easy and good.

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.


In fact, the Bible says that life will be predominantly uneasy and not so good:

Acts 9:16 “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."

2 Corinthians 11:23-29

Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?


1 Thessalonians 2:2 “We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition.”

1 Thessalonians 3:4 “In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know.”

Again, Joel uses Romans 8:28 to support his argument. Just to refresh our memory, it reads, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Once again, I’m going to point out that the definition of good that Joel has been working with these past nine chapters does not necessarily fit the definition of good used in this verse. “Good” here most likely means building of character through adversity or hardship, as the Greek word used to that effect, agathos, signifies a more conceptual rather than a material good (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words). Joel again says that we can “believe for” things, as opposed to believing in them; believing for something would simply imply that I think, therefore it is. Such an assertion would have Descartes spinning in his grave.

Joel tells us that God wants to “bless you with abundance, so you can turn around and be a blessing to other people.” Joel attempts to use Genesis 12:2 to bolster his claim. What Joel has in quotes reads, “I’m going to bless you so you can be a blessing.” Joel follows that up by saying that “God is saying that same thing to you.” Where does it say that? The first half of Genesis 12 is about God calling Abraham and telling him that he will make him into a great nation. Nowhere does the Bible say that Genesis 12:2 applies to each individual human being, or even to each individual Christian. Besides, what Joel quotes as Genesis 12:2 deviates significantly from any legitimate translation of the Bible. For example, the NIV reads, “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” According to Joel's interpretation of the text, God wants every human being to become a great nation.

Joel addresses those of us who have had rocky pasts and are on the point of giving up hope. He tells us that we must have hope, that the idea that if we don’t get our hopes up then we’ll never be disappointed is one that will lead to stagnation and defeat. In this, he is absolutely right. In fact, Proverbs 13:12 says that “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” But Joel has more to say: “God wants the latter part of your life to be better than the first part of your life.” Again, we run into trouble with definition of terms. I’m sure that Jesus’s disciples would say that their lives improved since they met Jesus, but were their lives more comfortable, more predictable, more stable, or more prosperous? I think it’s safe to answer no. Ergo, we can say that living for God will improve our lives, but not necessarily in the way Joel defines it; the assertion that God wants the “latter part of your life to be better than the first” can safely said to be false.

In the following paragraph Joel says that “the Bible says this about God: ‘Be confident of this: He that began a good work within you will continue to perform until it’s perfectly complete.’” Joel is “quoting” Philippians 1:6. If we look at a real translation of the Bible, we can see that verse six is the last part of a three verse sentence, one of the run-on sentences that Paul is known for. In Joel’s version, God is the subject of the verse, whereas in every other translation of the Bible Paul is referring to himself. In Joel’s version the verb “to be” is imperative, whereas in other versions it is present progressive.

Next, Joel says that “no weapon formed against you is going to prosper.” We’ve heard this before, a couple chapters back. He expounds on this by saying that it doesn’t mean your life will be opposition free, it simply means that all of the weapons that may and will be formed against you “cannot ultimately hurt you.” This is hilarious. The weapon formed against Paul for the express purpose of cutting off his head certainly hurt him in an ultimate sense. Joel supports his assertion with Psalm 34:19, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.” This is true, but what Joel fails to take into consideration is when that deliverance will take place. In many cases, said deliverance will only occur in death.

In the next paragraph, Joel says that “the Bible says when you’ve done all you know how to do, just keep standing strong. You’ve got to show your enemy you are more determined than he is.” In other words, keep on keeping on, put on your game face, something to the effect of you can do it. Joel uses Ephesians 6:13 as his support here. Ephesians 6:10-20 is the renowned Armor of God passage. The message of this particular section of scripture is not that we can do it if we keep trying, but that we should gear up and get ready, because the enemy could attack at any second.

Following this, Joel brings us back to Philippians 1:6, in The Message. We’ve already gone over The Message and periphrastic translations in this chapter, so I’m just going to say that Joel is once again taking a verse without regard to its context and giving it his own meaning, only this time he’s taking advantage of a translation of the Bible not intended for hermeneutics. Joel tells us that we’ve “got to believe good things are coming our way. You must believe that God is at work in your life, that he is restoring you to your rightful place.” Some of this is true and some of this is not. God is at work in our lives; he cares about his creation and wants it to flourish, as in Psalm 104. However, God making efforts to restore humankind to their rightful place is downright fictitious. According to Romans 6:23, everyone’s rightful place is burning in the depths of Hell. God has already gone to great lengths to remove mankind from his “rightful place.”

Joel quotes Hebrews 11:1 in the NKJV, which reads, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” He quotes the same verse in Chapter Two, only he omits the second half of it. Here he uses the verse to support the assertion that

You may not be able to perceive anything positive happening in your life with your natural eyes today. In fact, everything may be falling apart- your health, your business, your children. You may have all kinds of problems, and in the natural order, it doesn’t look as though anything is turning around. But don’t be discouraged. Look into that invisible world, into the supernatural world, and through your eyes of faith, see that situation turning around.


