WHO Do You Love Most?

COMMON DEFENSE OF JOYCE MEYER AND OTHER KNOWN WOLVES: “BUT wait, Joyce Meyer feeds the poor!”

REPLY: Since when do good works save anyone from sin and hell? Never! Hell is full of people who fed the poor. In your mind I guess the catholics, mormons, and every other antichrist cultist are going to Heaven due to the good work of feeding the poor. Feeding the poor and even giving your body to be burned will not save you from hell (1 Corinthians 13). Feeding poor people does nothing to negate the fact that Meyer is blatantly and without repentance teaching blasphemous false doctrines.

The open denial of Christ and idolatry of a mere woman is obvious. Many who are under this demonic spell insist that Joyce Meyer is so wonderful. These same people will never be heard magnifying Jesus Christ nor upholding the written Word of God as final divine authority.

They don’t worship the only nail-scarred risen Savior. You will never hear them say that “Jesus Christ is my only LORD, Savior, and hope!” Their spiritual adultery is obvious! Their own words are telling on them and Jesus says “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh.” (Matthew 12:34) These counterfeits become infuriated when this vile enemy of Christ is exposed … because they have created a soul tie with her and not Christ.

Did you realize that Joyce Meyer is a Word-of-Faith teacher? Are you aware of the Word-of-Faith atonement heresy Joyce Meyer teaches? – that Jesus paid for our sins in hell? What?! Christ told us that His blood would remit our sins (Matt. 26:28). Where is it that His “precious blood” was shed? In hell or or on the cross? Please answer – your eternal soul is in the balance based on whether or not you believe this Bible truth or the false teaching of Joyce Meyer and the Word-of-Faith wolves.

Prosperity Wolves Fraternity! All word of faith teachers MUST espouse several false teachings in order to be a part of that pack of wolves … including the lie that we are little gods, that Jesus had to go to hell to redeem us, and that Jesus (the sinless Messiah) had to be born again … that’s just a start … they are denying the LORD that bled to buy them back from sin and leading millions of others to do so also. Read 2 Peter 2:1-3)

If Joyce Meyer is not a false prophet, who is?!

By believing and teaching this heresy, Joyce Meyer has denied the LORD.

“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily (secretly) shall bring in damnable heresies (falsehoods that damn the soul to eternal hell), even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” 2 Peter 2:1-3

WHERE was Jesus when He declared “It is finished”? Was the Son of God in hell or on the cross? (John 19:30) Jesus told us that He paid for our sins by His own blood on the cross – “It is finished” is what Christ cried on the cross (John 19:30). Did the Son of God lie? OR were our sins fully paid for there on that cross? To believe this truth is essential to be saved and to deny it is to deny Christ and be lost. This false teaching (that Jesus paid for our sins in hell) denies the sinless blood sacrifice He offered on the cross. No one can be saved that believes “Jesus” paid for our sins in hell instead of on the cross – that is “another Jesus,” a false Jesus (2 Cor. 11:2-5). Was what Jesus did on the cross not enough? All Word-of-Faith teachers are completely false because they espouse and teach this “doctrines of devils,” and “damnable heresies.” (2 Pet. 2:1-3). The Bible says they are “false teachers” and “false prophets.” (2 Pet. 2:1-3)

Jesus Christ is the only One who paid for your sins on the cross – not in hell as Joyce Meyer and all of the Word of Faith heretics claim. Somebody is lying. Who do you love more, Jesus or Joyce? “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” (Exod. 20:3)

Is Joyce Meyer making “merchandise of you”? (see Bible text above)

Joyce Meyer says: “You’re on the brink of a miracle. Go to the phone and give $1,000, $5,000, $10,000 and $1,000,000; go to the phone. God has a miracle waiting on your response.” / “The anointing is tangible; some of you should leave your televisions on TBN all night when you’re asleep to get the anointing.” / “This is inspiration, Oh! I heard you Holy Ghost! God is teaching you right now how to hear His voice. Go to your phone!” / “I believe that there are 10 people that need to match that $10,000. You’re believing for the greatest miracle of your life, then sow the greatest seed of your life.” / “You’re not going to your phone; you can hear me while you’re on the phone! Your miracle is waiting! Your deliverance is waiting!” / ” Why are all these heretic hunters trying to get people to know God by criticizing people by name?” / ” I won’t get to the text until you get to the phone.” (TBN, March 31, 2004)

