The Christian headlines recently have marked the passing of Jan Crouch, co-founder of TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network). Jan and her late husband Paul (2013) were celebrity icons in Christian TV for over four decades and reported to be aired across 5000 stations worldwide, no small feat.

Their programs were punctuated with guests who embraced and avidly preached the ‘prosperity gospel’ and lived the same lavish lifestyle as the Crouches. To be sure the content of the programming on TBN was a well-tailored message designed to promote an extreme and out of balance faith message that much of North American Christendom has become accustomed to hearing.

This article is not meant to disparage Jan nor her love for God, nor is it an attempt to judge her heart and sincerity in serving the Lord. Nevertheless, it is directed at the teaching they endorsed and sponsored across the nations which I believe scriptures calls us all to do, to ‘rightly divide the word of truth.’(2 Timothy 2:15)

What makes her passing so notable, in my opinion, and such a teachable moment for all born again Christians is that ‘faith’ as is taught by primarily by TBN and their guest does not, at the end of the day, deliver the goods nor in an way resemble Biblical faith. Propagated and embraced over the years as a foundational cornerstone of Christian doctrine by men and women who have craftily or even unwarily fabricated a very convincing formula, these spiritual keys and principles – although passionately taught as Biblical truth – fly in the face and stand in contradiction against the faith handed down to us by our Biblical fore-fathers.

This is a catch ‘22’ – chase the wind type of scenario. Many teach about speaking, believing, declaring and confessing God’s promises as keys to success. This teaching never addresses motives, personal needs or God’s will, purpose or timing because these variables don’t seem to matter—it’s all about the ability to ‘believe.’ You just keep believing till you get whatever you desire. They equate our desires as being God’s desires when in truth the obvious in your face fact is – GREED driven – not needs.

Those who brandish such high volumes of supposed ‘faith’ preach that if others have not been able to believe for riches, success or raise the dead or heal the sick it is directly linked to their ‘lack’ of this faith. Maybe these celebrity type preachers should head on over to all the hospitals and start showing us what their power and authority can really do by emptying them out!

You and I know that will never happen, because those who make their living from this brand of teaching rely not on God as a provider but of honest hard working believers who look to these superstars icons believing that these high profile prophets of success have discovered the heavenly keys to wealth – I will admit that they certainly have– but on the backs and money of sincere disciples of this erroneous faith message.

You just keep believing (they say), keep listening to their messages, keep sending them ‘seed’ money for your future harvest and then ten, then twenty years have passed and people are still trying to believe themselves into health and prosperity when in all truth – it is all grace, God’s blessing are not mandatory or compulsory nor are they hinged to our financial gifts, or offerings nor our ability to believe. This is the deception; it appeals to people’s basic desire for more comfort, more money, more power—it is self – serving.

It only works for these celebrities because believers keep sending them money as a guarantee or a down payment that they themselves will in turn get an outpouring from heaven.
This is not to say that they are off on all their teachings when it comes to other areas or to say that they have nothing good to offer anyone. The responsibility for all believers in every age of Church history and especially in our days of great deception is to study our Bibles and know and understand what was handed down to us by past generations of godly saints. We are entrusted before God to protect and uphold against various forms of error or extremism. (Jude 1:3)

Faith in a Biblical context is an abiding trust, belief, confidence, expectation and dependence on a good God who has and continues to reveal the virtues of His nature through the Bible and at times personally to us through everyday circumstances of life. His faithfulness, compassion, grace and mercy to name a few are the tangible proof of His love and commitment to all believers and yes unbelievers as well.

God is good and because He is good He provides all our needs. (Phil. 4:19; Matt 6:8, 32)

Faith has been communicated over the years as a force believers can develop and cultivate to then be able to use it to basically harness God and His power to serve ‘our’ every human desires and whim. This erroneous faith message has been candy wrapped with spiritual keys and principles to make it sound scriptural. It appeals to our flesh because we don’t have to wait for God – we can just by pass God and get what we want when we want it because this ‘faith’ moves the hands of God or bring into being – simply because of the ‘CREATIVE’ force of our words- they claim.

Fear is at the basis of this message.

In a moment we will read a few comments of highly celebrated Christian personalities who are bewildered at the death of Jan Crouch, they cannot explain why she died, in their belief system with its many faith declarations intertwined with positive thinking and talking – it does not make any sense.

