Theophostics is the new wave entering the church, mainly the evangelical/pentecostal realms. It truly amazes me that these so-called "Spirit-Filled" assemblies are the ones that are propagating some of the most ungodly and unbiblical heresies in the church. These very ones that boast of being the "spiritual" ones because they posses the gifts. It appears to me that the very gift (discernment) that they should be exercising most prominently is the one being left out. There are two teachings below that I must agree with in their content but I would like to provide my own beliefs regarding this very dangerous teaching. Below is the simple approach that I like to use when countering beliefs such as theophostics. I try to keep it simple and centered on Biblical passages. The other two teachings below go into much deeper detail and they are great but please consider the simple approach below. In Christ, Adam Bartlett

Notice in this verse that Jesus does not sit down with this man and go back into his past to find out the origin of this sin. He did not ask him to recount his childhood or think back to a previous memory that may have contributed to this condition. The man was born that way. I wonder what Theophostic's answer is to all those born with birth defects or retarded individuals. I guess then we would just have to go back to the parents and blame them for some unresolved memory that they did not deal with. How absurd!

Quotes from Dr. Ed Smith
"We are told to nail it to the cross and claim our victory. The sad truth is that it does not work, never has, and never will. This teaching has simply left many wounded hurting people in bondage to their lie-based pain and in a perpetual cycle of defeat" (Smith: 64).

"Until we find freedom from these lie-based wounds, we will struggle with the consequential sins these wounds manifest" (Smith: 65).

We can choose to embrace logical truth in times of crisis, but generally we will submit to that which we "feel" is true rather that we "know" to be true. This is why people who administer Theophostic Ministry ask the person undergoing ministry what "feels" true, as opposed to what is true. What we feel is an indication of what we truly believe" (Smith: 82).

"Everything we know, feel, or are mentally aware of has its roots in a first-time experience" (Smith: 31). "For emotional healing, we need to identify three basic elements: the present emotional pain, the original memory containers; and the original lie(s)" (Smith: 32).

It is my understanding by the research I have done regarding this topic and speaking to those that I personally know that were involved in this teaching, the following. Theophostics may have initially started out with one line of thinking but it has branched into several categories. The core of all the branches of this teaching state that basically all problems stem from something in our past or childhood that we have not given up or been cleansed from. One branch believes that all physical and mental ailments derive from this belief of past occurrences that have not been dealt with. Another branch believes that all demonic activity in one's life whether possession or torment stems from the same root causes of past problems. There is another branch that believes that any type of anger, ache, pain, even common headache stems from something in the past that has not been dealt with. I personally confronted a pastor that was working on delivering a woman from demons for over 2 1/2 years! That's right 2 1/2 years to cast out demons from a person. That is a slap in the face to the power of God and the name of Jesus. This is how far this teaching can take people and also an example of how unbiblical and ungodly it really is. What really amazes me about these new teachings like theophostics is that they would have us believe that God willingly allowed His children to suffer all this time until this particular man revealed the cure! I would like to share my response to a woman from Africa that wrote me and tried to persuade me of how great theophostics is and how many people were freed from demon possession there.

