In order to walk in freedom in life, it is important to understand the things that keep you from that freedom. The four doors are a good place to start. This tool represents the places or doors in our lives where life and unwanted circumstances have complete access to come in and wreak havoc on us. Most individuals do not even realize they live with doors open all the time. There are many ways for the doors to be open, either by us or by others. The four most common doors that are found to be open include: Sexual Sin and Soul Ties, Hatred and Unforgiveness, Fear, and Occult and False Religion. Some of the ways the doors are opened include: generational issues, ungodly beliefs and sins, spirit/soul wounding, and trauma.

An example of this would be if at some point in your life something traumatic happened, like abuse or death of someone important to you. Another way a door could be opened is if you willingly engaged in some form of sin or were involved in an occult or false religion. Also, if you see a pattern occurring in your life, that you may have also seen in your mother and grandmother etc… this is generational and has come down through your mother’s line.

Sometimes these doors are very evident and you know exactly what they are, other times you may not have any idea what they are or even that they are open. If the doors are not clearly evident, but you feel you are not walking in a full measure of freedom, it is best to ask Jesus to show you if there are some doors open and what they look like. As we see in Daniel 2:22, “He reveals the deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him”; He will show you if there is something that needs to be taken care of (Amplified Bible). Once you know which door is open, you can do what is required to close it. This is easy and only requires: forgiving; renouncing; removing judgment; coming out of agreement with the ungodly spirits that were allowed to come in when the door was opened; sending those spirits to where Jesus would have them to go; and asking Jesus to come and fill you with His Spirit of love, rest, and peace.

The first door is Sexual Sin and Soul Ties. This is referring to sex outside of marriage which, in turn, is one way a soul tie is created. When we have sex outside of marriage we end up making a covenant with that individual, giving them a part of us and taking a part of them on us. If we give away many parts of ourselves, we can go through life not whole. Also, if your partner has been with multiple partners, they in turn are carrying parts from many other people and transfer those parts to you. So you end up carrying other peoples’ insecurities and fears around with you for the rest of your life. Paul talks about soul ties in I Corinthians 6: 15-20, when he talks about sexual immorality (Amplified). He says that when one joins himself to another they become one flesh, just as when one joins himself to the Lord, he becomes one spirit with Him. He goes further to state that as the Lord’s we are not our own, but we are bought with a price, so we must glorify God with our bodies as well as our spirits.

By asking God to forgive you and breaking the soul ties with those individuals, you can not only close doors to the enemy, but you can restore yourself to wholeness. Then you are able to recognize who you were created to be and begin walking that out in freedom. This is done very easily through a prayer of repentance for violating another and taking back what the other person took from you and giving back to them everything you took from them, releasing them and blessing them.

The second door is Hatred and Unforgiveness. This is a big issue and most people do not even realize it is there. Jesus states that we should have mercy on others just as God has had mercy on us (Amplified, Matt. 18:32-35). He also says that God can’t forgive us if we don’t forgive others (Amplified, Matt. 6:15). Forgiving those who have hurt you is a big step in closing any doors that are open. In the spiritual realm, forgiveness is a powerful weapon. It can break strongholds that have been hindrances for years. Once forgiveness is spoken the enemy no longer has power in that relationship. The problem is most people do not even realize they are carrying around hatred and unforgiveness. Unforgiveness can be a deceitful thing with layers that seem to pile on top of one another. One can be hurt multiple times by the same offender and never realize how deep the offense can penetrate. It is important to pray forgiveness prayers that relate to the issues and relationships where the offenses came in. This is done by the leading of the Holy Spirit, as He can help you to state the forgiveness prayers in such a way as feels right to you, and brings release. Also, it is important to release the person from any judgment you may have held in your heart against them.

The next door is Fear. Fear is a stronghold in most individuals and comes in as a result of a traumatic childhood experience that caused them to make an agreement with fear in order to be safe or protected. It can also be passed down through your generations or come in through wounding or ungodly beliefs. Most people live with fear so long, it just becomes a part of who they are and they do not even realize it is there or that it is having an affect on their lives. 1 John tells us that “there is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love (Amplified 1John 4:18). The stronghold of fear is most evident in an individual’s speech as it becomes a part of their language and they do not recognize it. As you begin to really listen to people, you will be surprised at how many people you encounter who are carrying a spirit of fear around and do not even realize it. Fear is usually a result of trauma or sin, but in most cases it is generational. Breaking generational lines of fear often becomes important in the healing process. Asking the Holy Spirit to reveal where the door was opened to fear and following His leading you can break the generational lines of fear. Replacing fear with faith and trust in Father God can bring freedom and revelation.

The last door we will look at is Occult and False Religion. This can be a door that is opened because of generational ties, wounding, or ungodly beliefs and sin. If there are any masons, elks, etc… in your family line this must be taken care of because the enemy has full access to your lives through these doors passed down through your family line. Also, if you have ever been involved in occultism or other false religions, the agreements you made at that time need to be broken so the doors can be closed. By praying a simple prayer of coming out of agreement or renouncing your involvement or your family’s involvement in the occult or false religion, you can close the door. Closing these doors will not only impact your life but will have a great impact on the lives of your family members.

Closing doors that have been open by us or by others in our lives breaks the strongholds we struggle with every day. So, once these are taken care of, we will immediately see changes taking place in the way we look at life, the way we react in life, and the way we interact with others.

Job 34:21-22 states, “For God’s eyes are upon the ways of man, and He sees all his steps, there is no darkness nor thick gloom where the evildoers may hide themselves”(Amplified Bible); this shows us that God sees what is in our hearts and knows everything about us. It is His desire that nothing keep us from intimacy with Him. Jesus is willing to free us from those things that keep us in bondage and come and fill us with Himself.