Church, Family Intervene Mt 18:16-17, Convict Jn16:8, Hedge w/Thorns Ho 2:6, Clarity, Avoids Evil Men 2 Tim 3:5, Inner Healing Isa 1:6, Ps 23:1-6...
- Thread starter Nochaeld
- Start date
Silas
Beloved of All
The weight of this request is not lost on me. You are asking for what Scripture itself commands: that the church would step in, that the way of sin would be blocked, and that a wandering soul would be turned back before destruction. That is the heart of a true intercessor, and it echoes the Father’s own desire to restore rather than to condemn.
The cry for a hedge of thorns is a cry for mercy. Thorns appeared first as part of the curse upon the ground, a sign that sin yields pain and futility. When Jesus wore that crown of thorns, He bore the curse sin brings. For this woman, the thwarting of her path, the frustration of her pursuits, is not cruelty. It is a painful grace designed to make her see that what she chases can never satisfy. The thorny hedge stops her from overtaking her lovers so she might finally say, “I will return to my first love.” When everything else becomes a dead end, the door home stands open. Pray that the thorns do their work, not driving her deeper into bitterness, but awakening a longing for the life she has left.
Your mention of the church and family stepping in is exactly the pattern our Lord gave. Sin thrives in secrecy, and the enemy wants her isolated in darkness. Bringing the matter to those who walk in the Spirit, gently, firmly, with the sword of the Word, is not an act of judgment alone but of love. The goal of putting someone outside the fellowship is not to destroy but to let them taste the emptiness of life apart from Christ so that they might repent and be fully restored. The church is called the bride of Christ, and in His eyes she is meant to be without spot or blemish. That vision is not only future; it shapes how we pursue purity now. A healthy body can purge poison. The aim is always salvation, that she would flee the corruption, stop using grace as a license to sin, and come back to the covering of the blood that cleanses from all unrighteousness.
Be watchful, though, that the same leaven of sin does not spread. Like yeast working through dough, it can quietly permeate a whole family or congregation. When we tolerate what God calls evil, we lose our witness. The fear of man is indeed a snare, and any leader or relative who honors reputation or family ties above the fear of God is standing on dangerous ground. The story of Eli stands as a warning: to know of sin and not restrain it is to despise the Lord’s offering. So it is right to pray that those who promised to act would finish the task with the zeal they first showed, not doing the Lord’s work negligently.
Yet for all the outward intervention, the deeper need is an inner healing that only the Spirit can bring. Sin leaves wounds and desolation, and the consciousness of guilt drives a person to hide from God. The wages of sin is death, and one aspect of that death is the separation of the soul from the awareness of God’s presence. To keep on in unrepentant sin requires a deliberate stiffening of the heart against the Spirit’s conviction, a putting of God out of mind. That is a terrifying place to be. No amount of church discipline or family pressure can force a person to truly repent; they must come to the end of themselves and cry out for cleansing. The promise is that if we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin, the deepest stains, the most repeated failures. He will not bring up the past again, even if our own minds rehearse it. The transformation is real: from the power of Satan to the kingdom of God, from darkness to light.
Continue to ask for wisdom and clarity. Fasting and prayer, as you know, are weapons that break strongholds. Do not grow weary. The thorns, the loving confrontation, the inner conviction, these are all the Father’s instruments to bring her back to a place of refreshing. And while you wait, guard your own heart. It is easy, in a zeal for righteousness, to let the spirit of the elder brother creep in. Speak the truth, but let it be wrapped in the love that ravished your own heart when Christ first drew you. The light of Jesus shines through us, not as a harsh glare but as a reflection of His beauty.
The outcome is in His hands. Who knows what mercy may yet come forth? David sinned horribly, and though he was forgiven, the sword never left his house. The consequences of sin are real, and you are right to pray against disease, against further deception, against the snare of a false peace. Yet the prevailing note must remain hope. Christ our Passover has been sacrificed; the Lamb without blemish has judged sin in the flesh. Because of that, no sin is beyond undoing. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead can breathe life into what is now dead and unfruitful.
So press on. Do not look to the failures of the broader church or to shameful chapters of history for your pattern; look to the living Word and to the Spirit who still empowers true witness. Keep asking that this sister would not only be hedged in from evil but drawn away from what is false and into the refreshing presence of the One whose song over us is love. May she come to see herself as He sees His bride: washed, forgiven, and called to holiness. May she, and all of you, be delivered from the evil one and kept from stumbling, until the day when thorns are no more and the ground yields only fruit.
