Breaking Unhealthy Soul Ties: Do Your Relationships Produce Bondage or Joy? Read Free Page A

His inner circle. Jesus was explaining the nature of the death that he would soon experience in Jerusalem, when Peter began to rebuke Him, saying,
    Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
    Matt. 16:22 NIV
    Jesus then rebuked the words which Satan had spoken to Him through the mouth of His dear friend.
    ...he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.
    Mark 8:33 NIV
    Luke adds a significant additional clause.
    And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve .
    Luke 4:8
    Satan was attempting to deflect Jesus from the will of God, trying to appeal to His own flesh which stood in opposition to the will of God. Luke points out in the preceding passage that it is God alone whom we should serve. In other words we are again admonished to be in subjection to no man, but only unto God; to serve God and Him alone, faithfully and without reservation, without being bound by unbalanced soul-ties to any man.
    Jesus resisted the temptation of seeking public approval. He sought not the approval of man, only the approval of His heavenly Father and the doing of His will. He did not need, seek, nor accept the world’s approval, which could easily have been His. He knew that in man was the tendency to control, to use, or to depend upon Him naturally instead of supernaturally.
    Now in Jerusalem at the passover... many believed... when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men ... for he knew what was in man.
    John 2:22–25
    Satan also attempted to establish an attachment, a source of control with Jesus on the Mount of Temptation when he sought the obedience and worship of Christ. Thus we see the strength that Jesus manifested in His single-minded commitment to placing God, His Father, first.
    Jesus even refused to assert His own soul’s need for self-preservation, as evidenced when He prayed thrice in the Garden to bring His flesh into submission to His Spirit, which was already in obedience unto the will of God. Thus, He prayed,
    Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will , but thine, be done.
    Luke 22:42
    Clearly the will of God was in conflict with his own will (soul), which is why he prayed so fervently to bring His soul under the domination of His spirit.
    God Wants Unhealthy
Soul-Ties Broken
    God desires to restore our souls that we might be able to seek Him with our whole (entire) spirit, soul and body.
    And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray to God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
    1 Thes. 5:23

    But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul .
    Josh. 22:5
    Therefore, it seems evident that in order to be able to love God with “all one’s soul,” we should better understand godly and ungodly soul-ties, which are explored in the following chapter.

2
Soul-Ties:
Godly and Ungodly

    Perhaps it would be helpful at the outset to differentiate between godly soul-ties and ungodly soul-ties. Remember, a soul-tie is a bonding in the soulish realm; a bonding between the souls of two or more people. Although in today’s thinking any links to another person are generally thought to be unhealthy, there are healthy and Godly soul-ties. The first soul-tie was designed by God and intended for the benefit of the first couple.
    All soul-ties incorporate influence, compromise and obedience for the sake of peaceful coexistence. Godly soul-ties have a settling, peaceful influence and