The Soul Set Free:: A Manual for Deliverance Ministers

The Soul Set Free:

A Manual for Deliverance Ministers

The Soul Set Free is the intellectual work of Fr. Cleophus Joseph, created for prayer and healing in parishes and communities. Users may not reproduce, copy, or transmit through any mechanical, electronic or audio format, any part of this book for sale or dissemination without the express permission of the author or the Archbishop of Castries.

Permission is granted to make limited reproductions, only in cases where the material will be used for prayer, retreats and services; but even then, it may not be sold and the source should be acknowledged.

© Fr. Cleophus Joseph,

First Edition: 2022

A bar code with numbers Description automatically generated with low confidence Scripture texts in this work were taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Contents

Foreword

Introduction to the Deliverance Prayer

Special Prayers for Team

Session for Deliverance I

A Shortened Version of Deliverance Prayer

Deliverance from Curses and Spells

Introduction to Deliverance for Those Unable to Respond

Deliverance for Those Unable to Respond

Introduction to Deliverance for Children

Prayer of Deliverance for Children

Introduction to House Cleansing Prayers

House Cleansing Prayers I

House Cleansing Prayers II

Introduction to Intercession for Loved Ones

Intercession for Loved Ones

Introduction to Healing from Sexual Sin

Healing Prayer from Sexual Sin

Healing for Victims of Sexual Abuse

Deliverance for Perpetrators of Sexual Abuse

Healing from Divorce and Separation

Introduction to Healing from Generational Bondage

Healing from Generational Bondage

Introduction to Prayer for Physical Healing

Prayer for Physical Healing

Introduction to Prayer for One Who Had a Miscarriage

or a Still Born Child

Prayer for One Who Had a Miscarriage or a Still Born Child

Introduction to Prayer for One Who Had an Abortion

Prayer for One Who Had an Abortion

Prayers for Expectant Parents

Introduction to Prayer for a Victim of Physical

and Emotional Abuse

Prayers for a Victim of Physical and Emotional Abuse

Healing from Addictions

Appendix: Some Common Devotions

Bibliography

Foreword

by Archbishop Gabriel Malzaire

We live in a time when Christians and non-Christians alike experience tremendous stress, doubts, uncertainties, and spiritual oppressions of one kind or another. Unfortunately, some seek solutions to these challenges through less than savory means which further complicate their lives, resulting in psychological, emotional, and even spiritual battles that require highly specialized assistance.

The Soul Set Free is the third in a series of publications by Fr. Cleophus Joseph on the subject of deliverance; the previous two are The Family Set Free and The Community Set Free. With his increasing exposure and experience in the deliverance ministry over the years, there is clear evidence of a greater mastery in the presentation on that area.

In this corpus, Fr. Joseph has succeeded in presenting the tenets of a complex ministry in a simple, straightforward, and easy-to-follow format. His explanation of the ministry regarding the function of the back-up team, the preparation for the deliverance sessions, the number of people to be ministered to, the manifestation of evil spirits, generational bondage, curses, the persons to be ministered to and the follow-up to deliverance sessions, are all presented in a very practical manner.

The Soul Set Free serves as a handbook or working manual for persons, especially priests and religious who, by virtue of their vocation, encounter many persons seeking healing and deliverance of some sort. It comprises prayers for varied areas of need among those who are struggling. In addition to the common areas of spiritual battle, the manual includes prayers and exercises for socially stigmatized situations such as miscarriages, abortions, sexual abuse victims and those engaged in abusing others, all the while maintaining that every person, as a child of God, needs to be ministered to. Each prayer and exercise of deliverance is preceded by appropriate rubrics (directions stated in red), providing information and clear guidance for both the minister and the client.

Additionally, the book provides simple and clear instructions to the Deliverance Minister. Worthy of note is the author’s stress on the fact that "the deliverance minister must be in good relations with his or her bishop," lest authority over the evil one be compromised. Of paramount importance is the nourishing of the Minister’s spirituality through daily prayer, daily scripture reading, daily repentance, regular community worship, the study of the faith, fasting and treating others with love. An appendix of common Catholic devotional prayers brings the manual to an appropriate climax.

I commend Fr. Joseph for his sterling work and unwavering commitment to the deliverance ministry over the years. Thus, as the Local Ordinary of the Archdiocese of Castries, I endorse the publication and use of this manual for an invaluable ministry in the Church. May the Lord bless this work of all who will use it for the advancement of his Kingdom.

