When Satan tempted Christ in Luke 4, he quoted scripture to Jesus trying to get Him to use the word of God for His own gain. But Jesus told the devil that this misuse of the word of God was not of faith but was tempting God. Satan wanted Jesus to presume that He could wield a particular Biblical concept to work for His own betterment. Stan is doing this same thing by tempting Christians to misuse the word of God.
The confession teachers have formed an IDOL called the "Word of God." This term is applied to Jesus Himself as the living "heart thought" (logos in the Greek) of God but this phrase has been twisted by the faith teachers to mean something vastly different.
For example, Mormons call themselves The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but this does not mean they are talking about the true Jesus, God the Son. Mormons use that name, but it is in reality another "Jesus" and another gospel. Likewise, the term "Word of God" used by the confession teachers is not Jesus. The Word of God (John 1:1).
Even though we call the Bible the "word of God," sometimes even the Word of God, this does not mean the Bible "Word" and Jesus the "Word" are one and the same. Two or three or 100 people having the same name does not make them the same person. God by His Spirit spoke the words of the Bible as He inspired men to write it and by His person (Jesus) spoke the worlds into existence. But this does not mean the printed words and thoughts of the Bible are equal to and the same as The Word, Jesus. The Bible's "thoughts" and "words" are no more The Word (Jesus) than the bread and wine are Jesus in the Catholic heresy of transubstantiation.
The Lord is so much more than the words we have on the printed page. The written word is but a small representation of Him. If the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him (1 Kings 8:27), how can a book? Jesus is the Living Word ever moving, ever flowing, the very Spirit that brings the written words to life. He dictates the meaning of His own written words. THEY DO NOT DICTATE TO HIM. They are His servant. He is not theirs. His word, written, spoken, or pure Spirit, goes forth to accomplish what He wills (Isaiah 55:11).
This new doctrine of "the Word," however, says that God has bound Himself by His written word and has to do what it says. That means there is a higher law than God, the Law giver. This means, they say, that God Himself must answer to and "obey" this "Word," especially when it is spoken by US. Thus, the ones He bled and died for while they were His enemies--who should now be His grateful servants--are now demanding that God must listen and serve them by acting upon His Word!
By very definition of the word "god," which is "supreme being," God is no longer God. The Word speakers are! There is now something God must answer to, the Word in the mouth of His people. Through this doctrine man has concocted another Jesus, another god, another gospel and created an IDOL! Like God's rebellious people of old, they now worship this golden calf in God's true name (Ex. 32:6).
Properly the capitalization of the "W" in "word" causes it to refer to Jesus, although "Word" can refer to the Bible. In the book, WHAT YOU SAY IS WHAT YOU GET, by Gossett, he repeatedly misrepresents scripture and term, "Word of God." For example, he misquotes Romans 10:8 this way, "The Word is nigh me even in my mouth and in my heart: that is the Word of faith." This is in a series of direct scripture quotes. He continues. " ‘Faith cometh by, hearing and hearing by the Word of God' (Rom. 10:17 [KJV])." I underlined the th in cometh so you can see he is leading us to believe he is quoting directly from the King James Bible. Yet in the Bible none of these verses spell "word" with a capital W. Nor is the word my or me found in these verses!
One can only ask what ulterior motive he has in deliberately misquoting scripture. It appears highly dangerous to me to change scripture (Rev. 22:18).
Clearly, Gossett's motives in the book revolve around the carnal self-interest gospel. In fact, he states the selfish intention of the book on page 14. "This whole book is entirely on how to get what you say" (emphasis mine). If the whole book is entirely to get what you say, then it has no room to glorify God! And it doesn't!
It is also interesting that Gossett refers to scripture as the "infallible Word of God" on page 11. To believe in the inerrancy of scripture is not the same as calling scripture "infallible." Inerrancy refers to lack of error in meaning, doctrine, and phraseology. Only God in infallible, and to call scripture infallible gives it the status of deity along with the Father-Son-Holy Ghost!