In Chapter Two, however, he uses this same verse to say that we should expect good things to start happening to us; that we should live with an attitude of “confident expectancy.” Granted two people might read the same verse and come away with two different interpretations of it, that is part of the science and art of hermeneutics. But this is one man using the same verse, half of it to mean one thing and, six chapters later, the entirety of it to mean something completely different but no more accurate. How does one “look into the invisible world,” Joel? I wonder if he proofreads his own work and realizes how silly he sounds. He suggests using one’s “eyes of faith,” but such vague, subjective terms could really mean anything from simply having blind faith to picturing it in one’s head to envisioning it with a wild and vivid imagination. Given all the information we’ve received so far, the latter is probably your best bet.

Joel denies the maxim “you need to see it to believe it,” saying that it is the exact opposite that is true. Joel tells us that “once you see it by faith, it can come into existence in the physical world.” Let’s stop for a moment. If nothing can come into existence but by being visualized by someone’s eyes of faith, how are babies conceived? At the moment of conception I’m sure the future parents are too busy doing other things to visualize a baby through their eyes of faith. Joel claims that what he is saying is the opposite of “you need to see it to believe it,” but the two are essentially the same. In both philosophies one needs to see the object in question, either with their physical eyes or their “eyes of faith,” and step two involves the object manifesting itself either as a result of being seen with someone’s spiritual eyes or being believed in. Furthermore, we run into trouble with the law of conservation of matter: matter cannot be created nor can it be destroyed, only changed. If, as Joel says, our belief causes something to “come into existence in the physical world,” this violates the law of conservation of matter in that something is coming from nothing.

Joel tells the story of Abraham and Sarah being told they would have a child. He reminds usof how Sarah laughed and how after waiting for several years they got impatient and enlisted the help of Hagar, Sarah’s maid. Joel says that “nearly twenty years after God spoke the promise, little Isaac was born.” Joel is certain that this is an example of the above philosophy: “Sarah had to conceive it in her heart before she was able to conceive it in her physical body. She had to believe she could become pregnant before she actually became with child.”

There are, as usual, several things wrong with this story. Yes, God told Abraham and Sarah they would have a child when they were both very old, and Sarah laughed. Yes, Abraham had a kid with Sarah’s maid, Hagar. What actually happens in Genesis 15-19 is as follows: God tells Abraham, then called Abram, that he will make him into a great nation, and that he will indeed have an heir. This is the scene where God makes what was the equivalent of a legally binding contract with Abraham. Next, Sarah, then called Sarai, suggests that God intended Hagar to be the vehicle through which aforementioned great nation was to be created and tells Abraham to go have a child with her. He obliges and Hagar gives birth to Ishmael. When Abraham was ninety-nine, the LORD appeared to him and made the covenant of circumcision and repeats his promise to make Abraham into a great nation. Abraham is visited later by the same who now tells him that in one year he will have a son. It is here that Sarah laughs. So it did not take twenty years, but one year. Not because Sarah couldn’t “conceive it in her heart,” but because God said in Genesis 19:10, “I will surely return to you about this time next year and Sarah your wife will have a son.” It’s kind of hard to misinterpret that one, right? But who cares about silly things like chronology or what actually happened in the story, let’s just rearrange the pieces to make it mean whatever we want.

Joel says that we are all like Sarah, that we “can’t conceive it.” He says that “we’re not in agreement with God, so we’re missing out on his blessings.” Joel then quotes half of John 10:10 in his own special version: “I want you to live life to the full, till it overflows.” In the NIV it reads, “The thief comes only to steal and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Where Joel gets “want” from the Greek verb erchomai is beyond me. Of the 632 times it is used, 195, the vast majority, are translated as “come” and nowhere is it translated as “want” (NIV Exhaustive Concordance). According to the New Strong’s Complete Dictionary of Bible Words, erchomai is defined as “to go or come.” As for the first half of the verse, the bit about thieves and destroying, serves as a negative image to contrast with the positive image of Jesus as the gate in verse seven, thus ruining Joel’s flawed interpretation of the verse (The New Interpreter’s Bible).

Next, Joel says that the “tragedy is, if we don’t change our believing, we could go through our entire lifetimes missing out on the great things God has in store for us. Friend, please stop limiting God with your narrow-minded thinking.” The real tragedy here is that it’s Joel, not anyone else, who’s limiting God. If Joel thinks that God cannot work in his life unless he has a certain attitude it will not affect God’s ability to do so, but it may affect his ability to recognize God’s blessings, should they bit him on the face.

Near the end of the chapter Joel cites Isaiah 55:8, also in his own special version: “God’s ways are not our ways. They are higher and better that our ways.” If we look at a real version of the Bible, it reads, “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord.” It is in the next verse, verse nine, that God says, “‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’” This is just more proof, if more were needed, that Joel has no regard for the text or proper interpretation of it. I fail to see why he misrepresented the passage, all that he gained by doing so, it would seem, is a little more space in which to type. The idea that God’s ways are not our ways and that God’s ways of thinking are far superior to any mortal is almost universally accepted; no one is arguing with that. What Joel goes on to say, however, warrants some discussion. He writes that “God can do what human beings cannot or will not do. He is not limited by the laws of nature. And if you’ll let that seed take root so it can grow, put your trust and confidence in the Lord, God will surely bring it to pass. If you can see the invisible, God can do the impossible.” All of this can be boiled down to one false hope: because God give us something, he will. Unfortunately, this is not the case, as you have no doubt experienced in your own life.

This chapter is typical of Joel, every false statement laced with something true. Joel places far too much weight on the power of the human mind as well as limiting the capabilities of an all-powerful creator. In other words, just another chapter in Your Best Life Now.