Thank you for your letter and it is great that you are working with Youth for Christ. I can understand your position on Theophostics but unfortunately I cannot share the same enthusiasm about it. I have some friends that are involved in it and have been for years. From the very first time I heard of it from them I was very uneasy about the concept. The research that is on my site is not all that I know about this belief but it was what I felt best described my thoughts on the matter. It seems that in the Christian world today there is a burning desire for anything new that will give someone or some group the edge on how to market God. Like the Jabez phenomenon and many others. Unfortunately there are no gimmicks nor methods that will work if they are not supported by the Scriptures. There is absolutely NO Biblical support for the teaching of Theophostics, it is simply another gimmick that is being used under the guise of godly intentions. When Jesus was confronted with those that needed to be delivered by demons I do not recall Him asking the person to lie down and recount all the things in his or her past. I do not recall Him ever "counseling" with them to determine if the demon had reason to be there from some past experience. He simply used the power of His name, which is available for us today, and is the only prescribed way that He taught. There is not one place in Mark 16: 15-18, where Jesus instructed His followers to tell them to lie down and recount everything in their past! I confronted a "so-called" pastor that had been working with a woman for 2 1/2 years on getting the demons out of her. That's right, 2 1/2 years! That is a slap in the face of the power of God that He has granted to us as ambassadors of His name. In the same way it is a slap in the face to use any other type of tactics than what was commanded by Jesus Himself. The simplicity of the Gospel is a wonderful thing but it is when "MEN" get their hands into it that it becomes what we see today. I know that 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells me that when I came to Christ that ALL things became new and the OLD things passed away. There were no exceptions in that verse, there was no clause in there for Theophostics counseling to further cleanse me. I don't doubt that Dr. Smith may have had good intentions, but good intentions does not make anything scripturally sound nor right. You are giving credit to Theophostics for what you consider your betterment instead of God who deserves all credit. You will never be able to show me a scripture that supports "counseling" a demon out of someone. You will never be able to show me where "counseling" has more credibility than simply spending time in prayer and the Word. The Gospel is what changes people's lives not a gimmick in the guise of counseling. Simply the WORD of God. Thanks for your letter. Sincerely in Christ, Adam

Now I would like to provide the following scriptures regarding my beliefs regarding this teaching:

Matthew

I could continue bringing references from Philippians, Colossians, Hebrews and every other book in the New Testament, but I believe that I have made my point. The whole Bible teaches that our confidence and trust must be placed in the Word of God and it's power to deliver us. It was Jesus' blood that cleansed us and no counseling can ever improve on that. There is an old song the aptly sums it up, "What can wash away my sins? NOTHING but the BLOOD of JESUS. What can make me WHOLE again? NOTHING but the BLOOD of JESUS."

Theophostics is a teaching that tries to combine counseling with spiritual cleansing and goes against every scripture listed above and many more. It goes against the main principal and foundation that further cleansing is needed aside from the Blood and power of Jesus and His name. It borders on hypnosis and has no place in the Christian world. I sincerely pray that anyone that has read this material will find ALL the confidence they need in the Complete Word of God and all Sufficiency in the Blood of Christ.

In Christ, Adam Bartlett

I have done some research on this topic and found some studies that are very good as describing exactly what this teaching entails. The following information was pulled from those studies, it is not my information but I do agree with what these men have written.

The fruit of theophostic counseling is bad. For that matter, so is the fruit of much of the baptized humanistic counseling theories and practices introduced into Christian pastoral care today.

Dr. Ed Smith has elaborated a system of psychotherapy that he believes is a direct revelation from God.

Anthropology: Smith believes that the mental and emotional problems of man are the cause-effect result of early life experiences of environmental trauma. For Smith the sins of man come from the outside and his salvation comes from the inside. This is exactly the opposite of what scripture teaches. He speaks of "echoes of long suppressed (possibly repressed) memories" that are "buried deeply in the inner recesses of the mind." He laments that "often a person will not make the connection between their present state of being, current troubled relationship, compulsions, addictions and other symptomatic behavior and their unresolved historical woundedness," and he emphasizes "revictimizing the person with their trauma." For Smith, people surely were born originally innocent and have problems or cause problems because they were victimized. He seems devoid of any meaningful understanding of original sin and the sin nature. From this fundamental basis all else in his system follows. It would seem unlikely from his writing that Smith truly understands the fundamental problem of man and how he is saved by God from eternal punishment.

Sanctification: In a section heavily laced with Scripture, most of which is interpreted to suit his personal notion, sanctification is presented as a work performed by man. He says that "my soul/mind stays the same unless I choose to renew it"; that sanctification "is not a process of becoming more like Jesus because we are already as much like Jesus as we will ever be," but is "a revealing of what already is"; and that "transformation occurs when we reprogram the conscience with truth." This is an example of a very common problem even amongst evangelicals. All too many have a notion that sanctification is a work solely of man that he does upon himself. This leads to all manners of methods and techniques by which men seek to purchase from a market place pre-packaged fruits of the spirit already ripe and shiny. This is part of the appeal of Dobson and others who offer ladders of virtue, which people are to climb using their own determination and will power. This is a very attractive heresy in our age.

