The law of attraction has run rampant, from testimonies throughout social media of people who successfully manifested their dream jobs, relationships, and homes to Netflix streaming documentaries and movies on it. Besides the Enneagram, this topic is the one that has most slipped its way into the church. Why? From everything I've read and watched others speak on it, it does work. However, just because it works, doesn't mean it's from God. Law of attraction requires a significant amount of discernment because of the amount of little twisted truths thrown in that make it appear harmless.
Do you know who else presented twisted truth as harmless? Satan: the serpent in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3). There is a large divide between God's truth and an almost truth. Charles Spurgeon once said: "Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.” Many Christians will use isolated Bible verses to support this, but when analyzing a concept for truth, we need to look at the whole Bible in context. Looking at the roots of the law of attraction, otherwise known as manifestation, will show us why it's so occult.
The law of attraction (LOA) is the belief that you can use the "power of the mind to translate whatever is in our thoughts and materialize them into reality" (https://www.thelawofattraction.com/what-is-the-law-of-attraction/). The basic idea is that whether you think positively or negatively, that is what is going to come back to you. You can see the twisted truth in this. Yes, if you're thinking positively, you're more apt to have a good day because you're focusing on all the good and gratitude. However, this is not what the LOA is presenting. It's the ability to create a reality based on your thoughts, so if you are thinking negative thoughts or are worried, then that's why something bad is happening to you or a loved one. It's essentially saying we are God, when this cannot be further from the truth. God is the one who is sovereign and is the only one who creates reality and through speaking, not us. Nowhere in Scripture are we given this ability. The Secret defines the LOA: "Under the Law of Attraction, the complete order of the Universe is determined, including everything that comes into your life and everything that you experience. It does so through the magnetic power of your thoughts." Who orders the universe? It is God who has sovereign control over every single detail in the universe, NOT our thoughts or words.
The modern LOA and The Secret source material comes from "Abraham Hicks." "Abraham" is really a woman named Esther Hicks. Is Abraham her pen-name? Nope, https://www.abraham-hicks.com/about/ describes Abraham: "Abraham has described themselves as 'a group consciousness from the non-physical dimension.'" That sounds more like demons to me! It gets scarier; the article continues: "Abraham has told us through Esther that whenever we feel moments of great love, exhilaration, pure joy, stoned-out bliss, even the energy of sexual orgasm when we feel that Energy Flow rushing through our bodies, that is the energy of Source, and that is who Abraham 'is.'”
There are 12 points listed as the synopsis of Abraham's teachings (LOA). Youtuber Nastasia Grace breaks down each one of these points and uses Scripture to show why these are so false (link here).
1. YOU ARE A PHYSICAL EXTENSION OF THAT WHICH IS NON-PHYSICAL.
2. YOU ARE HERE IN THIS BODY BECAUSE YOU CHOSE TO BE HERE.
3. THE BASIS OF YOUR LIFE IS FREEDOM; THE PURPOSE OF YOUR LIFE IS JOY.
4. YOU ARE A CREATOR; YOU CREATE WITH YOUR EVERY THOUGHT.
5. ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN IMAGINE IS YOURS TO BE OR DO OR HAVE.
6. AS YOU ARE CHOOSING YOUR THOUGHTS, YOUR EMOTIONS ARE GUIDING YOU.
7. THE UNIVERSE ADORES YOU FOR IT KNOWS YOUR BROADEST INTENTIONS.
8. RELAX INTO YOUR NATURAL WELL-BEING. ALL IS WELL. (REALLY IT IS!)
9. YOU ARE A CREATOR OF THOUGHTWAYS ON YOUR UNIQUE PATH OF JOY.
10. ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN AND POSSESSIONS TO BE EXCHANGED ARE BY-PRODUCTS OF YOUR FOCUS ON JOY.
11. YOU MAY APPROPRIATELY DEPART YOUR BODY WITHOUT ILLNESS OR PAIN.
12. YOU CAN NOT DIE; YOU ARE EVERLASTING LIFE.
Further, Abraham Hicks describes God as consciousness and man as God. This LOA philosophy pinpoints man as God (linked here). I was actually so sick to my stomach from this short clip that I couldn't finish the rest past the answer given of man as God. Unfortunately, man larger churches perpetuate this theory under a more "Scriptural" guise under what is called the "little gods" doctrine. I recommend researching that yourself because the results will blow your mind.
