Cleansing Streams Unscriptural Nonsense

Cleansing Streams

Unscriptural Nonsense

Although some of the authors concepts I do not necessarily wholeheartedly agree with, the majority if this expose is sound doctrinally.

The work of the Father through The Lord Jesus Christ is a FINISHED work in every believer the moment he is accepted in the beloved.

This is and has always been of the undeserved and unconditional love of God and as in Romans 5, it a gift of God minus any works to earn it, or to allow it to continue in our lives.

We through the renewing of our minds, or the finding out about this incredible gift of salvation are then able to enter into our position in the Godhead as one spirit with the living God, totally accepted in the beloved not according to our righteousness but His!

The blood of Jesus has already not only forgiven us of all our sin past present and future, but we have been born again and are new spirits, whose voice, our conscience, is also clean and clear of all unrighteousness, once and for all.

Done done all done.

So who are these that would insert themselves in between our true mediator, between us and God the Father, Jesus Christ and why?

You tell me!

They are either ignorant of the true righteousness of God, or are purposely making merchandise out of the people of God, being taken captive by these at their will.

Paul Otta

Quoted from

letusreason.org

Chapter Nine

Johnny sat alone in his apartment with his thoughts running wild. "Why didn't I manifest a demon? Maybe I need to go through the program again?" Johnny remembered he hadn't checked his answering machine since coming home from the retreat, so he leaped out his favorite chair and went into the bedroom. 

"Hi Johnny, this is Larry. Remember me? I haven't heard from you in a couple of months and I was wondering how you are doing. Why don't you give me call soon? Remember we were going to do lunch? Call me. Thanks." 

Johnny looked for Larry's number and picked up the phone. "Hello Larry? It's Johnny!" 

"Hey Johnny! How are you doing? I've been thinking about you a lot lately. What have you been up to?" 

"Well, I just finished the Cleansing Stream retreat. I just got home about fifteen minutes ago and just listened to my messages." 

"How did the retreat go?" Larry's voice echoed concern. 

"All right I guess. I don't know. I don't think anything happened to me." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I didn't manifest a demon and I'm not sure what my problem might really be. Nothing happened. I just got prayer and nothing happened." Johnny shoulders slumped and his body felt weary from lack of sleep. 

"Johnny, I can hear that you're pretty tired. Why don't you get some sleep and we will talk sometime tomorrow. How about lunch? Are you up for it?" 

"Yeah, let's do it. Where do you want to go?" 

"I know a great place near your house. Do you like Italian food?" 

"Sure, who doesn't!" 

"Great! I will give you directions and meet you there around noon." 

The air was warm and a slight ocean breeze whipped through the city; it was another typical day in Southern California. Johnny felt better after a good night sleep and waited anxiously for Larry at the restaurant. Larry arrived and both were seated outside on the patio. 

Larry jumped right into the conversation. "Johnny, I am concerned about your involvement in the Cleansing Stream." 

"Really? How come?" Johnny was caught off guard by Larry's forthrightness. 

"I don't believe the Scriptures teach that Christian's are demon bound, or that Christians need deliverance." Larry spoke with compassion, but his voice was firm. 

"Larry, aren't you just are being ignorant of Satan's devices? I have seen Christians manifest demons! Besides, how could someone like Jack Hayford be wrong? I don't know much, but I trust Jack!" 

"The issue isn't about trusting Jack Hayford. The issue is biblical truth and this program is not in accordance with what the Bible teaches about sanctification. I know you are young and have not studied that much, but you need to search the Scriptures and test this program. Good men like Jack Hayford and others can be in error." 

The waitress hated to interrupt the conversation, but coughed slightly to make her presence known. "Hi guys. We are having a great lunch special today. It is spaghetti with our special meat sauce, along with a salad, roll, and a drink for $4.95!" 

"Mmm. . . that sounds great!" Larry looked at Johnny with a nod. 

"Yeah, make that two." Johnny quipped. 

