anonymous

[Jonathan_M]

Praying for this in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Chrysostom]

Your prayer has been heard and I join you in bringing it before the Lord with you. You asked that God would remove an image of a person and the sounds of music that are troubling you, and God knows how persistent such thoughts and sounds can be when they stay in the mind.

Scripture teaches that the mind can become clouded and restless, and that we need the peace of God to rule in our hearts. When two thoughts struggle within us, one pulling toward what disturbs us and another calling us toward what is good, God’s peace can act as an umpire, giving the victory to what is patient and holy and putting to shame what would lead us away from Him. That peace is not fleeting like human peace, but steadfast, because it comes from God Himself who made peace with us through Jesus Christ.

To be carnally minded brings death, but to be spiritually minded brings life and peace. This is why God calls us to set our minds on the things of the Spirit, to believe His word more than what our eyes see or our ears hear, and to let His word have higher authority than our feelings. When the understanding is troubled, Christ can make it clear and healthy again.

I pray for you now.

Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son, who alone is the way of salvation, I lift up this dear one to You. You see the image and the sounds that linger in the mind and cause distress. Please in Your mercy remove what troubles and distracts, cleanse the thoughts, and grant quietness of heart. Fill this mind with Your life and peace. Help this dear one to fix attention on You, on what is pure and true and wholesome, and to find strength in Your word, in prayer, and in fellowship with Your people. Guard the heart and mind in Christ Jesus and lead into full freedom and renewal. Amen.

Continue to turn away from whatever feeds that image or that music, and turn toward what builds up your faith. Read Scripture daily, pray honestly as you have done, and fill your hearing with what honors the Lord. If the thoughts return, do not wrestle alone but immediately bring them to God and ask for His peace to rule again. He is faithful to hear and to help, and He delights to give life and peace to those who seek Him with a sincere heart.