How to Break Soul Ties: Bible Steps & Prayer

By Dr. Grace Osei, Covenant Fire Ministries · Reviewed under our Editorial Standards · New here? Start here.

Maybe it has been months or even years, yet one person still lives in your thoughts. You blocked the number, deleted the photos and prayed, but your heart keeps turning back. Many believers describe this as a “soul tie.” If you are asking how to break soul ties in a way that honours God, this guide is for you. We will look honestly at what the Bible says, the signs many people notice, seven practical steps to freedom in Christ, KJV verses to stand on, and a prayer you can pray today.

Before we begin, a gentle word: an unhealthy attachment is not a life sentence, and you are not “too dirty” for God. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

What Is a Soul Tie?

A soul tie is a term many Christians use for a deep emotional and spiritual bond between two people. Some ties are good and godly, like the love between close friends or the bond between a husband and wife. Others are unhealthy: a bond with a former partner that will not let go, a relationship that keeps pulling you back into sin, or an attachment to someone who controlled or hurt you.

The phrase “soul tie” does not appear in the King James Bible. It is a teaching word that ministers use to describe what Scripture shows about how people become joined to one another. So we will hold the idea humbly, build on what the Bible clearly says, and avoid fear or superstition.

Soul Ties in the Bible: What Scripture Shows

The Bible gives several pictures of souls being joined, both for good and for harm.

• A godly friendship. “The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul” (1 Samuel 18:1). This was a loyal, God-honouring bond.
• Loyal family love. When Orpah went home, “Ruth clave unto her” mother-in-law Naomi (Ruth 1:14), and God blessed that faithfulness.
• Marriage. “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). Marriage is the deepest bond God designed between a man and a woman.
• An ungodly attachment. After Shechem defiled Dinah, the Bible says “his soul clave unto Dinah” (Genesis 34:3). Desire without covenant brought deep pain to a whole family.
• A heart turned away. God warned Israel that foreign alliances would “turn away your heart after their gods,” yet “Solomon clave unto these in love” (1 Kings 11:2). His attachments slowly pulled him from the Lord.
• Sexual union outside marriage. Paul wrote: “What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:16–17).

That last passage is the heart of most soul-tie teaching. Sex is never “just physical.” It joins two people in a way God reserved for marriage. But notice the hope in the very next line: the one who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Your union with Christ is stronger than any union from your past.

Healthy Ties and Unhealthy Ties

It helps to know the difference, because the goal is not to cut off every close relationship. God made us for love.

• Healthy ties draw you closer to God, respect your boundaries, bring peace, and grow inside His design (godly friendship, family love, marriage).
• Unhealthy ties pull you into sin, keep you bound to someone who hurt or controlled you, make you hide things, or keep your heart chained to a relationship God has closed.

If you are married, the one-flesh bond with your husband or wife is a gift from God, not something to break. This guide is about ties that formed outside God’s design or that keep you in bondage.

Signs You May Have an Unhealthy Soul Tie

These are patterns many believers and pastors describe. They are not a diagnosis. Some of them are also a normal part of grief after a breakup, which takes time to heal.

1. You cannot stop thinking about a former partner, even when you want to.
2. You keep going back to someone who has hurt, used or controlled you.
3. You compare every new person to them, or feel you could never love anyone else.
4. You still keep their gifts, clothes, letters or photos “just in case.”
5. You feel guilty, ashamed or strangely “owned” by the relationship long after it ended.
6. You check their social media again and again, or reply every time they reach out.
7. You have recurring dreams about them that leave you unsettled.
8. A past sexual relationship still seems to affect your peace, your purity or your new relationship.

If you see yourself in this list, do not panic. Recognising a pattern is the first step to healing. And if your dreams have a sexual or night-visitor quality, you may also find help in our guide to the biblical meaning of sexual dreams and our pillar page What Is a Spiritual Spouse?