+ Most Rev. Gabriel Malzaire

Archbishop of Castries

Introduction to Deliverance Prayer

My Brief History with Deliverance Prayer

I have been exposed to deliverance ministry for many years. In 2000, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal began working with the book, The Bondage Breaker.¹ Later, in 2004, I received some training with the book Unbound.² But it was only in 2013, one year ordained a priest, I participated in a training hosted by the Charismatic Renewal with Fr. Yozefu Ssemakula, author of the book, The Healing of Families.³ Since then, for the last eight years of my priestly ministry, deliverance prayer has been the main part of my work.

One of my best success stories has been working with the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity in Faux a Chaux, Castries. At the time that we began, it was an inner-city community, plagued by violence and drugs. In less than a year of our ministry, the murders in the community ceased, and this has remained largely the case; indeed, for the last eight years up to the writing of this book, there have been fewer murders in the community than was usual in one year.

This is the third book that I have written on deliverance prayer, the other two being The Family Set Free⁴ and The Community Set Free.⁵ So why this book? The original intention of this book was to create a twenty-five-day session of prayer. Added to this, there are many other books on deliverance prayer from more experienced authors than me. However, I felt called to produce something simple, that contained many of the prayers close together. I have also added some prayers that are not generally together; these include not only prayers for the cleansing of a house, but also prayers for one who suffered a miscarriage, for one who has had an abortion, for victims of sexual abuse, and, one that is much needed, for one who has sexually abused others. I believe, like Jesus, that all people should be ministered to, even the worst of the worst.

Who This Book Is For

One thing that I have found is that many people are interested in the ministry, but may not be good at spontaneous prayer during the sessions. Or some persons are interested, but are looking for some type of manual. That is the reason for this book. This book is especially for priests and religious who, because of their religious calling, are approached by persons for prayer.

It can also be used by groups of lay persons, prayer groups and others interested in the ministry. I discovered that there are persons with good intentions, but who are doing some things that can get the client hurt, or that may cause evil spirits to manifest. Such situations can cause discredit to the deliverance ministry.

The Deliverance Minister

Every disciple, in one sense, must be aware that he or she is in the army of Jesus, engaged in spiritual warfare against the kingdom of darkness. However, not everyone should engage in official warfare. The deliverance minister should be in good relations with his or her bishop; remember evil spirits respect authority. A disobedient minister’s authority will be compromised.

Every priest, more specifically, should be aware of the need for deliverance prayer. This is not so much an exorcism, the official ministry of combatting evil spirits in the name of the Church. Deliverance involves leading the person to his or her freedom.

The spirituality of the minister is also very important. Spirituality helps the minister to stay connected to God. A healthy spirituality should include daily prayer, daily scripture reading, daily repentance, regular community worship (church attendance), the study of the faith, fasting and treating others with love. Without these things, anyone puts himself or herself at risk if he or she tries to minister deliverance to others.

The Back-up Prayer Teams

There can be more than one back-up team. If there is, one team should be devoted to intercession and the other can be present with the minister, if necessary, for security, especially if there is the risk that the client becomes violent. If there is one team, then it does both of these duties. It is also possible that the team is not in the immediate location of the minister, but they are interceding at the same time for the minister and client. God has no limitations on space.

Sometimes, there may not be a prayer team. This is not always advised, especially for reasons of security and support, but it is not impossible. Unfortunately, I often work without a back-up team because of the sensitivity of some cases and the need for confidentiality. However, I think that it is advisable to have a team as the more people involved in prayer, the more effective may be the progress.

Numbers of People in the Team

There should not be too many people on the team that it becomes a distraction. It can vary from just one other person. The numbers though should also depend on the size of the room, or rooms available.

Who Should Be On The Team And Who Should Not Be

The persons on the team should be such who respect confidentiality. Things may happen or be said that should not be shared with others outside the group.

They should be persons who are trying to live a life of virtue. Persons who are not, can be a danger to the session, or in danger themselves.

The team members should be humble. Evil spirits often do not submit to persons who themselves do not submit to rightful authority.

What The Teams Do

The intercessory team should not overshadow the leader. The leader is the one doing the ministry; the intercessory team’s job is to keep the leader and the client covered. The team should do one of the following; they can quietly read scriptures pertaining to deliverance; they can quietly sing songs of deliverance, especially calling on the Blood of Jesus, his Cross, or His Holy Name. If they are Catholic, they can do a devotion like the Rosary or Chaplet of Divine Mercy. But remember, whatever they do, the team is never to disturb the main prayers of the leader.

