Is the positive-thinking teaching that you can become whatever you want just by thinking it contrary to the Bible?
Yes. Scripture rejects the idea that a believer can become whatever he wants merely by thinking it. A believer must acknowledge that in himself he is nothing; only in Christ can he become anything. Paul teaches that from the old Adamic nature nothing good exists, so self-effort thinking cannot produce spiritual good.
Les teaches that the positive-thinking idea that you can become whatever you want just by thinking it is contrary to Scripture. He shares that a good friend got wrapped up in motivational tapes, and he warned him that a believer never takes that approach: “I can be whatever I want to be if I just think it.” A believer instead says, “In myself I am nothing,” but in Christ can become anything. Les ties this to Paul’s point that from the old Adamic nature there is nothing good: the will is present, but how to perform good is not found. The answer, he says, comes in chapter 8 with the Holy Spirit.