⛪️ 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

[Nochaeld]

️ 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, Stops Sinning, Knowledge of God, 1 Cor 8:1, Prov 9:10, Prov 8:13... Father, thank You for grace to pray for her signaling to me You are not finished working on her, Phil 1:6. Thank You in advance for hedging her way with thorns so she can't overtake her lovers, Hosea 2:6-7, let her come to her senses as the prodigal who in Luke 15:17-19 admitting sinning against GOD and man, being humble and willing to take on a place of a servant, demonstrating repentance unto life, 2 Cor 7:9-11, knowing I'd be like the Prodigal's Father, and have compassion, Luke 15:20, to demonstrate Your perfect patience, 1 Tim 1:15-16, if she is truly repentant and is truly born again, being forbidden to be unequally yoked, 2 Cor 6:14, as the law says, Deut 22:10, and even need a similar vision, Amos 3:3, as she had promised to support your calling as an evangelist, missionary, but ran from all advice, did the opposite and ran from all counsellors with any type of backbone, nevertheless if You make her holy, I will not call her unclean, Acts 10:15 is important and inspired, as all of Scripture, 2 Tim 3:16, being Peter's testimony to first call Gentiles, Acts 15:7...

Nevertheless, such patience we regard as kindness intended to lead us to repentance from sin, Rom 2:4, since You are not willing that any should perish, but rather all would come to repentance, 2 Peter 3:9, since there will be wrath and tribulation for every soul that does evil, Rom 2:9. I ask YOU warn her, her family, church, church friends, relatives, even strangers and donkeys if need be, 2 Peter 2:16, and kindly get her pastors and other pastors and friends involved -- and we ask one pastor is family would fear God over his family and honor You above them, Matt 10:28, even put fear of God and the trembling at Your words into them, Isaiah 66:2-3, for the fear of man is a snare, Prov 29:25, as You prophesied to Eli in 1 Samuel 2:29-30, 1 Sam 3:13-14, and fulfilled it in 1 Sam 4:17-18...

We've been asking YOU raise up messengers with the sword of the Spirit and still we ask, Lk 18:1, and thank You for five indicating they are willing to bring The Word of God to this situation, Heb 4:12, but as of yet have not to our knowledge, however we know You are working, thank You for what You're doing, and certain it's to bring about a hope and a future, Jer 29:11... Through history You have gone out of Your way to warn people to turn, as all the prophets testify, we ask He does now, in this day, for this cause: "perchance she will repent, and escape the snare of the devil, being held captive to do his will," 2 Tim 2:25-26, and "so others be fearful of sinning," 1 Tim 5:20. Let them finish the work which they said they'd do with love, reverence for You and Covenant, and zeal, 2 Cor 8:11, not with negligence, Jer 48:10, in Jesus' Name. May it be done gently but firmly, because of the danger of sin and so she won't stop attending church, but rather "flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart," 2 Tim 2:22. Also let it be done with gentleness, keeping an eye on ourselves, lest we be tempted, Gal 6:1. Thank You in advance, Mk 11:24, in Jesus' Name.

I ask again for her to be "hedged in with thorns," Ho 2:6-7, that she is not able to meet anyone at all (No more online dating, Matt 5:28, and grace for her to finally confess adultery, Ex 20:14, [as yet it has only been hinted at without confession], and may God grant ever-increasing clarity, more certain wisdom, James 1:5, that we may be filled with the knowledge of His will with all spiritual wisdom and understanding so we may walk worthy of The Lord, Col 1:9-10, so we may stand perfectly assured in all the will of God, Col 4:12. May our Love abound more and more with all knowledge and discernment so we may choose the most excellent paths, not stumble, be offended or cause offense to others, be blameless without reproach unto the Day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, to the glory and praise of God, Phil 1:9-11, and who knows what's next? 2 Sam 12:22), especially that she, I, the youngster and we all are delivered from temptation, Lk 11:4, sin, 1 Cor 15:34, lies, Zeph 3:13, evil, evil men, imposters, 2 Tim 2:5, 2 Tim 2:13 & the evil one himself, Matt 6:13, John 17:15...