Joyce Meyer says: “God said, ‘you can sow for whatever your soul lusteth after.’ Sow $2,000 says the man of God.” (TBN, April 6, 2003)

Joyce Meyer says: “I just love to talk about your money. Let me be very clear. I want your money. I deserve it. This church deserves it.” (“An Empire Of Souls”, Page 35)

Friend, if you are resistant to hearing an objective perspective about Joyce Meyer, it is perhaps because you have made an idol in your heart out of a mere woman – “Thou shalt have NO other gods before me.” (Exod. 20:3). Is Jesus Christ your “first love” or not? “No man can serve two masters.” (Matt. 6:24) If God’s Word is not first place and does not hold the highest authority in your life, He wants to bring you to true repentance and save you (Mk. 8:38; Jn. 8:47; 2 Tim. 2:16). Jesus is coming for those who are looking to and for Him alone and no mere human (Eph. 5:25-27; Heb. 9:28; 1 Jn. 2:28-3:3). Idolatry is a soul-damning sin (Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:5). Those who will be saved worship Jesus Christ alone and therefore have no idol in their heart (Ezek. 14:3; Eph. 5:5-9; 1 Jn. 5:20-21).

Joyce Meyer
Beauty for Ashes & Approval Addiction
A Critique by Debbie Dewart

Joyce Meyer has become extremely popular through her speaking and numerous books. Although she is not a psychologist, her writings often reference the abuse she suffered in her childhood, and her teachings are similar to the popular psychological “wisdom” about the effects of child abuse. This critique reviews two of her books: Beauty for Ashes: Receiving Emotional Healing (BA), 1994, and Approval Addiction: Overcoming Your Need to Please Everyone (AA), 2005. There is certainly some truth in these books, but it is hopelessly intertwined with psychological error, and great caution is needed.

It is critical to emphasize that the abuse of children is a grievous sin and a real problem in our society. Christians need to respond with compassion, understanding, and hope. This critique is not intended to minimize the harm suffered or the seriousness of the problem, but rather to direct both the perpetrators and victims of such sin to God and His Word, and away from the unreliable theories and methods of modern psychotherapy that appear to offer help yet keep people in bondage.

Meyer’s own troubled childhood forms the backdrop for much of her teaching. In Beauty for Ashes, Meyer points out the fact of her childhood abuse and expresses her belief that many people who appear “together” are inwardly quite troubled:

• Many, many people seem to have it all together outwardly, but inside they are a wreck. That was my situation before I learned that the Lord’s main concern is my inner life. Matthew 6:33 states that we are to seek first the kingdom (remember, it is within you) and His righteousness, and then these other things will be added unto us (7BA, bold added).
• I was sexually, physically, verbally and emotionally abused from the time I can remember until I finally left home at the age of eighteen (12BA).

There is a victim mentality that runs throughout her writings.

Victim Mentality

One of the most serious problems with modern psychotherapy, both secular and “Christian,” is the tendency to view people as victims rather than sinners. This victim mentality runs through Meyer’s writings, as in: “Having been hurt and not yet knowing God’s ways of doing things, I ended up hurting my own children” (126BA).

It is this alleged causal link between early childhood abuse (the sins of others), and an individual’s own sin later in life, that is so disturbing and unbiblical. Meyer makes sweeping pronouncements as to this causal link:

• If we start our life rooted in rejection, it is equivalent to having a crack in the foundation of our house (186AA).
• I had no frame of reference other than the way I was raised. I had rotten, diseased roots, and therefore, I had bad fruit (190AA).

Meyer proposes a chain of causation that impacts one generation after another:

• So often, troubled people marry troubled people. After they have destroyed each other, their problems are transferred to their children, who in turn become the next generation of troubled, tormented people (144BA).

If this chain of causation is traced back far enough, we reach Adam and Eve, who had no earthly parents to blame—but tried to blame God.

Meyer’s view of anger is a good example of where this path takes us. Scripture has much to say about ungodly anger (see, e.g., Proverbs 15:1, Ephesians 4:25-31, Colossians 3:8, Galatians 5:19-20), but Meyer traces it to the sins of other people rather than the angry person’s own heart:

• …when we look at the root of excessive anger issues, they almost always find their seed in earlier problems (143AA).
• People who have been hurt not only get angry, but often they also seek compensation for injustices done (147AA).