The waitress finished taking the order for dressings and drinks, and soon left the two to continue the conversation. 

"You know Johnny, I really care about you. I know that you might not understand my objections, but this is part of growing in Christ. You have to begin to exercise discernment. I wish I could say that everything out there in Christianity was biblically sound, but that is not the case. We have to study and hold fast to truth. There will always be men who pervert truth. You need to watch yourself." 

"I agree Larry, but this program quotes from the Bible. How am I supposed to know better? I can't take you around with me everywhere." 

"I know. This is why you have to learn how to interpret the Bible for yourself. I've been through Bible college and I can give you some materials on how to study the Scriptures. There are principles that we use to arrive at the meaning of the text. You will see that this program does not follow those principles very well at all." 

"All right, so what do you think my problem really is Larry? I struggle with lust and pornography. I do things I hate! I feel like I am bound in my sin, just like Cleansing Stream tells me. If they are wrong, then how am I supposed to get free from this? What is going on with me? Johnny's voice conveyed desperation and deep emotional struggle. 

"Johnny, this is what the Bible says about sanctification . . ." 

The struggle with sin is a real battle for Christians. Some find that they are not often victorious in an area(s) in their life and thus begin to wonder what is wrong with them. It is often in this state of vulnerability that a program like Cleansing Stream can seem like a Coast Guard helicopter arriving to help a stranded boat being tossed on a stormy sea. While the motives for seeking help are plenteous, the sad reality is that Cleansing Stream is the last thing that struggling or strong Christians need. 

The Corinthian church to which Paul wrote was a church plagued with problems. From factions to incest, this church needed strong counsel from the Apostle Paul and they received it. Yet in his counsel, remarkably Paul never tells the Corinthian believers that they need deliverance, or that they are bound with hooks! Instead Paul reminds them, 

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, not idolaters, not adulterers, not homosexuals, nor sodomites, not thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. (Emphasis mine)(76) 

Look at this list of sins! Yet Paul reminds the believers that they have been washed, sanctified, and justified. Clearly the power of the Gospel and the miracle of regeneration has made these believers new creations. A believer in Christ has been set free from the dominion of sin and is no longer called by the sin trait that used to dominate his life. A believer is now called a saint and is told to live like one, not to be delivered from demonic control. 

This truth is proclaimed in Romans 6:1-23, which is the believer's "emancipation proclamation." Paul writes to the Roman Christians, "knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin."(77) For a believer the battle with sin has been won in Christ, as Paul states, "But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness."(78) This truth should cause the heart to leap for joy and to praise God for what He has done through Christ. The Christian is free! This truth must not be watered down. The Bible declares the old man dead and the believer free from the dominion and slavery to sin. Paul declares this truth again in Colossians 3:9-10, "Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him." The old man is dead and the believer must know this truth. 

It is precisely because the old man is dead that the believer is given explicit instructions on how to live a Christian life. Paul declares in Romans 6:11 "Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Here is the key to progressive sanctification. A believer is to know that he is dead to sin, out from its dominion, and now he is to reckon that fact as truth in his life. What does it mean to reckon? To reckon is to account something as true; it is to consider and believe what is said. Commentator Leon Morris states, "Perhaps here 'regard' or 'recognize' would help us understand that Paul is arguing that his readers should come to see the truth of their situation."(79) Paul's use of reckon is a command and the present tense he uses speaks of the action being a daily ongoing process. Every day the believer is to reckon or count himself dead to sin and alive to God. 