In other articles I have posted I mention that this faith teaching is not really faith but fear motivated, here’s why. True faith is at rest in the will and purpose of a good God who loves me and is looking out for me. Think about it for a moment, all the verses we have come to cherish and memorize are scriptures that tell us about a faithful Father in Heaven who knows our needs , who comforts us and walks with us in our dark moments of life and promises to supply all our needs, isn’t that the case?

Now, if my trust and confidence is in a Sovereign God who knows ‘all things’ about me, knows my future, a God who is in charge and in control not only of my life and circumstances but knows all the intimate details of everyone on the planet; is He not capable of my protection and care? Is He not aware of tomorrow’s details? He who knows my thoughts from afar and has numbered my days; is He not capable to protect me from tragedy or death if He chooses? Or is the devil and sudden circumstances more powerful than God or perhaps God was caught off guard or had an authority malfunction or glitch when trying to ward off evil coming against us. Does this make any sense at all?

Yet many believe this way.

I am not sure if advocates of this teaching took the time to ponder this whole idea of either God rules in the affairs of men (all men) or He does not, it would bring added light and comfort to their hearts and shed some light on this misplaced zealous confidence we at times have in the power of what has been labelled faith.

Now if God does ‘not’ rule and is ’not’ in charge — than you and I better stay awake at night making sure that all hostile and demonic entities are at bay with our unending declarations of health and protection—because one slip up may cost us our health and even our life – not to mention our wealth and success. Did we pray enough today, did we confess something negative that the devil will use to destroy us?

Does anyone else see the legalism here, the works, and the onus being on us?

Are we not under grace? God’s mercies are new every day. However not in this camp of faith. Let us call it what it actually is. This whole hyper faith, seed faith, power of your words, power of positive thinking believing and speaking is about ME and you – NOT GOD!

The outcome of all these principles come back to rest on the calibre of our faith and ability to believe which puts us as Kenneth Copeland and Paul Crouch and others have boldly declared over the years “ in God’s class — we are Gods”. This is plain baloney and a serious error.

Human nature wants a formula, a principle or a spiritual key to ’parrot’. Some holy mantra to recite assuring us that speaking and rehearsing some verses of scripture will guarantee our protection and well- being. Somehow equating this process of repeating verses on the same level as God speaking something into existence. This is the fraud that unsuspecting North American Charismatics/ Evangelicals have bought into and has also exported this error around the world. When you pull back the covers, this ‘FAITH BELIEVISM’ reveals the desire to control life, circumstances and any adverse event which may come our way which is in direct contradiction to true Biblical faith and a restful trust in God.

God requires a relationship. He is the Good Shepherd who leads us into paths of righteousness –for His Name Sake –not ours. He the one responsible for us as sheep in His fold. This is the place of security and rest – when I can learn to trust the Good Shepherd with every aspect of my life, then I have learned to rest and am sheltered in His will for everything in my life and of others around me.

It is not in my power to command into being the events of life or even my future. Yes we need to walk in His ways and obey the leading of His Spirit. His blessings upon our lives are His to give and not ours to dictate!

God blesses because He is Good- not us!

Remember the Garden of Eden, it was there that man reached for the power to control his destiny, independently of God – nothing has changed. The temptation and deception comes in many forms but the tangible evidence to discern this error is when we as humans begin to believe that by the power of our ‘believism’ we can manipulate God into giving us everything we feel we need. Control life’s events and people around us by speaking the words or declarations which is nothing short of witchcraft and by the power of our mind which in essence is a metaphysical new age power – we convince ourselves that we are able to move even physical mountains, to serve our limited perceptions. (We don’t even know what tomorrow may bring.)

Witchcraft is the power to manipulate and control people and events using power.

Have we not by this time come to conclude that God in His goodness and good will for us answers prayers and meets the needs of His people? Despite the fact that at times we fail to pray or on the other hand continue to bombard God with selfish commands of how He must serve our egotistical desires all under the guise of this bogus faith?

Here are few quotes by well- known Christian personalities who seem to be perplexed about Jan Crouches (in their opinion) unexplained death, which reveals exactly where they have placed their trust and faith which is not in God but in themselves and the power they claim to possess.

Joel Osteen – “Even the best of us like Jan Crouch have moments of doubt when we allow a downward spiral of negative thoughts to take hold and steal our health.” (Video post on Facebook) It would appear that God is helpless to stem the power of our negative thoughts. In Joel Osteen’s view our thoughts are a force God is ‘not’ able to overcome.

