Freedom Tools

FREEDOM
TOOLS
For
Overcoming
Lifes Tough
Problems
RE V I SED A ND E X PA NDED EDI T ION
ANDY REESE and

JENNIFER BARNETT
G
Andy Reese and Jennifer Barnett, Freedom Tools
Chosen Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, 2008, 2015. Used by permission.
_ReeseBarnett_FreedomTools_NS_kf.indd 7
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d.
om
on-
2008, 2015 by Andrew J. Reese and Jennifer R. Barnett

Published by Chosen Books
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.chosenbooks.com
Chosen Books is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Printed in the United States of America
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy,
recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception
is brief quotations in printed reviews.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the original edition as follows:
Reese, Andrew.
Freedom tools : for overcoming lifes tough problems / Andy Reese.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8007-9438-5 (pbk.)
1. SinChristianity. I. Title.
BV4625.R44 2008
248.86dc222007049218
ISBN 978-0-8007-9625-9
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard
Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The
Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations identified niv are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.
NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of
Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotations identified nkjv are from the New King James Version. Copyright
1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Names and some details in the stories in this book have been
altered to protect the privacy of the persons involved.
Cover design by Dual Identity
151617181920217654321

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To Susan: You are my best friend

and most gentle Freedom Prayer partner ever.
Lets grow old together!A.R.
To Cory, who humbly pedals this bicycle built
for two and grins while I steer and take the sharp corners,
all the while tickled that I have no idea where
I am going. Good thing you have the directions
and love me like no other.J.B.

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Contents
Foreword by Neil T. Anderson13
Preface17
Acknowledgments19
1. Polite Society21
Part One: The Ten Foundations
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Two Foundations about God41

Two Foundations about Our Enemy55
Two Foundations about Us73
Two Foundations about Being a First Responder87
Two Foundations about Tools and Process103
Part Two: Getting Started

7. Key Elements115
8. Putting It Together135
Part Three: More Advanced Tools
9.
10.
11.
12.
The Four Doors159

The Father Ladder183
Inviting Jesus197
Dealing with Demons225
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Contents
Part Four: Application in Church and Life

13. Building a Freedom Prayer Ministry in Your
Local Church247
14. Freedom Prayer as a Lifestyle261
Epilogue289
Notes291
Index295
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Foreword
y good friend Andy Reese and I were both raised in Minnesota and both worked as engineers. We then followed
somewhat different paths but seem to have come to similar places so many years later. I took the professional track into
ministry and adopted an evangelical mind-set. I diligently searched
the Scriptures to understand truth and tried to faithfully teach it
to the best of my ability. I did so as a youth pastor, college pastor,
associate pastor, senior pastor and seminary professor. Along the
way, my western rationalism and naturalism were being seriously
challenged, and my ability to impart information was not bringing
about the transformation that Scripture seemed to offer.
God led me through some life-changing events that enabled me
to discover who I am in Christ and opened my eyes to the reality
of the spiritual world. My ministry transitioned from a knowledge
encounter with Scripture to a personal encounter with God. Now
when I have the privilege to help another individual, I do so with
the understanding that God is always present and there in a role
that only He can play in the other persons life. I cannot set a captive free and bring emotional healing to the brokenhearted, but He
canand He wants to. In fact, that is why Jesus came. To get to
where I am today, God had to orchestrate a period of brokenness in
my own life. In doing so, He brought me to the end of my resources
so I could discover His. Until that time I had no idea how much
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Foreword
my stoic, self-sufficient Norwegian background was my greatest

