Wanna know what a Sozo looks like?

I remember clearly the first time I heard the word, “sozo”. It was a fairly normal conversation…I thought it sounded like something that would benefit our church…and maybe I’d want to check it out. Nothing phenomenal. No fireworks. No strong conviction or stirring. I simply wanted to check it out to see if this was a ministry I’d be interested in. I didn’t really go for me, though I was really experiencing a wilderness….I didn’t really think it would affect that. There was nothing to really prepare me for the impact it would have on me. 

And, nothing prepared me for the firestorm that this ministry has caused. I was-and still am-completely shocked at the reaction, the skepticism, the doubt that filled the mind of so many people. But, I realize that we are often skeptical of that which we do not understand. And, unfortunately human nature being what it is, someone can mix a tiny portion of truth with a lot of misconception and lies, throw in a good dose of hysteria and, Voila! The result is something that-while it looks nothing like the truth-will convince those who don’t know the truth. Fear then influences their decisions rather than truth. So, thinking that occasionally truth will dispel most doubt, skepticism and fear, I thought I’d share what a sozo looks like by telling about mine.

A sozo starts by a short interview. Then, with the leading of the Holy Spirit, he/she is given questions to ask God…not leading questions, but whatever the Holy Spirit leads the one ministering to ask. And, He answers.

I was first asked about my dad. Then, I was led in a prayer of forgiveness for those things that had wounded me. Went through the same thing with my mom and siblings. A lot of forgiveness. For myself. For others. I vaguely remember asking Jesus where He was when I was being molested. He showed me a scene of Him in the room….crying. We spent a good deal of time renouncing lies I subconsciously and consciously believed about God…though I wouldn’t admit that….good Christians believe God is good…all the time…and He is powerful…all the time. We are supposed to believe those things. I didn’t realize I believed the lie that He is passive…but I did. And, then after renouncing those lies, I asked Him, “What is the truth about You?” He responded by telling me He loved me and that He cared.

Next, I asked Him what separated me from Him. “Your own desire” was the answer. Hmmmmm….I thought I desired Him a lot. But, I worked through some forgiveness of an independent spirit. You see, I’d decided at the ripe old age of 5 that I wouldn’t cry….emotions were useless or manipulative….and I must take care of myself….and I did. I put walls around me that few could get through. In fact, that’s the biggest difference people have noticed about me….I’ve gotten rid of the walls that protect me from others. Those walls also separated me from God.

We checked places where I-or someone else-had opened a door in my heart that granted the enemy legal access: fear, hatred, occult, sexual sin. Closing these doors again necessitated a lot of forgiveness, renouncing of lies and receiving truth.

Then came the scene that is still vivid in my mind….a scene I replay often. I don’t remember what I was asking Father God, but I remember seeing a white picket fence with a gate. There was a man(I knew He was Father God, somehow) playing with a group of children. I was about 5 or 6 in my scene. I asked if I could join them. And the answer was, “No. You’re a piece of trash.” Wow! I had no idea I subconsciously believed that! My natural mind would never have permitted that to come out of my mouth! It was too raw…..exposed too much….screamed vulnerability….and Christians know that’s not true. But, it was there. Did God really say that? No, He would never say that. But, out of the heart the mouth speaks and I believed that’s what He thought. A lie. So, after more forgiveness, renouncing of lies, receiving truth, I went back-in my mind-to that white picket fence…..and asked again if I could join them. I cannot relate the next scene without tears. The man-who I knew was God-looked at me, squatted down and opened His arms wide. I ran to Him….He picked me up….swung me around….and drew me to His chest in a tight embrace. He said other things to me: I am loved; I am His treasure; He cares, and so on. But, that picture is forever burned into my mind. I was undone. I was forever changed!!

And you know what? It’s stuck! I know what intimacy with my Heavenly Father looks like and I don’t want to do anything that might come between us. I’ve finally learned what it’s like for my obedience to flow from my relationship with Him. All the knowledge that had been stored in my brain: He is faithful…He loves me….He is good…He loves me…He can be trusted….He loves me…He will protect me….He loves me…all that I knew in my head to be true finally connected with my heart.

That’s what a basic sozo looks like. I’ve seen similar scenarious unfold multiple times. God speaking to someone about the lies they are believing…where they need to forgive…healing wounds that were inflicted years ago….closing doors in the heart to the enemy.

Forgiveness. Renouncing lies. Receiving truth. Closing doors to the enemy. Tearing down walls between us and Him….or others. No chanting. Nothing New Age. No counseling. Nothing mystical. No hypnosis. All God speaking. If the person isn’t hearing from Him, we attempt, through the leading of the Holy Spirit, to find what is blocking His voice.

Now, if one believes God doesn’t speak to us anymore, they may have difficulty with it.  If one thinks conversation with God is only 1-way…us speaking to Him, they might think it strange. But, if you think 2-way conversation with God is possible, even desirable, I assure you that’s exactly what happens in a sozo session. If you’ve read or heard anything that reveals Sozo to be anything very different, either it’s grossly misinformed….or not representative of a Bethel Sozo.

I am continually asking God questions now. Just yesterday, during my prayer time, I asked Him if any doors were opened to the enemy.

“Yeah, the hatred door.”

“What event opened that door?” He brought to mind an event where I could sense someone’s coldness toward me. So, I prayed a prayer forgiving that person and asking forgiveness for holding that against the person. And, then asked Him to close the door….and He did.

That’s it. That’s what it’s like. I’ve sat in so many Sozos watching God unfold His truth to a person and in the back of my mind I’m thinking, “And this is what so many are against. I don’t understand it. If they only knew the truth….” Well, what you’ve just read is the truth about Sozo.