Criticism- If we aren’t putting something above God, then vision boards should be ok? Why are you against mood boards? If God doesn’t want me to have something, then I won’t get it. Doesn’t the Bible say we can manifest things?
These are some of the thoughts I’ve received in the past two years, since first posting what is one of my highest viewed topics. Visionaries & Vision Boards: Warning To Christians
I’ve known, for a while, I needed to go back to the topic with some of the concerns brought up that I did not direct in my original post. My previous post focused on what the term Christian visionary should look like Biblically, some introduction to a few terms, with a few warnings about vision boards.
Answering Critics = More Research
Since a handful of comments were extremely focused on the particular parts of a vision board, I think it’s time to dive deep into the topic. Hopefully, I’ll be able to answer the parts I was not able to in my original post and I will respond to some of the criticisms and questions I received on the first post.
Now, I have a lot of headers and some subtitles to help breakdown the discussion. Tons of resources throughout the post and at the bottom of the post, too.
I’ll just say upfront, no, not every single aspect of a vision board is sinful. But we need to focus on ALL aspects of a vision board, as a Christian, and we need to consider terms, how what we do/say affects weaker brothers and sisters in Christ, and how it affects the secular world, too. Is a vision board truly God-honoring?
Defining Vision Boards
*****IMPORTANT***** I define vision boards with these definitions from my original post:
- “Vision boards are the ones with plans to achieve goals and successes in life, with the intention of stopping at nothing until they are achieved.”
- “Vision Board”– This is a physical board with pictures of goals (relationships, jobs, money, etc) people desire to have and want to accomplish. People focus intently looking at the images and try to will themselves to get what they want.
- The scary part is vision boards can and DO work for people, but please understand it is NOT a godly practice. It is wicked and evil. We need to seek Christ and His will in our life over anything else.”
Vision boards can be known as Dream Boards, and sometimes the meaning is the same when using the term Mood Board, as well. We will discuss mood boards, later.
The goal of a vision board is to visualize – keep this in mind.
A vision board is not solely about goal planning.
Is All Visualization Bad?
Visualization isn’t always wrong – We imagine a lot of things in our minds daily, and that by itself does not have to be a sin.
We could visualize:
- Preparing dinner, ingredients we might need
- Making a speech
- Things we need to remember
- Playback a memory – think things through
Vision boards are not like this. Vision boards have the intent of making things manifest in our life, not just with practical goal planning, but with additional practices that go against the Bible.
The moment we make visualization connected to spirituality, energy, manifesting, getting what we desire, or visualizing things in a way that dishonors God (vision board or not) – we have hit sinful territory.
When Does Visualization Become Sinful?
A little later on in the post, we will discuss mood boards, and there’s an article from Bustle I’ll point out. Ironically enough, in the Bustle article, I noticed there was portion in which other suggested articles immediately start discussing actual vision boards, and #manifestyourlife. Many people see vision boards and mood boards as interchangeable, but it doesn’t mean they are. We’ll discuss later. However, there is something I’d like to point out now, regarding some of the words associated with vision boards I noticed from this article.
Problematic Wording/Practices In Vision Boards– Words associated with a vision board or words associated with those attracted to vision boards that Christians need to be concerned about:
- self-love | See: Got Questions: What Does The Bible Say About Self-Love
- manifest
- law of attraction
- chakra | See: Got Questions: What Is Chakra
- spiritual-coach
- spirituality | See: Got Questions What Is The Difference Between Religion & Spirituality?
- centering | See: Got Questions: What Is Centering Prayer?
- concentrate (connection back to LOA/manifesting) | See: Got Questions: What Is Contemplative Prayer?
A vision board is self-focused on self-improvement. A vision board encourages the individual to manifest power within themselves and around their surroundings, in order to get what she wants. When visualization turns to trying to manifest and attract our desires, it has become sinful.
What Do Vision Boards Typically Consist Of?