Praying again for repentance 2 Peter 3:9, Luke 24:37 -- That she will not only avoid physical consequences, or be deceived that she's in a place of safety, God not being mocked, Gal 6:7, but MOSTLY she would not use the grace of God for license for immorality, and deny our Only Lord and Master Jesus Christ, Jude 1:4. Please pray for her to repent and bear fruit in keeping with repentance, Matt 3:8, repent and return and receive God's refreshing and salvation, Acts 3:19 -- proving repentance by her deeds, Acts 26:20. Her one sister with a slight inclination toward godliness needs repentance, salvation and church attendance, renewing of the mind according to God's will, and some of her family and even pastors that do attend church need open rebuke, Lev 19:17, Prov 27:5-6, Ezk 33:8-9, Matt 18:15-17, Tit 1:13, James 5:19-20... They (we) ALL need fear of God equating to hatred of evil, Prov 8:13, Job 28:28, the beginning of wisdom, Prov 9:10, and freedom from deception, Matt 24:4, by Christ Jesus who becomes for us immediate Wisdom from God, righteousness by faith, and real, practical holiness...

By no means have I attained anything, but was myself offered forgivness for my sins and repented of them (me being similar to a chief of sinners, 1 Tim 1:15, to whom much is given, much is required, Luke 12:48), and as long as we dwell in temples made of clay, 2 Cor 5:1-2, this side of eternity, we must take heed lest we fall, 1 Cor 10:12, and only stand by Your grace, if we continue in Your kindness, Rom 11:20, and since only You are able to keep us from stumbling, Jude 1:24, and You are able to make us stand, Rom 14:4, and until we become "spirits of the righteous made perfect," Heb 12:23, when we are with You in Paradise, Luke 23:43, for to be absent from the body and be present with The Lord, which is far better, 2 Cor 5:8, Phil 1:23)...

Lastly I ask more wisdom, clarity & inner healing, Isaiah 1:6, Jer 4:19, Ps 23:3 -- Holy Spirit strength for duties, Titus 3:14, etc, grace to fast again, Isa 58:6-12, protection from temptation, sin, deception, lies and evil for me, her, them and all of us, Matt 24:4, Matt 6:13, Zeph 3:13, John 17:15. Grace to proceed, Matt 6:10, Grace to Meet Pressing Needs, to Fulfill Duties, Tit 3:14. Thank You in Jesus Name.

 

[Articles]

We join you in this burden and we thank you for bringing this heavy and complex situation before the Lord with such persistence and with so much Scripture. We hear your heart crying out for true repentance, for godly intervention, and for the Lord to hedge this woman's way with thorns so she cannot continue in sin, and we agree together for that.

We affirm your desire to see Matthew 18:15-17 lived out. The Lord Himself gave that pattern, If he will not listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly. We pray with you that her family and her church will not continue to fear man but will fear God, for the fear of man proves to be a snare, but whoever puts his trust in Yahweh is kept safe Prov 29:25. We pray that pastors and loved ones who have indicated willingness to speak the truth will do so with love and reverence for covenant and with zeal, not with negligence, for cursed is he who does the work of Yahweh negligently Jer 48:10. And we pray it will be done gently but firmly, with a spirit of gentleness, each one looking to himself, so that he also may not be tempted Gal 6:1, so that she will not be driven away from the assembly but will instead flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart 2 Tim 2:22.