Hagin's book, HOW TO TURN YOUR FAITH LOOSE, says, "We should treat His Word with the same reverence that we would treat Jesus if He were here in the flesh." He speaks of "faith in the Word, in Christ, and in God the Father." This looks like a new trinity to me.
Clearly the confession cult's idol is "The Word." The result is that when the adherents to this teaching "speak the Word" from their own mouths, they claim to be able to "speak things into existence." They in fact, through the Word god they have created, put that Word (out of context scripture) in their own mouths causing the "Word" to work for them. As is typical of all idolatry, the idol or "charm" is to serve the man.
Hagin says, "You will find that your confession of faith will cause Him [God] to work on your behalf." "Faith's confessions create reality." "When you act in line with it [the Word], it will work for you." Hagin's conclusion is that faith works by our own "confession" while scripture says faith works by LOVE! Clearly this is apostasy in one of its most subtle forms. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4).
The sum result of WHAT YOU SAY IS WHAT YOU GET is to leave the reader with the falsely believing he can have enormous power by simply harnessing Biblical phrases and speaking them. At the end of the book are 32 pages of magic wand catch verses to speak. These 32 pages compromise the final section and are the fulfillment of Gossett's blasphemy on "How to Use These Promises."
The carnal intentions to create a "Word" god that can be used to fulfill our desires reduces Jesus to a big "let's make a deal" machine in the sky. Gossett even uses the terms "bargain' and "deal" in respect to his theology on page 195. The Bible states that God doesn't make deals (II Chron. 19:7; Rom. 11:35).
There is simply not room to go into all the books and all the teachings. Nor is there really a need to. What we need is to be familiar with the truth. Then error will become evident. Therefore it is simply that we need to watch and read closely and we will see that the term "Word" is the manipulative god of the confession cult.
The basic error stems from a philosophy that believes a man becomes what he says. In other words, what you speak of yourself, your circumstances, and your future is what will happen.
The true biblical principle is that we are what we say, because a man's words and actions imply reveal what he already is on the inside. We do not become what we speak. What we speak is simply a revealing of WHAT WE ALREADY ARE. "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speak" (Matt. 12:34). I hope you see this because these teachers give the exact opposite interpretation to the scriptures.
We do not speak and bring about anything. Our wishful words only have validity as they testify to what is truth. A sinner can say he is a Christian all he wants, but until he repents and submits to Christ, he remains a sinner. A dying man can confess to being perfectly whole all he wants, but until and unless God heals him he is destined to die. A man can go against God's will and get himself in debt then try to confess himself into financial prosperity. But he will remain in financial straits until he repents and comes under God's order for his finances.
The "confession" theory is that since God is creative and we are God's "offspring," then we must have the same power of creative speech that our Father has. But not so. It is unbelievable that people accept this if they have ever read the Bible!
Of course God is creative and created by speaking. But just because we humans have "creativity" does not by any stretch of the imagination mean that we can say, "Let there be," and there will be anything! In case we have missed it, God not only did (past tense) create but He does (continues) to create all things, alone all by Himself and for Himself. "Thou are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are [present tense] and were [past tense] created" (Rev. 4:11). "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things and by him all things consist" (Col. 1:16-17).
God alone creates. Anything that was or will ever be created is created only by Jesus Christ. Before anything can be spoken it first must be thought. The words of Jesus tell us, "And which of you taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do [create] that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?" (Luke 12:25-26).
It is incredible that one of the foundation stones of the modern prosperity and confession teachers is the human tongue. How that vile, virtueless instrument James described as a "world of iniquity" has become the instrument of trust concerning one's own destiny is beyond belief! "And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body [as individuals and as a collective church], and setteth on fire the course of nature: and it is set on fire of hell. But the tongue can no man tame: it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God" (James 3:6-9). How we need to guard our mouths against the sin of presumption according to Psalm 19:14.