This Is My Bible, I Am What it Says I Am?

"This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today, I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess my mind is alert, my heart is receptive, I will never be the same, in Jesus name."

That's how Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church begins every sermon. So let's go back through this and break it down. "This is my Bible." Yeah, which he never opens and reads from, but I digress. We'll come back to that. "I am what it says I am." It says you're a sinner, an enemy of God, spiritually dead. The only person that can give you life and repair the relationship between you and God is Jesus Christ. So as long as you understand that, we're on the right track.

"I have what it says I have." If you have Christ, you have forgiveness of sins, eternal life, peace with God! If not, you're still under his wrath. "I can do what it says I can do." Correct. And the only thing you can do is sin. Unless the Holy Spirit is in you, and then you can please God.

"Today, I will be taught the word of God." Meditate on it day and night, Psalm 1. But unless the Spirit has changed you to receive it, you can't understand it, for the natural person can't discern spiritual things.

"I boldly confess my mind is alert." Now we're gettin' wonky. I boldly confess I have a million bucks. That doesn't make it true. "My heart is receptive." Again, only the Spirit can do that, not your declaration. "I will never be the same." And again, only if Christ has changed you.

"In Jesus name." Selfishly using  God's name is taking it in vain, also known as blasphemy. So about that first declaration: "This is my Bible." And you should read it. You don't declare anything over the Bible. The Bible declares authority over you, when we understand the text.