Thus Paul enjoins the believer to action based upon the truth of his new situation. Where once the believer was a slave to sin and under the dominion of sin, he is now free from the dominion of sin and is to account that fact as truth and begin to live in the freedom that Christ has won for him. The command is based upon the fact and the order must not be reversed. The believer does not strive to break sin's dominion. The dominion is already broken! The believer is to live every day as the new and free person that he is. It is only because the believer is a new creation and has died to sin that he can be commanded to no longer let sin reign. The slave has been liberated to serve a new master. Therefore, the old way of life (sin) is incompatible with the new.(80) 

The Method of Sanctification 

The believer is to know and to reckon that he is dead to sin and alive to God. This is the fundamental truth of sanctification and this is the ground from which the believer launches his assault against sin. The method of sanctification is the putting to death the deeds of the body as Romans 8:12 says "For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." Paul teaches plainly that believers are to put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit. The deeds of the body are also the deeds of the flesh, these are the sins that characterized the old man. Here is the rub for many, the subject of the verb "put to death" is "you."(81) It is the believer's task to put to death the sins of the body. This might seem like an impossible request and it would be if it were not for the Holy Spirit. Thankfully, a believer has the Spirit and has been freed from the dominion of sin. Therefore the believer has the very power of God on his side to put to death sin! It makes no sense for a believer to say "I can't" when the Scripture declares that he can and is to be doing it daily by the Spirit. 

Paul describes the battle between the flesh and the Spirit in Galatians 5:16-17 saying, "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things you wish." What does it mean to walk in the Spirit? To walk in the Spirit means to walk under the control of the Spirit. It is living every day controlled by the Spirit which results in the fruits of the Spirit. It is to walk in love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In Galatians 5:16 Paul made a very emphatic statement, "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." The "shall not fulfill" renders an emphatic negative in the Greek language. What that means is that Paul stated as strongly as possible the impossibility of fulfilling the lust of the flesh for the one who walks in the Spirit.(82) Again the believer is confronted with the absolute possibility of putting to death sin by the Spirit. The flesh is no match for the Spirit. 

A believer should feel very comforted and confident that the power of sin has been broken. There is hope in the battle to daily put off the deeds of the body, but this does not minimize a Christian's struggle. The struggle with sin is real and Dr. John MacArthur is very helpful here, "Paul does not promise immediate freedom from sin's harassment . . . on the contrary, he speaks of a continuous struggle with sin, where he is persistently, perpetually 'putting to death the deeds of the body.'"(83) Though a believer struggle with sin, he can and is to be victorious since Christ has freed him from its power. 

The Means of Sanctification 

A Christian is to put to death the sin in his life. The power to fulfill the command is found in the current standing of the Christian. The fact that the believer is free from sin's dominion is the force behind the command to not let sin reign in the body. The believer is empowered by the Holy Spirit and is to put since to death. With the Holy Spirit there are other very helpful and essential means that the believer should be using in his war with sin. 

The first means in the war with sin is the Word of God. The Bible often witnesses to its own adequacy in helping a believer walk in sanctification. Consider the passage in Psalm 119:9-11 "How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word . . . . Your word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You." Another passage that is helpful is 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." Finally there are the words of the Savior, "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth."(84) It is in the Scriptures that the believer learns of the wonders of Christ and the extent of the power of salvation. To neglect the Word is to stunt growth that is in no other way possible. 

The second means in the war with sin is prayer. Jesus taught prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 and specifically mentioned that a believer should pray, "And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." The believer is to be a man of prayer and needs to heed the command of Christ. An example of the believer's need for prayer is found in the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus went to pray. Jesus was asking his disciples Peter, James and John to watch with Him as He prayed. Instead the disciples slept and Jesus warned, "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."(85) Believers need to be people of prayer and need to humbly acknowledge their dependence upon God for protection from temptations in which they might stumble into sin. The prayer Jesus taught his disciples also looks for protection from the evil one Satan. This calls to mind the words of Jesus in Luke 22:31-32, "And the Lord said, 'Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." There is a demonic element that believers can face and at times do face, yet these trials are not internal demonic hooks that need exorcism. The good news is that believers have a High Priest named Jesus Christ who is in heaven. The call for believers is to pray! They are to be watchful in prayer and to entreat God for protection. 

