POSITIVE THINKING & POSITIVE CONFESSION (PART III)

“As a Man Thinketh in His Heart, So is He”

By Akin Ojumu

Peddlers of the positive thinking and positive confession myth instinctively understand their false belief system rests on creaky theological legs. Deep down, they know there’s no biblical basis for what they believe and teach. That, however, does not prevent them from pushing their demon-spurned ideology on the Church, anyway.

As with the rest of their false belief systems, the adherents of positive thinking and positive confessions platform their false doctrine on the crooked planks of distorted Scriptures. When challenged to provide a text in Scripture that supports the positive thinking and positive confession doctrine, they are quick to point to the following Bible texts:

Proverbs 23:7

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…”

Proverbs 18:21

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”

Romans 4:17

“I have made you the father of many nations” – in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.”

Let’s exegetically examine these three Bible passages starting with Proverbs 23:7.

It isn’t all that surprising that a Christian reading Proverbs 23:7 in the Kings James Version could come away thinking that the passage is saying that “We are what we think” or “What we think is what we are.” That such an interpretation is erroneous becomes quickly obvious when you read the same verse in other Bible translations.

Proverbs 23:7 (KJV)

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.”

Proverbs 23:7 (ESV)

“For he is like one who is inwardly calculating. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.”

Proverbs 23:7 (Berean Standard Bible)

“For he is keeping track, inwardly counting the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.”

Proverbs 23:7 (NIV)

“For he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.”

The Hebrew verb, “sa ar,” translated “thinketh” in the King James Version means “estimate” or “calculate.” It’s a word that conveys the idea of someone who puts a valuation, appraisal, or sets a price on something. 

The word, sa ar, i.e., thinketh, in the Strong’s Concordance, means to split open, reason out, calculate, reckon, estimate, or to set a price of corn.

To fully understand Proverbs 23:7, one must start reading from the previous verse:

Proverbs 23:6-8 (NIV)

“Do not eat the food of a begrudging host, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost. You will vomit up the little you have eaten and will have wasted your compliments.”

The “he” in Proverbs 23:7 is the “begrudging host” mentioned in Proverbs 23:6. 

What these two verses describe is a stingy miser, i.e., “a begrudging host,” who is “always thinking about the cost” of the meal he shares. Proverbs 23:6-8 is an instruction to avoid greedily eating food served by a stingy man and it has got nothing to do with positive thinking or positive confession.

Proverbs 23:6-8 is the 9th of the 30 wise sayings of Solomon in the Book of Proverbs. The 9th saying instructs the seekers of wisdom to avoid receiving ill-offered gifts that have strings attached to them. To crave the delicacies served by a stingy man is akin to consuming fishbones without caution. Sooner or later, the bones will get stuck in the throat. While the miser may pretend to happily invite you to come eat and drink, you better watch out. He is counting every bite you take and calculating the cost of every bolus that goes down your throat.

Eventually, your eyes will open. And you’ll suddenly realize that the food you were offered was given to you begrudgingly. Then, you’ll gag and want to vomit whatever it is you’ve eaten. You’d realize then that all the compliments you’ve showered on your host for his generosity have actually fallen on deaf ears because the scrooge was only pretending to be happy to have you as a guest in the first place.

In Proverbs 23:6-8 we learn that not all gifts are kosher. The passage isn’t saying man can change future outcomes by thinking or confessing positively. You can no more create your desired future by thinking and confessing positively than you can create akara balls out of thin air using the same strategy. 

Positive thinking and positive confession are idle pastimes of reprobate minds. God alone is He who has the power to determine what the future will be. If you desire a good future, saturate your mind with the Word of God and trust Him to effect His sovereign purpose in your life.

We’ll continue next time.