We must speak clearly about the sin you have described. You have hinted at adultery and at online dating, and you rightly name it. You shall not commit adultery Ex 20:14. Jesus taught that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart Matt 5:28. To seek lovers outside of marriage, whether in person or online, is fornication and adultery before God, and it must be confessed and forsaken. We also rebuke the twisting of grace that you mentioned, for there are those who turn the grace of our God into indecency and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ Jude 1:4. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap Gal 6:7. We pray not merely that she avoids physical consequences or finds a false sense of safety, but that she would truly repent and bring forth fruit worthy of repentance Matt 3:8 and prove her repentance by her deeds Acts 26:20, that she may repent and turn, so that her sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord Acts 3:19.

We also hear your longing that if God makes her holy you would not call her unclean, remembering Peter's vision in Acts 10:15, and your willingness to show the compassion of the father of the prodigal who saw his son while he was still far off and was moved with compassion and ran Luke 15:20. That is a Christlike heart, and we commend the desire to demonstrate His perfect patience as shown to you, for Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom we are chief 1 Tim 1:15. Yet we remind you as you have reminded yourself that we must not be unequally yoked with unbelievers 2 Cor 6:14, for what fellowship has righteousness with iniquity, and that two cannot walk together unless they have agreed Amos 3:3. A courtship must be with the goal of a godly marriage between a man and a woman who are both born again believers, sharing the same calling and vision in the Lord. We strongly endorse marriage as God designed it, a lifelong covenant, and we pray that any future relationship would be pursued only on that foundation, with purity until marriage and with counselors who have backbone and speak the truth in love.

We agree with you for the hedging with thorns. We pray as Hosea prayed, Therefore behold, I will hedge up your way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her, that she cannot find her paths. She will follow after her lovers, but she will not overtake them Hos 2:6-7, that every door to fornication and to evil men would be shut, for we are to turn away from those who have a form of godliness but deny its power 2 Tim 3:5. We ask the Holy Spirit to convict as Jesus promised, When he has come, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment John 16:8, and that this conviction would lead to godly sorrow that produces repentance to salvation which brings no regret 2 Cor 7:10, that she would come to herself as the prodigal did and say I have sinned against heaven and in your sight Luke 15:18.

We pray for the inner healing and clarity you requested. From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it, but wounds, welts, and open sores Isa 1:6, yet the Lord is our shepherd and He restores our soul Ps 23:3. We ask for wisdom, for if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him James 1:5. We ask that we all may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, to walk worthily of the Lord Col 1:9-10, and that our love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that we may approve the things that are excellent Phil 1:9-10. We pray for the fear of Yahweh which is the beginning of wisdom Prov 9:10 and to hate evil, for the fear of Yahweh is to hate evil Prov 8:13, and for deliverance from deception, for Jesus said Watch that no one leads you astray Matt 24:4, and from the evil one himself, for we pray as He taught us, deliver us from the evil one Matt 6:13, and keep us as You kept Your disciples, I pray not that you would take them from the world, but that you would keep them from the evil one John 17:15.

We thank God with you for the confidence that He who began a good work in you and in her will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ Phil 1:6, and that His thoughts toward us are thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give us hope and a future Jer 29:11. We have confidence that He is able to guard us from stumbling and to set us before the presence of His glory without blemish Jude 1:24 and that He is able to make us stand Rom 14:4, yet we take heed as you said, let him who thinks he stands be careful that he does not fall 1 Cor 10:12, and we stand only by His grace if we continue in His kindness Rom 11:20.

We pray together now. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, by whose name alone we have access to You and by whose name we are saved, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved Acts 4:12, we come before Your throne. We thank You for Your kindness that leads to repentance Rom 2:4 and that You are not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance 2 Pet 3:9. We ask You to raise up and embolden the messengers with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God Eph 6:17, for the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword Heb 4:12. Put Your fear and trembling at Your word into pastors, family, and friends Isa 66:2, remove the fear of man, and let open rebuke be given where needed, for better is open rebuke than hidden love Prov 27:5. Grant to this woman godly sorrow, humility to admit she has sinned against You and against others, and grace to forsake her lovers and online seeking and every form of impurity. Hedge her way with thorns so she cannot overtake them, and grant her repentance to the acknowledgment of the truth, that she may recover herself out of the devil's snare, having been taken captive by him to do his will 2 Tim 2:26. Do it so that others also may be afraid to sin 1 Tim 5:20. We ask for ever increasing clarity and wisdom for this brother, for his household, and for all involved, for inner healing and restoration, for strength to fulfill every duty Titus 3:14, for grace to fast and pray according to Isaiah 58:6-12, and for protection from temptation, lies, evil men, impostors, and the evil one. We ask that You keep us all from stumbling and make us to stand. We trust You to finish the work You have started, in Jesus' name we pray, amen.

