5 Keys to Freedom
 
At our kick-off event for Coronas & Christ, an adult Faith and Social event, over 40 people came out to hear Meghan Cokeley of the Office for the New Evangelization speak on “5 Keys to Freedom.”
 
Meghan shared with us about Unbound, a ministry of prayer and healing that helps people respond to Christ’s desire to free them from hurts of the past and false notions that hold us back from growing in life, in relationships, and in Faith. We all carry wounds. We all need this healing in our lives. Many people contact Meghan’s office after their prayer sessions, sharing how they have healed and grown after the experience. She told us that we don’t need to call the Unbound Ministry for prayer sessions, we can apply these five keys to our lives and pray the prayers ourselves. (The prayers are on the Coronas & Christ page).
 
The five keys are Repentance & Faith, Forgiveness, Renunciation, Authority, and The Father’s Blessing. Meghan reminded us that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, offers us life and peace in abundance, but “the thief” comes only to destroy. We are set free when we no longer believe the lies we have internalized and when we take a stand against the means used by the devil to bind us. Jesus began His public ministry with these words: “Repent and believe the Good News.” Frequent Confession and turning to Jesus in faith will open you up to healing and growth.
 
Unforgiveness is a huge obstacle to freedom. Forgiveness doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt anymore or that what the person did was ok. And forgiveness doesn’t mean you should let yourself be a doormat. What it does mean is that you decide not hold a grudge, and in doing so, your heart is set free. The prayer of forgiveness can be used for large offenses or small, including when someone cuts you off in traffic!
 
Renunciation is the next key to freedom. It’s not something Catholics discuss a lot, but we should, because it’s crucial. As we go through life, we have all inadvertently opened doors or given consent to the evil one for his plan in our lives. We must consciously revoke that consent, renounce his influence, and close the doors. We need to do this for each and every item we think of, and keep doing it over time, since these issues are part of life.
 
This step is so important that Meghan listed specific “doors” in our lives that we need to renounce and close:

• Lies we believe about ourselves, God, and others (e.g. that we’re unlovable or that God doesn’t hear our prayers) can really hold us down. Often these false beliefs come out of dysfunctional environments: our current culture, a dysfunctional family, or unhealthy relationships.    
• Words hurt us more than we realize. Negative things people have said to us, particularly someone we looked up to or trusted, as well as negative words we say to ourselves have a hold on us and need to be renounced. This includes false vows we make, like “I’ll never forgive myself” or “I’ll never trust a woman again.” All words of hurt are from the evil one.  Jesus speaks only words of affirmation, drawing us to Him with love.
• Habitual sin, even venial sin, wreaks havoc on our relationships and makes a comfortable home for the tempter. An epidemic in our time is pornography. The cruel lie in pornography is that the human person exists for our own personal gratification, when the truth is that we each have inviolable dignity and must never be used just for someone else’s pleasure. Attachment to porn leads to destruction of relationships, guilt, shame, and self-loathing. But we have the power to stand against the evil one. We must renounce habitual sin, specifically naming it and closing that door.
• Involvement in the occult, even if it’s “just for fun,” opens the wrong doors to the spiritual world. Ouija boards, Reiki, tarot cards, palm readers, “energies,” New Age chanting, and more, all cause spiritual bondage. Renounce each thing and bring it to Confession. If you were given a “word” about your life or your future, renounce each thing you can think of that an occult practitioner ever said to you.

 
Meghan reminded us that, as baptized children of God, we have the power to tell the evil one to get lost! We must not dialogue with the devil, but rather renounce him in the name of Jesus. After naming each lie, each sin, each door that was opened and specifically renouncing each one, we finish the prayer session with a final word of authority: “In the name of Jesus, I break the power of every spirit that I have renounced and every related spirit and I command them to leave me right now.”
 
Finally, after we’ve emptied our hearts of all this “baggage”, we can receive the freedom that Jesus desires for us. In baptism, we were grafted into the family of God, and the words of the Father to Jesus at His Baptism become words for us: “You are my beloved son/daughter.” A great place to go to receive the Father’s Blessing is Holy Scripture (see the Unbound prayers on the Coronas & Christ page for some suggestions).
 
If you would like to receive healing prayers through the Unbound Ministry, contact them at 215-320-8065 or phillyevang@archphila.org. The ministry is based on the book Unbound: A Practical Guide to Deliverance by Neil Lozano.  You can learn more on the website phillyevang.org/unbound.
 
We are grateful to Meghan for the wonderful presentation to inaugurate our new adult faith and social. We look forward to more great Coronas & Christ events in the future and we invite you to join us.
 
 
Jeannette Williams
St. Jude Church Communications