A vision board (can, but NOT always):
- Include goals (I’m not against goals)
- Include practical ways to achieve that goal (I’m not against healthy goal practices/planning)
- Include mantras, mindfulness, inspirational pictures, quotes 🚩
- Include pictures to help visualize – which are used to focus on as ways to “will” and manifest what we want to happen – to think positively, to help positively charge the environment around us. 🚩
- Could be looked upon as one uses crystals, sage, objects to help purify the environment – vibrations – around us 🚩
As I mentioned, the goal of a vision board is to get what we want, exactly as we want it. This is done not only through practical ways, but more-so focused on the spiritual side. Trying to create power that will manifest what we want through visualization, purifying energy, speaking things into existence… let’s start there.
Mantras
From their article, What Is A Mantra, Got Questions answer:
“The literal Chinese translation of the word mantra is “true words.” The idea is that truth has power. When one speaks something true, it is thought to help bring that truth into existence in a practical way…One problem with mantras is that their effect is only as good as the idea they express. Repetition does not equate to truth-telling. Repeat a lie often enough, and we begin to accept it as true.”
https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-a-mantra.html
As they end their article, they make the point Jesus warned against repetition in prayers. Saying something over and over in order to “make it come true” isn’t Biblical.
(ESV) Matthew 6:07, “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.”
(ESV) Romans 8:06, “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” – seems to contradict visualization
Mantras tie in closely with the Law of Attraction theory. The goal is to manifest something with our own ability. Let’s talk about LOA next.
Vision Boards, Connection To Law of Attraction (LOA) & Prosperity Gospel / Word of Faith Movement
The HuffPost in their article on The Reason Why Vision Boards Work & Why To Make One say:
“Creating a sacred space that displays what you want actually does bring it to life. What we focus on expands. When you create a vision board and place it in a space where you see it often, you essentially end up doing short visualization exercises throughout the day.
Visualization is one of the most powerful mind exercises you can do. According to the popular book The Secret, “The law of attraction is forming your entire life experience and it is doing that through your thoughts. When you are visualizing, you are emitting a powerful frequency out into the Universe.” (Emphasis theirs.)
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-scientific-reason-why_b_6392274
Recommended: If you would like to learn why the book The Secret is problematic, check out Marcia Montenegro’s Post More On The Secret: Chicken Bones for the Hungry Soul.
The ultimate goal of a vision board is to get what you want, exactly how you want it. Visualize and achieve. Vision boards use practices that are not found in the Bible, but the New Age and occult. Law of Attraction, one of the practices.
Churches are also being deceived and taking in New Age practices, disguised as Christian. – Which is a big no no in the Old Testament, taking a pagan practice and calling it godly, when God forbids it.
The Prosperity Gospel / Word of Faith movement will also encourage these teachings, and twist scripture to make it sound like we can “manifest” our desires because we are “gods.”
Got Questions in discussing What Does The Bible Say About The Prosperity Gospel describes it as:
“In the prosperity gospel, also known as the “Word of Faith Movement,” the believer is told to use God, whereas the truth of biblical Christianity is just the opposite—God uses the believer. Prosperity theology sees the Holy Spirit as a power to be put to use for whatever the believer wills.”
https://www.gotquestions.org/prosperity-gospel.html
In a not so ironic twist, Law of Attraction’s goal is all about using power for our gain. For the proclaimed Christian, people now think they can bend God to their will and use His power for their gain…
Similarly, more and more New Age concepts continue to infiltrate the church. The Enneagram (also having roots in the occult) is one of them. (See: Enneagram Hidden Truth (Marcia Montenegro))
People who are unaware of the background of vision board practices easily could be deceived because there’s an appeal and a curiosity to get what we want out of life. On the surface, vision boards can be pretty, inspirational, and help plan out goals.
Art, inspiration, and goal-planning do not necessarily have to be sinful. But a vision board is much more than these three things. Please note how I am defining vision boards (see IMPORTANT, if you missed the definitions). Also, I will be getting into the opposition of, “Well, I don’t view a vision board that way.”