Preparing For A Session

It would be wise if the client, the minister and the back-up team members can fast before the session. If the minister and team are actively engaged in deliverance ministry several times a week, it is sufficient that they fast once or twice a week.

The minister, team and client should also be encouraged, if possible, to attend church, read the bible, and if they are Catholic, attend the Sacrament of Reconciliation before the session.

How Many People Can Be Ministered To

Ideally, I like one on one sessions, especially for deliverance. This is especially effective when I do the laying on of hands. But the sessions can also be done for several people at once, such as with a family or as large as a healing service. In such a case, I would not normally do the laying on of hands, or at least, not as frequently or for as long.

If a case is sufficiently serious, then the minister should consider having repeated sessions, even apart from the group sessions.

How To Use This Book

The prayers are a basic structure for how to minister deliverance. There are examples of prayers that I have used and that I have found effective. But the minister should be open to the Holy Spirit’s moving. As he or she prays, he or she may feel the need to repeat something, do something slower, or give explanations for a section. The Holy Spirit is the deliverance minister; we are simply the vessels. If we allow him to move through us, the person being ministered to will more likely experience freedom.

The minister should also be sensitive to the person being ministered to. The person may be in an emotional space where certain prayers may not be the best idea; or they may require more prayers, even after the session from the book is over.

For beginners though, you can just follow the prayers and suggestions. I had someone whom I was training, who simply read out the words in prayer over a few clients and she had great success.

The prayers can be used as a part of a retreat or service. In that case, in the places where the minister should lay hands over the client, he or she can insert a chorus of worship or recollection.

Manifestations Of Evil Spirits

If the process is followed properly, there often are no manifestations of evil spirits. These manifestations, when they do happen, are signs that the evil one is trying to assert authority over the client and they can take the form of violent shaking, rolling back of the eyes, or a change in personality from the client; they can sometimes become violent or blasphemous. If this happens, it will normally be around the prayers that break curses and cast out evil spirits, though they may start sooner. If this starts to happen, do not be afraid (which in my experience is hard to do). If the manifestations are not violent, keep your hands on the person’s head lightly and do these things in this order:

After a while, the person may begin to spit or throw up. Allow them to; this is a sign that evil spirits are starting to leave.

Repeat these steps for as long as you have to. As far as possible, once manifestations of evil spirits start, you should not end the session until they have subsided, which can sometimes take several hours.

In the end, the person will tell you that it is him or her. Redo the process twice more just to make sure, or have the person repeat a prayer of surrender to Jesus.

A final thing to note: when manifestations of evil spirits occur, it may be wise, whatever part of the prayer session you are at, to do the prayers of casting out, and to set another appointment with the person to review the entire process. I do not recommend finishing the process right after manifestations, because the person may be exhausted physically and emotionally and may not be able to concentrate on the prayers.

The Interview

Before praying with anyone for deliverance, ensure that there is some time for an interview. This can be basic, just to find out why the person thinks he or she needs prayer. Some people may require counselling or medication. Deliverance may help, but it is not the only answer to every situation.

Take note of the person’s experiences. Recall the issues as well as the time when they may have happened. The minister may wish to write these down, but destroy the paper afterwards in the presence of the client. In the end, when casting out spirits, you may need to recall these, for example, someone who said that they started struggling with anger when their parents had a divorce, you may say at the end, You spirits of anger that came into N. when his/her parents were divorced, in the Name of Jesus…

The interview will also help you recognise if there is a further need for deliverance. For example, if the person has a history of sexual abuse, two follow-up sessions may be for healing from the trauma of sexual abuse and one to forgive and intercede for the abuser. The follow-up for a client who says that the pattern of brokenness is also seen in his or her family may be healing from generational bondage. In other words, see as many issues as the client has and set sessions that address them. I recommend a minimum of three sessions per individual, but at times, the ministry may be prolonged for several months.

Generational Bondage

Generational Bondage is the effect of the sins of our parents and ancestors. It is not so much God punishing us for the sins of our ancestors (Ezekiel 18:1-20), but because they have authority over us, they may have opened doors to the darkness in their lives that allow spirits the right to enter and access their descendants (Exodus 34:6-7). Think of the case of physical illnesses that pass down the generational line; these are a type of generational curse. Think also of patterns of addictions and other learned behaviours. The general rule is that children see what their parents do and  unconsciously, they follow the pattern themselves. This too is a form of generational bondage.