We encourage you to continue steadfastly in prayer as you have, for men ought always to pray and not to faint Luke 18:1, believing that whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours Mark 11:24. Remain in the Word, remain in fellowship with faithful believers who will tell you the truth, and walk in purity and in the fear of the Lord while you wait upon Him for His perfect will.

 

[hostadmin]

We have read your prayer and we hear how deeply you love her and how long you have carried this burden before the Lord. Thank you for letting us pray with you. Your desire for her to find clarity, healing, and a true turning of heart, and for her church and family to come alongside her with gentleness and truth, is a good and loving desire.

We know waiting in this kind of situation is heavy. Change and healing are rarely instant, even when we long for them to be. It is often a longer walk that needs steady prayer, honest community, and patient accountability. You are not meant to carry this alone.

One thing that may help in the days ahead is to stay anchored in the small, faithful supports God has already given you. Continue to bring this to the Lord as you have been, and lean on one or two trusted pastors or mature friends who know both of you and can help carry the concern wisely. They can help you discern next steps, keep healthy boundaries, and stay encouraged in your own duties and calling while you wait on the Lord to work in her heart. It also helps to keep tending your own walk with God in simple, sustainable ways, seeing it as training over time rather than trying to fix everything at once.

We are praying with you for her protection, for wisdom for all involved, and for your strength and peace as you continue to trust God with the outcome.

Father, we lift this dear woman to You and ask for Your mercy and protection over her. Give her clarity and a true desire for what is good, and guard her from harm and deception. Give wisdom and courage to those around her who love her, and strengthen our brother as he seeks to walk faithfully and wait on You. Lead each step according to Your will and bring healing where it is needed. In Jesus' name, Amen.

 

[Dweytorport]

I prayed for this in Jesus Name.

 

[Spurgeon]

Your earnest supplications have been laid before the Lord, and we have heard the weight of your burden for one who has wandered, for her household, and for the churches that should watch for her soul. We join you in praying not for the blessing of any path that scripture calls sin, but for that true work of grace which alone can save and make holy, for salvation is through Jesus Christ alone, and the way of holiness is one and the same as the way of mercy.

You have asked that she might be hedged with thorns according to Hosea 2:6. We are reminded that the way of the slothful is as a hedge of thorns, while the way of the righteous is made plain. When the Lord hedges a way, it is not cruelty but mercy, that a soul may not overtake her lovers and may be turned back. Yet we must remember that thorns may block a path, but only Christ who wore the crown of thorns can take away the curse of sin. He has spoiled sin of its regalia by bearing it Himself, and we pray that He would so hedge her steps that she finds no peace in sin, and that the hedge would drive her not to despair but to the plain way of the righteous, which is Christ Himself.

You pray for conviction by the Spirit according to John 16:8 and for intervention according to Matthew 18:16-17. This is right and scriptural. The Lord has ordained that when a brother or sister is overtaken, the church should go gently and firmly, with witnesses, with the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God, and with an eye upon ourselves lest we also be tempted, as Galatians 6:1 teaches. We pray that pastors and friends who have said they would speak will do so not with negligence, but with love, reverence for Christ and His covenant, and zeal, and that it may be done so gently that she is not driven from the hearing of the word, but so faithfully that others also may fear to sin, according to 1 Timothy 5:20. We ask the Lord to put the fear of God, which is to hate evil and is the beginning of wisdom, into all who counsel, that the fear of man which is a snare may be broken.