obstacle to my sufficiency in Christ.
Andys roots are much more mixedraised Catholic, saved at a
Billy Graham crusade and being part of several different churches
(Baptist, Presbyterian, nondenominational military and charismatic) as he moved a number of times. He eventually followed a
fairly conservative charismatic path. I dont know how his brilliant
engineering mind became so emotionally laden, but I have seen that
touch of Jesus in our conversations as he recounted stories of God
encounters. We had different heroes of faith growing up, but we
learned to choose those who most resembled Christ.
Now our ministries have a huge overlap. We are both dependent
upon the presence of God, and we both want to see Gods people
come alive and free in Christ. And we both believe firmly that
ministry is based on what Jesus did for us and what He taught to
us. The Word and the Spirit are the same in Christ, but it took
a lot of maturing on both our parts to get there.
I have watched the growth of prayer and inner healing ministries
with both interest and concern. Naturally, I was curious how these
various ministries were different from the purpose of our ministry,
which is to equip the church worldwide, enabling them to establish their people, marriages and ministries alive and free in Christ
through genuine repentance and faith in God.
I have had many conversations with leaders of the inner healing
movement and found both concerns and many very positive aspects
in line with the changes that God had been bringing in me. Most
troubling about the various approaches to inner healing were the
apparent lack of repentance and assumption of personal responsibility for failings, the sometimes misappropriate use of prophetic
guidance and the seeming subjectivity of the sessions, which were
too often driven by the leaders. I was about ready to disregard it
entirely until I met Andy Reese. For the last eight years we have
been meeting periodically, and the initial playful bantering grew
into an iron-sharpens-iron friendship. I endorsed the first edition
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Foreword
of this book even though I felt there were things I would like to
add to it. This second edition of the book has brought together
emphases and foundations that will certainly help those from a
more traditional background grasp and use the material. It is a
book I can wholeheartedly endorse.
I encourage our staff to read this insightful book and be equipped
with Andys and Jennifers Freedom Tools. The larger the tool kit,
the more effective we become. We all come from different origins,
but our destiny is the same. To get there, we need to loosen our grip
on our natural heritages, religious traditions, spiritual clichs and
scripted answers and strengthen our grip on our spiritual heritage,
which is the same for all those who are alive and free in Christ. In
Christ we are neither Jew nor Gentile, Pentecostal nor evangelical,
orthodox nor Catholic. We are children of God.
What I desire, and what Andy and Jennifer desire, is for all of
Gods children to be loved, accepted, affirmed, set free from their
past and cared for in a godly way. I believe Freedom Tools will
help equip Church leaders to do that, and it will be a valuable
contribution to the inner healing and prayer healing ministries
that are growing around the world. Before and while reading this
book, ask Jesus to show you what He wants you to get out of it.
It just might change your life.
Dr. Neil T. Anderson,
founder and president emeritus,
Freedom in Christ Ministries,
www.ficminternational.org
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Preface
t has been seven years since the first edition of Freedom Tools, and
those years have seen literally thousands of testimonies of love
shared, sin broken, pain healed and God encountered. No exaggeration. This stuff really works. But it should: It is all right there in
Scripture. It was for freedom that Christ set us free (Galatians 5:1).
For freedom.
Freedom Tools is a very practical, illustrated guide to applying

the finished work of Christ to the very unfinished work of sanctification within us all. It is the process of walking out biblical commands such as restoring one another, bearing anothers burden,
confessing sins to another and putting to death the deeds of the flesh
by the Holy Spirit. It is about how to be an effective and engaged
first responder in chance conversations, in scheduled meetings and
with your friends and family when you need much more than a
lecture or a self-help book. It has found ready application on every
continent, except maybe Antarctica, and in every denomination
and nondenominational ministry. Oh, the stories we hear of what
God does when room is made for Him to speak and restore.
If all we hear is accurate, most people read this book in the first
place because friends or family gave them the copy they themselves
had been reading, saying, You should read thisIll get another one!
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Preface
It is time for the second edition. We have learned a lot and want
to share it with you. This kind of ministry is evolving rapidly from
something that happens in a session into a vital part of making
disciples, living life together, and creating a healing and healthy
church culture. That is why Jen is co-author in this edition. She has
practical and wide-ranging experience in bringing these amazing
truths and powerful change agents safely and in a biblically honoring way to churches, small groups, marriages and families. She is
among the very best I know. And my wife and I have watched her
and her husband minister for over twenty years across multiple
states and among many groups. Freedom follows them around.
They are the real deal!
We hope this book encourages you to go for it, personally, in
relationships and small groups, as a church and especially outside
the church. There is no substitute for trying these things out for
yourself and on yourself in an honest and humble way.
If you do, you will find that your conversations will be forever
changed, your relationships forever deepened. It will become a
lifestyle, a way of relating. You will feel armed and dangerous
to the dark kingdom, competent to genuinely help others. Most
importantly, your awe of a living and loving Papa God will expand
with each encounter.
You will be hooked!
We started down this path years ago, and after seeing many
people improved, healed and restored, we have no regrets... none.
We think you wont, either.
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Acknowledgments
t is probably not a good idea to include an acknowledgments