The third means in the war with sin is to be filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 declares, "And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit." This call to be filled with the Spirit is essential for the believer's walk in Christ. The filling of the Spirit is a continual action that means to live a life controlled by the Spirit. Believers are to yield themselves to the power of the Spirit of God, but this is not passivity. Dr. MacArthur states, 

In other words, it is worth repeated reminders that Christians cannot abandon their own responsibility and passively wait for God to mortify sin on their behalf. The Spirit-filled life is active, vigorous, working endeavor, where they work out their own salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12). When they obey, they then discover that it is actually God who is at work in them "both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (v. 13).(86) 

Living a life that is Spirit-controlled is where the believer finds the strength to obey the commands of put off what characterized the old man and put on what characterizes the new man. 

To some this might sound like a whole lot of theory and no practice. Often the biblical view of sanctification described here is considered "simplistic" and not practical in the "real world." Biblical sanctification teaching is like "telling a blind man that he can go ahead and see." The difficulty lies not in the Scriptural model of sanctification, but in today's model of pastoring and counseling which often better reflects a psychologist's office or a motivational speaker's litany. Some have never seen solid biblical counseling and thus deduce that there is no such animal and that it doesn't work. Others have languished under poor or nonexistent biblical teaching and thus have never heard or reject biblical sanctification in favor for what is popular today. What is presented here is what Scripture teaches regarding sanctification. Paul never commands believers to minister deliverance to each other when there is sin. Scripture does not know Cleansing Stream's model of demonic sanctification. 

Notes

76. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. 

77. Romans 6:6. 

78. Romans 6:17-18. 

79. Leon Morris "The Epistle to the Romans," Pillar (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988), 256. 

80. Some might want to object at this point, "This is way too simplistic!" Some think that the problems faced today are of a different cloth and that this biblical model is not adequate to handle the problems of modern society. This objection is false and only the biblical model will bring true freedom to believers. 

81. The verbal ending is plural (you'all) and refers to the "brothers" addressed in verse 12, but the principle and application for believers can be singular (you). This is not a passive sanctification that waits for God to come and take sin away. There are some who believe that God must deliver them from their sin and anything else is just wasted effort. This means that they indulge in the sin and make no real effort to kill it. An example of this is found in Christians who know that smoking is a sin in their life but are not willing to throw out the cigarettes. How about Christians who are overweight but will not stop eating ice cream? These ones are waiting for a deliverance rather than being obedient to what God would tell them to do. It is easier to have God "take away" the sin than to put it to death. It is easier to "be delivered" of a demon than to obey the command to put sin to death. 

82. Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 468. Wallace states that an emphatic negation rules out the idea as being a possibility. 

83. John MacArthur "Mortification of Sin," The Master's Seminary Journal (Spring 1994): 12. 

84. John 17:17. 

85. Matthew 26:41. 

86. MacArthur, op. cit., 18. 

Chapter Ten

Larry finished explaining some of the facets of sanctification. "Your problem Johnny is not demons, but your flesh. You are a new creation and the dominion that sin exercised over you is now finished. The struggle you are engaged in is the war to put to death those things which categorized your old way of life. Sins like lust do not magically disappear! You can't cast out the flesh! I know that you have heard the testimonies of people saying that a spirit of anger or a spirit of adultery were cast out, but that is just flat out wrong." 

"Man, you have really hit home Larry. This is really difficult. I want to get this straight; are you saying that there is no such thing as a bound believer?" 

"Where do you find a "bound" believer in Scripture Johnny?" 

"I don't know, but the Cleansing Stream is really emphasizing that believers are bound. I guess at times I feel bound. How would you explain bound believers?" 

As it was mentioned early in the beginning of this paper, the enigma of "bound" believers is at the core of deliverance ministry. Often Christian ministers with large pastoral hearts want answers to the perplexing problems that plague certain believers. There are believers that appear to always fall into sin, and this has caused some ministers to give deliverance ministry a try. But throughout this examination of Cleansing Stream, the doctrinal foundations for what the program is doing have been precarious and most of the time nonexistent. Still the question is asked, "What about bound believers?" This question demands a biblical response. 

