Proverbs 18:21: . . .the
tongue can kill or nourish life.
Theophostic (God’s light) is a type of prayer developed by Dr.
Ed Smith. Satan, particularly when we are young, has used other’s sins against
us to embed lies into our hearts. In Theophostic Prayer, we ask Jesus to first identify
the lies and then speak his truth into those memories.
The untruths may be overt or covert. For instance, when a
young man fails to pull himself up on the rings in gym class, and his father
says, “You’re a wimp;” that’s overt. The father tags the young man with an identity
of weakness, while what actually happened was one particular failure. The lie would
be clear to a thoughtful observer but the son may not realize its destructive effect
for many years.
A mother who is there after school but rarely asks about our
day, usually deposits the lie “You’re not important.” That’s covert. The feeling
of worthlessness is first; putting those emotions into words may also take
years.
Satan seeks those he can devour. He works subtly, lying in
wait for the helpless. Who is more helpless than a child? If a parent speaks lies, either openly or by behavior, a child hears truth,
without stopping to think.
As adults, we can ask Jesus to help us think. When we
find lies, we can ask for truth. Jesus, God’s light, wants us to know truth
in every part of our hearts. Only his truth nourishes life.
See the Theophostic website for more information.
Jesus, thank you for your light and your truth.