Stay tuned, there’s a lot more 😉.
Other Components of a Vision Board:
Pictures
Pictures, by thesmelves, are not sinful. Content of pictures can be. The purpose of how we use pictures can be sinful.
How can pictures be sinful?
- Using pictures for manifesting what we want is sinful.
- Using pictures for mindfulness/positivity easily COULD be sinful. See “Mindfulness” below
- Content – anything against God, anything that does not honor Him and give Him glory
Pictures sometimes might consist of Christian quotes and scriptures, and there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that. Rather, looking at the whole of a vision board is what we need to do. I know there are photos of scriptures that some might visualize, focus on, and twist the meaning of scripture to believe God will give them every desire they want. – this is not a Biblical practice. Using scripture in a way that encourages divination is against God because He forbids divination. (See: Deuteronomy 18:10-12)
Please check out what Christian Mysticism is, the danger of emotionalism, and the issues of contemplative prayer.
- Should We Use Our Emotions As Truth? | What Is Emotionalism?
- Contemplative Prayer/Spirituality | What You Need To Know About That “Still, Small Voice”
- The Still Small Voice | Problems With People Speaking As “Jesus”
- Christian Mysticism | Are We Putting God In A Box?
Mindfulness
There’s truth that positivity has a place in the life of a Christian. We should be optimistic. We should be hopeful in Jesus Christ.
Our problem comes when we dig into mindfulness and examine WHO is truly being served by these practices? It’s not Christ who is being served by these positive images, it’s us, and getting what WE want- there lies the problem.
Got Questions on their article discussing, What Is Mindfulness? Should A Christian Be Involved In Mindfulness?, explain it as this:
“Mindfulness is rooted in Buddhism, as promoters of mindfulness readily admit, although it is often adapted for secular purposes. The ideology behind mindfulness is to achieve stillness and balance of the mind. Some of the mindfulness techniques touted in popular psychology are perfectly compatible with the Bible. But the foundational assumption behind mindfulness is that we can create our own peace through our own efforts. Mindfulness might contribute to reduced stress and an increased sense of well-being, but mindfulness will never achieve for us the satisfaction our souls crave. Only God can meet our deepest needs.”
https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-mindfulness.html
Several months ago, I did a study on anxiety and the peace of God. What I have found is the peace of God is always connected back to Jesus Christ. It is not something we can create on our own. See: Anxiety Series
Affirmations & Lies
We already covered mantras and mindfulness but about what affirmations? We’ve also covered how all positivity is certainly not bad. Affirmations on the surface seem like a good thing.
In Got Questions’ post on What Are Vision Boards, And Are They Biblical? when affirmations are brought up, here is what they say:
“Personal affirmations stated by the unregenerate are often repackaged lies from the enemy designed to keep us from humbling ourselves before God (1 Peter 5:6). As long as we believe we can achieve our dreams by simply visualizing and declaring them, why would we think we need God (Deuteronomy 8:17)? What if His dream for us looks drastically different from our own dreams (Isaiah 55:9)? Whose vision board should prevail? Instead of creating our own affirmations, which may be wrong, we should meditate on Scripture and declare what God says. Instead of “I am a good person,” a truth declaration might be “I am a sinner saved by the grace of God” (Ephesians 2:8–9). Instead of “my life is going in the right direction,” we might declare, “I will follow Christ my Savior wherever He leads me and whatever it costs me” (Matthew 10:37–38).”
https://www.gotquestions.org/vision-boards.html
There’s a great video by Melissa Dougherty Are Affirmations Biblical? she, like Got Questions, points out that Christians SHOULD focus on the truths of Jesus Christ. We should affirm the truth of the Bible.
