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Soul Ties
destinyimage.com
Most people use the term soul tie to
refer to connections linking people. Soul ties are not necessarily sexual or
romantic.
It is not uncommon for individuals to form
attachments with counselors, physicians, coworkers, teachers, or even
celebrities they have never met.
Soul ties are emotional bonds that form an
attachment.
However, contrary to what is commonly believed,
soul ties are not always links between individuals. We can form an ungodly
attachment with any person, place, or thing.
Individuals can be overly
attached to pets, possessions, or anything else imaginable: “…You are a
slave to whatever controls you” (2 Peter 2:19 NLT).
“They traded the truth about
God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of
the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise!” (Romans 1:25 NLT)
The Will of God
We are created to need an intimate relationship
with God and are truly fulfilled when we are in union with Him. Any desire or
love that hinders us from doing the will of God is an inordinate, or lustful,
affection.
When our soul functions as God intended, we are
submitted to Him spirit, soul, and body. We then experience the peace of His
presence and abide in Him.
“I am the vine, you are the
branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me
you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Jesus, our pattern, “made
a decision to be controlled only by God, and no one else, even those whom He
greatly loved. We must do the same, determining not to allow even loving
relationships such as family or friends to draw us into a state of disobedience
to God. Anything less than full, total and immediate obedience is
disobedience.” (Bill and Susan Banks, Breaking Unhealthy Soul-Ties)
Anything less than full, total, and immediate
obedience is disobedience.
Refusing to be in bondage to family and friends,
Jesus never submitted to selfish desires or tried to prove Himself to man.
Jesus also rejected the pressure of the devil in
the wilderness.
First, Jesus was tempted in His body:
“And when He had fasted forty
days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the
tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these
stones become bread.’ But He answered and said, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not
live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:2-4).
Next, Jesus was tempted in His soul to
validate His own identity and function apart from His Father’s timetable:
“Then the devil took Him up
into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, ‘If
You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: “He shall
give His angels charge over you,” and, “In their hands they shall bear you up,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Jesus said to him, ‘It is written
again, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God’” (Matthew 4:5-7).
By giving in to selfish desires, we worship self
and thereby worship the devil.
Finally, Jesus was tempted in His Spirit to
do the will of the devil rather than the will of the Father. By giving in to
selfish desires, we worship self and thereby worship the devil:
“Again, the devil took Him up
on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world
and their glory. And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if
You will fall down and worship me.’
“Then Jesus said to him, ‘Away
with you, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and
Him only you shall serve.” Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and
ministered to Him” (Matthew 4:8-11).
Jesus declined to submit Himself to an ungodly spirit.
He refused man-pleasing, self-pleasing, or acting at the behest of an evil
spirit.
He was in bondage to no man or devil.
Finally, in the Garden of
Gethsemane, Jesus refused the temptation to cling to His own life for
self-preservation when He brought “His flesh into submission to His
Spirit, which was already in obedience unto the will of God.”
Instead, He exclaimed, “Father,
if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but
Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).
God doesn’t want our soul in bondage to soul
ties that turn our heart away from Him.
God doesn’t want our soul in bondage to soul
ties that turn our heart away from Him. God desires to restore our soul that we
might be able to seek Him with our whole (entire) spirit, soul, and body…
We cannot be obedient to God’s command to serve
Him with all of our soul if we lack possession of a complete, whole soul!
“Now may the God of peace
Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul,
and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
God doesn’t want our soul in bondage to soul
ties.
Above all else, we are called
to be in union with God and be yoked together with Him. “Take My
yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29).
If our soul is tied to an ungodly soul tie, it
has departed from commitment to God and linked itself to another influence.
Just as a baby is joined with his or her mother
by the umbilical cord, Jesus uses the analogy of a vine and branches to
illustrate our vital connection with Him.
He is the True Vine and we are branches joined
to Him for supernatural life, sustenance, strength, and fruit bearing.
We must not only be obedient to
God but should be completely dependent upon Him as well.
Jesus says in John 5:19, “Most
assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but
what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like
manner.”
Likewise, He tells us, “Abide
in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it
abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you
are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit;
for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5).
Soul ties may be grouped into two broad
categories:
(1) relational (people) or
(2) idolatrous (places or things).
Our primary soul tie should be union with God.
He is our source and life.
We were made for Him and designed to cleave unto
Him.
When our soul is free from ungodly bondage, we
are free to serve Him with joy and perfect obedience.
Dennis
and Jen Clark
Dennis
and Dr. Jen minister together as a husband and wife team, pastoring Kingdom
Life Church in Fort Mill, South Carolina. They are also founder/directors of
Full Stature Ministries. Dr. Jen holds a Th.D. in theology and B.S., M.S. and
Ed.S. degrees in psychology.
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