To start it is helpful to define just what Cleansing Stream means when it speaks about "bound" believers. The words of Tim Davis seem to help define this elusive group: 

One day while wrestling with these thoughts the Lord said, 'Tim, the problem is not with you,' and He began to layout the ingredients for preparing people for deliverance. When people walked through these steps, the cleansing began to take place on a more regular basis. Homosexuals have been freed, those bound in witchcraft, alcoholism, adultery, fear, and rejection have been delivered, and the words of Jesus, that He has 'come to set the captives free' have been experienced in many lives. (87) 

It appears that a bound believer is one who is living in some sort of repeated sin. These are ones who don't seem to get free from sin easily or never and thus this program steps in to fill the gap and get the believer free. But Romans 6:1 ff. declares the believer to be free from the dominion of sin from the moment of conversion on. The power of sin has been broken and the believer is commanded to put off the old way and walk in the Spirit. There definitely appears to be a contradiction here. Is a believer free from sin or not? What is going on with these believers? 

The tough question that needs to be asked is whether these "believers" are truly believers. This does not mean that any believer who struggles with sin is not saved, but the question is valid for those who continually live in sin. There is no room in Scripture for the habitual sinner to claim true fellowship with Christ. These are tough words, but Scripture bears them out. Consider the passage in 1 John 2:3-6, 

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. 

This passage aptly demonstrates the fundamental truth that believers do not live in sin. It is not difficult to imagine that what happens often in the Cleansing Stream is the misdiagnosis of a spiritual malady. A person is not a believer because they have raised their hands and bowed their heads at an altar call. To be a true believer is to have had a genuine conversion by God which will produce good works. The imprecise Gospel proclamations that characterize a large segment of the body of Christ have produced a whole generation of "defeated Christians" who are not really Christians.(88) Thus in one aspect what appears to be a "bound" believer is really a pagan with Christian religion. These ones are incapable of ever pleasing God or of being free from sin in their state of unregeneration. The call is to proclaim the Gospel accurately and have these ones look to Christ for their salvation which will produce the ability to put sin to death. 

But what if the person is truly a Christian? Can Christians struggle in a sinful condition? The answer is yes. Do they need deliverance? No! As with the tragedy of the lack of sound Gospel presentations to lost souls, so also is the tragedy of the lack of sound biblical teaching on sanctification in the pulpit. How do programs like Cleansing Stream gain a foothold in a church? The foothold comes when a church abandons solid expositional preaching and teaching of the whole counsel of God. The biblical model of sanctification is to put off sin and to put on righteousness, but these truths are not taught in their power and simplicity. If a believer is sinning then that believer needs to be taken through the Scriptures and to know he is dead to sin. From there he is to reckon himself to be dead to sin, which means he will fully consider what Scripture says to be true regarding himself. The power of sin and its dominion over him have been broken and his old man is dead in Christ. The sin which besets him can and is to be put off since he is a new creation. This believer is to present his members no longer to unrighteousness to sin, but to righteousness to God. This is the model of sanctification found in the Scripture. There is no command or instruction to tell this believer that his sin is from a demon and that he needs to renounce this demon foothold. This does not rule out that a believer cannot at times struggle with sin, but what the struggling brother needs is the love and help of a sound biblical pastor and church.(89) 

Often there are objections at this point because of a stereotypical picture of this type of biblical minister. The common stereotype of the biblical model believes that biblical pastoral counseling is done without love and excels at "throwing the Book" at the struggling Christian. But this is just an excuse made by some to evade the biblical model of sanctification. There might be uncaring pastors who "throw the Book" at others, but that does not invalidate the biblical model of sanctification. The struggling Christian must be loved and prayed with and counseled from Scripture. There might be moments and days when sinful habits seem to overcome a believer, but the believer must stand in his position in Christ believing firmly in his heart, "I am dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus my Lord!" This is not a ritualistic formula but a heartfelt declaration of truth. The believer is free from the dominion of sin and can and must put sin to death by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Cleansing Stream goes beyond Scripture and supplements its own program of demonic sanctification. This program must be rejected and the believer must take responsibility for his life and actions. Ultimately the assigning of sin to demons and the whole deliverance model is destructive. Dr. R. C. Sproul exclaims regarding this type of ministry, 