A New Age affirmation connects to the Law of Attraction. People will make “I am” statements to try to make these affirmations true (LOA) and rewire their brain. Melissa makes the point self-delusion is often tied with affirmations. “Some people put themselves in a frame of mind, that is so unrealistic, it is very difficult to understand what they are trying to say.” For example, a sick person will affirm they are healthy, when they are not. In her video, Melissa shares a story regarding this problem.
There are both positive affirmations for the Christian, and humbling affirmations for the Christian. We are sinners, but we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. “Believing in Jesus is not a magic formula.” -Melissa Dougherty
“When we come under the will of our Creator that we find our worth and meaning and life, everything else will leave us empty.” – Melissa Dougherty
Law of Attraction / Manifest
Just a few more notes about LOA.
The idea to manifest what we want by manipulating, and changing the environment around us- this is the Law of Attraction. This is the main theme of a vision board, for many people. Spiritual magnetism to get what you want. LOA was promoted much by the book, The Secret. Marcia Montenegro has some resources on problems with LOA and the book, The Secret, if you would like to learn more on her site Christian Answers For The New Age (CANA).
- Marcia Montenegro (Christian Answers For The New Age) – Secret: A Cosmic Dream Machine
- Marcia Montenegro (Christian Answers For The New Age) – More On The Secret: Chicken Bones for the Hungry Soul
In planning today’s post, I wrote up a summary of LOA, its ties to the occult, New Thought, and more, which you can read here – What Is Law of Attraction | Bite – Sized. Plain and simple, LOA is not Biblical. I know people want it to be, twist scripture so that LOA sounds Biblical, but my friends, LOA is not Biblical.
Speaking of scripture twisting, let’s move on.
Scripture Twisting
Some people claim that somee scriptures say we should visualize, and the scripture encourages a vision board. Let’s go over 4 common scriptures that get twisted, the claim to how the scripture supposedly connects to vision boards, and what the scripture actually is about. Shout out to Longfortruth1’s YouTube Channel as his video Christians & Vision Boards. helped me find these scriptures. His channel often covers deceptions of false teaching and shares what the Bible really says.
- (NLT) Proverbs 29:18, “When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.”
Proverbs 29:18 – Claim: We should accept visions
- This scripture refers to prophetic vision, the Law, and people heeding the Law – not a vision board and not visualization.
2. (NLT) Habakkuk 2:02, “Then the LORD said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.” (See also: Romans 14:05, which points out all things were written in the past, the Old Testament, to encourage us and give us hope in the scriptures.)
Habakkuk 2:02 – Claim: We need to write down visions.
- No. God spoke to Habakkuk specifically about what God would reveal to Habakkuk and Habakkuk needed to write it down – has nothing to do with vision boards or visualization
3. (NLT) Romans 4:17, “That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.”
Romans 4:17– Claim: We bring things into existence.
- No. This verse is about the Gospel, not a vision board. This verse is about GOD bringing things into existence. GOD making all things new, which He does for the Christian. Putting faith in Jesus Christ makes us a new creation.
4. (NLT) Philippians 4:12-13, “I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:13 – Claim: Christ gives me what I desire.
- This scripture gets abused so much. People claim because we can do all things through Christ, that somehow means we will get everything we want. Not at all. The scripture refers to all things ACCORDING TO GOD’S WILL. Why? Because Jesus was submissive to the will of Father, never taking advantage of being God, and following His own will. So, where in the world do we think we have a right to assume everything we want is according to God’s will? That’s simply believing a lie and consumed with the gluttony of greed. Notice the previous context of this verse. Paul talks about the various trials he has been in and how Christ alone made him content. This has nothing to do with a vision board.
Most of these scripture selections came from the helpful resource of Longfortruth1’s YouTube Channel, video: Christians & Vision Boards.
Mood Boards, Ties To Vision Boards
Terms matter. How we define words matters. Ask a lot of questions, and Christians, do your research.
Mood Boards & Connection To Vision Boards (Spirituality)
I looked into this because I thought mood boards were a completely separate thing, but I guess some people are equating mood boards to the same as vision boards. Here is what I’m seeing.
