John Eckhardt - Loose Thyself

A Prophetic Word

Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall LOOSE in earth shall be LOOSED in heaven.

Matthew 18:18

Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: LOOSE THYSELF from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

Isaiah 52:2

T his is a prophetic word to the church that says, "LOOSE THYSELF!" It is a powerful verse that relates to self-deliverance. We have been given the power and authority to lose ourselves from all types of bondage.

Synonyms for the word loose include: to disjoin, to divorce, to separate, asunder, sever, unhitch, disconnect, detach, unseat, unbind, unchain, unfetter, unloose, free, release, liberate, break up, break in pieces, smash, shatter, splinter, demolish, cleave, force apart. It also means to forgive or pardon.

"Zion" is a prophetic word and symbol for the church. Isaiah prophesied that Zion would be a "captive daughter." This is so true of the condition of the Church today. Even though many are saved and have received the promise of the Spirit, there are still many bondages that remain in the lives of believers.

Self-Deliverance

The question is often asked of me, "Can a person deliver himself of demons?"

My answer is "Yes." It is also my conviction that a person cannot really keep himself free of demons until he is walking in this dimension of deliverance.

How is it that a person can deliver himself? As a believer (and that is our assumption), a person has the same authority as the believer who is ministering deliverance to another. He has the authority in the name of Jesus, and Jesus plainly promised them that believe: "In my name shall they cast out devils." (Mark 16:17).

Usually a person needs only to learn how to go about self-deliverance. After a person has experienced an initial deliverance at the hands of an experienced minister, he can begin to practice self-deliverance. (See Frank Hammond's Pigs In The Parlor, page 57).

The good news is that we have been given a prophetic promise and a command to loose ourselves. Jesus told his disciples that "whatsoever" we loosed on earth is loosed in heaven.

In the ensuing pages, we will examine the "whatsoever". In other words, whatsoever is binding, harassing or operating in your life, contrary to the will of God, can be loosed from your life because you have been given the authority to do so.

The range of things that can bind a believer is almost limitless. There are many bondages we can categorize that need to be exposed and broken in the lives of all believers. Once you identify the enemy, you can then proceed to free yourself from his clutches.

Loose Thyself From the Past

I have ministered to many believers who are still bound and tied to their past. The past can be a chain that keeps you from enjoying the present and being successful in the future.

While ministering deliverance to a young man, a strong spirit manifested who boasted that he would not depart. I commanded the spirit to identify himself , and he replied that his name was "Past."

The spirit proceeded to explain that it was his job to keep the young man bound to his past so that he could not be successful in his Christian walk. The young man had been through a divorce, and his past continued to haunt him.

This encounter helped to give me a revelation of the fact that there are numerous spirits assigned to people to keep them bound to the past that have left scars and wounds that have not completely healed. Many of these wounds have been infected and have become the dwelling places of unclean spirits.

People not only need to be loosed from demons but also from other people. Ungodly soul ties are avenues through which spirits of control and manipulation utilize when working upon their unwary victims.

Let's look at some of the things that could cause spirits to attach themselves to people who have had traumatic experiences in their past. For the purposes of clarity, we find the word trauma defined by Webster as "a disordered psychic or behavioral state resulting from mental or emotional stress or physical injury."

Traumatic experiences can open the door for demons. These can and often include accidents. Mentioned below are two such traumatic experiences which greatly affect the lives of individuals.

Rape

They have raped the woman in Zion, the virgins in the town of Judah.

Lamentations 5:11 (Jerusalem translation)

Rape is one of the most traumatic experiences a person can have. It is a violation that leaves deep scars in the psyche of the person who was victimized by this ungodly act. The door is opened for a host of evil spirits to enter and operate throughout the life of the victim.

Spirits of hurt, distrust, lust, perversion, anger, hatred, rage, bitterness, shame, guilt and fear can enter and torment the person for the rest of their life if not discerned and cast out. Rape can also be a curse, and there is often a history of this sin in the bloodline.

Rape has always been in the history of oppressed people. It was (and is) common for victors to rape the women of the vanquished. It is one of the most shameful and humiliating acts that can be perpetrated upon an oppressed people.

Often victims of rape carry sexual blockages into marriage including spirits of frigidity, bound and blocked emotions, hatred of men, and fear of sexual intercourse. Individuals can grow up with deep roots of bitterness that poison the system, opening the door for spirits of sickness and infirmity, including cancer.

Incest

Another common sexual violation is the sin of incest. Incest can also result from a curse and there can be a history of this sin in the bloodline. It is an act that causes much shame and guilt. It opens the door for all kinds of curses including insanity death, destruction, confusion, perversion, and sickness. Often the victim blames himself for this act even though it may have been the result of a seducing spirit.

Loose Thyself from Ungodly Soul Ties

Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

Genesis 49:7

The Lord separated Simeon and Levi because they exerted a bad influence upon one another. A soul tie is a bond between two individuals; the souls (minds, wills, emotions) of individuals knit or joined together. Ungodly soul ties can be formed through fornication (Genesis 34:1-3), and witchcraft (Galatians 3:1 ,4:17 ).

As mentioned earlier, people not only need to be loosed from demons but also from other people.

Father, in Jesus' name, I loose myself from all relationships that are not ordained of God. All relationships that are not of the Spirit but of the flesh. All relationships based on control, domination or manipulation. All relationships based on lust and deception. Amen.

Ungodly soul ties are avenues through which spirits of control, domination, witchcraft and manipulation operate. If you are linked with the wrong people you will be in bondage, often unknowingly.

It is never the will of God for one individual to control another. True freedom is being delivered from any controlling power that hinders you from fulfilling the will of God. Often those under control are unaware that they are being controlled. This is why many times the control is so difficult to break.

An ungodly soul tie will result in the presence of an evil influence in your life. While good soul ties help you in your walk with God, ungodly soul ties hinder you in your walk with the Lord.

Ungodly soul ties in the Bible include: 1) Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kings 18); 2) Solomon and his wives. They turned his heart away from the Lord. (1 Kings 11:1-4); and 3) Levi and Simeon (Genesis 49:5-7).