pagesurely we will forget someone dear, someone we relied
on. But God will not.
Freedom Prayer ministry is both original ideas and insights, and
an aggregation and organization of the revelation, insight and experience of many others, borne out of desperation to find freedom
and help others find it, too. We each push our puzzle pieces to the
middle and, in so doing, see Gods picture emerge.
We have been privileged to cross paths and spend time with many
of the pioneers and leaders in this movement: John Sandford, Ed
Smith, Betsy and Chester Kylstra, Peter Horrobin, Pablo Bottari,
Tom Hawkins, Dawna DeSilva, David Kyle Foster and especially
our friend Neil Anderson. You have taught us much.
To the Freedom Prayer team at CrossBridge, who are the most
beautiful friends and family, full of grace and truth: Thank you for
being brave night watchmen (and women) on the wall and for walking humbly with God and one another. You spur us on! To Kirk,
thank you for providing well-watered soil for freedom to flourish.
To Lex and Jeannie, we are grateful for your skilled hands and the
way you tend a harvest. Something beautiful grew....
To the Freedom Prayer teams in San Antonio, large and small
we love walking in unity with you. This big extended family is vital,
a visual example of the Lords greater work both in the Church
and as He reaches the lost and hurting.
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Acknowledgments
To our life partners, Susan and Cory, words are not enough...
not nearly enough!
To our intercessors who pray for us and to whom belong the
spoilsyou are only not known on earth.
To our ministry partners at The Freedom Resource, thank you!
In particular, to the Freedom Prayer teams around the world
who work tirelessly in hidden ways; keeping confidences; bearing
burdens, long nights, selfless loveyou vulnerable men and women
of whom the world is not worthy, who know the deep satisfaction
and the unabashed awe of God that only comrades in spiritual
arms can know. Thank you.
Thank you to Jane Campbell and her staff at Chosen Books for
their wonderful godly professionalism, and to Catherine Cooker,
our ever-patient, ever-encouraging editor.
And to you... whoever you are, wherever you may be... for
taking these bits of grace, adding yours and moving on ahead of us.
We salute you. We thank you. We will meet you at the finish line!
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chapter
POLITE SOCIETY
Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual,
restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself,
so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one anothers burdens, and
thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:12
Dear Lord, I pray that You make me into the kind of person my psychiatrist
has medicated me to be.
Bumper sticker prayer
I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act. But I do
believe in a fate that falls on men unless they act.
G. K. Chesterton
When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up
a standard against him.
Isaiah 59:19 nkjv
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oo-hoo, Mr. Reese, God answers prayer!