How to Break Soul Ties: 7 Biblical Steps

There is no magic formula or ritual. Breaking an unhealthy soul tie is about turning your whole heart to Jesus and letting Him heal what was wounded. Take these steps prayerfully and at your own pace.

Step 1: Be Honest With God

Name the person and the relationship before the Lord. You do not have to pretend it did not matter. David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). God already knows, and He is “nigh unto them that are of a broken heart” (Psalm 34:18).

Step 2: Confess Any Sin and Receive Forgiveness

If the tie came through sexual sin, confess it plainly. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). If the tie came through abuse or something done to you, that is not your sin. Bring it to God as a wound to be healed, not a sin to be confessed.

Step 3: Forgive the Other Person

Forgiveness releases you, not them. “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any” (Mark 11:25). Forgiving someone does not mean trusting them again, getting back together, or staying in danger. It means handing the debt to God: “forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).

Step 4: Renounce the Tie Out Loud in Jesus’ Name

Speak a simple, clear renunciation, for example: “In the name of Jesus, I renounce every ungodly tie between my soul and [name]. I give my heart, mind and body back to the Lord.” Christ has already paid for your freedom: “ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20). If your past includes sexual covenants or vows you are not sure how to close, the Unholy Covenants study walks through this step by step.

Step 5: Cut Contact and Remove Reminders

Practical choices matter. When the believers in Ephesus turned to God, those “which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men” (Acts 19:19). In the same spirit, consider letting go of gifts, love letters, photos and chats that keep pulling you back. Block or mute where needed. Please keep anything you legally need (documents, records), and if you share children or a workplace, keep contact short, polite and only about what is necessary.

Step 6: Renew Your Mind Daily

Old thoughts will come back, especially at night or when you are lonely. Paul says we are “transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2) and that we can bring “into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). When a memory rises, answer it with a verse instead of a phone call. Our Bible verses about spiritual husband page is a good place to start memorising.

Step 7: Guard Your Heart and Walk in Community

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Choose healthy friendships, stay close to a Bible-believing church, and tell one trusted, mature believer what you are walking through. Freedom is easier to keep when you are not alone. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1).

Some believers also set apart a season of prayer and fasting as they close this chapter. If you choose to do that, our guide to fasting for deliverance explains how to fast safely.

KJV Bible Verses for Breaking Soul Ties

Keep these close and pray them back to God:

• “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).
• “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing” (Isaiah 43:18–19).
• “Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark” (Philippians 3:13–14).
• “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).
• “But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:17).
• “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
• “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

A Prayer to Break Soul Ties

Pray this slowly, in your own words if you prefer:

Heavenly Father, thank You that I am bought with a price and that I belong to You. I bring before You my relationship with [name]. Where I sinned, I confess it and receive Your forgiveness through the blood of Jesus. Where I was hurt, I ask You to heal my heart. I choose to forgive [name], and I release them into Your hands. In the name of Jesus, I renounce every ungodly soul tie between us, every unholy covenant, every vow and every attachment that is not from You. I take back my mind, my emotions and my body and give them to You alone. Holy Spirit, fill every empty place in my heart. Renew my mind, guard my dreams, and lead me into healthy, godly relationships in Your time. I am a new creature in Christ, and I will stand fast in the liberty You have given me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

12 Prayer Points to Break Unhealthy Soul Ties

1. Lord, I thank You that whom the Son sets free is free indeed (John 8:36).
2. Father, I confess every sin that opened this tie, and I receive Your cleansing (1 John 1:9).
3. I forgive everyone who used, hurt or deceived me, and I release them to You (Mark 11:25).
4. In Jesus’ name, I renounce every ungodly soul tie with past partners.
5. Every unholy covenant made through sexual sin, be cancelled by the blood of Jesus (Colossians 2:14).
6. Lord, my body is Your temple; I give it back to You (1 Corinthians 6:19–20).
7. Heal my broken heart and bind up every wound (Psalm 147:3).
8. I cast down every thought, memory and imagination that pulls me back (2 Corinthians 10:5).
9. Give me strength to cut contact and to keep my boundaries.
10. Let every troubling dream connected to my past cease, in Jesus’ name (Proverbs 3:24).
11. Lord, surround me with godly friends and wise counsel (Proverbs 4:23).
12. I receive the new thing You are doing in my life (Isaiah 43:19).