Bustle, in their article, “Why You Need To Start Making Mood Boards Again,” shares:
“Creating a mood board around a specific area in your life will help you to hone in on that area and really concentrate on what you want from it or what you want it to be.”
https://www.bustle.com/articles/123614-7-ways-making-a-mood-board-can-improve-your-life
Like I mentioned, a lot of confusion relates to terms, and the practices that go into these terms. In this first article, there are reasons for mood boards that overall aren’t sinful, such as mood boards:
- Can Be Artistic
- Help Organize
- Plan Ahead Mentally
- Can Be Fun (which does not always have to be sinful)
Places, like Pinterest, COULD be used as a vision board, but I don’t think it has to be. Look again at the defintions of visualization. The key point to consider is if we are using a board with pictures, quotes, etc, in order to conjure up, manifest, something. Getting inspiration does not have to be the same as a vision board.
Like I said, when a board goes into practices that are not godly, we have an issue. We will cover some ways boards do not have to be sinful in the closing.
But first, let’s cover some criticisms I received in my last post.
Tackling Some Criticisms On Last Post
- Please see: Rules For Comments (Why Some May Not Appear)
- Regarding anyone wanting to argue how to hear God speak in our life – I will not be responding to those comments. I’ve made an entire series on Christian Mysticism, and if you would like to discuss it further, feel free to comment on those posts – following comment rules.
- My responses are fairly to the point, in regard to the material I’ve shared above.
Criticism- Vision Boards Are Ok As Long As We Do Not Idolize & Put It Over God
Response: (Remember how I am defining a vision board) The whole point of a vision board is to manifest what is on the board- that itself is an idol. Self is the idol of a vision board. Also, some of the practices of a vision board ARE against God.
That being said, there are some ways to goal plan that are not sinful, and as noted, even practices that aren’t sinful COULD become sinful depending on how we are associating with the idea. We need to be wise.
Criticism- God Put A Vision On Your Heart To Put On A Board
Response: Show me scripture that says God wants me to put a vision on a board. (See scripture twisting above, if you missed it.) This is not a Biblical reason to have a vision board, and it touches on Christian Mysticism. How do we know God gave us a vision? How do we determine the difference between God and our own mind or the influence of something demonic? Using our emotions is not a good test.
Absolutely, we need to be obedient to the Lord, and the best way to know how to be obedient is to seek Him in His own word, that is living and breathing. See: How To Mediate On God’s Word (The Right Way) & Why It’s Important
(ESV) 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.“
Criticism– Vision Boards Can Be Used For Good Or Evil – Intent Is What Matters
Response– No, vision boards are used to visualize in a way that is evil. There are many proclaimed Christians doing sinful, thus evil, practices and they believe what they are doing is good. Intention does not stop something from being sinful.
Criticism- Goals That Involve God Are Good. If God Tells Me To Take It Down, Then I Will.
Response: Goals could still include practices that are sinful and evil in nature, thus against God, even if we think God allows those practices. (See the portion covering scripture twisting above.)
People will claim God allows the Law of Attraction. People will claim God allows us to manifest things into existence, that we are “gods” ourselves. This is simply not true. Again, “If God tells me,” how do you determine this? Please see my series on Christian Mysticism – The Still Small Voice | Problems With People Speaking As “Jesus” & Christian Mysticism | Are We Putting God In A Box? The Lord in His word has made it clear that Law of Attraction, mindfulness, mantras, and the like is not godly.
That being said, it is certainly possible to plan goals that serve the Lord and others, and that in itself is not sinful. But practices that are ungodly are sinful, and should not be associated with the Christian, ever. We need to repent if we have partaken of these practices (see above).
What If You Just Want To Plan Goals?