Amys happy voice floated up to me from the beach
trail far below. She and another young woman were walking arm in arm, with red eyes and sweet smiles.
Almost a decade ago I, Andy, was sitting four floors above a
Florida beach, working on the opening chapters of the first edition of this book and playing chaperone on a trip of high school
seniors. Only the night before I had spoken to the class about taking
our last opportunity together to have healing conversations with
their classmates, and about how to do that. These two, politely
distant for two years after some blowup, believed me, and most
especially, they believed God. After a thirty-minute beach walk
full of confessing, forgiving and blessing, it was gone... forever.
This book is about rapid and radical life change.
We each want a life that is good and noble and exciting and glorious, but we sometimes experience the kind that is darkly deflated,
befouled by nagging moral failure, marked by a sense of harassment, emotional constraint, lonely abandonment, painful regret
and gnawing hopelessness. That is the kind of fate that seems to
be pandemic todaysomething like a spiritual-emotional bird flu.
But there is a revolution going on. Have you noticed? It is spreading like wildfire among churches of all kinds. God is raising up a
standard. Maybe the call is out to get His Bride readyironing
out the wrinkles, cleansing the spots.
This book is about that revolution, a revolution that makes it
possible to counter the pandemic: to steer a course toward emotional
and spiritual wholeness, and to help others do so, tooyour children,
spouse, friends, co-workers, even strangers in chance encounters.
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Polite Society
There are a lot of good home remedies out there. Some are good
for the body and some for the soul. This book is about the soul
kind. It is about a set of understandings and techniquesGods
tools laid out here and there in Scripturewoven together into an
effective approach to emotional first aid.
We decided to call it Freedom Prayer, because, simply, that is
what it is. We talk with each other and with God about finding
freedom. Right then, right there.
Freedom Prayer is a very flexible tool belt on which to hang good
approaches and techniques, more of which are being developed all
the time. In this book you will learn how to be an effective first
responder on a scene that seems littered with emotional and spiritual fender benders and a few wrecks; how to practice the kinds of
friendships that are really, really good for each other; how to be a
true counterterrorist against the schemes of dark forces; and, most
importantly, how to find and enjoy the warm smile and embrace
of Papa God.
You will learn key foundations that guide a freedom culture
and ministry and how to use key techniques God has placed in
His Word to help bring freedom and healing to hurt and trapped
people. Inner change is at the heart of transformation, and more
than anything else this book is about that. These techniques are
moving from outside the church and individual ministry sessions
to inside the church, integrated with a healing and discipleship
culture being established in the churchprobably like it was meant
to be from the start.
Polite Society
A Sunday school teacher from a large church told me of an incident
that left him shaken and distraught. He spoke to a woman after
class about how he always enjoyed her husbands keen insights
and thoughts about the mornings topic and wondered where he
was that morning. She thanked him, and in an icily quiet voice she
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Freedom Tools
told him that that morning her husband had announced to her and
the children that he was leaving them for another woman. In tears
this teacher, a brilliant attorney, said to me, What will happen is
that she will just quietly slip away, another family falling through
the courteous cracks of our well-mannered church. We all knew
that they were in trouble. He was in a small group of men. But no
one around them, myself included, knew what to say or do. We
figured someone was helping. I guess no one was. It seems like no
one ever is. What should I do about it? What?
Polite society is killing us.
We all have stuff, and that stuff diminishes living and destroys
lives. It pops up and bursts out at the most inconvenient times. It
tarnishes us and hurts those we most love. Many of us have thrown
in the towel and declared a stalemate over it. In this day, when the
number of babies born out of wedlock is gaining on those born
to two-parent families and divorces may outnumber marriages,
people need honest, sane, wise and skilled friends. If you know
how to deal with stuff, it is a sellers market.
Despite this enormous and growing necessity, in most families,
relationships and churches today, there is almost no milieu, no
framework for recognizing and confessing sins and effectively dealing with them; for seeing wounding and having the confidence to
help; for stepping into a situation and effectively bringing about
healing change. We tend to hide our personal stuff, avoid it in
others and quietly shun the person who wants to be vulnerable
and ask for help.
When some desperate soul confesses a deep need or personal
helplessness, normally an awkward silence precedes a somewhat
embarrassed and fumbling Im sure it will get better or Ill be
thinking about you. We think, They really need to talk to somebody... somebody else. Maybe they are too fragile, and we are too
clumsy. We wistfully hope they find help. We slide away, embarrassed
at our own inept and weak response, knowing that tomorrow we
could be them.
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Polite Society
Maybe we are them, and secretly we vow to hold on another

day. And we tolerate and cope, some days better than others, some
people more adept at survival than others.
And should we be of a persuasion to believe there is a supernatural component, that we have a spiritual enemy, then we are
really in trouble. Or maybe really scared.
The wisest man ever to live, Solomon, says, The spirit of a man
can endure his sickness, but as for a broken spirit who can bear
it? (Proverbs 18:14). Our inner health makes all the difference.
With strong and healthy hearts we can withstand and contain the
fallout from weakness and infirmity. We can deal with adversity and
stress. But we simply cannot bear up under an inescapable internal
ache, emptiness, guilt and shame. That kind of inexorable burden
weighs us down, harries us without relief.
We cannot stand it.
Yet most of the churchsmall group leaders, elders, laypeople
and sometimes even pastorsfeel mostly inadequate to say or
do much of anything, even when invited. Most of what we know
about helping hurting people we saw on afternoon talk shows or
evening reality-based exhibitions of human misery and stupidity.
We are intimidated by peoples problems, so we want to consign
them to the overwhelmed professional ministerial and counseling
system. It has to get very bad to actually go for help. And so it
does get very bad.
This situation is not Gods plan. This is not abundant life.
He tells us to confess our sins one to another and pray for one
another that we might be healed. He urges us to gently reprove
and restore when we see one overtaken in sin, and to bind up the
brokenhearted. He says that bringing dark things to the light is the
only way to walk in true communion. He says that if we partner
with Gods Spirit to put to death dark deeds, we will live. He says
our path will grow brighter and brighter, from glory to glory. (See
James 5:16; Galatians 6:1; Isaiah 61:1; 1John 1:7; Proverbs 4:18;
Romans 8:13; 2Corinthians 3:18.)
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Freedom Tools
God calls us to the place where we, as individuals, can partner