Mind-Heart-Soul-Spirit: Here Dr. Smith simply has not done his homework very well. He elaborates a concept of these terms from his exegesis of Scripture, which is incomplete and erroneous. His version, however, is fundamental to the methods of TheoPhostic counseling. The most important flaw is his assertion that man can know with his "mind" the content of his "heart-soul-spirit" with reliability and credibility. He, as expected, then asserts that the mind of man can re-program the heart-soul-spirit and achieve the goals of therapy. This of course is in violation of Jeremiah 17:9-10. This is the same error found in all the other insight-oriented psychotherapies and gives rise to the various methods and techniques of gaining such insight as Freud and Smith advocate. Smith speaks of "flowing" and "drifting" where Freud spoke of free association. His view of heart-soul-spirit also dovetails with his view of sanctification and undergirds the works methods of the TheoPhostic counseling he advocates.

Building on the above basic notions, Smith then elaborates a theory and method of counseling. His theories and methods are Freudian, except that they are decorated with scriptural vocabulary.

Environmental Determinism: Mentioned above is this fundamental notion of environmental determinism. It has been a lie from the beginning and has plagued the church since the days of Pelagius. Freud advanced this idea in his theory of early life trauma. He did not see man as "originally innocent" but that has been the post-Freudian twist on his ideas. This view, of course, supports the search for the original traumatic experience, the core experience, the perpetrator, the oppressor; leads to notions of victimization; and results in little more than a desire for revenge and empty bitterness. It also leads to the popular, but wrong, notion of unilateral forgiveness so common in Christian counseling circles today. In this view of environmental determinism, man is not responsible for his troubles or his troublesomeness; it is somebody else’s fault. Smith evidences this in the quotes mentioned above.

Psychic Determinism: Smith has accepted "whole-hog" the Freudian conception of the dynamic unconscious. To a large degree this depends on his fatal misunderstanding of heart-soul-spirit, what it is, how it works, and how accessible it is to man. He speaks of man being in "bondage" to "long suppressed (possible repressed) memories," "historical wounds we carry," and "the root lie" needing to be discovered and exposed. He says, "The memory producing the pain is buried deeply in the inner recesses of the mind," and, "Until we find freedom from the historical wounds we carry, we will struggle with the symptomatic lies these wounds manifest." The methods he advocates are all designed to get inside the unconscious, discover what is there, and change it. Again this is all dependent on a wrong view of what Scripture says about our out-of-awareness mind.

Insight: Smith says we need to "identify the historical memory picture which matches the emotional echo," to find the "mentally encoded account of the memory event buried deeply in the inner recesses of the mind." He instructs people to immerse themselves "deeply into the painful memory and tell themselves the lies which are causing so much pain." He believes that "until the root is discovered and exposed, very little change will occur in the person’s present life." He also heavily depends on the Freudian notion of the cryptic expression of the repressed unconscious in dreams, emotions, affects and relationships. As such, he notes numerous methods by which he gets "clues" to what the "root issues" are. He lists as clues "headaches" and says that "every emotion we feel in the present is a preconceived interpretation" and that "you must act as a detective and follow the clues left behind at the crime scene." He identifies specific emotions as tip-offs and says that "each of these categories [of core traumatic experiences Smith calls "lies"] produce their unique emotional discomfort." He advises that we "listen closely to their words and phrases and watch their non-verbal actions" and notes that "often present feelings are ‘secondary emotions.’" Freud called these "screen memories." Smith also advocates the same emotionally-laden cathartic experience championed by Freud. Smith, like Freud, says that the more dramatic and emotional these "release the pain" experiences are, the more "true" and right-on they are. For Smith credible, reliable insight into the unconscious is not only possible and desirable; it is essential. This is one of the pillars of the insight-oriented psychotherapy industry. Scripture says exactly the opposite!