I mentioned the importance of definitions, and I clarified how I am defining vision boards (see above). Using a board (not vision board, but like cardboard) for goal planning does not have to be wrong, and it does not fit the definition of what a genuine vision board is looked upon by majority of people – that said I would still caution people to consider WHY they want to make up a board in the first place, and I would also caution to call your project a Goal Planning Board, or something similar. (This suggestion came from Marcia Montenegro, regarding how confusing terms are if we say we have ”vision board” but it’s actually just goal planning and the board does not follow a genuine vision board.)
Leading Others Astray– When we say vision board to someone, even if we do not mean ”vision board,” if the person we are talking to looks up ”vision board” what will be suggested will be:
- New Age
- Affirmations
- Mantras
- Law of Attraction
- #Manifest Yo Life
- Mindfulness
- Occult practices
These ungodly practices will be encouraged, and can introduce people to wrong theology, twisting of scripture, and sinning against God. People may think these practices are Christian when they are not.
WE may not mean a vision board to mean particular things, but OTHERS do, and it’s important to consider how we use the word, as a Christian. The moment we say we use a vision board – anyone can easily look up the term, and find all sorts of practices we are not engaging with, but are associated with a genuine vision board.
Concluding Thoughts On Vision Boards
Dangers of a Vision Board:
- A board dedicated to self-seeking – As living sacrifices, we are not to be self-seeking
- Distracts from truths of Christ, instead tempts desires to ”create new truths”
- Some practices are founded in the occult – Law of Attraction, using objects to purify the environment – This is sinful
- Some practices are founded in New Thought or Eastern Practice – Law of Attraction, mindfulness, mantras – This is sinful
Ways Goal Planning Boards are not Sinful:
- Planning goals with achievable and applicable practice
- When Mindfulness, Law of Attraction, and other practices are not used
- Being content we may not get the goal we want accomplished. Hard work does not always mean getting what we want. God knows best.
- Using pictures for ideas on how to design something.
- Using pictures as visual aid to help explain an idea.
- Not using pictures to visualize something to manifest.
Questions Christians Should Ask Regarding Creating A Type of Goal Planning Board
- What is the purpose of the board?
- Is my desire for the board coming from a place of wanting to do what is trendy?
- Are there other options to present ideas and organize goals? Why a board and not something else?
- What is the danger if I make a goal planning board?
- Will I be tempted to use practices associated with vision boards that do not honor God?
- If I make a board, and show others, would it be misleading to them? Would others be encouraged to try out a vision board (not goal planning)?
Scriptures To Consider Regarding Vision Boards
- (ESV) Hebrews 13:05, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
- (ESV) Mark 10:23, “And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”
- (ESV) Matthew 6:19-20, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.“
- (ESV) Isaiah 55:07-08, “let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.“
- (ESV) Ephesians 4:21-24, “assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
- (ESV) Deuternomy 18:14, “for these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you to do this.”
- Divination – “the act or practice of using omens or magic to foretell the future”
- Omen– “an event or phenomenon believed to be a sign or warning of the future”
My final thoughts are this. Vision boards have many ties to the New Age, New Thought, occult, and Eastern practices. Speaking words into existence through Law of Attraction, affirmations, and mantras – they are like spells. Emptying the mind or getting the mind to a place where it can receive special knowledge is divination.
Christians are warned multiple times that our thoughts are not God’s thoughts. We don’t know everything. We don’t know what actually is good for us. God will, in fact, use trials and hardships because we need humility. Prosperity is toxic for the Christian and a blinding deception, most of the time. Putting our worth and value into goals, earthly treasure, status – it won’t last.
Goal planning isn’t wrong. Being inspired doesn’t have to be done in a sinful manner. We should be focused, first and foremost, on the word of God. Please see how Christians should meditate on the word of God. How To Mediate On God’s Word (The Right Way) & Why It’s Important. Through the word of God, we learn how to do everything else in life, the wisdom it takes, the discipline, and whatever else might come our way.