Generational curses are somewhat different. These are curses passed down the bloodline because of the deliberate actions of their ancestors. This is especially true of tampering with the occult or any sin of causing serious pain to the innocent. Curses that pass down the bloodline keep going from generation to generation until someone breaks them. And they are often difficult to detect because the victims may think that the situation of the curse is normal.

Curses⁶

Currently, we do not like to think much about curses; such a thing evokes thoughts of a little old lady sitting next to a cauldron, flying on a broomstick and may seem superstitious by our modern standards. But that does not mean that curses are not real, and even if we choose not to talk about them in the church, many of our people, including those who would openly mock us when we speak about it, not only believe but actively occult sources for the placing and removal of curses.

There are some signs that a curse may be present. They don’t prove that a curse is present, but if it is seen in many members of the family, and for no apparent reason (such that doctors and psychologists cannot diagnose a problem), and it is persistent, meaning that no matter what is done, it keeps happening, then it probably has a spiritual root. These curses follow the pattern of curses found in Deuteronomy 28:15-69.⁷ These often fall under the following basic types:

There are innumerable sources of curses in our lives and curses can have their roots at various stages of our lives. Some of the more common ones include:

Before birth:

In childhood

From the sinful actions of others

Through our sinful actions and habits

Who To Minister To

This may seem strange, but we are not always called to minister to everyone. There are two groups to be aware of; persons who want to be free but do not want to be submissive to God. The other is persons who have not come for prayer of their own will, and who may not want to be there. In such cases, deliverance might not work at all as the person may not be seeking deliverance, but just to feel better. And in other cases, the person’s lack of interest in being present means that whatever may be affecting him or her has a legal spiritual right to be in place.

Follow Up to Deliverance

After a session of deliverance, if the client wants to stay free, he or she must try to live a life of discipleship.

A few things that the client should be encouraged to do are:

To note, the client may require more than one session of prayer, but the person should not be encouraged to believe that everything in his or her life requires deliverance. In many cases, once the prayer is done, what is required is discipline and taking healthy responsibility. Without this, things may get better sometimes, but they will never stay that way.

Special Prayers for Team

Prayer Before a Session¹⁰

If possible, the members of the team meet before the session to pray with and for one another. This short time can include some songs of worship, time spent reconsecrating themselves to God and just creating an atmosphere for the deliverance about to be undertaken. The following prayer can be part of their preparation.

We consecrate ourselves now to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We place our lives, all that we are, all that we love, all our desires and dreams, and our very future in the hands of God. Heavenly Father, we are all yours.

In the Name of Jesus, we cancel all communication in the realm of evil spirits that would affect our prayers. We take authority over all curses, hexes and spells affecting us, our client (s) and our families and we declare them null and void.

We place the Blood of Jesus around ourselves, our client(s), our families and our properties as a circle of protection. Just as the Blood of the Lamb held back the destroying angel (Exodus 12:13), so may the Blood of Jesus destroy the work of the enemy, and we forbid these enemy angels from blocking and affecting our prayers.

In the Name of Jesus, we take authority over all strongholds and any blocking spirits; we destroy any seals and covenants that would affect us and our prayers today. We break the power of every unclean spirit affecting us or our client(s) and we send them to Jesus for Him to deal with them in the way He sees fit. Amen.

(If the minister is praying with a team, they may now anoint one another with blessed/exorcised oil).

Prayer After a Session¹¹

After a session is done, or at the end of the day, the team members can once again spend some time in prayer,  consisting if possible, of worship, offering thanks to God for the work of deliverance he has done in them and their client(s). The following prayer can also be part of the closing session.

In the Name of Jesus, we take authority over all spirits of the air, water, fire, earth and the netherworld. We declare in the Name of Jesus, that all spirits that are opposed to the authority of Jesus Christ, your knees must bow down and your tongues will confess His Lordship over every part of creation (Philippians 2:10-11).

If we have been tempted by any spirits of anger, fear, lust, or any other spirits as a result of this session, we now bind these enemy spirits and we command you spirits to go directly to Jesus. We sever any unhealthy connections that may have formed during this session. We ask the Precious Blood of Jesus to drive away any illnesses that may have attached to us.

Lord Jesus, you remind us that everything we ask the Father in your name, He will do (John 14:13-14, 16:23); in Your Holy Name, we bind everything that comes against us, our client(s) and our families.

We command all enemy spirits to leave us, our homes, our lands, our relationships, our finances and to