Therapist: Smith develops an entire rationale for the necessity of a specially trained, specially gifted, elite sort of therapist who is absolutely required for troubled people to get at the core of their problems and transform themselves. He says, "Finding a memory picture is not too difficult in most cases. You will have to work your way around the client’s misunderstanding of what he believes is the source of his feelings"; "Sometimes it takes a lot of work to get to the original lie"; and, "You will have to act like a detective." In addition, Smith exposes how he gets the client to buy into his system of therapy. In the "Preparing the client" section, he reveals that he is "Confident in its effectiveness," "informs the clients of all the great results," creates the client’s "sense of expectation," and "provide[s] the client with an overview of the process." These represent the standard methods for convincing customers used throughout the psychotherapy industry. Smith also lists numerous special techniques he has discovered to allow him to get at the repressed "lies" supposedly causing the client’s problems. These are too numerous to list, but the impression is created that someone with special skill is absolutely required if anybody is going to get better.

Pleasure Principle: Smith claims that Christians should never experience "negative emotions" and that "there is no instance in life where these negative emotions are righteously appropriate." For Smith such emotions are to be viewed as "symptoms" of mental problems. Again, using numerous Bible verses, he evidences a minimal understanding of the conscience and entirely misses the idea that "negative emotions" could be a signal given to us by God to indicate that we are in trouble with Him! Smith’s goal, then, is to therapize away "negative emotions," a notion not at all surprising given his wrong view of sanctification. His view also evidences a misunderstanding of God’s purpose in suffering.

Like the psychotherapy industry, TheoPhostic Counseling would lead people away from spiritual growth and maturity, since sanctification always involves "negative emotions" and suffering.

Truth for Smith is what works, what feels right, and what leads to a "good outcome" for his clients. He is not concerned with and openly devalues "logic" as getting in the way of the search for insight into the unconscious and makes such statements as: "I do not ask how true it logically may be, but rather how true does it feel"; "You do not want them to reason out the truth/lie or use their logic"; "The problem with believing a lie is it may as well be the truth because the consequences are the same"; and "When you sense a person is creating truths for themselves, you will need to intervene and have them refocus on the darkness of the lie, memory and emotion." With TheoPhostic Counseling people are led from rational logical thinking into the darkness of their original memory and led to embrace their faulty thinking. Smith says, "Keep them out of this room of logic"; "I suggest statements that contain his thoughts and words and ask him how true they feel"; and, "Now I encourage them to immerse themselves deeply into the painful memory."

For Smith "the only logical source of truth is divine." In other words he uses the ancient maxim, "All truth is God’s truth," the same way many Christians use it: If man thinks something is true, then God must think it is true, and thus it must be "of God" because God is truth. Relying on this false application of an attribute of God, Smith not only justifies his system of therapy, but claims that, when he leads people to the "dark rooms" of their soul and instructs them to "listen for the voice of Jesus," what they hear is truth that will immediately "heal" them. He says, "I am excited that Christian counselors have a divinely dynamic method of helping people find instant release from the painful memories that bind them," and, "I do not limit my thinking to how God should act or heal. I simply watch the bottom line . . . the truth is He is God and He is capable of doing it anyway He chooses."

God can, of course, do what ever He chooses. If, however, Scripture is true and reveals to us the attributes of God He wants us to know and be sure of, we can be certain that God would never operate in the ways that Dr. Smith says He does in TheoPhostic Counseling. Similarly, we can be sure from Scripture that Satan could operate in the ways Dr. Smith advocates. Dr. Smith has surely been deceived. His teaching is false and false teachings are to be exposed.

Dr. Ed Smith, is the founder of Theophostics. Ed Smith has 17 prior years of experience in psychological counseling. Ed Smith coined the name and this methodology that he has called "Theophostics" (i.e. "God"-"light"). Ed Smith says it was a direct revelation from God to him in 1996. The implication of this is that God waited nearly 2000 years while "hurting" people stumbled about in their emotional pain, waiting for Ed Smith's (or rather, God's) breakthrough in psychotherapy.

Theophostics has an enticing story of success, with many personal testimonies. Thophostic practitioners, and those who have their conscience seared by the practice, will often have quite a few New Testament scripture citations. Ed Smith would almost have you think that those scriptures were especially written nearly 2000 years ago for such a time and methodology as this. Jesus said they would, come in My Name. So we should indeed expect a disarming recitation of a standard statement of the Christian faith. We should also expect a denial that this is just another method of psychotherapy, visualization, or guided imagery. Theophostics is presented as nothing less than a breakthrough in Christian counseling.