I hope this post has been thorough enough to breakdown why vision boards are sinful for Christians, and why it’s important we are aware of terms, their meaning, and how others look at those terms. I hope you see how I’m not saying setting goals, organizing tasks, presenting ideas, or being inspired is wrong. When practices become ungodly, when we try to take control of our lives, instead of being submissive to God, then what we are doing is sinful. That’s the point I hope to make today.
I want to say thanks to Marcia Montenegro who helped me use the term “goal planning” as an alternative to vision boards.
Resources To Check Out:
Inside Cup – Original Post On Vision Boards – Visionaries & Vision Boards: Warning To Christians
Inside Cup- How To Mediate On God’s Word (The Right Way) & Why It’s Important
Inside Cup – Law Of Attraction Works & I’ll Never Use It Again (Nastasia Grace)
Inside Cup- Should We Use Our Emotions As Truth? | What Is Emotionalism?
Inside Cup- Contemplative Prayer/Spirituality | What You Need To Know About That “Still, Small Voice”
Inside Cup- The Still Small Voice | Problems With People Speaking As “Jesus”
Inside Cup- Christian Mysticism | Are We Putting God In A Box?
Allen Parr (The Beat) – Christians Stop Manifesting What You Want
Alisa Childers – Law of Attraction & Hyper-Charismatic Movement w/ Melissa Dougherty
Berean Research – The Moment You Speak Something You Give Birth To It?
Doreen Virtue- Why Christians Should Avoid Vision Boards
Got Questions- What Does The Bible Say About Self-Love
Got Questions – What Does The Bible Say About Visualization?
Got Questions – What Is A Mantra?
Got Questions: What Is Centering Prayer?
Got Questions- What Is Chakra
Got Questions: What Is Contemplative Prayer?
Got Questions – What Is The Difference Between Religion & Spirituality?
Got Questions – What Is The Law of Attraction?
Longfortruth1 (YouTube Channel)- Christians And Vision Boards
Melissa Dougherty – Are Affirmations Biblical?
Melissa Dougherty – Why I Think The Law of Attraction is Garbage | Stop Calling It Christian
Melissa Dougherty- Why Law of Attraction, Oneness, Universalism, Mysticism, and Religious Pluralism aren’t Christian
Marcia Montenegro (Christian Answers For The New Age) – More On The Secret: Chicken Bones for the Hungry Soul
Marcia Montenegro (Christian Answers For The New Age) – New Thought: Making The Straight Ways Crooked – A Warning For Christians (Pg. 1)
Marcia Montenegro (Christian Answers For The New Age) – New Age: What Is It?
Marcia Montenegro (Christian Answers For The New Age) – Occult: Brief Explanations of Various Terms (Pg. 1), Occult: Brief Explanations of Various Terms (Pg. 2) – Use of objects, energy, and crystals is covered.
Marcia Montenegro (Christian Answers For The New Age) – Secret: A Cosmic Dream Machine
Marcia Montenegro (Christians Answers For The New Age) – Wayne Dyer: The Wisdom of New Spirituality
References
Avison, P. (2015, November 18). 7 ways making A mood board can improve your life. Bustle. https://www.bustle.com/articles/123614-7-ways-making-a-mood-board-can-improve-your-life
Divination. (2014). In Merriam-Webster’s dictionary and thesaurus (p. 320). Springfield, MA, MA: Merriam-Webster.
Dougherty, M. [MelissaDougherty]. (2020, August 31). Are affirmations biblical? My thoughts. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFNCvwDWPhQ
Elizabeth Rider, Contributor. (2015, January 12). The reason vision boards work and how to make one. HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-scientific-reason-why_b_6392274
Green, S. (2021, March 22). The 6 best products to help you manifest, period! — the Caribbean views. The Caribbean Views. https://www.cariviews.com/blog/the-6-best-products-to-help-you-manifest-period
Longforthetruth1. (2020, October 11). Christians and Vision Boards? Youtube. https://youtu.be/QEPKjsX6DAQ
Omen. (2014). In Merriam-Webster’s dictionary and thesaurus (p. 759). Springfield, MA, MA: Merriam-Webster.
