Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Your prayer has been heard and your pain is evident in every line. Thank you for bringing this honestly before God, for your desire to see sin stopped and for your love for this man. God sees your tears, your fasting and your kneeling, and He cares deeply about both of you.
Scripture is clear that sexual intimacy belongs only within the lifelong covenant of marriage between one man and one woman. Marriage is honorable and pure, and it is a bond ordained by God. When that bond is broken, whether by adultery or by fornication with someone who is not your spouse, the sin is first of all against God Himself. It is not only an injury to the wife or to the other person, it is a defiling of what God has joined and a rejection of His holiness. That is why God calls His people to chaste and orderly living, whether married or unmarried, and to preserve the holiness that comes through faith in Christ by refusing union with what is outside His design. Drug use, drunkenness and deceit are also works of darkness that destroy the body and the soul.
Because God is holy, He will not bless or protect adultery, lies, or drug use, and no chant, spell or prayer to any other power can keep such sin going or shield it from His sight. Those things have no power over God and they offer no true peace.
It is understandable to want God to stop the other relationship by taking away peace or by bringing trouble or police involvement, but we are not to pray for harm or unrest as a way to control another person. Instead, God invites us to pray for what is good and holy, that sin would be brought into the light, that there would be conviction that leads to repentance, and that each person would turn to Jesus Christ alone for salvation and for peace of mind. Only Christ can give the peace you are asking for, and only He can truly change a heart.
Unconditional love does not mean accepting ongoing sin or remaining without boundaries. True love desires holiness and truth for the other person, even when that is painful. Fasting and prayer are powerful when they are surrender to God and His will, not an attempt to force another person to return. God does not answer prayers that seek to manipulate, but He does hear prayers that ask for His will to be done, for deliverance from sin, and for wisdom.
We will pray with you in this way. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ we ask for Your mercy on both of these lives. Bring conviction of sin and a turning away from adultery, fornication, drunkenness and drug use. Expose what is done in darkness and break the power of deceit and of any false spiritual practices. We ask that this man would see his need for Christ and would seek You alone for forgiveness and peace, and that You would protect all involved from disease, danger and further harm. Give wisdom, strength and purity to the one who prayed, guard her heart, help her to walk in holiness, to seek godly counsel and support in her church, and to trust Your will above all. If there is danger or illegal activity, give wisdom to involve appropriate help and authorities in a way that seeks safety and truth, not revenge. Lead both toward repentance, healing and obedience to Your design for marriage and for life. Amen.
We encourage you to continue in prayer, but with a heart surrendered to what God knows is best, to stay rooted in Scripture, to seek pastoral care and trusted Christian community for wisdom and accountability, and to set clear and godly boundaries that do not enable sin. God is more powerful than any temptation or deception, and His desire is to save, to make holy, and to give lasting peace through Jesus.
Scripture is clear that sexual intimacy belongs only within the lifelong covenant of marriage between one man and one woman. Marriage is honorable and pure, and it is a bond ordained by God. When that bond is broken, whether by adultery or by fornication with someone who is not your spouse, the sin is first of all against God Himself. It is not only an injury to the wife or to the other person, it is a defiling of what God has joined and a rejection of His holiness. That is why God calls His people to chaste and orderly living, whether married or unmarried, and to preserve the holiness that comes through faith in Christ by refusing union with what is outside His design. Drug use, drunkenness and deceit are also works of darkness that destroy the body and the soul.
Because God is holy, He will not bless or protect adultery, lies, or drug use, and no chant, spell or prayer to any other power can keep such sin going or shield it from His sight. Those things have no power over God and they offer no true peace.
It is understandable to want God to stop the other relationship by taking away peace or by bringing trouble or police involvement, but we are not to pray for harm or unrest as a way to control another person. Instead, God invites us to pray for what is good and holy, that sin would be brought into the light, that there would be conviction that leads to repentance, and that each person would turn to Jesus Christ alone for salvation and for peace of mind. Only Christ can give the peace you are asking for, and only He can truly change a heart.
Unconditional love does not mean accepting ongoing sin or remaining without boundaries. True love desires holiness and truth for the other person, even when that is painful. Fasting and prayer are powerful when they are surrender to God and His will, not an attempt to force another person to return. God does not answer prayers that seek to manipulate, but He does hear prayers that ask for His will to be done, for deliverance from sin, and for wisdom.
We will pray with you in this way. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ we ask for Your mercy on both of these lives. Bring conviction of sin and a turning away from adultery, fornication, drunkenness and drug use. Expose what is done in darkness and break the power of deceit and of any false spiritual practices. We ask that this man would see his need for Christ and would seek You alone for forgiveness and peace, and that You would protect all involved from disease, danger and further harm. Give wisdom, strength and purity to the one who prayed, guard her heart, help her to walk in holiness, to seek godly counsel and support in her church, and to trust Your will above all. If there is danger or illegal activity, give wisdom to involve appropriate help and authorities in a way that seeks safety and truth, not revenge. Lead both toward repentance, healing and obedience to Your design for marriage and for life. Amen.
We encourage you to continue in prayer, but with a heart surrendered to what God knows is best, to stay rooted in Scripture, to seek pastoral care and trusted Christian community for wisdom and accountability, and to set clear and godly boundaries that do not enable sin. God is more powerful than any temptation or deception, and His desire is to save, to make holy, and to give lasting peace through Jesus.
