Here is an objection concerning the teachings of Personal Development that you may well have used along your life’s journey.

Doesn’t this teaching contain a lot of humanistic principles that are derived from false religions?

This indeed was one of my biggest objections to any teaching that was not OPENLY Christ centered teaching. In other words, there was a time in my life that if a motivational or inspirational book or tape was not written for Christians (and by Christians), I usually would not look at it. Been there – done that? Perhaps you have, perhaps not.

If you have read my profile you will know that I spent 25 years in Mexico teaching in many different situations. During this time I spent 1 full year teaching a group of 6 folk every day. We dealt with subjects that included leadership, relationships, teaching children, bible studies etc.

One of the first subjects I taught was “How To Study”. At the end of this course, one of my students who had three different college diplomas confessed to me that despite all of his degrees, the lessons I presented taught him how to study.

Here are the basic principles, which will answer the objection (and related questions) which opened this article.

Your Responsibility:

1. Know that no matter what book or tape you pick up (unless it is the Bible itself), it was written by a human being and there WILL be an element of error in it along with the truth it presents.
2. How do you deal with that? How do you eat a chicken leg? You certainly don’t throw it away just because there is a bone in the center do you? Neither do you try and eat the whole chicken leg and end up choking on the bone right? Of course not! You eat the meat and throw away the bone.
3. It does not matter WHAT you read (or listen to), whether it is labeled Christian or not, YOU have the responsibility to find the meat and throw out the bones.

Yesterday I visited one of my favorite book stores and spent some time browsing around the shelves of self-development books. Sure there are some books that I would not even pick up (their covers showed what was inside), but there are are also some very wholesome and challenging ones that you and I NEED to read.

How to Find The Meat?
Jesus gave us the master key in John 15:26
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, he shall testify of me.

From this we understand that the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of God) will always testify of Jesus.

This gives us a criteria that we can use to learn to find the meat (anything that will lead us to be a good testimony for Christ) and throw out the bones.

So here are some simple questions you can ask yourself if you have any doubts about anything you read or hear:

1. Does this help me to honor Jesus Christ?
   For example: wholesome motivational training that teaches you to focus on positive expectations would lead you to honor Christ (without faith it is impossible to please Him.

   However, any inspirational literature that asks you to focus on a source that is not God Himself, would not honor Christ. This is a VERY brief criteria to give you an idea of what to look for.

2. How would I feel about asking Christ to listen to this (or read this) with me?

   Do I feel comfortable about openly sharing this with Him?

3. Does this teaching allow me to think for myself, or am I being persuaded to go against what I know in my heart to be true?

   The Spirit of God will always GUIDE and never control! He created you with a FREE will. Run from anything that is controlling! (Now, this is NOT a license to run from discipline

Above all the more you come to know God and His Son, Jesus Christ, the easier it will be to distinguish between the “meat” and the “bones”.

Remember what the apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

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You will also enjoy reading:

• God’s Purpose or My Purpose?
• Personal Development And The “Prosperity Gospel”
• Are You Focused On Achieving Your Dreams This Year?