2–Removing Blocks to Healing

A Healed Heart Is Full of Faith, Hope, and Love!

Dr. Mark Virkler explains in his CD called Seven Prayers That Heal the Heart how a healed heart is full of faith, hope, and love. In 1Timothy 1:5 (NAS), it says, “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience [produces hope] and a sincere faith.” Also, read 1Peter 1:22.

1Corinthians 13:13 (NAS) says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Dr. Virkler believes if we have any fear, worry, or anxiety, we do not have faith. If we have feelings of dread, mistrust, or despair, we do not have hope. And if we have feelings of ill will, contempt, or hate, we do not have love.

We must rely on the Holy Spirit speaking to our spirits to guide us through the healing process. More importantly, we need to confess our sins (1John 1:9) when we disobey God’s Word and forgive those whose sins affected us (Matt. 6:14-15; Eph. 4:32, and Col. 3:13).

BLOCKS TO HEALING THE HEART

Unforgiveness and unhealthy, false beliefs block healing and must be addressed and overcome for complete restoration. If they remain, they will block or inhibit God’s ability to heal the rest of the issues in your life. Your wrong thinking and false beliefs create these blocks. The next section explains the most effective prayer principle I have learned.

Loosing and Binding Principle

The loosing and binding principle is the most effective prayer method to remove the negative issues that block your healing. I learned this principle from Liberty Savard in her book, Shattering Your Strongholds. She explained how to verbally loose and destroy strongholds through the Holy Spirit’s divine power.

2Corinthians 10:3-5 (NAS) states, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses [strongholds]. We are destroying speculations [arguments, imaginations] and every lofty thing [judgments] raised up against the knowledge [truth] of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”

Take wrong thoughts captive using Matthew 16:19b and 18:18 (NAS), “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” The Greek meaning for “bind” is to tie or knit, and “loose” means undo or release. The Bible uses the terms “put on” for bind and “put off” for loose. All prayers are to include “In Jesus’ name” because John 14:14 says, “If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” But what we ask needs to be God’s will and align with His truth as we follow His instructions (1Jn. 5:14-15; 1Jn. 3:22-24; John 15:7). We know it is God’s will to heal our hearts and sanctify (set apart as holy) our lives with the truth (John 17:17).

Unhealthy thinking, false beliefs, and vows are the speculations, arguments, imaginations, and judgments described in 2Corinthians 10:4. Take these wrong thoughts captive and eliminate them by acknowledging you have them, then verbally put off the specific wrong thoughts and false beliefs. Next, bind in the truth to replace the wrong thinking.

When I struggled with the same wrong thinking and false beliefs, I realized I had to release the resentment (negative stress) from the painful memories. Otherwise, the resentment recreates the unhealthy beliefs and strongholds again. Next, I transformed the painful memory by replacing it with a positive image of thankfulness. You can also think of Jesus comforting you in the memory or another happy thought.

Below is a biblical example of loosing and binding you can turn into a personal prayer by making the pronouns personal.

Colossians 3:8-16 (NAS), “But now you [I] also, put them all aside [loose]: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your [my] mouth. ⁹[I] Do not lie to one another, since you [I] laid aside the old self with its evil practices, ¹⁰and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him [me]– ¹²So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, [I] put on [bind in] a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; ¹³bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has [if I have] a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you [me], so also should you [I]. ¹⁴Beyond all these things, [I] put on [bind in] LOVE, which is the perfect bond of unity. ¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your [my] hearts, to which indeed you were [I was] called in one body; and be thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you [me], with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Emphasis added by author. Also, see Eph. 4:22-32.

OVERCOMING UNFORGIVENESS

Unforgiveness rarely hurts the person we refuse to forgive, but it always hurts us, which is why it blocks healing. Forgiveness is essential for healing because it releases us from the power of wrongful actions or offenses. Forgiving does not excuse wrong actions but sets us free to heal and move on. Do not to replay your inner tapes of anger and guilt over bad memories, failures, humiliations, and the sins of others against you. Forgive those involved, including yourself if necessary, and set loose the power those memories have on you. Liberty Savard said, “Your past only functions as a part of your life you have learned from and overcame. It is your reference point to show the magnitude of what God has done for you so you can show others what He will do for them” (Savard, 1992, p. 82).

