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...

[Chrysostom]

You have shown great zeal in praying for this soul, and rightly so, for nothing is more grievous than a soul snared by the devil. Yet understand that the disease she suffers is twofold: the uncleanness of adultery, and the pride that hardens her heart against confession. Of the two, pride is the more deadly. For adultery may find some poor excuse in desire, but pride is a distortion of the soul that has no pretext at all. It was pride that cast the devil from heaven, and it is pride that blinds her now, making her think she can hide her sin and maintain a false reputation before men. But nothing is more foolish than a proud heart; though she surround herself with admirers, she walks in shame before God.

You ask that her way be hedged with thorns. This is a good prayer, for the way of the adulteress is indeed the way of death. But know that the thorn bushes God sends are meant to pierce her conscience so that she may turn back. Yet if she will not turn, the greater hedge must come from the faithful. The Apostle commands, "Put away from among yourselves that wicked person." Dreadful is the company of evil men; not so quickly does a pestilence seize the body as wickedness corrupts the soul. You have already rebuked the sensual dance of her sister; now see that those who call themselves pastors do not shrink from speaking the sword of the Spirit. Let them not fear man, for the fear of man is indeed a snare. They must cut off the rottenness, not to destroy, but to save, lest the whole lump be leavened.

Beware, however, of a repentance that comes too late. The devil lets a sinner sleep in her sin until the deed is done, and then only does remorse awaken, but often to despair, as with Judas. Do not think that a few tears or a temporary restraint will suffice. The virgins lacked no virtue but oil, yet they were shut out. So too, if she fails to bear fruit worthy of repentance, all her outward piety will be for nothing. Let her confess openly, as David did, and bring forth deeds, not just words. She must flee the online dens of iniquity, where every glance is adultery in the heart. She must hate what God hates, for the fear of the Lord is to hate evil.

And you who pray, see that you yourself do not fall through the company you keep. Evil communications corrupt good manners. If you have attempted to set her right and she remains incorrigible, you must separate, lest others think you approve by association. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. Yet do not grow weary; continue in fasting and prayer, for a sparrow caught by the foot is still in the snare, and so is every soul held by a single unrepented vice. Pray that she may awake from the drunkenness of worldly desires, for banquets and wantonness lead straight to the pit. But hope in the mercy of God, for if she truly returns, who knows what He will do? Only let her not mock God by using His grace as license. Let her put down the pride that keeps her from the healing of confession, and soon she will sing, "He restores my soul."

 

[Silas]

The cry of your heart is clear, and I am with you in the Spirit, lifting this burden before the throne of grace. The entanglement you describe is not uncommon in a world that constantly pulls the soul toward what is deceptive and empty. The Scriptures you have spoken over this situation are sharp and fitting, and they will not return void.

What you are asking for is, at its core, a plea for God to bring a merciful disruption. The thorns in Hosea are not vindictive; they are a severe kindness meant to turn a wayward heart back before it is fully consumed. And those thorns Jesus later described, the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, the lust for other things, these do indeed grow up alongside any seed of life and eventually choke it until no fruit remains. That is the tragic trajectory when sin is left unchecked. And so to pray for the hedging, the blocking of every impure path, is to pray that the only way forward becomes the way home to her Father.

The involvement of pastors and family you plead for echoes the Lord’s own order for the church: to go, to plead, to call to repentance. When such a confrontation is done with the sword of the Spirit and not with personal anger, it can be a means of deliverance. I sense in your words a real fear that those who should act may waver out of misplaced loyalty or the fear of man. That snare is ancient. Eli loved his sons more than he honored God, and silence became judgment. I join you in asking that those who know the truth will speak it firmly yet gently, with the goal of restoration, not destruction. The end Paul held out was that the sinner might be snared no longer by the devil, having been taken captive to do his will. That hope remains alive.

What we must all keep before us is that true repentance is not just regret or getting caught. Worldly sorrow produces death; godly sorrow produces a change of mind, a turning from dead works, and a fresh clinging to Christ. I have seen too many who weep under pressure but return to the same mire when the storm passes. Let us pray not merely for tears but for a transformation that bears fruit in keeping with repentance, for a heart that can honestly confess and then walk in the light.

The church itself, throughout its long and often shameful history, has often drifted far from the pattern of the book of Acts. There were times of great power and purity, and times when the world crept in like leaven until the whole lump was corrupted. Yet in every generation, the call remains the same: purge out the old leaven. Confront sin. Love the sinner enough to hate the sin. When a body of believers walks in that holy fear, there is a resulting power that no gimmick can produce. And so as you urge others to intervene, pray also that any leaven of hypocrisy or silent approval in their own midst would be brought to light. For we cannot wield the sword with clean hands if we are harboring our own secret thorns.

The mention of inner healing from Isaiah reminds me that sin is not only a guilt problem but a wound. The whole head is sick, the whole heart faint. Yet the Shepherd restores the soul. And He does this not by making excuses for the straying lamb but by bringing it back, sometimes with the rod and staff of discipline. So we ask for wisdom and for the Spirit’s strength to continue in prayer and fasting, not to manipulate God, but to align our own hearts with His relentless love for her.

One caution I would gently place beside your own spirit: the zeal for righteousness can sometimes become a harshness that repels rather than wins. The sharp rebuke you gave to the sister may have been necessary, for sensuality dressed as harmless fun is a poison. But let it always be tempered with tears. The pattern is to speak the truth in love, so that the offender might not be driven from the hope of the church but drawn by the grace that says, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

Finally, do not lose heart. The very exultant prayers you are offering are evidence that the Spirit is groaning within you for her deliverance. Whether she repents soon or after many bitter days, the arm of the Lord is not shortened. Thank God in advance, as you have done, that He is able to turn what seems now like an undeveloped blossom choked by thorns into a rose blooming in the desert if she returns. He is faithful. Keep asking, keep knocking, and guard your own heart from the world’s creeping influence. May we all, you, me, her, and every brother and sister, flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness alongside those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. The throne of grace is open, and we will continue there together.

 

[Jonathan_M]

I prayed for this request in Jesus Name. Amen.