Law of Attraction?

[excellenttrader]

Hello All,

This is my first post, so please forgive me if I make a mistake here:)

I have recently had several different friends mention to me the concept of the Law of Attraction.  It seems to be really popular lately since there's a best selling book and DVD called "The Secret" that's out on the market right now.  I've seen the video, but not read the book.  It seems like a modern day spin of Napolean Hill's "Think and Grow Rich." 

Basically, this Law of Attraction says that everything that comes along in our life--good, bad or ugly--is a direct result of what we have attracted to ourselves, whether knowingly or not...that we are completely, 100% responsible for absolutely everything that happens in our lives.  If we get good in our life, that's what we attracted, and if we get bad, then that's because we attracted it too. 

It also seems to be very similar to the Bible's teaching of sowing and reaping.  I did a search on this site to see if anyone has already discussed "The Secret" or the Law of Attraction, but I couldn't find anything relevant.  I was hoping to get some imput from those that are in tune with what's taught on Bible-Truths.com to see where this concept is correct and where its incorrect.  The reason I am asking is because it sounds good, but doesn't seem completely right, yet I can't pull up a verse or three that allows me to soundly answer to what degree it is and isn't correct.

It seems to me that this Law of Attraction is saying that we, as humans, have our own free will and we decide absolutely everything that comes along in our life...and that God is an all powerful source of energy that will adjust anything and everything in the world as necessary in order to give us our will.  Which sure seems to me to go against the scriptures that tell us everything happens according to the will of God.

Perhaps someone simply knows where in the Lake of Fire series Ray has already addressed this and I simply need to go back and re-read it a couple of times to really understand it.


I appreciate any input and help:)

Mike

[YellowStone]

Hi Mike, Welcome to the Forum

I will be the first to jump on this bandwagon

The Law of Attraction is another name for: "What goes around, comes around."

I do not think anyone here will refute that trash attracks trash and love, love. Neiter they should, because we are told in the Scripture (as you pointed out) that:

Job 4:8 Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same. 

I do not think that there is anything unscriptual with this phenomenon; however, lets us not turn into something it is not. It does not indicate that one therefore has fre-will.

Christ himself puts this new found "Law of Attraction" into perspective with the following.

Mat 6:26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?  

Luk 12:24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? 

It is my understanding that Christ is saying, while it is important doing under others as you would have done under yourself, it isn't what we should concentrate on. Rather, we must put all of our trust, faith and love in God alone, and he will give us all we need.

Maybe the results will be the same, but I think putting God before one of HIS laws is a better bet by far.

I hope this helps, comments welcome.

Love to you in Christ,
Darren

[dogcombat]

Mike,

You'll need to read (or re-read) the 4 part "Myth of Free Will" on the homepage.

http://bible-truths.com/lake15.html

Ches

[musicman]

Our will is based on thousands of variables which we have no control of.  I'll list some of the main ones.  They would be genetics, where we are born and raised, how we are raised and who we come into contact with throughout our lives.  Obviously, we have no control over most of these things.  As Ray explains, God is the ultimate cause of all.  We do reap what we sow regardless of whether we could have done it differently or not.  And from a humanistic standpoint, we are responsible for how we live our lives.  We answer for our decisions in this life and will be held accountable for them by God.  These laws of attraction are true.  Hopefully, God will mold this clay into a more attractable state.

[jER]

Thanks to the marvel of modern day Synagogues (Faith Movement), this priceless information of "Law of Attraction" is being distributed freely:

"A complete system to attract the abundance you desire"...and, it is having more impact in the church than at any Seminar.

People can call it whatever they want. Either way, it amounts to the "Science of Getting Rich" and "SELF" - but hardly free!

A friend in Christ - jER

[Beloved]

It is curious that the church cannot see the obvious similarities of the Source  and Wayne Dyer (a know New Age speaker and writer ) of the book and PBS special on Seven Secrets of a Joyful Life.
That alone should raise a red flag to any thinking person.

These are both such self gratifying carnal beliefs.  Both credit the self for the ability to "make" things come to them.   God is only there to shower them with physical blessings.

Giving total sovereignty to God ... really sticks in their craw

Beloved

[jER]

New Age - same old gum in a new wrapper!
For "there is no new thing under the sun."

- jER

[gmik]

Right Jer!

Welcome Mike.  Hope you enjoy our little forum family.  Let us know a bit about yourself.

[jER]

WELCOME MIKE      Looking forward to more of your posts.

Gena - Thank you for the reminder, and the silent correction!    

A friend in Christ - jER

[Chris R]

 that we are completely, 100% responsible for absolutely everything that happens in our lives.

If this is true, then what do these scripture mean?

Jer 10:23 ¶ O LORD, I know that the way of man [is] not in himself: [it is] not in man that walketh to direct his steps ?

OR

Pro 16:9  A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.


Peace

Chris R

[excellenttrader]

Wow:)  Excellent input.  Thanks guys

dogcombat--I was thinking that I should go back and read the 4 part Myth of Free Will.  Its been some time and I figured that the details and verses I needed would be in there.  I'll get on that today.

YellowStone and Chris R--Thanks for the verses.  Pro 16:9 was the one rattling around in the back of my head somewhere, but I couldn't quite bring it to the front:)

Beloved--I think you hit the nail on the head when you mention that they "credit the self for the ability to "make" things come to them.   God is only there to shower them with physical blessings.

Many of the people that are jumping on the Law Of Attraction bandwagon don't even credit God, but rather "The Universe."  I haven't asked enough of my friends yet, as to what they really believe this energy source really is in their minds, to get a good feel for what they think.  But it seems to me that many are giving credit to "The Universe" because it's easier to think of it as an unintelligent energy source, as opposed to an intellingent thinking God that coud actually have any degree of input or control.

I think the main thing that has been bothering me has been that everyone who I've heard talk about the LOA lately has been coming from the free will point of view, at the very least.  Many of the others have been coming from an even more extreme New Age perspective.  The challenge is that most of it sounds pretty good, and much of it is.  It really forces you to get back into the scriptures and see what's really right and what's really warped.

On a different note, thanks gmik and others for the welcome invite.  I've been reading on bible-truths.com for over a year now.  About 2 years ago I got really unhappy with the church.  I've grown up in a conservative Christian home all my life, typically attending Baptist churches.  It many ways its been great and very helpful to me, but several things that I had questioned about what the Bible really said or meant at some point or another in my life were all hitting me again.  I guess God was working on me:)  One day I decided that I would question every single "doctrine" that I had been raised to believe and find the true answer for myself in the scriptures.  Then I would either know it was true and why or I would know it wasn't and I could give a scriptural account either way.  Somewhere along the way I came across bible-truths.com.  Man was that a relief.  I wasn't the only one out there, and somebody else (mainly Ray) had already done a lot of the homework for me!   I haven't really gotten into the forums much, simply because there's just so much info on the main site and so much to absorb.  But I really was wondering what other like minded people thought about LOA and it seemed like that would be an appropriate topic to get started with.

Other than that, I'm just a cute little white boy livin' on the beach in Florida, the father of a wonderful 9 year old little girl, who's an entreprenuer at heart.  Anything else you want to know...feel free to ask;-)

Thanks again for all the input and I'll work on becoming more involved and a part of this community from here on out.

Mike