Oops! Out of the Mouth of Preachers

Ever hear someone quote the bible verse "God helps those who help themselves?" Maybe it is something you have quoted yourself. You will find this verse in the Book of Hezekiah. Look in your Bible for the book of Hezekiah and you will not find it. Why is it not found in your Bible? Because it does not exist! The book of Hezekiah is a fiction. Look for this verse in the Bible and you will not find it anywhere!

Does that surprise you? Here's something more astonishing... a very well known charismatic and inspirational preacher, Pastor Greg Laurie from Harvest Fellowship in California quoted this very same verse in his radio sermon "A New Beginning" aired on July 8, 2010. When I heard him quote this as being in the Bible, my jaw literally dropped! I could not believe that a supposedly learned spiritual leader would quote this as a Bible verse! What in the world are these preachers teaching?

To the contrary, the Word of God says in Jeremah 17:5 "Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD." and Proverbs 28:26 says "He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered."

So are we to put our trust in ourselves and not on God? Are we self-reliant and self-sufficient? Not according to the Bible. Psalms 121:2 clearly states it "My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth." And Psalms 28:7 says "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him." The Bible is full of verses that teach us that God is our only source and without Him, we are helpless!

If you have not read your Bible, you can be easily misled. Please be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11, who searched the scriptures daily to confirm what they heard.

Here are a few verses that also comes from the fictional Book of Hezekiah:

"Money is the root of all evil"

"Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."

"Cleanliness is next to godliness."

"You can be so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good."