Going back further, the original founder of the movement is named Helena Blavatsky. I typically don't cite Wikipedia as a resource, but it was really difficult to find extensive information about this woman. From an early age, Helena was involved in the free masons and was taken with esotericism (the occult). She had paranormal experiences, astral traveled, and even had visions of an "Mysterious Indian" man whom she later met in life. This "Mysterious Indian" was Master Morya, a Hindu who supposedly gave her a special mission, which required her to go to Tibet. In Tibet, the "Masters" gave her clairvoyance, clairaudience, telepathy, and the ability to control another's consciousness, to dematerialize and rematerialize physical objects, and to project their astral bodies, thus giving the appearance of being in two places at once. "Blavatsky alleged that she departed Tibet with the mission of proving to the world that the phenomena identified by Spiritualists were objectively real, thus defending Spiritualism against accusations of fraud. However, she also stated that the entities being contacted by Spiritualist mediums were not the spirits of the dead, as the Spiritualist movement typically alleged, but instead either mischievous elementals or the 'shells' left behind by the deceased." In Cairo, she established société spirite, which professed reincarnation. Helena wrote a book called Isis Unveiled. "The underlying theme among these diverse topics [in Isis Unveiled] is the existence of an ancient wisdom-religion, an ageless occult guide to the cosmos, nature and human life. The many faiths of man are said to derive from a universal religion known to both Plato and the ancient Hindu sages. The wisdom-religion is also identified with Hermetic philosophy as 'the only possible key to the Absolute in science and theology'. Every religion is based on the same truth or 'secret doctrine', which contains 'the alpha and omega of universal science'. This ancient wisdom-religion will become the religion of the future." The book quoted from many occult texts. She also considered Christian missionaries to be a corruptive influence. I think you get the gist of who she was (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_Blavatsky). Later in life, she was in a coma, and apparently awoke with full control over her powers. Another big influence in the LOA is Neville Goddard, a self-help author, who deduced the Bible to a work of fictional parables. He did not believe in God, but rather that we are God, similar to Abraham Hicks (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neville_Lancelot_Goddard).
So how does LOA work? It is something that is apparently always in motion, like gravity. You are always creating your reality throughout the day, either consciously or subconsciously. There's no escaping from this creating; it's going on whether you like it or not. The universe supposedly responds to whatever energy you're putting out, positive or negative, by giving you more of the same. The idea is that you create a reality be leaning into whatever energy aligns with what you want. That means you need to be consciously aware of every single thought all the time because every single thought can come back to bite you. Can you imagine? (https://www.jackcanfield.com/blog/using-the-law-of-attraction/)
However, it's more than this. First, you need to very specifically and in-depth set your intentions. Next, you have to ask the universe for it. This can be down by writing it down, creating a vision board, speaking them out loud, and through visualization. TikTok offers the the 369 method: you write down what you want in the following order: 3 times in the morning, 6 times in the afternoon, and 9 times at night for 33 or 45 days. (https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/a30244004/how-to-manifest-anything/). There are also elements of visualization, taking steps towards what you want, and chants/mantras. Taking steps towards a goal and imagining what it's like to accomplish that goal are two truths that are fine on their own, which is why people can easily be deceived into falling into the LOA. Every girl naturally day dreams of what her future home or wedding day will look like by making Pinterest boards for ideas. This in itself is not LOA because you are not trying visualize to make it happen or trying to attract it. Thus, there is a difference between daydreaming and the technique of visualization. Further, it just seems like common sense to take steps toward a goal. When I decided to go to law school, I took steps, such as getting good grades and studying for my LSAT. That is not LOA. However, combining this with the motive of thinking you can create your own reality (acting as if you are better than God), focusing on what energy you are putting out to make sure you are aligned to get something back, and participating in mantras is where you go wrong.