Benny Hinn (fighting off tears) – “… Jan Crouch must have spoken her own death into existence. People who are strong in faith unlock their own potential and destiny. Jan must have tired of the treasures of this life – luxury has its own limits which she certainly tested- and spoke her own demise into being. I can’t think of a single other reason that can explain why she would die of a stroke during healing month on TBN when the network is reminding its fans that God wants them well and whole.” I would venture to say respectfully that perhaps God is reminding all His fans that He is God and He does what best serves His eternal plans and purposes for all people, everywhere.

TD Jakes –  “the massive stroke she suffered must have had more faith than her. We must speak victory over obstacles and in this case the stroke must have somehow released its life force by declaring victory over Jan Crouch’s health activating God to do His will unfortunately.” Take a good look at this statement, the stroke had more faith, the stroke had ‘life force’ and declared victory over her health? Which activated God to do His will – unfortunately? God seems to be in a constant bind here; He is subject to our will, then He has no power or control over disease which in this case the disease declared the victory and God was activated to passively obey and had to carry His will out unfortunately?

This is sheer NONSENSE.

You can see where they place the emphasis and the power. God is basically so weak and passive that He really has no say in the matter and stands idly by till ‘we’ speak something without faith or some disease comes along usurping any purpose God may have for our lives and snatches away our health while God looks on wringing His hands. This is from men and women who are spiritual leaders.

Yet here we have the classic case of positive confession and positive speaking which is presented here and other places as more powerful than God’s own will or purpose for us. No wonder they are confused about her sudden death, it strikes fear into them thinking they may have to ramp up their spiritual declarations and confessions to ward off the power of evil. God seems to be of no help here since they are in charge and captain of their own souls…

God in their confession is not God but simply a servant who is directed at their command. Is it any wonder they are at a loss to explain Jan Crouch’s death? God in this case actually acted independently without any prompting from them – imagine that. This may add some insight and perspective into what I have been saying, taken from the lips of Kenneth Copeland himself: “Circumstances of her death didn’t make sense”. Then he went on to nervously say he’s going to increase his health declarations to four times a day since he ain’t getting any younger.

Jan Crouch owned a company which ran a program ‘Receive Your Healing’ which starts out with the words: “healing flows when you delight yourself in God’s word. Come to Jesus and freely receive your healing today. Discover Christ’s heart of love in wanting to touch, heal and restore you to wholeness for every physical and emotional need. Come and receive your healing.” In this video clip there is a segment of Joseph Prince (and others) who boldly declares “God will heal you of absolutely anything if you will just speak the right words.”

The irony of this is that Jan Crouch passed away in the month of May which happens to be TBN healing month. This is not to mock or belittle, rather a teachable moment for so many who continue to embrace this false teaching and no matter how many times the truth of God’s word is brought home to them that He is in charge and in control of our lives, these disciples of faith continue to believe that they have the power at their fingertips or should I say in their words to control all of life’s demands and circumstances.

God rules in the affairs of men, He appoints the time of our birth and yes calls us home at an appointed hour despite any and all objections on our part. God does the healing and works the miracles, and yes raises the dead if He chooses despite the fact that so often people take the credit and boast of their own abilities to perform supernatural signs and wonders. Dear friends God has the power, we may serve as an instrument now and again but a good honest look within ourselves should be enough proof to convince us that nothing divine originates in me. God is in charge and in control of the universe which gives me great peace of mind when I lay my head on my pillow at night not having to worry if I crossed all my FAITH – ‘T’s’ and doted all my spiritual ‘I’ declarations.

Years ago founder and host of TBN, Paul Crouch, along with so many others rebuked and even cursed so called believers who dared to take scripture to reveal the error of this faith teaching they promoted, in fact even saying that he himself would shoot these people in the face and then went on to say ‘they would go to Hell’. These celebrities are in error and are trying desperately to protect their own personal doctrines and kingdoms with threats. Unwilling to let the light of God’s word set their faith in right order.

Let us return to our Bibles to read the words as they are taught in the texts and not in the skewed slant of pet doctrines that are self- serving and will not conform us to Christ. There is rest and peace to be found in Christ as we lay aside any and all abilities we may have come to accept that we are indeed up to the task of taking care of things ourselves by the power of our faith and the authority of our words. This error leads us and deceives us along the broad way to selfish ambition- a miscalculation that will blind our eyes to our own greedy independent hearts to ultimately believe — we are gods.