Shapiro, S. L., & Carlson, L. E. (2017). What is mindfulness? In The art and science of mindfulness: Integrating mindfulness into psychology and the helping professions (pp. 9–20). American Psychological Association.
Virtue, D. [DoreenVirtueForJesus]. (2019, September 30). Why Christians should avoid vision boards, visualization, or vision casting. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ccsTSlO63s
What are vision boards, and are they biblical? (2018, May 14). GotQuestions.Org. https://www.gotquestions.org/vision-boards.html
What does the Bible say about the prosperity gospel? (2009, May 18). GotQuestions.Org. https://www.gotquestions.org/prosperity-gospel.html
What is a mantra? (2015, February 6). GotQuestions.Org. https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-a-mantra.html
What Is Mindfulness? Should A Christian Be Involved In Mindfulness? (n.d.). Got Questions. https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-mindfulness.html
The Gospel Message– The Gospel message is good news, which means there’s bad news. We all are sinners and condemned. We all deserve the just punishment of God’s wrath. Christianity is unlike any other religion because we cannot earn our way into Heaven. God saw the weakness of man and his utter depravity. Yet, He showed us grace. Jesus, God, One Person of the Trinity, became God in the flesh, the God-Man. He was always perfect and sinless. And His humanity was perfected on the cross, living the full sinless life. He became our atonement sacrifice. Dying in our place, taking on the wrath of God upon Himself. He died on the cross, and He was resurrected because death could not hold Him. Jesus is the answer. We, as guilty sinners, need His blood to pay off our debt of sin. For all who put their faith in Him – meaning eyes are opened to the Gospel, we see ourselves as a sinner, we see the need for Christ, we desire our Savior, and we see the ugliness of our sin. Putting our faith in Jesus, we seek HIs forgiveness and repent from our sins, we turn away from our old way of life. We, through the work of the Holy Spirit, continue to become convicted of sin daily. Our eyes will never be the same again. We see things in a different light, and the truth of Christ affects how we live and serve Him. Christ tells us to count the cost. Salvation is a serious topic, it is not to be taken lightly. For a breakdown of this powerful message, understanding how Christ could be God and Man, why God required sacrifices, and more -please see: Why Did A Loving God Kill His Son? (Does God Hate?)
If you think you know the Gospel, check out these questions and see how prepared you are for the day someone might ask you why you believe: The Gospel Challenge (30 Question Quiz) – Are You Ready To Defend Your Faith?
Scripture To Memorize/Meditate On – (ESV) John 16:07-08, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.”
Community Prayer – Community Prayer – January ’22
Christian Topics/Series Covered
Personal Blog: Peeking Beneath
Second Blog: UnAshamed Christian Housewife
Godly Men & Women I Recommend: Link To List
Resources For False Teaching: Recommended Websites For False Teachers/Teaching
Video Playlist: Christian Questions, Topics, False Teachers, Insights
Video Playlist: New Christian Believer
Video Playlist: Understanding False Teachings
Video Playlist: Sermons To Grow From
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Inside Cup 
Thank you for explaining all that. The enemy of our souls has a counterfit of everything God does, only without His loving power behind it. Although there is power in evil, Christ Jesus’ power is greater.We were made to meditate on the things of God, which includes harnessing our thoughts instead of clearing them. It also connotates ruminating, muttering, turning things over in our minds. Far from the new-age meditation. We must start putting the Word of God in our minds and letting them sift down to our hearts to develop godly lives.
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Amen, agreed! We need to meditate on the things of God. You touched on some things I wrote about recently regarding Christian Meditation, and one post I recommend at the end of this one.
You are right, we absolutely need to be focused on the word of God and know what He proclaims. We must be discerning.
https://nobledevotionblog.wordpress.com/2022/01/13/how-to-mediate-on-gods-word-the-right-way/
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