with Him and each other in dealing with the pervasive sin and
wounding around and within us. He desires that we not leave
each other in a place of tolerable desperation, coping with tormenting internal issues or dull emotional aches, and call it good
enough.
We are all in this together. Together with each other. Together
with God.
But how?
God has a plan. It is His ancient plan to perfect His Bride, and
it is still unfolding. He is behind it. He is actively bringing it about
in the earth today.
Keep reading.
First Aid
Humans can seem so complex that being helpful appears a daunting task.
The other day I took another cruise through the latest edition
of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,
the American Psychiatric Associations official diagnostic book.
I felt myself stepping into a parallel universe of techno-talk and
multiplied treatment modalities. Complex and arcane language
dominatesand perhaps must dominatefor mental health professionals to communicate with exactitude. It is certainly intimidating.
Is everything a disease, syndrome or disorder? Does everything
require multiple counseling sessions or mood-altering drugs?
Emotional needs are, in many ways, like medical needs. Ninety
percent of the need is satisfied by home-based, lay-administered
first aid and over-the-counter medicine. Illnesses are seldom cancer,
rarely require open-heart surgery and are usually not life threatening. And when something is life threatening, would you not be
glad some friend caught it early enough and with enough insight
to refer you to professional help?
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Polite Society
It takes eight years plus to become a competent physician. But

it takes only a few hours to learn basic CPR, only a day to learn
first aid basicsbleeding, breathing, heartbeat.
A Band-Aid is just what we need if the problem is a cut.
Much of what we encounter in people are just emotional
scratches, relational burns, behavioral headaches, minor dark infections, sprained morals or stubbed egos. Most of us are not a
millimeter from meltdown or an inch from insanity. And when
someone is? We can help spot it and learn where to refer. That is
a valuable and good thing, too.
In the real world, we are in desperate need for first responders, those trained in basic first aid for the soul who can respond
naturally and effectively as a lifestyle. With simple instruction and
a little practice, we find we are competent to help another find
relief and freedom. I do not have to be an emotional open-heart
surgeonmost people do not need that.
Prayer as Basic First Aid

It is the responsibility, and within the latent capability, of every
believer to be competent to help and encourage friends and family
to be able to perform first aid for the soul, to be the first line of
defense against darkness. Paul says it best: And concerning you,
my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full
of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish
one another (Romans 15:14).
That is the idea: brethren (that is, people in relationship) full
of and motivated by goodness and love, holding the right tools,
empowered and led by God, able to gently admonish, encourage
and help set free.
For lack of a better term, we call this basic first aid for the soul
Freedom Prayer ministry. We find using this title eases concern
and fosters focus on the biblical framework for prayer ministry.
Using this framework, thousands have found increased peace and
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Freedom Tools
freedom and experienced the freshness of encounters with a loving, living God: learning how to walk out the scriptural injunctions to care for, encourage and even reprove each other. Some
encounters are very dramatic, some gentle and peaceful. All occur
in an informal, confidential, honoring, one-on-one or small-group
settingfriend with friend.
This is not counselingcounseling is the purview of trained
professionals, not first responders. This is about a couple of friends,
maybe a church leader and a member, going together before God to
get help in time of need. It is about watching God free individuals
through prayer from the effects of wounding and sin and delivering people from the snares and presence of demonic influence. It
is done in overt, moment-by-moment partnership with God, who
leads us into truth as He reveals lies believed in the past and present
and their points of access, and removes them; establishes healing,
blessing and obedience in their place; and restores individuals to
relationship with Papa God and a more fruitful and fulfilling walk.
Our objective is to help you build your skills and ministry in
your setting, not join an organization or hierarchy. There is no
single training manual, certification process or proponent church or
ministry. Freedom Prayer makes the best use of tools and approaches
developed by us or others and modified for your use to fit your DNA.
No one is a Freedom Prayer professionalthough many have had
years of training and experience in Christian ministry. Some are
psychiatrists, some are certified counselors who use the tools on a
daily basis, and most of us are just compassionate knuckleheads.
You can fit in just fine.
Biblical, Reasonable and Effective?

