What if God could speak directly into the things that have shaped your life? What if you could discover for yourself what Father God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit think about you, your circumstances and the things that have happened to you?
That is at the heart of Bethel Sozo.
Sozo is a Christian ministry of prayer and listening that helps people develop a more personal relationship with Father God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and discover greater freedom and wholeness as they hear from God for themselves.
It is sometimes described as an inner healing and deliverance ministry, but there is another description that we particularly like: Sozo is a ministry of communication.
We don’t simply want to tell you what God thinks. We want to help you hear from Him for yourself.
What does “Sozo” mean?
Sozo is a Greek word which carries the combined meaning of: saved — healed — delivered. Those three words give something of the breadth of what Sozo is about. It isn’t simply about dealing with a particular emotional problem. It’s about the whole person and the relationship between who we are, what has happened to us, what we believe and how we relate to God.
The aim is greater freedom, healing and wholeness in relationship with Him.
Sozo is about relationship
At the centre of a Sozo session isn’t the person leading the session. It’s God. The person receiving ministry is sometimes called the guest. The Sozo team facilitates a conversation between the guest and God — Father God, Jesus and Holy Spirit.
The facilitator’s role isn’t to tell you what God is saying. With the help and prompting of the facilitator, It’s to help you ask questions, listen and recognise what you are receiving.
That distinction is important. You aren’t simply receiving somebody else’s interpretation of your life. You’re being helped to engage with God for yourself.
What might God reveal?
We all have experiences that shape us. Some are wonderful. Some are painful. Some happen so early in life that we may barely remember them. And sometimes we develop beliefs about ourselves, other people or God as a result.
We may believe: “I’m not good enough.” “I’m on my own.” “Nobody really cares about me.” “I have to protect myself.” “God is disappointed with me.” “I’ll never change.”
We may not even realise that we believe these things.
Sozo can provide an opportunity to bring such beliefs and experiences before God and discover what He has to say.
Truth that brings freedom
One of the central ideas within Sozo is that truth brings freedom. During a session, you may become aware of beliefs that aren’t true, judgements that you’ve made, things you haven’t forgiven, or ways in which painful experiences continue to influence your life.
The purpose isn’t to dwell endlessly on the past. It’s to discover what is really going on and then allow God to speak into it.
Sometimes the most powerful moment is very simple: God tells you the truth. And you realise that you have believed something very different for a very long time.
The Sozo tools
Bethel Sozo has developed a number of tools that help facilitate this process.
Among them are:
The Father Ladder
Exploring our relationship with Father God, Jesus and Holy Spirit and whether experiences of our earthly parents and siblings, or other significant people have affected the way we see Him.
The Four Doors
Exploring areas traditionally identified within Sozo ministry as possible points of spiritual and emotional difficulty.
Presenting Jesus
Inviting Jesus into painful memories and asking Him where He was and what He wants us to know.
The Wall
Exploring anything that may be getting in the way of hearing clearly from God.
These are tools, not formulas.
Every Sozo is different. The Holy Spirit remains central to the process.
What happens in a Sozo?
A typical individual Sozo lasts around 60 to 90 minutes and is normally facilitated by two trained team members. One acts as the First, leading the session. The other is the Second, supporting the First, praying, and writing down the significant things the guest receives.
The session is not a counselling appointment. It is a guided time of prayer and listening in which you are encouraged to engage directly with God.
We’ll explain the practical process in much more detail on:
Is Sozo counselling?
No. This is important. Bethel Sozo is not counselling. A Sozo facilitator is not there to diagnose you, provide psychological treatment or tell you what you should do. Sozo is a prayer ministry centred on your relationship with God.
That doesn’t mean counselling isn’t valuable. It can be enormously helpful, and at Wonderfully Free we do offer Wonderfully Free Sessions, which deliberately combine Sozo and counselling. But we don’t want to blur the distinction.
Bethel Sozo is Sozo. Wonderfully Free Sessions are a combination of Sozo and counselling. If you need one rather than the other, we’ll help you find the appropriate doorway.
Is Sozo for everyone?
You don’t need to understand Sozo before you come. You don’t need to know exactly what is wrong, and you don’t need to arrive with the right words. You simply need to be willing to engage with God.
Every person’s experience will be different.
We don’t promise that a Sozo will solve every problem in one session, nor do we believe that Sozo is the answer to every situation.
Sometimes another form of help will be more appropriate. That’s why we’re happy to talk with you before you decide.
Where did Bethel Sozo come from?
Bethel Sozo originated at Bethel Church in Redding, California. The ministry developed through the work of Dawna De Silva and others within Bethel, initially drawing on ministry tools that had been brought to Bethel through Randy Clark and ministry in Argentina. Over time, further tools and approaches were developed, creating the ministry now known as Bethel Sozo. Today Sozo is practised internationally through trained ministries and teams.
At Wonderfully Free, we have been involved with Bethel Sozo since 2009, and our involvement has included training and facilitating within the wider Sozo network.
Why do we believe in Sozo?
Because we’ve seen what can happen when people discover that they can hear from God for themselves.
We don’t want people to be dependent upon a minister to tell them what God thinks. We want people to become increasingly confident in their own relationship with Father God, Jesus and Holy Spirit.
That’s why Sozo remains central to what we do. And it’s why one of our favourite ways of describing it is: Don’t ask me to pray for you when I can help you to pray for yourself.
Sozo at Wonderfully Free
We offer individual Bethel Sozo sessions, both in person and by Zoom.
We also offer other ministries that have grown out of, or alongside, our involvement with Sozo, including:
Sozo for Couples — a ministry we developed;
Financial Sozo — a specialised Sozo ministry we offer;
Wonderfully Free Sessions — combining Sozo and counselling;
and our various marriage ministries.
Each has its own purpose.
Could Sozo be your next step?
Perhaps something has happened in your life that still affects you. Perhaps you feel stuck. Perhaps you know there are things you believe about yourself or God that you’d like to understand.
Perhaps you simply want to know God more deeply.
You don’t have to know exactly what you need before you contact us.
Start where you are.
We’d be happy to talk with you about whether Sozo might be helpful.