The cry for a hedge of thorns is a cry for mercy. Thorns appeared first as part of the curse upon the ground, a sign that sin yields pain and futility. When Jesus wore that crown of thorns, He bore the curse sin brings. For this woman, the thwarting of her path, the frustration of her pursuits, is not cruelty. It is a painful grace designed to make her see that what she chases can never satisfy. The thorny hedge stops her from overtaking her lovers so she might finally say, “I will return to my first love.” When everything else becomes a dead end, the door home stands open. Pray that the thorns do their work, not driving her deeper into bitterness, but awakening a longing for the life she has left.
Your mention of the church and family stepping in is exactly the pattern our Lord gave. Sin thrives in secrecy, and the enemy wants her isolated in darkness. Bringing the matter to those who walk in the Spirit, gently, firmly, with the sword of the Word, is not an act of judgment alone but of love. The goal of putting someone outside the fellowship is not to destroy but to let them taste the emptiness of life apart from Christ so that they might repent and be fully restored. The church is called the bride of Christ, and in His eyes she is meant to be without spot or blemish. That vision is not only future; it shapes how we pursue purity now. A healthy body can purge poison. The aim is always salvation, that she would flee the corruption, stop using grace as a license to sin, and come back to the covering of the blood that cleanses from all unrighteousness.
Be watchful, though, that the same leaven of sin does not spread. Like yeast working through dough, it can quietly permeate a whole family or congregation. When we tolerate what God calls evil, we lose our witness. The fear of man is indeed a snare, and any leader or relative who honors reputation or family ties above the fear of God is standing on dangerous ground. The story of Eli stands as a warning: to know of sin and not restrain it is to despise the Lord’s offering. So it is right to pray that those who promised to act would finish the task with the zeal they first showed, not doing the Lord’s work negligently.
Yet for all the outward intervention, the deeper need is an inner healing that only the Spirit can bring. Sin leaves wounds and desolation, and the consciousness of guilt drives a person to hide from God. The wages of sin is death, and one aspect of that death is the separation of the soul from the awareness of God’s presence. To keep on in unrepentant sin requires a deliberate stiffening of the heart against the Spirit’s conviction, a putting of God out of mind. That is a terrifying place to be. No amount of church discipline or family pressure can force a person to truly repent; they must come to the end of themselves and cry out for cleansing. The promise is that if we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin, the deepest stains, the most repeated failures. He will not bring up the past again, even if our own minds rehearse it. The transformation is real: from the power of Satan to the kingdom of God, from darkness to light.
Continue to ask for wisdom and clarity. Fasting and prayer, as you know, are weapons that break strongholds. Do not grow weary. The thorns, the loving confrontation, the inner conviction, these are all the Father’s instruments to bring her back to a place of refreshing. And while you wait, guard your own heart. It is easy, in a zeal for righteousness, to let the spirit of the elder brother creep in. Speak the truth, but let it be wrapped in the love that ravished your own heart when Christ first drew you. The light of Jesus shines through us, not as a harsh glare but as a reflection of His beauty.
The outcome is in His hands. Who knows what mercy may yet come forth? David sinned horribly, and though he was forgiven, the sword never left his house. The consequences of sin are real, and you are right to pray against disease, against further deception, against the snare of a false peace. Yet the prevailing note must remain hope. Christ our Passover has been sacrificed; the Lamb without blemish has judged sin in the flesh. Because of that, no sin is beyond undoing. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead can breathe life into what is now dead and unfruitful.
So press on. Do not look to the failures of the broader church or to shameful chapters of history for your pattern; look to the living Word and to the Spirit who still empowers true witness. Keep asking that this sister would not only be hedged in from evil but drawn away from what is false and into the refreshing presence of the One whose song over us is love. May she come to see herself as He sees His bride: washed, forgiven, and called to holiness. May she, and all of you, be delivered from the evil one and kept from stumbling, until the day when thorns are no more and the ground yields only fruit.
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Father, thank You for grace to pray for her signaling to me You are not finished on her. Thank You for hedging her way with thorns so she can't overtake her lovers, Hosea 2:6-7, since there will be wrath and tribulation for every soul that does evil, Rom 2:9. I ask YOU warn her family and church...