Right about now, before we get too far into things, you might have
an important question to ask: Is this thing you are talking about,
this Freedom Prayer, biblical, reasonable and effective? That is a
fair question. Lets tackle it head-on.
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Polite Society
Is It Biblical?
We are instructed throughout Scripture to shepherd sheep effectively. Many years ago, as church leaders and elders, we realized we
did not know how to do this very well. That bothered us.
Clearly the terms inner healing or Freedom Prayer themselves
are not found in Scripture. But even on a surface level we see that
the concept, like pieces of a puzzle, is everywhere:
Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were
distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He
said to His disciples, The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are
few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers
into His harvest.
Matthew 9:3638
Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking
to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one anothers
burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:12
Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that
you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can
accomplish much.
James 5:16
Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God
for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every
high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing
every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
2Corinthians 10:35 nkjv
Paul and James command and invite us to confess to one another,

to restore one another, to bear one anothers burdens and to help
one another be free. They speak of spiritual warfare as occurring
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Freedom Tools
within strongholds in the mind. We can help one another because

we are spiritualthat is, able to minister in partnership with the
Spirit of God, and in a spirit of gentleness and humility. We know
we each must rely on others to help us get free. All have sinned,
been wounded, become entangled.
There are many other references to the various aspects of this
ministry:
healing the brokenhearted and setting free the oppressed
(Luke 4:18)
taking authority over the demonic and casting out demons
(Mark 16:17)
speaking prophetic encouragement (1Thessalonians 5:20)
putting to death the deeds of the flesh by the leading of the
Spirit (Romans 8:1314)
forgiving (Ephesians 4:32)
bearing one anothers burdens (Galatians 6:2)
snatching people from destruction (Jude 23)
reproving and correcting (2Timothy 4:2)
setting free the oppressed (Luke 4:18)
comforting the afflicted with what God has shown us (2Corinthians 1:4)
confessing sins to another and receiving prayer from them
(James 5:16)
putting on godly armor and battling spiritual forces (Ephesians 6:1012)
taking thoughts captive (2Corinthians 10:5)
renouncing past sinful practices (2Corinthians 4:2)
pursuing freedom (Galatians 5:1)
growing up in all things into Christ by speaking truth (Ephesians 4:15)
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Polite Society
Once assembled, these puzzle pieces need a name. Inner healing

is a name. Freedom Prayer is a name. We like it because it summarizes what we dowe pray and we seek biblical freedom together
before God... Freedom Prayer.
We can honestly ask what these things, all these verses assembled together, look like in real lifeat a coffee shop, in a mall,
in a church office or down front at the altar on a Sunday morning.
If we consider each of these verses and many more (for example,
all the one another verses), both alone and then together, a
ministryand more than that, a lifestyle and cultureemerges,
one that is both commanded and compelling. Many have said
things like, This is logical, practical, accessible... it makes
sense!
Is the work of Christ not finished? Why then do we need this?
That, too, is a fairly common question. But any pastor who has
served longer than about a week can tell you that while Christs
work is finished, his own is far from iteven Paul said as much.
After completing his magnum opus on the many-faceted work of
Christ in Romans 18, and including the Jews in chapters 911,
he begins chapter 12 with this statement: Do not be conformed
to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good
and acceptable and perfect (verse 2).
The tense of the verbs indicates intimate progressive habits of
transformation. This is the ministry of taking the finished work
of Christ and applying it to the unfinished work of sanctification
within each of usthe work of becoming Christlike. It is part of
what making disciples is all about.
Is It Reasonable?
There may be many ways to respond to the question of reasonability. Perhaps the best is to compare and contrast it with current
counseling practice and ask counselors themselves to comment.
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Freedom Tools
You should understand that Freedom Prayer is not counselingit is prayer ministry. Freedom Prayer derives from scriptural
principles and pastoral experience, while professional counseling
is grounded in deductions from the behavioral sciences. Through
Freedom Prayer, prayer-filled encounters with Christ are the change
mechanism instead of therapist-mediated or psychological theory
derived activities.
Nonetheless there seems to be a growing recognition of the importance of explicitly including a clients spiritual-religious beliefs
and practices within the therapeutic structure:
Psychologists are ethically obliged to be respectful and attentive to
the cultural diversity of their clients, and religion and spirituality
contribute to our personal and social identities. Emerging research
is showing that spiritually integrated approaches to treatment are
as effective as other treatments. There is, in short, good scientifically based reason to be more sensitive to religion and spirituality
in clinical practice. 1
Recent surveys indicate the majority of mental health patients

