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Unhealthy relationships can be a source of bondage.

Breaking Ungodly Soul Ties

It was a clear August morning, and I was driving to see my grandparents. Suddenly, a prayer came into my spirit for a teenager whom I knew to have an unhealthy codependent relationship with his mother. “Lord, cut the apron strings,” I prayed aloud. I hadn’t been thinking of the young man or his mother, and that prayer was not even a phrase I’d typically use. In my spirit, it was crystal clear that God had initiated the prayer. If I needed confirmation, it came 45 minutes later when I was sitting with my grandmother, and she expressed a desire to hear a song she’d known in her youth. “It was called ‘Tie Me To Your Apron Strings Again,’” she said.

In previous posts, we discussed the nature of soul ties and where they are referenced in scripture. As Peter Horrobin said (who has ministered in deliverance for over three decades), “relationships can be a source of either bonds or bondage,” depending on whether they are God-given or ungodly, respectively.

How does a soul tie work?

Scripture says to “put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity” (Col. 3:14). It also talks of the “bond of peace” in order to preserve unity (Eph. 4:3). Many other scriptures talk of being yoked, joined, knit together, bound, and “two becoming one flesh.” The Bible says, “he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him” (1 Cor. 6:17, ESV). What a thought!

Think of a soul tie as a channel or a conduit between individuals. If the bond is godly, it can be a source of strength, power, revelation, and spiritual authority. A husband has influence over his wife (if I have any kind of affliction, I almost always ask my husband to pray over me first because I know I’ll get results). Parents have authority over their children. A pastor has authority over his flock.

The example of a soul tie as a conduit was exemplified through an elderly woman describing her husband who had just passed away. “He had this sharp, recurring pain in his left ear for the longest time,” she told me. “They could never diagnose it. And ever since he died, I’ve suddenly been having pain in my left ear, too.” Those who minister in deliverance often talk of a transfer that can happen after death between two people who had a soul tie.

If the soul tie is ungodly, blessing is switched for bondage and righteous authority is swapped for manipulation. Any kind of abusive relationship reflects this. Friends of ours got married, but from the beginning they had problems because the husband, *Cole’s, mother exerted dominion in ways both subtle and overt. Cole would feel guilty if he didn’t do things his mother’s way, even though she lived two hours away. This lasted even after a child was born. Eventually, Cole and his wife divorced. While Cole’s mother claimed to love her son, it was her selfish interests that motivated her behavior and in the long run damaged both him and her grandchild. Likewise, Cole failed to recognize he had not truly “left his father and mother to cleave to his wife” (Eph. 5:31) and did not break the destructive tie.

Any occult involvement opens up a door for bondage. Yoga has become a common source of occult exposure in America. Interestingly, the word yoga means “union.” Christians who have practiced yoga need to recognize and renounce any participation.

Cutting ungodly soul ties

If the Holy Spirit is highlighting an unhealthy bond with someone or something, I encourage you to bring it before the throne of grace and be set free immediately. In this powerful prayer for deliverance, fellow TBLfaithnews author, Jake Kail, includes a renunciation and breaking of ungodly soul ties.

Please share how this information was useful to you or ground-breaking. Would it be helpful to see more on this topic?

*Not his real name

About Emily Tomko

Emily Tomko's radical encounter with the Lord while at a nightclub changed her life forever and inspired her first novel, College Bound: A Pursuit of Freedom. She is the author of seven books, including 31 Thoughts on Prophecy and Leaving the Shallows: igniting the faith that overcomes the world. Her tastes tend toward vintage and she's a Germanophile, having spent a year in Bremen and Nuremberg. Emily loves the scriptures and writes with fierce compassion and a deep desire to see people freed from the miry clay of this world and walking in the truth.

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4 comments

  1. Great article! This is an area we all must consider, and pray for courage to do what is right!

  2. Thanks, Lisa. Yes, it seems as we are open to teaching on this subject the Holy Spirit will highlight relationships and things that we’ve tethered ourselves to that He wants us to be free of. He’s certainly done that for me, praise His name.

  3. A very important topic.
    Human relationships are so complicated. This is why it is so important to stay close to our Heavenly Father. Making a decision to stay or to ‘cut the ties’ is a decision that requires guidance of the Holy Spirit.
    Thank you Emily for your praying heart.
    … Don’t you just love it when we so clearly get confirmation on that which we’ve felt led to do? 🙂

  4. Melinda, right on! And yes, it is really neat the creative ways God testifies of His word…He is such a delight.

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