Three Sticks — Something for Everyone

The law of attraction has become pretty popular in the last several months. With the release of The Secret (Extended Edition), the law of attraction has gained a new level of popularity. This past February, I participated in a tele-conference about the law of attraction and how it relates to Christianity. Since then I this blog has been hit by search engines looking for a Christian View of the Law of Attraction. I think it’s time to take a look at what I’ve learned over the last several months regarding the law and how it fits in a Christian world view.

For those who are unfamiliar the law of attraction simply states that whatever you focus on will manifest itself in your life. For example, if you focus on a new car that car will manifest itself into your life. Proponents of the law also believe that if you focus on negative ideas or thoughts those too will manifest themselves in your life.

An often unmentioned, but critical aspect of the law of attraction is the need for action. As the authors and participants of The Secret proclaim it takes action on your part to make your manifestations come to fruition. To use the earlier example, it is not simply enough to visualize yourself with a new car you must take the necessary steps to prepare yourself for the car, such as saving money for a down payment etc. Your visualization of the new car will create opportunities for you to acquire the new car in ways you did not expect such as a lower price than the sticker price or a floor model being sold at discount. Your action (ex. saving money for a down payment) makes it possible for you to take advantage of the new opportunity.

The law of attraction is not a new phenomenon, men like Napoleon Hill and Dale Carnegie wrote about the law of attraction more than 100 years ago. Before them there we others who were able to use the law of attraction to achieve great wealth including Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller.

Now that we have a shared understanding of the law of attraction we can tackle the central question which is, is it compatible with Christianity? As a law under God’s rule, the law of attraction is consistent with Christianity, however not every interpretation of the law is Christian-friendly. For example, many people view the universe as the source of power that makes the law possible. Their concept is that when we rely on the law of attraction we are sending out a vibe that the universe will respond to. Thus, it is the universe that is the ultimate power rather than God as a conscious divine being.

Obviously this interpretation is fundamentally incompatible with Christianity. One of the fundamental tenets of Christianity is that there is no power above God. Personally, I am uncomfortable about my life being influenced by the randomness of the universe rather than the love and comfort of God as he is shaping and molding me into a better person.

Assuming that you believe in God and you believe that the law of attraction comes from God, there is evidence in the Bible that suggests that the law of attraction is both real and sanctioned by God and Christ. The following scriptures show how Christianity supports the concept of the law of attraction.

1. Numbers 14:29 - 30, “Not of one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.” Here the Lord is denying all of the Israelites wondering the desert with Moses entrance into Canaan the land of milk and honey, because they refuse to believe that they can overcome the people who inhabit the land. The go so far as to call themselves grasshoppers in comparison to the giants who currently there (Numbers 13:26 - 33). The Israelites who refused to believe that they could enter into the land and prosper, ended up dying in the desert just as they believed they would.
2. Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Essentially this scripture states that whatever you give out your will receive. This supports the law of attraction premise that whatever vibe you send out you will attract to yourself.
3. Luke 19:11 - 27, This is the parable of the King’s Ten Servants. In this parable, 10 servants are given money to put to work will the master is away. Each of the servants generates more money from the money he was given with the exception of one servant who hid the money and did nothing with it because he was afraid of taking a chance and losing the money. This servant’s money was taken from him and given to the servant who generated the largest return with the money he was given. Thus, the parable conveys the law of attraction concept that you vision will manifest itself if you take the appropriate action and the new opportunities will present themselves from your visualization and action. Likewise if you see yourself losing like the last servant did you will lose as your visualize. The last servant was concerned that he would lose the money entrusted to him and he did once the master got home and took it away to reward the first servant.
4. Galatians 6:7 - 8, “Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction.” This is pretty straight forward, essentially whatever your wish for and your actions support so you will receive. This directly supports the law of attraction.
5. Matthew 3:8, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” John reminding the people that God judges our words based on our actions. Similarly the law of attraction requires action to manifest our desire.

These five scriptures from the Old and New Testaments show provide a biblical foundation for the law of attraction. Thus, as Christians we can be comfortable applying the law of attraction to our lives assuming that we continue to place God above any law.

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