In a barrage of new age thinking and the on-going popularity of the ‘attraction’ myth and all that, people are being lead to believe what is essentially the opposite of the truth. The book “The Secret” has a huge following and even the pirated copy of the DVD is very popular. This ‘new age’ myth is so big that there is even a ‘Pinoy’ movie version coming out soon.

All source of prosperity comes from the Lord and nowhere else. While I am an advocate of personal finance planning, I know that all of this is for naught without the grace of the Lord. My personal belief is rooted in my faith in the Lord and my philosophy is anchored on the only material that can explain the real truth – the Bible.

I am going to annoy a lot of people by saying this but I’ll say it anyway: I believe that this ‘new’ thinking is a form of idolatry and therefore, I avoid it.

“How can intelligent people turn to idolatry? Idolatry begins when people reject what they know about God. Instead of looking to him as the Creator and sustainer of life, they see themselves as the center of the universe. The soon invent ‘gods’ that are convenient projections of their own selfish plans and decrees. These gods maybe wooden figures, but they may also be goals or things we pursue such as money, power, or comfort. They may even be misrepresentations of God himself – making God in our image, instead of the reverse. The common denominator is this – idolaters worship the things God made rather than God himself. “ – taken from the Life application study Bible (Zondervan).

Want real prosperity? Work hard, stay out of debt and spend less than what you make (and invest the difference). More importantly, acknowledge and depend on the Lord’s grace for everything in your life. Real prosperity starts when you believe in Christ.

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Romans 1:21, NIV)