(83 percent) felt there was a relationship between mental and religious health, though it was discussed in only 30 percent of cases.2
In researching this subject, Saunders, Miller and Bright3 reported
that therapist reluctance is understandable due to lack of training,
concerns about undue influence, and a range of sometimes dubious
advice and examples. For clients with religious beliefs, however, the
authors recommend that spiritually conscious approaches (being
respectful and sensitive to the salience of spirituality to the issues
at hand) should at a minimum be present, and they note that integrated approaches (focusing on a clients spiritual-religious beliefs
and practices without a view to changing or transforming them)
are becoming common among therapists.
Perhaps the best recommendation concerning Freedom Prayer
can be offered by mental health professionals in counseling and
therapy themselves:
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Polite Society
After forty years in medicine and fifteen years doing inner

healing prayer ministry, I can recommend any combination
of prayer ministry, professional counseling or psychiatric
care when needed. But for many people a ministry like
Freedom Prayer is the best place to start. I have seen dozens
of folks completely healed in these types of ministries, and I
am most impressed with the team at the Freedom Resource.
Stephen Mory, M.D., assistant clinical professor
of psychiatry at Vanderbilt and psychiatrist for the
Mental Health Cooperative and Davidson County Jails
Professional counseling and prayer ministries work hand

in hand as essential partners to facilitate inner healing in
wounded lives. Working together we can maximize the
freedom, recovery and renewing of all those in need.
Dr. Mark Jones, LMFT,
director of Liberty Alliance
As I, a licensed therapist, have been trained in Freedom Prayer

through The Freedom Resource, my practice has shifted to a
place of bringing others to freedom using tools that quickly get
to the root of the issue. Even in the sessions where a client just
wants to talk through a situation, the Inviting Jesus tool is the
most powerful way to receive His wisdom and guide them into
hearing His voice for themselves. I have worked myself out of
a job in exponential ways, and it is my great thrill to see others
encounter His power and love that delivers and transforms.
Amy Black, LPC, Abilene, Texas
Is It Effective?
Any subject such as this will have strong supporters and some
detractors. As practitioners of Freedom Prayer, we could give you
many examples and arguments as to why it is great, effective and
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Freedom Tools
needs to be in every church! We might say, Sit with us for a week

in ministry sessions and conversations and see if you dont agree.
But we are, admittedly, a bit biased.
The better approach is probably to let a few pastors of large
and growing churches give their unedited commentary on what
Freedom Prayer has meant for their people. We warned them they
might get some calls. Bring it was one response.
What started as a refreshing complement to ministry,
Freedom Prayer has become a way of life as we minister to
hundreds of people. The principles have proven invaluable in
our daily interactions and small group gatherings. Freedom
Prayer is one of the sharpest tools in our toolbox, cutting
through the fog of ministry philosophies and helping us lead
people quickly to the heart of their loving Father.
Brad Bowen, lead pastor of
Heritage Church, Moultrie, Georgia
Id been successful at developing an outside team of licensed

professional counselors to whom I could send people,
but these counselors and I both saw a ministry need that
traditional Christian counseling wasnt reaching. We knew
there was more freedom to be had, but as leaders responsible
for others, we needed a biblical construct to develop an
effective ministry within our church. Freedom Tools and
its reliance on Scripture gave me a biblical manual for
helping people experience freedom. It helped us standardize
an approach to training people to pray with others for the
sake of overcoming sin, strongholds and debilitating lies.
It took a number of months, but slowly a team began to
form. Our ministry team started with two people, then
grew into a team of eight. We now have a seasoned team of
over thirty members. Over timeand carefullywe trained
more people and our capacity to minister expanded. This
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month alone our team will minister to over thirty people

through our Freedom Prayer Ministry. This happens month
after month. What a relief this is to me personally!But more
importantly, God is receiving glory as more healing is taking
place, more people are using their gifts and talents and more
are guarding their freedom and reaching out in love to others.
Kirk Freeman, lead pastor of
CrossBridge Community Church,
San Antonio, Texas
Like many of us in ministry, Ive witnessed a variety of