To learn more about the power of forgiving please read the following: WORDS HAVE POWER—Part I: The Power of Forgiveness and WHY SHOULD I FORGIVE

If you find it hard to forgive, then pray: In Jesus’ name, I put off the spirit of unforgiveness from my heart, and I bind into my heart Your power and grace to forgive. And, I bind to my mind the following truths:

TRUTH FOCUS STATEMENTS

I believe in Jesus and receive His forgiveness, and I believe He will help me forgive others who have sinned against me (Acts 10:43).
I can forgive for my own sake, and I receive God’s love and put my trust in Jesus, who forgave me and gives me eternal life (John 3:16).
I can forgive others who sinned against me, and I accept forgiveness from God for my sins (Matt. 6:14-15).
Forgiving heals my heart so I can be kind and tenderhearted (Eph. 4:31-32).
Forgiveness sets me free from offenses and opens my heart to love (Col. 3:12-14).
I surrender my desire to punish, fill my heart with Your love so I can bless those who hurt me (Rom. 12:14).
I can control how I respond to every situation. I choose to have compassion for myself and others (Col. 3:12-14).

OVERCOMING UNHEALTHY BELIEFS

A false or unhealthy belief is a lie about the true nature of reality, and we need to shine truth into our hearts to correct these lies. For example, if you believe you are not worthy of love, you believe in a lie. Drs. Loyd and Johnson believe we learn our wrong beliefs in three ways:

1) We learn them from negative experiences from which we then draw faulty conclusions and generalizations.

2) We learn them from our parents, teachers, and peers who pass their wrong beliefs on to us by word and example.

3) We inherit them, which I will give examples of in the “Breaking Free from Strongholds” page.

The following are nine categories of unhealthy, destructive beliefs that will distort the way you view your life. The primary unhealthy beliefs from The Healing Codes Manual, p. 55 are:

I am unlovable. I am insignificant. I am flawed.
I am hopeless. I am worthless. Life is hopeless.
Something bad will happen. The future will be like the past. I’m not okay.
Something must change right now for me to be okay.
People will take advantage of me. People are too sensitive.
I am bad. I am not good enough. I am unforgivable.
People are out to get me. I must be in control. It’s not fair.
People must think well of me for me to be okay.
I can’t do it. I am not capable. Others should do it for me. It’s not fair.

These beliefs cause us to live in self-destructive ways, and they create stress in our bodies that lead to illness and disease. If you don’t know your unhealthy beliefs, pay attention to what you say to people and how you react to stress. Also, review Dr. Virkler’s third prayer area in the next section. Bind in the following truths to your heart and mind or other biblical truths that may apply:

TRUTH FOCUS STATEMENTS

I am worthy of being loved because I have been made complete in Christ and I am a new creation (Col. 2:10; 2 Cor. 5:7).
I am valuable because I am made in the image of God; this makes me significant (Gen. 1:27).
My future is full of hope because God has begun a good work in me, and He will complete it (Phil. 1:6). I am His workmanship created for good works (Eph. 2:10; Phil. 2:12b, 13).
I am okay because, by God’s mercy, I am transforming my mind and renewing my spirit through the Holy Spirit and God’s Word. (Titus 3:5b).
I am transformed as I set loose and put off my unhealthy beliefs, and renew my mind with God’s truths. And I put on a new self, which is the image of Christ (holy and righteous) Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:10; Rom. 12:2; 1 Thes. 2:13.
I can submit to God and give Him control of my life, and I take every thought captive and choose to believe all the truths in the Bible (James 4:7-8; 2 Cor. 10:5).
I can see the truth and act on the truth of the Bible (John 17:17; I Peter 1:22).
I can give thanks in everything and will not be anxious about anything but always pray and give my concerns to God (Eph. 5:20; Phil. 4:6; 1 Thes. 5:18).
I will prosper as I trust in the Lord, and I will not be afraid (Prov. 28:25; Is. 12:2).
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13).

DR. MARK VIRKLER’S
SEVEN PRAYER FOCUSES

The following seven prayer focuses by Dr. Mark Virkler address areas that also block healing. These prayer focuses helped me conquer automatic reaction programming that controlled how I reacted to perceived stress.

Pray any or all of these prayer focuses for each negative issue you want to overcome. First, ask God to remove obstructive spirits that may keep you from hearing the Holy Spirit speak to your spirit. Then, ask God to reveal the answers to the following situations and questions. Do not focus on your rational thoughts but on the still soft voice of the Holy Spirit and any images or visions He may give you. Pause and patiently wait. Journal your answers.

Break generational sins and curses: Generational issues prevent healing. See Exodus 34:7. For example, my mother was an angry woman. Her mother and father were angry people. Their parents were angry people. My sisters and I were angry people. Generational issues are often passed down as sins or curses which we inherit. 1Peter 1:18a (ESV) states, “Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited [handed down] from your forefathers.”
Sever soul ties: Soul ties occur when you enter a covenant with another person. For instance, they form with anyone you had sex with, had a partnership with, or with ungodly best friends (see 1Sam. 18:1; 2Cor. 6:14-7:1; and 1Cor. 6:16). Soul ties need to be broken off or loosed from your soul because they allow the other person’s evil spirits to influence your life. When I broke the soul ties from my past relationships, I felt a noticeable difference.
Replace negative beliefs–Fruit/Root Principle: One way to uncover negative expectations (beliefs) is by tracing backward from the undesirable fruit (behavior) to the original offense (resentment). Since offenses are often repressed, ask God what the root offense is. He will show you so you can then remove it through prayer and repentance. Reading self-help books will reveal unhealthy beliefs and wrong thinking. They may also come from word curses spoken by yourself or others. Some examples are: “I will probably fail. I will most likely end up in divorce. Nobody likes me. All politicians are evil. A godly person can’t succeed in business.” Have you had these thoughts?