For more Scripture-based prayers, visit our page of prayers against spiritual husband, or if you are praying for a man, see our prayer against spiritual wife.

Soul Ties and Spiritual Spouses

Many African Christian women ask whether a soul tie and a spiritual husband are the same thing. They are not, but many ministers describe a link. A spiritual spouse is understood as a spirit that claims a person in a marriage-like way, while a soul tie is a bond between two human beings. Some believers find that past sexual relationships, dedications or covenants became “open doors” for both. If you notice signs like those in our article on signs of a spiritual husband, read how to break spiritual marriage and our full guide to deliverance from spiritual husband.

A Word of Caution: Freedom Is Never for Sale

Sadly, some people use soul-tie teaching to frighten and exploit women. Be careful of anyone who demands money or “seed” to break a soul tie, tells you to bathe in a river or at a shrine, asks you to undress, sells special oils, soaps or items, insists you must cut off your family, or promises a guaranteed result by a certain date. Jesus said, “freely ye have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). Real ministry points you to Christ, respects your body and never puts a price on His grace.

When to Get Practical Help

God also heals through wise people. If you were in an abusive or controlling relationship, please speak with a counsellor, and if you are in danger now, contact local emergency services or a domestic-abuse helpline in your country. The American Psychological Association has a helpful overview of healthy relationships, and its guidance on trauma can help you understand why some memories feel so strong. If you ever feel hopeless or think about harming yourself, contact a mental-health professional or emergency service straight away. Seeking help is not a lack of faith.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are soul ties in the Bible?

The phrase “soul tie” is not in the King James Bible, but the idea of souls being joined is. Jonathan’s soul was “knit” with David’s (1 Samuel 18:1), Shechem’s soul “clave” to Dinah (Genesis 34:3), and Paul taught that sexual union makes two “one flesh” (1 Corinthians 6:16).

How do you break soul ties spiritually?

Be honest with God, confess any sin, forgive the other person, renounce the tie out loud in Jesus’ name, remove reminders, renew your mind with Scripture, and stay close to godly community. Freedom comes through Christ, not through rituals or payments.

How long does it take to break a soul tie?

The spiritual decision can be made in a moment of prayer, but emotional healing often takes time. Be patient with yourself. Keep praying, keep your boundaries, and let God heal your heart day by day.

Can a soul tie form without sex?

Many ministers teach that strong emotional bonds, such as an intense friendship, a controlling relationship or deep dependence on someone, can also become unhealthy. The same steps of honesty, forgiveness, boundaries and renewal apply.

Can I break a soul tie with someone I still see?

Yes. If you co-parent, work together or attend the same church, you can still renounce the ungodly tie, set clear boundaries, keep conversations short and practical, and refuse private or emotional contact.

Do I need a pastor to break a soul tie?

You can pray on your own; Jesus is your High Priest and you can come boldly to Him (Hebrews 4:16). A trusted, mature pastor or believer is still a great support, especially for prayer, accountability and encouragement.

Final Encouragement

Dear sister, your past does not get the final word. The same Jesus who made you one spirit with Himself is able to heal your heart and give you peace. Take one step today, then the next tomorrow. He is faithful.

New here? Visit our Start Here page, or read about the signs of a spiritual husband in a relationship if a past bond seems to be affecting your present one.

Disclaimer: This page offers spiritual and devotional guidance based on Christian faith. It is not medical, psychological or legal advice, and no particular outcome is guaranteed. Please consult qualified professionals for health or mental-health concerns. Read our full Disclaimer.