Yoga can be its own post, but below are steps on how to use yoga for LOA:
If you have never meditated before, here’s a simple structure of exercises you can use to begin.
1. Find a quiet place, close your eyes, and focus on slowing down your breathing.
2. Repeat an uplifting word or phrase.
3. Move into a state of quiet.
4. Imagine yourself surrounded by a sphere of light.
The regular practice of meditation will help clear your mind of distractions, cleanse your thoughts, and enhance your spiritual connection. It renews the spirit, relaxes the body, and calms the soul.
While conducting research on LOA, I thought to myself how similar this is to what the Prosperity Gospel/Word of Faith movement teaches. If you are unfamiliar with this, I have a Youtube video linked here explaining. The extreme basic of it is the belief that if you have enough faith and speak what you want over yourself, you will receive it. The false belief is that God ALWAYS wills for us to have good health, wealth, and happiness. Similarly, LOA teaches that the universe desires for you to experience maximized happiness. The Bible does not teach satisfaction found in things of this world (essentially materialism) but that which is only found in Christ. Anything in this world is only temporary and is only going to leave you feeling counterfeited because its not a source of authentic joy. Further, we are not God and thus do not have the authority to speak blessings over ourselves. God is sovereign, and wealth and health are not matters of having enough faith or whether you are in good standing with God. I would like to make a future deep dive post on the Prosperity Gospel, so for now, I will leave the evidence that Job and Paul suffered and lived devoted lives to God.
The Prosperity Gospel/Word of Faith shows exactly why LOA is not of God. Besides its demonic roots, it is an attempt to act as God. I mean, those who pioneered it literally claim that the only God is you. There is power in your words in that they can be hurtful, but they cannot create realities. Moreover, God does promise us the desires of our hearts, but the important piece that most glance over is that the requirement is that it needs to be aligned with His Will. God's Will be done. Further, your constant thoughts are not going to define your reality because if this were the case, then God would not call us to cast our burdens and anxiety on Him. The key point is the importance of Scriptural literacy. False beliefs occur when we don't know what God's Word says and especially when we take it out of context. Satan from the beginning has been twisting God's Word, and when we do it to make ourselves feel better about choices, then we are equally as bad.
As I will always say, there is hope to turn from this. Even believers can be deceived and fall into sin. Repent and turn away from this practice. Run to Him. The WORST thing you can do when you fall into a pattern of sin and are having a tough time getting out is to take yourself out of the game and be afraid to go to God. As a believer, perhaps the most dangerous thing about sin is that the continual practice can harden your heart and make you apathetic to sin and Christ (Hebrews 10:31-34). Nevertheless, our salvation is due to God and not ourselves. Thus, when you're genuinely sorrowful about your sin, He will forgive you and give you the strength to be delivered.
God never withholds anything from us. There is nothing you can seek that He won't give you, according to His Will. Romans 8:28 (ESV) says: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." When we don't receive something, it is because it is not good for us and/or can hurt our walk with Him. Trust God with your needs because He knows them better than we do. He gives you what you need in His timing and His way.
Video testimonies/other resources:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ccsTSlO63s&ab_channel=DoreenVirtue
Supporting Scripture:
Romans 5:3-4 (ESV)
More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.
John 16:33 (ESV)
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
Job 33:12 (ESV)
Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you, for God is greater than man.
Proverbs 16:1-4 (ESV)
The plans of the heart belong to man,
but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the spirit.
Commit your work to the Lord,
and your plans will be established.
The Lord has made everything for its purpose,
even the wicked for the day of trouble.
Proverbs 16:9 (ESV)
The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps.
Proverbs 3:5-7 (ESV)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
Jeremiah 17:9 (ESV)
The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
James 4:3 (ESV)
You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
By: Bible and Hot Cocoa (IG: @bibleandhotcocoa)
Jules is the founder of Bible and Hot Cocoa. She is a law student with a passion for standing up for truth. In any free time, she loves to read, study theology, write, and draw or paint. Jules's favorite book of the Bible would have to be a tie among John, Psalms, and Romans (as of now), and her favorite figure besides Jesus is King David or Paul.
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