Ask yourself the following questions:

“Lord, what negative confessions come out of my mouth?”
“Lord, what negative expectations are in my heart?”
“Lord, what things do I believe that does not line up with what the Bible and the Spirit are revealing to me?”
“Lord, what expectations rob me of love, joy, and peace?”
“What expectations keep me from giving thanks for all things and in every situation (Eph. 5:20 and 1 Thes. 5:18)?”
“What negative dreams or thoughts have I been having?”

Ask God to remove the revealed negative, unhealthy beliefs, then bind in positive, healthy beliefs He shows you.

Renounce unhealthy inner vows: These are promises or statements based on a negative experience to protect you from emotional pain. For example, the Israelites confessed over and over the unhealthy vow that they were going to die in the wilderness (Num. 14:2). The Lord responds in Numbers 14:28 (ESV), “Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the LORD, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you.’” They received what they believed and confessed.

Questions for discovering the need to renounce inner vows:

“Lord, what do I promise I will do?”
“Lord, what do I promise I won’t do?”
“Lord, what do I promise about myself?”
“Lord, what do I promise about others?”

Receive divine visions: Traumas leave negative pictures (memories) that produce negative emotions. Unhealthy emotions have undesirable behaviors. First, forgive those involved in the hurtful memory. Next, pray to release resentments. (I [Joyce] replaced these memories with a thankful thought concerning the issue.) Or have a vision of Jesus comforting you or shielding you from further hurt or imagine your heavenly Father hugging you (Rom. 8:35-39; Eph 3:18; 1John 3:1).

Break word curses: Word curses cause destruction in our lives and create invisible barriers to keep us from experiencing God’s blessing. Proverbs 18:21 (ESV) says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Words have power. Pray something like the following: (___ [fill blank with relevant response].)

Lord, what word curses have I spoken or have others spoke over me that may have contributed to the problem of ___? (For example, “You dummy!” “You’ll never make it in the field of __ !” “You are such a loser!” “What a moron!” “You are so lazy!” “You’ll never amount to anything!” “I am not worth being respected or loved,” or other demeaning nicknames. Lord, in Jesus’ name, remove the word curse of ___ spoken to me by _(persons’s name)_. I forgive them. Remove the resentment created by that memory. I replace that word curse with the positive belief that I __. I am thankful that You see me as valuable and significant (list other truths). Amen.

Remove attached demon or evil spirit: Ephesians 4:27 tells us not to give the devil an opportunity or foothold. 2Timothy 2:26b (NAS) says, “They come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” 1Timothy 3:7 (NAS) says, “And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”
For example, demons influence us or attach themselves through the following footholds: continuous sin; addictions; traumas; faulty belief systems; involvement in false religions; fears/phobias; immorality; pornography; occult involvement; self-pronounced curses; unforgiveness; and soul ties. When you repent and submit your life to Jesus, He will free you from the footholds you allowed in your life. Acts 10:38 (NAS) says, “He [Jesus] went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.” Read Psalm 143 to learn how King David overcame oppression from evil spirits. When God heals our wounds and removes our resentments, the demons no longer have power over us. I can personally testify that this is true.

About 1/4 – 1/3 of Jesus’s prayers for healing were demon deliverance prayers, see Mark 9:14-29. An example of being healed of evil spirits is found in Luke 8:2, “And also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out.” The commission for Christians to cast out demons is given in Matthew 10:8; Mark 3:15; 6:7,13; 16:17-18; and Luke 9:1-2. Mark 6:13 explains, “And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.”

Ask yourself:

“Lord, what compulsive pressures are within me?”
“Lord, what sins can I not defeat?”
“Lord, what stumbling blocks occur over and over in my life?”
“Lord, what obsessive thoughts do I have about myself or others?”