But it is just another demonic attack on the integrity and sufficiency of the Christian faith, and an open door into the spirit world of the occult.
To begin with, Ed Smith, leads his clients to go where we are told, as Christians, not to go: The PAST.

The Apostle Paul says, THIS ONE THING I DO, this ONE thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. (Phil 3:13-14) I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me IN Christ Jesus. All of us, who are of full age in Christ, should take such a view of things.

Paul also writes "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Cor 5:17)

Born-again saints are to be NOW, and forward-lookers, not backward-lookers. The only exception is a sin, in your past, that requires restitution or reconciliation. That fruit of repentance demonstrates to those whom you have wronged, that your repentance is genuine and godly. That is a good witness.

Other than that, there is nothing of value back there in the past to dwell on.
It cannot be over emphasized that the idea of digging into the past is totally foreign to the whole counsel of scripture. There is not one single instance, let alone teaching, of digging into the past to deal with some hidden or perceived emotional trauma, in the entire bible. The only exception is that of exposing sins committed for the purpose of challenging the sinner to repentance.

Other than that one exception, the entire Word of God is always to disregard, discard, and forget the past. Born-again people are to focus on the present and the future.

What is psychology about? It is the wisdom of man. The majority of psychology practitioners are godless atheists, agnostics, secular humanists, skeptics, and sexual perverts. Psychologists have used their godless imaginations, over the last century, to explain man's spirituality APART from God. Psychology is pseudo-science. As a professional engineer, I know the difference between pseudo-science and true science. I can only give an opinion on psychiatry as pseudo-medical practice.

The disguise of pseudo-science allows psychology to creep into the churches. Many have had consciences seared. The church has been enticed into man-centered, rather than Christ-centered teaching and counseling. Psychology is based on the foolish and vain inventions of secular mystics. It all started with the teachings of Sigmund Freud, just a century ago. Do any Christians know what a reprobate is? In a person it was Sigmund Freud.

But what does the bible say? " Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and VAIN deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." (Col 2:8)

Where is Christ Jesus in such teaching? Such teaching and counseling always puts man, the sinner, at the center of God's plan and love. The subject Christian is then taught to go AGAINST the Word of God. He is told to look inward at himself. He is taught to look backward at his PAST. The entire Word of God teaches man to look outward and forward. The Bible teaches to look towards our fellow man and Christ. The Word of God teaches us to look forward toward our heavenly calling. The Bible teaches us to be full-time worshippers of God. The Bible teaches us to be DOERS of the Word of God, and thereby partake of His glory, which we DO NOT deserve. The truth is that we deserve hell for our sins. The truth is that Jesus Christ died for SINNERS! Alleluia! I am a redeemed SINNER.

We need good preaching regarding sin. That is nearly impossible today, when the church does not know the DIFFERENCE between the LAW of Sin and Death, the LAW of Moses, and the ROYAL LAW of God.

Man is not a victim. Man is a SINNER. Fallen man has been deceived by the devil's evil plans. Yet, man is completely responsible and accountable for his sinful behavior. Excuses make you a worker of iniquity. Mat 7:22-23 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

The Blood of Yeshua makes you a REDEEMED SINNER. Why do we allow anybody to tell us it is NOT our fault? Why can anyone in a "so called" Christian church be allowed to say that we will NOT be held accountable for violations of the Royal Law of God?

True repentance and peace with God is not attainable through psychology. It will only make you FEEL good on your way to HELL. Is that MERCY? Is that LOVE? If it is, just call me "No Mercy Searcy."

Repentance for any VAIN (inward focused, self focused) creature, and we are all vain creatures, is IMPOSSIBLE without the GRACE of God. Until sinful man is fully convinced in his heart, of the fact that he is deserving of punishment, he will not repent. Man must be fully convinced, that without the Blood of Jesus, without REPENTANCE, condemnation is a slam dunk.

God cannot lie. Hell is the penalty for every evil act, and every evil intention, against the Royal Law of God. No man will find God’s GRACE apart from that conviction. Do you FEEL bad? Alleluia! Your conscience may not yet be seared. Run to Jesus!