We have people saying that particular demons cause particular sins. There is, they say, a demon of alcohol, a demon of depression, a demon of tobacco and so on . . . there are demons for every conceivable sin. Not only must these demons be exorcized, but there are necessary procedures to keep them from returning on a daily basis. I know of no polite way to respond to this kind of teaching. It is unmitigated nonsense. Nowhere in sacred Scripture is there to be found the slightest hint of this kind of demonic diagnosis. These teachings cross the line into the sphere of magic and result in serious harm to believers who are duped by them . . . . Therefore, I say that with all urgency that believers must turn from those who teach such things. Indeed run, for your very spiritual lives.(90) 

These are sobering words. Dr. Sproul and others recognize the dangers of this type of error and warn emphatically against participation in it. A believer may sin repeatedly, but he is to be counseled from Scripture and to seek help from competent biblical counselors. 

Notes

87. Davis, 1. 

88. The Gospel in many segments of the Church is not accurately being preached. The message of sin and the call to repentance and faith are often never heard. What is commonly substituted is a weak message on the love of God. The preaching of the law must precede the preaching of grace. Christ is the Savior from sin, and the Gospel is the message of forgiveness of sins. A half-gospel invites stillbirths and produces pagans with Christian religion who wonder why they can't get free from sin. 

89. Yes, a sinning brother needs love. But this is not love by the contemporary definition of the word. Biblical love will rebuke and reprove those in error for their benefit. Biblical love does not allow blame-shifting of sin onto demons or generational curses or society. Biblical love is not psychologizing sin into dysfunction and thus excusing sin as an addiction. The believer must be loved enough to be told the truth and commanded to flee from his sin. 

90. R. C. Sproul, Pleasing God (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 1988), 90-92

Chapter Eleven

"Will that be all for you guys? I hope you enjoyed your meal." The waitress smiled and waited to drop the bill. 

"Are you done Johnny? Do you want some desert?" 

"Naa, I'm done." 

"Me too. Thanks, but we will take the check please." 

"You got it. Have a good day guys." 

Johnny sat for awhile trying to gather his thoughts. Lunch was only about an hour, but all that Johnny learned from Cleansing Stream was challenged as unbiblical. 

"Larry, I appreciate your taking this time to talk to me. I am not sure what I am going to do. What you have said has really caused me to think. I need to go home and study. If I have some more questions can you help me?" 

"I would be honored Johnny. I can even help you with some information on how to study your Bible." 

"Thanks, I definitely need it." 

"Search all that I have said in Scripture. Make sure you test everything by God's Word. Hey Johnny, give that back!" Larry reached out and tried to grab Johnny's hand. 

"Nope, I've got the bill on this one." 

Though the Cleansing Stream logo depicts a beautiful stream of water flowing by a healthy tree, upon closer examination this stream is found to be filled with toxic waste from a theological Chernobyl. The Cleansing Stream is a theological Marah which needs to have the tree of sound doctrine placed in it to make the bitter water sweet. In Johnny's case, he is blessed to have a friend like Larry. Many today are not so blessed. Often times believers are sheep who fall into the hands of a poor shepherd who leads them to drink from polluted streams. This author knows that the struggle with sin is real. There is no shortcut on the sanctification highway. Sin must be put to death and the mind must be renewed! The Cleansing Stream wants to step in and help believers, but it is actually doing the exact opposite and harming believers. The emphasis on Satan and demons is out of balance with Scripture and the methods of "cleansing" are flat out error. What Christians need is to return to biblical sanctification, not to have demons cast out. The Cleansing Stream should have a warning sign which says "Contaminated Water!" This stream is polluted and will harm any who drink from it. The call is to come out from this program and to hold fast to what God's Word teaches about sanctification. 

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