In part two of a series on healing, I interview Boniface Patrick Hicks — a Benedictine monk of Saint Vincent Archabbey, a Catholic priest, and director of Spiritual Formation at Saint Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, PA. He is trained in Unbound Ministry, which he describes in the short audio segment above.
He describes the five keys [see below to read a quick synopsis] that are part of the ministry, but also shares about why healing is an important part of missionary discipleship.
It’s important to note that, once churches are open again, confessing to a priest in the Sacrament of Reconciliation is an important part of everyone’s healing journey.
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If you have tried to follow Christ and question whether you know Him as your Savior, I suggest you start with this prayer: “Jesus, show me what is wrong with me.” It won’t be long before you know your need for the Savior.
— From Neil Lozano’s Book, Unbound
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The tentacles of hopelessness seek to hold our lives (or pockets of our lives) in bondage by convincing us there is no way out. We develop patterns of thinking, such as, “There is no one who can help. I can never change. The problem I have is too big. I’ve tried everything, and I can’t do anything about it.” Many fail to grow in hope because they do nothing. … The ultimate purpose of our freedom from evil spirits is not that we would feel better, but that we would surrender more fully to the Lord and give our life for the purpose of advancing the Kingdom of God.
— From Neil Lozano’s Book, Unbound
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The wisdom of Christ makes you capable of pushing on to discover the deepest source of evil existing in the world. And it stirs us to proclaim to all men the truth we have learned from the Master's lips (Mark 7:21), that evil comes “from within people, from their hearts." So the root of evil is within man. The remedy, therefore, must also begin in the heart. And it is precisely here that our Lord wishes to lead us.
— St. John Paul II
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The Unbound model of deliverance ministry is not a new teaching. It is a way of applying the Gospel to a person’s story, packaged in five steps or “keys”:
1. Repent for your sins; believe in Jesus and surrender your life to him.
2. Forgive those who have hurt you and release them to God’s merciful judgment.
3. Close any doors you have opened to the enemy’s influence by naming evil and renouncing it.
4. Stand in the authority Jesus gives you and tell the devil to leave you alone.
5. Receive the Father’s blessing on your identity and destiny. Come home to God’s family.
The reason these are called “keys” is that Satan gains access to areas of our lives when we open doors to his influence through sin, unforgiveness, agreement with lies; when we respond negatively to life’s pain; when we don’t understand our authority in Christ; and when we don’t live securely in our identity as sons and daughters of God.
— John Kazanjian
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Prayer for Healing:
Lord Jesus Christ, I come before you just as I am, sorry for my sins. I repent for every one of them; please forgive me. I accept you as my Savior; I give you my entire self now and forever. Save me by your mercy and fill me with your Holy Spirit, the Spirit of power and of peace.
Because you have forgiven me and because you command it, I now forgive others for the wrongs they have done to me, the ways they have hurt me, the damage they have caused in my life. I offer forgiveness to all these people in union with the forgiveness you offer from the cross, knowing that I can’t do it on my own.
In your name, I renounce Satan and all evil spirits: their works, their lying ways, and their empty promises. I reject all the strategies that the enemy uses to deceive and destroy me, and I tell him and his evil angels to leave me alone.
Jesus, teach me to know the Father and how to receive His blessing. Heal me, change me, and strengthen me so that I can follow you more faithfully every day along the path to eternal life in heaven. I want to become the person the Father created me to be, living the life I was made for. I love you, Lord. Thank you for my freedom! Amen.
Fr. Boniface Hicks, OSB, Talks about Healing and Missionary Discipleship, Part 2