The Catholic Writers Guild

I discovered Neal Lozano’s book, “Unbound,” when our covenant community planned an Unbound Conference with him. About 50 of us learned how to cooperate with the Lord to gain freedom from the influence of evil spirits and then guide those coming to the conference in this prayer method.

We learned the five keys that unlock the doors we have opened to intimidating spirits and how to close them. The five keys are not complicated when we understand that not our power but the power of the name of Jesus accomplishes it all: Repentance and faith. Forgiveness. Renunciation of evil spirits. Taking authority over those spirits. The Father’s blessing. That’s the strategy that answers to our prayer “deliver us from evil, freeing us from the lies Satan tells to keep us from God’s plan for our life.

As we learned these keys, we tried them out on one another. Instead of believing the lie that I could never do this right, my confidence grew that the Lord could use me in this ministry. That attitude developed from many healings I experienced through ordinary people in the Unbound ministry with no extraordinary powers within themselves.

Using the keys, I then helped them discover and renounce the hidden roots of their difficulties that blocked their freedom. I heard reactions from “I feel lighter as if a heavy load of furniture shifted from my core” to ““Unbound by the Blood of Christ. My spirit is dancing and celebrating with the Lord.”

The Unbound conference displayed the Holy Spirit working beautifully among many strangers with the common goal of freedom, yet with such different blocks to unlock and remove. The blocks are lies we believe are part of us such as, “I can never do anything right. I don’t belong. God could never forgive me. I’m a victim.”  When the light of God’s truth shines on these lies, the pain of traumas such as addiction to pornography, death of a child or parent, child abuse, abortion and abandonment are healed. Forgiving others and ourselves is no longer impossible. As we recognize hidden guilt, fear and self-condemnation we are able to take responsibility for our sins and renounce their roots. The Father’s Blessing restores our self-worth.

Neal says that the Unbound model works from several basic truths:

• Because of Jesus, we have hope and can ask for the blessing we need.
• Jesus is our hope; he is our savior.
• Jesus saves us from sin and from Satan’s plan for our lives.
• Jesus reveals to us our hearts so that we can repent.
• Jesus gives us the power to forgive others and to renounce the enemy in our lives.
• We have authority over the devil’s influence in our lives in the name of Jesus.
• God wants to bless us by revealing who we are, so we might fulfill our destiny.

The “Unbound” keys are my do-it-yourself healing kit to apply Neal’s guidelines to the hurts and sins in my life that preoccupy my confessions and my depressions. I began to heal as the examples and reflections peeled back layers of lies I believed. Keeping a journal and engaging in the Unbound deliverance prayers with a trusted friend or small group benefits me even more. Many pastors, spiritual directors and confessors add the Unbound keys to their toolbox.

The keys help me keep resentment and unforgiveness from settling in my soul.  I no longer routinely Xerox my list of sins before Reconciliation, Some of them are gone and Jesus and I are working on some others. Every day my awareness of God’s conviction, presence and power to transform me, grows as well as my freedom to live as the woman he created me to be.

(© 2014 Nancy H C Ward)

Nancy Ward

Nancy Ward, convert, journalist, author, and speaker, writes from Texas about Catholicism, conversion and Christian community at NancyHCWard.com, JOYAlive.net, and other websites and magazines. Through her Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story workshops, retreats and DVD, she shares her conversion story in Catholic parishes and at conferences, equipping others to share their stories. She contributed to the award-winning The Catholic Mom's Prayer Companion, facilitates two Catholic Writers Guild critique groups, serves on the Guild’s Board, and speaks at national writers conferences.