Following Meyer’s path leads to the conclusion that an angry person’s seeking vengeance is actually the fault of another. Rebellion, poverty, “approval addiction,” inability to maintain good relationships, feelings of rejection, inability to express feelings, poor self-image, internalized shame, but also positive accomplishment, are all allegedly rooted in what others have done in the past:

• Rebellion is frequently rooted in rejection. Rebellious people have experienced the pain of rejection. These people are angry, and their anger is an inner rage that manifests itself in rebellion (197AA, bold added).
• The root cause of an approval addiction is usually an emotional wound (106AA, bold added).
• Abuse leaves a person emotionally handicapped, unable to maintain healthy, lasting relationships (21BA).
• People who have been abused, rejected or abandoned usually lack confidence…such individuals are shame-based and guilt-ridden and have a very poor self-image (91BA, bold added).
• I once heard that 75 percent of all world leaders have been abused and have experienced severe rejection. When I heard that statistic, I was amazed. It is simply because those who have been abused and rejected work harder than most people to accomplish something important so they will be accepted (198AA, bold added).

How does Meyer know for certain that those who have been sinned against, yet accomplish something important, are doing so in order to be accepted by others? How would Meyer explain the sins of those who have not been seriously abused, those who are raised in godly homes but turn away? What about people who accomplish great things but were not the victims of early childhood abuse? Where is personal responsibility for sin in this picture, where so many life problems are attributed to the sins of others?

Memory Recovery

Focus on the past sins of others often leads to an emphasis on retrieving the memories of those sins and “dealing with” them:

• Such people [those in recovery from abuse] must get out of their denial and face the truth. There may be things they have forgotten because they are too painful to remember, things that will have to be recalled and faced during the healing process (45BA).

Scripture is misused in order to support this theme:

• Personally, I will always believe that my mother’s emotional collapse was the result of the years of abuse she had endured, and the truth that she refused to face and deal with. Remember, in John 8:32 our Lord told us: … you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free (16BA, bold in original).

This particular passage in John is often cited by psychologists to support the memory-recovery theme, but the truth, in the context of this verse, is the gospel, not facts about past abuse. Nowhere does Scripture command us to recall, rehash, or replay the sins committed against us in the past, in order for our sanctification to proceed.

Unmet Needs

The victim mentality also tends to emphasize unmet individual needs, rather than serving God and others. Like many others, she responds with the claim that God can fill the gap and meet those needs:

• …if while you were growing up you did not receive what you needed to make you sound and healthy, Jesus will gladly give it to you now (23BA, citing Ephesians 3:17, Colossians 2:7, John 15:5).

Does God meet our needs? Absolutely! Should we look to Him to supply our legitimate needs, according to His riches? Yes! However, problems occur in the self-focused defining of needs—acceptance, approval, and enjoyment—rather than, for example, boldness to speak the gospel or resources to serve God. Moreover, Meyer (along with others) is critical of those who set aside their own needs to serve others: “People-pleasers quickly and regularly set aside their own legitimate needs” (166AA).

It can be a problem to set aside truly legitimate needs (e.g., health or sleep) to serve the sinful agendas of other people in order to win their approval. However, godly people are called to put God and others ahead of self, at times setting aside their own needs and desires for the sake of God’s kingdom. Throughout history (and still today), there are martyrs for the Christian faith, who sacrifice even their own lives. How would these saints respond to the psychological teaching that their own “needs” for acceptance, approval, and enjoyment are more important than the gospel?

Conclusion

Joyce Meyer has become an extremely popular author and speaker. There is a lengthy list of her books in the back of Addiction Approval. This brief review of two of her books (about 11 years apart) reveals that readers dare not assume that Meyer is so “anointed” that her teachings are infallible. On the contrary, much of what she says rehashes the popular psychology that lines the shelves of both secular and Christian bookstores.

[The above article was excerpted from Debbie Dewart’s 54-page position paper titled “Joyce Meyer: A Critique of Beauty for Ashes and Approval Addiction, by Joyce Meyer,” which may be printed from her web site.

Debbie is licensed to practice law in California and North Carolina. She is available to speak on the subject “Civil Rights and Religious Wrongs: The Death of a Christian Nation?”]

Kenneth Copeland

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Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, Rodney Howard Brown, Jesse Duplantis Exposed