After viewing the Oprah Show featuring The Secret I decided that somebody somewhere needed to help Christians discern the fact that The Secret is not a Christian concept, and as such should be avoided. Why you ask? My answer is,,,, Why you ask?............... And that's the very reason I'm writing this exhortation.

Most Christians have no idea what they believe or why they believe it. It's because of our lackadaisical belief systems that new age occult beliefs such as The Secret seep in to our consciousness and have such strong appeal over us. So in order to completely, and accurately blow the wind out of The Secrets sails I decided to buy a copy of the book. As I stood in line at Walden Books I laughed to myself. What a joke, I'm paying, as thousands if not millions of other people are for this book that's as far from the Truth as you can get. I'm going to leave here, read the book, and try my best to reveal this lie, and next to nobody will ever hear my words yet alone pay good money for them. What a joke.

It's like the old saying, If it seems too good to be true then it is. Besides, when did you ever hear Jesus proclaim that you could possess anything your heart desires just by believing you can? But wait,,,,, you can,,,,,, if you're willing to sell your soul. Your soul? you say? yep, your soul. ((So what profit a man if he gain the world but loose his very soul?) ) You see, when you chase after your desires, and you really believe that your wildest dreams will materialize, they probably will. What?? you say? Well then why shouldn't we utilize The Secret? And my answer is this Belief is very powerful. It doesn't have to be the Truth, but you have to believe it is. And when you do you create possibilities by opening doors to some very dark places, that may appear to be the results you've desired, but in reality are trick doors designed to trap you into believing a lie. No smoke and mirrors here, just words, and the power of belief.

A few months ago while flipping through the channels, I came upon the Tyra Banks Show. Normally I wouldn't have watched the program but it caught my interest because she was interviewing witches. First to speak were "white witches" these were a group of women who considered themselves goddesses. They don't believe in God or Satan per say, but they do believe that through spells, (their projection of positive energy) and their intent they can manipulate time and space to create desirable outcomes for their lives. Hum, sounds a little like the Secret, only it's no secret to them. They call it witchcraft because that's what it is.

Next up were some "black witches" they believed that spirits did indeed exist and that they could manipulate these forces of good or evil. They claimed they also didn't believe in God or Satan, apparently they felt these forces existed apart from a superior power. They discussed their ritual of blood letting which protected them from evil, and that they had some kind of code of conduct which they strictly followed because crossing the line subjected them to danger. They believe "white witches live in a fantasy land. And I'd have to agree. But my sense of reasoning also tells me that if it looks like fire then you shouldn't put your finger in it. and any time you have to cut yourself to protect your self your ability to protect yourself must be flawed.

Third up were a married couple who were "Satanists". Now, they didn't believe that Satan truly existed but viewed him as more of a metaphorical character. Their big thing is indulgence, They believe in an eye for an eye type of existence where the followers do unto others as others do unto them. They believe sin leads to emotional and mental gratitude. Everyone experiences the consequences of their own actions. and survival is for the fittest. After reading their criteria I suspect most human beings fall under the "Satanist" heading, admittedly or not. They claim "We've wasted far too much time explaining that Satanism has nothing to do with kidnapping, drug abuse, child molestation, animal or child sacrifice, or any number of other acts that idiots, hysterics or opportunists would like to credit us with. Satanism is a life-loving, rational philosophy that millions of people adhere to." So that's their spin, maybe they should have called themselves something else if they wanted the respect they claim to deserve.

I should add here that there are Satanists who do believe Satan exists. They weren't on the show and I can understand why.

Last up was a girl named Sarah, She claimed to be an X-witch, who'd practiced witchcraft until she realized she was in over her head when she tried to kill herself. Her story was different from the other witches. Sarah tested witchcraft to see if there was any truth in it. When she realized she was dealing with more than she could handle she denounced it and became a Christian. I thought it great that the Truth had set her free. The fact that the Black Witches knew they were crossing the line yet continued to practice the craft got me wondering why don't these people get out? Are they nuts? And then I realized it's their intention that takes them there in the first place and it's the results of their intentions that makes them remain. If you want power you can get it, if you want Truth you can get that too! Unfortunately the Truth never seems to draw a crowd, and that's very unfortunate.

What an odd group. None of these people, except Sarah, knew what was really going on. They're all content living the lie because they desire the results. Many people practice witchcraft and don't even know they're doing it. Your thoughts are lethal weapons. anger x ill intention towards another x desire (EMOTION) equals witchcraft. The Secret claims that whatever is going on in your mind you are attracting to you. This is true. Your evil thoughts will create evil outcomes. The same works for good intentions. If you live your life with good intentions with no malice towards others you can be pretty sure of an easy ride. The problem arises as we will discover in the fact that when you focus your attention on self centered acts to generate self fulfillment and self gratification you loose the self giving, sacrificing nature a Christian is supposed to possess. What's more important How fast you climbed the ladder to success, or the words of someone who said your generosity and compassion made a difference in their life?

The thing that really bothers me about The Secret, isn't the fact that it's a deception, it's the fact that Christians aren't able to discern it's a deception.
Jesus clearly instructed us to test the spirits to see if they are from God. Has Christianity lost the ability to discern spirits? Yep, this seems to be the case. So how did we loose it? My guess is we began loosing it when we allowed false doctrine to seep into our belief systems. How do you know you even believe what you believe? Have you tested your beliefs? Most people haven't. In fact, people put more thought into buying a car than they do about what they believe. Is it any wonder then that this wonderful Secret concept is being accepted? That's the problem with Angels of Light. They come to you all beautifully wrapped until you open up the box.

The # one rule of thumb in the discerning of spirits is does the message deny the Father and the Son? The Secret not only denies God but calls him the universe. God is not the universe, he created the universe. If the message does not follow the teachings of Jesus then it does not glorify God. I wasn't surprised to see scripture quoted to verify the Secrets claims. St Matthew 21:22 Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. and Mark 11:24 What things so ever you desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. To misquote and use these scriptures to refer to material gains and needs is Blasphemous. The problem with scripture is that it's not always self explanatory. That's why there's cross-referencing. Bible scholars use it all the time, most Christians don't. To the unsuspecting, The Secret effectively uses these passages to prove its sincerity. Yet if we carefully take the time to cross reference these passages we discover that there's more to these words than first meets the eye. A more thorough investigation reveals that what you're supposed to be asking for is wisdom pertaining to the things or workings of the will of God.

In Matthew 6 25-33 we read; "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 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? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

The meek shall inherit the Earth, and it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yet, the writers of the Secret would have you believe that worldly possessions should be your goal in life. And how many Christians are blindly following this remarkable deception? Probably a lot. More than I want to think about. What a pretty picture thousands, maybe millions of Christians practicing witchcraft. This might be funny if it wasn't true. And what does all this have to say about the affairs of mankind? Well, you do the math.