It makes no difference whoever else was involved in whatever conspiracy or sin that took place. You are the one you have to keep out of hell. Forgive them! Move on. The Word of God tells us not to play with the past, and the VAIN deceit, and cunning craftiness of men.

The basis of psychology is AGAINST the Word of God. The basis of psychology is against the Bible regarding the total depravity, that fallen man must come to understand, to find the GRACE of God. Psychology opposes the hopelessness of every man’s sinful condition. Psychology sears the conscience regarding man’s desperate need for salvation.

Show me the psychology book where you can find: " As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes." (Rom 3:10-18)

There is no one righteous, not even one. Where is that to be found in the psychology text books that Ed Smith studied.

Dear friends, call me "No Mercy Searcy." I cannot but tell you the truth that I have found from the Word of God. That truth is, that no matter how "hurt" or how "victimized" you FEEL, how victimized you are, or how victimized you may have been, you deserve, and have deserved every bit of it. And that pain is just a small taste of the horror and terror of hell, which is unrelenting, eternal, and irreversible, if one ends up there. God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. However, God is not going to wring His hands at the prospect of sinful man going there because man refuses to admit he is a SINNER. Rather, as Creator of all things, including hell, He planned it that way as the just penalty for falling short of His righteousness, and His glory.

In hell the unrepentant and unbelieving who have been abused or victimized by Satanic rituals, or any other horrible thing, will join the unrepentant and unbelieving Satanic abusers of people. In hell there will be great wailing, weeping, and gnashing of teeth at the FOREVER torment. FOREVER can be really good or really bad. No in between. We MUST make the right choice on this one. I say choose life, even if it HURTS for a little while.

Hell will be full of those who chose the FEEL good psychology path to hell. The broad way of psychology leads to hell. Feeling good does not make it good. Feeling right does not make it right. Doing what God says is right, makes it right. In choosing the good feelings of psychology, did they reject God's offer of forgiveness of SINS through the cross of Jesus Christ?

No temporal pain of abuse and victimization will be remembered in hell. Hell is FOREVER. The agony of hell will far surpass any experience in this life. Let us therefore endure whatever affliction. We must give up the focus on self, and focus on Yeshua and others. Forget the PAST temporal pain of abuse during our short temporal lives. And if we do not choose to forget it by pressing on to the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, we will long to return to that light affliction. Because it will seem trivial compared to the agony and torment of hell. Review what Jesus said about a certain rich man and Lazarus, in Luke 16, if you think I am exaggerating.

Jesus Himself dealt very directly with the question of victimization:
"There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." (Luke 13:1-5)

The "breakthrough" does NOT come by convincing yourself that you are a VICTIM of your PAST and the evil acts and schemes of OTHERS. Is breakthrough another word for victory? The breakthrough comes when you realize just how great is God's love, His mercy, and His compassion. He took upon Himself the full punishment that you deserved in your worthless, ugly, depraved state of existence. That is TRUE Breakthrough. That is REAL TRUE Victory.

Then how incredible, how totally awesome, how amazing and wonderful the full pardon for sin, the gift of eternal life, and the heavenward calling becomes. The GREAT JOY of God’s love comes only to those who comprehend the depths to which they have fallen, and the utter hopelessness of their sinful condition. The abused and victimized believers will, in heaven, forget the pain of their short temporal lives. HEAVEN is FOREVER. In heaven, no one will remember the passing pains of this life. In heaven, we will dwell with God and see Him face to face, and know Him as we are known. The joy of worshipping Him will wipe away all tears.

The psychologists and psychiatrists want you believe God’s Word lies about the nature of man. They would have you believe that man is inherently good. The vain deceit of theophostics would have you believe that man is a victim of his past. Theophostics would have you believe that evildoers are sick, not sinful. Psychology teaches that one should have high self-esteem, instead of low self-esteem and high God-esteem. Psychology teaches that one should have a feeling of self-worth, rather than God-worth and self-worthlessness. Psychology teaches that one should have a good self-image, rather than a good Christ-image and a bad self-image.