Visit Dr. Virkler’s web page for more details: CLUSchoolofthespirit.com/prayers

Four ways to have victory over Satan:

Resist Satan and submit to God by speaking the truth from God’s Word by faith, and he must flee. All victory is in believing and practicing the truths of God (see Matt. 4:1-11; Eph. 6:11-17; Jms. 4:7; and 1Pet. 5:8-9).
Hold fast to your testimony of Christ’s work on the cross for you and the protection of His blood. Revelation 12:11a (KJV) states, “And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Remember what Christ’s blood bought for you; a new spirit, eternal life, freedom from sins control, a new birth into God’s family, and destruction of the works of Satan in your life.
Put on the armor of God because the Bible tells us in Ephesians 6:12-17 (NAS) to “Put on the full [whole] armor of God, so that you may be able to stand firm against the wiles [schemes] of the devil. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the powers [authorities], against the world forces [cosmic powers] of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness [evil] in the heavenly places” (author inclusion is from the ESV translation).
Exercise your authority in Christ: Colossians 2:9-10 (NAS) says, “For in Him [Jesus] all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him, you have been made complete and He is the head over all rule and authority.” When Jesus Christ is Lord of your life, you have Christ’s authority to destroy the devil’s work in your life. Have you confessed that you are a sinner and received Jesus’ sacrifice and forgiveness for your sins? Have you asked Him to come into your heart and to be your Lord and Savior? If can answer yes, then you are made complete and have the Spirit of God in you. Therefore, you now have Christ’s authority over all unseen evil spiritual forces in heavenly places. Luke 10:19 (NAS), Jesus says, “Behold, I have given you the authority to tread on serpents and scorpions [demonic spirits], and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.”

I experienced retaliation from demonic spirit(s) when I transformed a heart issue that caused sinful behavior, or when God healed a soul wound. Sometimes it was an unexplainable physical pain or an attack on my peace or my family’s peace. Through Christ, we have the authority to rebuke evil spirits and command them to be gone from ourselves and our families and never return in Jesus’ name. Discern if you have demonic spirit attachments each time you go through healing.

As you overcome the blocks to healing and renew your mind with truth, you are perfecting holiness (2Cor. 7:1) and purifying yourself as He is pure (1John 3:3). And as you heal through these prayers, you will see an increase of good fruit in your life (2Peter 1:2-10). I am encouraged when I read my prayer journal and see my progress. Though sometimes, I must repeat a deliverance and healing because God shows me another layer of the problem needing transformation.

THE PRAYER THAT BEGAN MY
HEALING JOURNEY

Before praying this prayer, cover yourself with God’s spiritual armor in Ephesians 6:13-17 and light. Romans 13:12b (ESV) says to “Put on the armor of light.” I recommend praying the following prayer each time you want to heal negative issues. For the blank underlines, insert I, my, me, or myself or another person’s name and pronoun. The following is my modified version of the “Training Wheels Prayer” by Liberty Savard:

“Lord, I’m standing on the truth of Your Word. You said You would give me the keys to the kingdom, that whatsoever I would bind on earth would be bound in heaven and whatsoever I would loose on earth would be loosed in heaven (Matt. 16:19). In the name of Jesus Christ, I bind __’s body, soul, and spirit to the will and purposes of God for __ life. I bind__ to the blood of Jesus, that __ will never take it for granted and would be constantly aware of its miracle-working power to restore, heal and keep __ safe. I bind __ mind, will, and emotions to the will of God and to the truth of God that __ would not be deceived by the many subtle deceptions of the world and the devil. I bind __ mind to the mind of Christ, that the very thoughts, feelings, and purposes of His heart would be within __ thoughts, and not to react out of __ own human, carnal thoughts when situations arise suddenly, but to think and act as Jesus would have __ act. I bind __ feet to the paths of righteousness that __ will forsake what is evil. I bind __ to the work of the cross with all of its mercy, grace, love, forgiveness, and dying to selfish desires and motivations and to be more like Him.

I loose every old, wrong, ungodly pattern of thinking, attitude, idea, desire, belief, motivation, habit and behavior from __. Reveal to __ any wrong desires, attitudes, beliefs, ideas, patterns of thinking, and habits, so that __ can repent and loose them specifically and be set free. I tear down, crush, smash, and destroy every stronghold associated with these things that would keep __ from being completely surrendered to the will of God for __ life. I loose any stronghold in __ life that has been justifying and protecting hard feelings against anyone. I loose the power and effects of any harsh or hard words (word curses) spoken to __, or about __, by __. I pray that God would protect and guide __ and set angelic forces at work to break up every scheme of the enemy so __ can be in sweet unity with You. In Jesus’ name.” (Savard 1992, p. 171)

3–Breaking Free From Mental Strongholds

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Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com, and ask for a PDF of “Eight Prayers from the Bible.” The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, non-believers, 23rd Psalm, and victory. Please leave your name so I know you are a real person making the request.

P.S.: Experiencing a lasting change in your life depends on having a right relationship with God the Father through believing in His Son Jesus Christ and obeying His command to love (1 John 3).