Truth is ancient; it's grey hairs may make it venerable;
it comes from Him who is the ancient of days. --Thomas Watson

 

22 October, 2005   comments: (0) Today's Worldliness   'Success' Happens When The World Is Your Twin "Discover The Champion In You" What does the pastor of America's largest church have in common with this 'personal success' infomercial star? Go past the smile, and examine their 'power within' motivational mantra. "Awaken The Giant Within" I started thinking about the similarities between these two TV mainstays when Rick Phillips - on the Reformation21 website mentioned them together in the same blog entry. Rick happened to turn on the TV during an Anthony Robbins infomercial (on his blog he calls him "Roberts" but made a later correction to "Robbins"). During the infomercial, a caller suggested to Robbins: "We need to get you and Joel Osteen together to straighten us all out!". The comparison between the two "daily devotionals" shown above, is not the end of the similarities between these men. Whether the similarities are intentional or not, they may give us a clue as to how "numeric-success" is often achieved in the modern church. It may be that it's achieved by looking and sounding like the world's formula for self-empowerment and self-esteem. As you consider their books and quotes below, keep in mind that Robbins is NOT attempting to speak a Christian message at all; his is a secular "personal success" message. Though the words are not identical, their "power within" theme is a striking commonality. Judge for yourself whether any of the quotes that you see below (from either man) can be substantiated biblically. Genre: Religious / Christian Genre: Secular / Motivational Joel Osteen's Motto: "Discover The Champion In You" Description: from his New York Times #1 Bestseller "Your Best Life Now" reads like this: "Do you often dream of living a more rewarding life? Do you aspire to obtain a better job, a stronger marriage, a happier home? Do you wish for more gratifying relationships with your family and friends? Perhaps you simply want to accomplish more and leave a lasting legacy for future generations" Description: From the author of the national bestseller "Unlimited Power" - "Anthony Robbins already has unlocked the personal power inside millions of people worldwide. Now in this revolutionary new audio production based on his enormously popular Date with Destiny seminars, Robbins unleashes the sleeping giant that lies within all of us -- teaching us to harness our untapped abilities, talents and skills". Quotes: from his talks and his book "Your Best Life Now": (from the Let Us Reason website - verify dates and references) "Start calling-in victory. Start calling-in divine health. Start calling-in abundance. You can prophesize your future." "If you wanna know where you'll be five years from now listen to what you are saying." "there's power in what you visualize" "Your circumstances will line up with your words." "Words are like seeds, they have creative power." "The more you talk about it the more you call it in." "Your words will give life to what you are saying." "You can change your world by simply changing your words." "You may have sickness in your body, you need to call in health. You may be in debt, you need to boldly say that you are the head and not the tail." "Your life is full of potential. And this moment can determine your destiny". "Fear is a force just like faith is a force. If you give into fear and start to dwell on that junk and start to act on it, that fear can actually bring things to pass just like faith can bring things to pass. "It's the same way with us. We have to conceive it on the inside before we're ever going to receive it on the outside. If you don't think you can have something good, then you never will. The barrier is in your mind." "You must conceive it in your heart and mind before you can receive it." Quotes: from "Awaken the Giant Within": (from the secular Word Power website - verify quotes) "The truth is that nothing has to happen in order for you to feel good." "Everything in life happens for a reason and a purpose, and it serves us." "Your capability is constant, but how much of it you use depends upon the identity you have for yourself." "We look at what we do to determine who we are." "You and I have that same power at our disposal every moment of the day. At the moment, the questions that we ask ourselves can shape our perception of who we are, what we're capable of, and what we're willing to do to achieve our dreams." "Determination is the wake-up call to the human will." "The beliefs that we use to define our own individuality, what makes us unique - good, bad, or indifferent - from other individuals." "Only those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution experience life's deepest joy: true fulfillment." "It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped." "Remember, ask and you shall receive. If you ask a terrible question, you'll get a terrible answer. Your mental computer is ever ready to serve you, and whatever question you give it, it will surely come up with an answer." Watch videos of Anthony Robbins and Joel Osteen on their websites Read my previous blog article on Joel Osteen's gospel message Posted by: Jim B.   Link: http://www.oldtruth.com/blog.cfm/id.2.pid.85   Be the first to post a comment about this article        Home  |   About  |  Videos   |  Calvinism