Such teachings are from the pit of hell. Some man of God must have enough knowledge and regard for the Word of God to say so. Such teachings are void of the fear of God. The vast majority in today’s chruches, 98% according to Elijah, are going to hell feeling good about such blatant contradictions of the Word of God. It is grievous to see pastors and men of God, who are supposed to KNOW the Word of God, embracing such doctrines of devils. The methods and philosophy of psychology have contaminated the church. No wonder so many who are REALLY hearing from the Lord are hearing Him say Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Let me tell you, it is vain deceit to preach that to love others you must first love yourself. The broad way to hell has all the good FEELINGS of high self-esteem, self-worth, and self-image. Such blatant contradiction of the Word of God does not come from the Spirit of Truth and Holiness. Such philosophy cannot be "christianized." This stuff is flat out secular mystic’s lies, with a "Christian" vainer or not. SELF IS THE PROBLEM! We are creatures of VAINITY.

Pastors and shepherds are unfaithful to lead and counsel those in their own flock. They are sending them to the wolves Jesus warned us would be wearing sheep’s clothing. These "professionals" spent years leaning the world's philosophy, and not after Christ. They receive this ANTICHRIST philosophy as providing great insight into people's problems. Sheep are being sent by pastors to the "professional" conscience searers with the hotter irons.

Christian bookstores do not seem Christian to me now days. Look at the teaching tapes, videos, and the shelves of Christian bookstores. More and more one will find teachings that focus the believer on himself. Books, self help books, how to deliver yourself from your problems. The "Christian" coating gets thinner and thinner. How to heal your wounds, how to find your inner fulfillment? What ever the problem there are a half dozen new books to make you FEEL better about yourself. Does anybody ever die daily anymore? Does anybody get crucifed with Christ any more? Does anybody present their bodies as a living sacrifice anymore? That may not FEEL good. But 2 Tim 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. CHILD OF GOD, IT IS HARD TO HURT A DEAD MAN. Heaven is not that bad.

Yet what does the scripture say? "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. (2 Tim 3:1-8)

TODAY’s Modern Growing and Going Chruch. They are "lovers of themselves." Lovers of themselves is number one in a long list of sins that would characterize the church of last days. You can bet they sing pretty and feel good, they have "a form of godliness but denying its power." Did they "CREEP" in, Oyveh! The spirits that make them FEEL so good are the spirits of Jannes and Jambories, NOT the Spirit of Truth and Holiness.

So Ed Smith got Theophostics from God? Not the God of the Bible. Theophostics has a miracle method that the Word of God would call a pretended sign and wonder. For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. Ed Smith claims he has been given revealed light from God. Which God? Satan can come as an angel of Light. (2 Cor 11:14-15)

Ed Smith has "lie-based theology." The Bible has "sin-based theology." His basic premise, that man is good, and is a victim, is BIBLICALLY FLAWED. Ed Smith infers that "hurting" people must deal with their PAST "wounds." Ed Smith infers that the "sin-based theology" of the Bible is a legalistic effort of man to overcome sin through self-effort.

"Lie-based theology" is then offered as the better alternative that says that sin is precluded by deception and at the heart of all sinful behavior in the Christian is a lie or deception. "I sin because I have been deceived."
Ed Smith mixes his flawed theology with statements of orthodox Christian doctrine. A good false doctrine always does hide the error in a mix of truth. The sound biblical statements have the effect of disarming the student and convincing him that the method is "biblical." But the focus remains on the lie of "lie-based theology."

I saw a reprint of an example Theophostic "counseling" session. For that reason I would not have the book in my house if what was reported to be on page 84 of Ed Smith's manual "Beyond Tolerable Recovery: Moving beyond tolerable existence, into genuine restoration and emotional inner healing. Theophostic Counseling" (1st Edition). You may buy the book, you may think it is Christian but I won’t spend the Lord’s substance on that kind of trash. GARBAGE!

