A rebuttal of Ch. 12 of Your Best Life Now

Chapter 12: Choosing the Right Thoughts
Rebuttal

In the first chapter of Part Three, Joel tells us that there is a battle raging all around us, but we “may not even be aware of it. The battle is not for a piece of land or for natural resources,” but for something of much more value: our minds. This is a good description of spiritual warfare. Joel proposes that to start off, we must “think about your thoughts first of all.” He says that our “enemy’s number one target area is the area of your thoughts. As support, he uses the fact that “satan” is the Hebrew word for adversary, that satan “is often used as a proper name for a powerful, angel-like being who is the avowed enemy of God and humans. Although Satan has great powers, he is no match for God.” While all of this is true, it is a bit of a non sequiter, since nothing in the above quotes indicates what Satan’s “number one target area” is, be it our thoughts or otherwise. Joel says that it is imperative that “we must be extremely not only about what we ingest through our eyes and ears, but also what we think about. Unfortunately for Joel, it is impossible for anyone to ingest anything through their eyes or ears; only the mouth is capable of ingesting.

Joel says that if we are “always thinking positive, happy, joyful thoughts, you’re going to be a positive, happy, joyful person, and you will attract other happy, upbeat, positive people,” and that the inverse is true as well. He says basically that if we think happy thoughts we’ll be happy, and if we think sad thoughts, we’ll be sad. This is to some extent true. He says that we are in control of what we think; we can choose to dwell on either the positive or negative things running through our brain. All of this is fine.

Joel says that we can’t walk around in denial, living under the false assumption that “nothing bad ever happens to us.” He points out that bad things happen to good people, and vice versa. He advocates an attitude of realism, and suggests relying on God for support, using Isaiah 40:31 and John 16:33 in context as scriptural support. Unfortunately, this is too good to last.

Joel says that if we cheer up, God will “turn your situation around. As long as you harbor that poor, defeated outlook, you will continue to live a poor, defeated life.” He says that “if you don’t think God can turn your situation around, He probably won’t.” This is a recurring theme in this book, our thoughts and attitudes being able to limit what God can do. Joel uses Proverbs 23:7, “As a person thinks in his heart, so he will become.” This is not necessarily what the verse says. With verse five included to give it some context, the text reads, “Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost, but his heart is not with you.” The footnote in verse five is to denote that the section there may also be translated as “for as he puts on a feast, so he is,” or it may be translated as Joel quotes it. However, given the context I doubt that was what the author intended it to mean.

Next, Joel says that when we think positive thoughts, we “will be propelled toward greatness, inevitably bound for increase, promotion, and God’s supernatural blessings.” Joel uses Colossians 3:2, “Set your mind on the things which are above.” He uses this same verse in Chapter 2, but there it reads, “Set your mind and keep it set on higher things.” Neither of these is marked with a translation, so the only conclusion one could draw is that Joel skews the same text in one manner for purpose A and in another manner for purpose B. The entire verse in the NIV reads, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Obviously Paul is not talking about thinking positively, but about keeping our minds on things that really matter. The same thing applies to Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things.” Paul isn’t telling the church in Philippi to think happy thoughts, but rather he is, according to the New Interpreter’s Bible, urging them to “imitate Paul who embodies for them the gospel message” and to remind them “of the close link between the proclamation of the gospel and the moral demand to be like Christ, which rests on those who respond.”

Joel tells us that it may be hard to focus on the positive, especially in times of adversity. He claims that “psychologists are convinced that our lives move in the direction of our most dominant thoughts.” While I am not necessarily contesting this claim, it is unprofessional and sloppy of Joel to make such a sweeping statement without citing any sources. Joel continues to tell us that our lives are our own, and that we are the only ones that can be held accountable for our actions. He tells us that even if we have been thinking negatively, we can change our ways and start anew. While, as Joel accurately claims, we are the only ones who can be held accountable for our actions, we are not our own. Romans 6:18 says that “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves of righteousness.” Four verses later, Paul writes, “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”

Unfortunately, Joel’s example of the depths of despair does not revolve around anything pertaining to the last two verses he quoted: “You’re never going to get out of debt. You’re never going to be successful. You’re always going to live in poverty and lack.” None of this bears any eternal significance; what would be a better example of psychological spiritual warfare that Joel is attempting to describe here would be: doubting one’s standing with God, complacency, or distraction from God’s work.

Joel goes on about the power of thoughts and how they influence our lives. He says we can choose whether or not to dwell on the negative thoughts that come into our mind. The only problem here is his idea of the consequence of negative thinking is not psychological or spiritual, but material.