approaches to inner healing, including the cumbersome, the
bad and the ugly. That being said, this old Lutheran became
delighted as he learned about and tried Freedom Prayer.
Finally, a good, simple and gentle approach to this kind
of care. Our leadership team and staff at both Hosanna!
campuses are fully on board and delighted with the simple
effectiveness of this ministry. As a community tool, we
interact with a couple of family therapist centers that make
referrals to us for this type of help. I would encourage you to
try Freedom Prayer and partner with God to bring people to
a place of freedom in Christ, so that they are empowered to
live out their destinies in His Kingdom!
Michael Swecker, pastor of Prayer
and Freedom Ministries,
Hosanna!, Lakeville and Shakopee, Minnesota
Freedom Prayer is solidly based on the Gospel and biblical

teaching while being immensely practical. Like few tools
available to the Body of Christ, it has helped our leaders
walk in increased freedom while we help many know the
truth that sets them free.
David McQueen, senior pastor,
Beltway Park Baptist Church, Abilene, Texas
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Freedom Tools
Book Objectives and Organization

Our objectives in this book are to give a sound basis and clear understanding for giving spiritual first aid, and to make you familiar
with various tools and techniques.
Our goal is to impart to you an expectation that God will use
you both to set others free and to pass on what you are learning.
We do this in four parts:
Part 1: The Ten FoundationsThese ten key truths are embedded in our DNA and are the core principles for how we
help one other. Do not skip them. Having the foundations
without mastering the tools will still work. But we cannot
stress this strongly enough: Having the tools without the
foundations is disastrous.
Part 2: Getting StartedUsing biblical principles, we combine
a simple five-phase process we call the Fruit Loop with five
different kinds of issues we face (condensed to WESUD).
It helps keep us on track and chasing only fat rabbits. You
can minister with only these steps and basic core techniques.
It is a good place to start.
Part 3: More Advanced ToolsWe have borrowed, modified and even developed some tools as powerful shortcuts to
quickly get at the key issues of WESUD.
Part 4: Application in Church and LifeUsing the experiences of many strong Freedom Prayer ministries, we derive
principles and approaches that will help you create both a
more formal church-based ministry and a culture and lifestyle
of freedom.
Obligatory Disclaimer
We understand that this book will raise as many questions as it
answers. As we stated earlier, humans can be very complex. But
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it seems God often deals simply and wisely with that complexity.
This book is not a treatise designed to convince anyone. It is a
brief instruction manual, put together because of the great need
out there for a first line of defense against demonic intrusion, pain,
entanglement, lies and sin. We do not try to answer every question
and objection raised about the foundations of, root doctrines for
and use of tools in Freedom Prayerthough those answers do exist.
This book is a good start.
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FREEDOM

RE V I SED A ND E X PA NDED EDI T ION

ANDY REESE and

2008, 2015 by Andrew J. Reese and Jennifer R. Barnett

Andy Reese and Jennifer Barnett, Freedom Tools

To Susan: You are my best friend

Andy Reese and Jennifer Barnett, Freedom Tools

Two Foundations about God41

Part Two: Getting Started

The Four Doors159

Andy Reese and Jennifer Barnett, Freedom Tools

Part Four: Application in Church and Life

Andy Reese and Jennifer Barnett, Freedom Tools

my stoic, self-sufficient Norwegian background was my greatest

Freedom Tools is a very practical, illustrated guide to applying

Andy Reese and Jennifer Barnett, Freedom Tools

t is probably not a good idea to include an acknowledgments

Andy Reese and Jennifer Barnett, Freedom Tools

oo-hoo, Mr. Reese, God answers prayer!

Andy Reese and Jennifer Barnett, Freedom Tools

Maybe we are them, and secretly we vow to hold on another

God calls us to the place where we, as individuals, can partner

It takes eight years plus to become a competent physician. But

Prayer as Basic First Aid

Biblical, Reasonable and Effective?

Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.

Paul and James command and invite us to confess to one another,

within strongholds in the mind. We can help one another because

Once assembled, these puzzle pieces need a name. Inner healing

Recent surveys indicate the majority of mental health patients

After forty years in medicine and fifteen years doing inner

Professional counseling and prayer ministries work hand

As I, a licensed therapist, have been trained in Freedom Prayer

needs to be in every church! We might say, Sit with us for a week

Id been successful at developing an outside team of licensed

month alone our team will minister to over thirty people

Like many of us in ministry, Ive witnessed a variety of

Freedom Prayer is solidly based on the Gospel and biblical

Book Objectives and Organization

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