Ed Smith’s Theophostics presupposes that we must go back in the PAST to find the "lie" that is hidden somewhere in the "dark room" of their deep subconscious. His technique then goes into his method to generate an altered state of consciousness. The client is to let their mind drift into the past, until the "lie" (which must be there, says theophostics) is discovered in a dark, hidden place. Then there's this "stirring up the darkness" where the client to is to focus on the "lie" and repeat it over and over, re-feeling and re-living the pain and emotions that are associated with it.

Good technique for inducing an altered state of consciousness. The occult has perfected such techniques. The eastern mystic religions also use such techniques to produce the altered states of consciousness.

God Forbid that people can think such things are Christian or Biblical. The one part of his being that a Christian will never surrender control of is his mind. The self control fruit of the spirit must be most diligently applied regarding the mind. We are to take every thought captive to the mind of Christ. We are to gird up our minds 1 Pet 1:13. We are to have our mind renewed by the Holy Spirit of Truth. You empty your mind in these days and you may be sure a demon will fill it. Mysticism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and the occult will empty the mind and go for an altered state of consciousness. No way will the Christian, who knows the Word of God, go for an empty mind or altered state of consciousness.

The most basic knowledge of the wiles of the devil, should see a blatant obvious demonic entry. The devil attempts to create a scenario where God cannot be, seduce the counselee victim into a hypnotic trance, entice him into throwing away his ability to reason out of it, create enough feelings of evil that a Holy God would never associate with it, eliminate the possibility that God would enter by presumptuously commanding that God come when he calls, then inject a counterfeit Jesus-spirit guide to take control of the subject and induce a "high." Success is then proclaimed, because when the counselee comes out of it, he FEELS delivered and healed. What has really happened? His conscience has just been seared with a hot iron. He has given the most serious GROUND for demon possession.

The Jesus-apparition/presence encounter is the most frightening part of all of Theophostics. Theophostics can have God at your beck and call. A Jesus appearition is always available when ever you say. Oyveh!

Satan is a master of wiles. What bothers me, is that supposed men of God, supposed of full age in the Word of God, could bring such into their churches. Satan comes as an angel of light. One of the devils favorite wiles is to impersonate God. He still labors in that delusion. Ed Smith’s Breakthroughs and great victories are great victories of the devil. The breakthrough is the seared conscience that comes with giving ground to a very STRONG DELUSION. Yet, the Word of God tells us even the very elect would be deceived if it were possible.

Ed Smith’s Theophostics gets very quick results because he is fast tracking to the searing of the conscience effect of demon possession. He ties right into the high power transmission lines, tapping right into the supernatural powers of the occult. Most conventional methods use humanly contrived procedures over a long period of time to get a person to feel good about themselves and their own desires. Ed Smith does not need the extended weekly visits of a few suckers. He is not getting people addicted to counseling and psychoactive drugs in his process. He is fast tracking in giving ground for demon possession and the seared conscience to boot.
No doubt business is booming for Theophostics, for Jesus said FEW would enter His straight and narrow way, of the cross, of trials, of persecution, of suffering.

Knowing that the Word of God tells us such things were coming in these last days, is part of the reason why we have the GJiGT unabridged version of "War on the Saints" available on the www site. I gave Henry Gruver a copy. Henry was specifically asked to judge and find any error or departure from sound doctrine. He said he read it. He said he found no fault with it.

Satan is a deciever. He comes as an angel of light. Jesus told us Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy. The devil first deceives a person. Satan lures through lust of the flesh or some other object of human desire. The devil gets one to listen to him instead of God, and very often will give a person what they desired. Then, God's protection is lifted. Satan will then hurt him and unless the ground given is taken back, destroy that soul in hell.

The Theophostic method gives tremendous ground to the realm of the occult for demon possession. The bait or object of desire, which is a good feeling about one’s self, concerning one's past, is granted. But with a stronghold established, the devil will then attack the person in some other way. The attack will likely be in a way that is totally unrelated. Theophostic victims and practitioners will not make the connection. Ground is given and remains. The end may be infinitely worse off than when he started. Theophostic breakthrough is a victory for demons by getting the person to focus on SELF. Self is the problem. You are not delivered because you FEEL good about your self and have a better self image. Wow, they even call it Self Image. Could Self Image be an IDOL?

The way John ended his First Epistle is a fitting close to this. 1 John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.