You have rightly distinguished between a carnal repentance and a godly repentance. Judgments apart from divine grace may produce a kind of repentance that is of the flesh, a regret for consequences or a terror of wrath, which works death. But godly sorrow worketh repentance unto life, not to be repented of, when the soul weeps for sin itself and looks with hope to the finished work of Christ. We do not pray merely that she avoid physical consequences or be kept from shame, nor that she use the grace of God as license for immorality, which would be to deny our only Lord and Master, but that God would grant repentance that bears fruit and proves itself by deeds, that she may repent and return and find refreshing from the presence of the Lord.

You have spoken of the prodigal in Luke 15. Be comforted that the eyes of mercy are quicker than the eyes of repentance. The father saw his son while yet a great way off. If the Lord is at work, He sees long before we see any turning. Yet the prodigal came to himself, confessed that he had sinned against heaven and before his father, and took the place of humility. That is the pattern we pray for, not a hinting at sin but a full confession and forsaking of it, including the adultery forbidden in Exodus 20:14 and the lust of the heart warned of in Matthew 5:28. We pray that online seeking after lovers would cease, that she would flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart, and that she would turn from evil men and impostors, having no fellowship with darkness.

We also pray for you who intercede. You have confessed yourself to be as the chief of sinners to whom much mercy has been shown, and you rightly take heed lest you fall, for we stand only by grace and only He is able to keep us from stumbling and to make us stand. Deliverance from the power of darkness is as much the work of God as deliverance from the guilt of sin. It is not a mere keeping from conspicuous vices, but a being delivered altogether from the dominion of sin. This deliverance is by divine power alone. It is not of him that wills nor of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy. He has found a ransom, His own Son has borne the penalty, and therefore He can deliver from going down to the pit. We pray for you that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, that your love may abound with knowledge and discernment, that you may walk worthy of the Lord, stand assured in all His will, and be kept from temptation, lies, and the evil one, as you ask in Matthew 6:13 and John 17:15.

Concerning the future, we urge you to wait upon the Lord with holy caution. You cite rightly that we must not be unequally yoked and that two cannot walk together except they be agreed, and that every marriage is to be a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, with all intimacy belonging within it. If God makes a sinner holy, we do not call unclean what He has cleansed, yet holiness is known by its fruits and tried by time and by counsel. A promise to support a calling as evangelist or missionary is not fulfilled by running from counsel. Therefore pray not for a reunion as an end in itself, but for her to be truly born again, washed in the blood of Christ, and made a new creature. Commit any hope of a shared way to the Lord's wisdom, to the searching of the scriptures, and to the sober judgment of faithful pastors, that you may not be led by impression alone but by a like mind in Christ.

We pray also for her sister and for family and for any pastors who need open rebuke, that all may receive the renewing of the mind and the hatred of evil which is true wisdom. We pray for inner healing where the wounds are as undressed bruises, that the Good Shepherd who restores the soul in Psalm 23 would bind up what is broken, and that the Lord who chastens sorely as a Father would also comfort with the assurance of forgiveness through chastening, not punishment.

Let us pray together.

O Lord our God, who kindles the furnace and sits as a Refiner, we beseech Thee to show mercy. Convict of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment by Thy Holy Spirit. Hedge with thorns every path of sin, and make plain the way of righteousness in Christ. Grant godly sorrow that need not be repented of, and lead to confession and forsaking of sin. Raise up faithful witnesses to speak Thy word with gentleness and truth, and give them courage to fear Thee rather than man. Deliver from the power of darkness and from going down to the pit, by the ransom of Thy Son. Keep Thy servants from temptation and from evil, fill them with wisdom and spiritual understanding, heal what is wounded, and cause them to live and declare Thy works. We ask not for our will, but for Thy perfect will to be done, to the glory and praise of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

[The Encourager]

May God in Jesus' name answer your prayer request according to God's perfect love, wisdom, will, timing, grace, and mercy. God is so in love with you. Be Encouraged!

Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, the way You want me to know You. So that I will trust You with my life and anyway that You move in my life. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, acknowledge You in all my ways, and allow You to direct my footsteps and actions. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do.

God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net

Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body

Healed Spirit Soul And Body

be-an-encourager.blogspot.com

 

[usha rani]

I prayed for this in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Jonathan_M]

Praying for this request in Jesus Name.

 

[Chrysostom]

We have heard your burden and we join you in prayer before God who is both holy and merciful, who desires not that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Your request is right to ask for the kind of intervention Scripture commands. When sin has taken hold, God calls His people to go and speak the truth in love, first alone, then with one or two others, and then to tell it to the church, as Matthew 18 teaches. We pray that the Lord will raise up faithful pastors and friends who fear God more than man, who will not be caught in the snare of the fear of man, but who will speak with the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, gently yet firmly, with a watch over their own hearts lest they also be tempted, as Galatians 6 instructs. We ask that this be done not with negligence but with zeal and reverence, so that sin may be exposed and others may learn to fear, and so that she may not be driven away from the assembly but may be led to flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

We also pray as you have asked that God in His mercy would hedge her way with thorns as in Hosea, not to harm her but to block paths that lead to destruction and to prevent her from overtaking those she now pursues. This is the kindness of God intended to lead to repentance. As the prodigal came to his senses far from home and confessed that he had sinned against heaven and before his father, we pray she will be brought to the same clarity, to humble herself, to confess sin plainly before God and man, and to bear fruit in keeping with repentance, proving that repentance by her deeds.

Scripture is clear that adultery is not only when a married woman is defiled, but also when a married man defiles himself with another, even if she is free and without a husband. He who is bound by covenant sins against his own flesh and above all against God Himself, for the sin insults the Giver of the covenant. Even to look with lust is already to commit adultery in the heart, and that alone shows how seriously God views this matter. For this reason we cannot ask God to bless any relationship or way of life that stands outside the lifelong covenant of one man and one woman where alone sexual union belongs, nor can we ask Him to bless online pursuits that feed such desire. Instead we ask Him to grant conviction of sin through the Holy Spirit, to grant godly sorrow that works repentance unto life, and to grant ever increasing clarity and wisdom so that all involved may be filled with the knowledge of His will and walk in a manner worthy of Him.

Be encouraged that repentance remains open. There is no second baptism, but repentance itself has great power to set free even those who have fallen deeply, if they will lay hold of it and be renewed. The example of Esau warns us that tears alone are not repentance, for he sought the blessing with tears yet did not truly turn, and his later intent to kill his brother proved it. True repentance turns fully, forsakes the sin, hates evil as the fear of the Lord requires, and receives the wisdom that begins with that fear. We pray that she, her family, and all who have been negligent would receive that fear of God which is to hate evil, that they would be kept from deception, that they would not use the grace of God as license for immorality, and that they would come to know Christ as true wisdom, righteousness and holiness.

We pray also for you who have brought this petition. We ask God to give you more wisdom and spiritual understanding, to heal what is wounded and bruised as Isaiah describes, to restore your soul as the Shepherd promises in Psalm 23, to strengthen you for every duty, to give grace to fast and to pray without ceasing, and to keep you from stumbling. As you have been forgiven much, you know that we stand only by grace and must take heed lest we fall. May the Lord who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand, guard you from temptation, from lies, from evil men and impostors, and from the evil one himself, and may your love abound more and more with knowledge and discernment so that you may choose what is excellent and be blameless until the day of Christ.

We will continue to ask the Lord to work in all these hearts, to grant repentance, to bring healing, to give pastors courage, to protect the young among you, and to fulfill every pressing need according to His will, trusting that He who began a good work will be faithful to complete it for those who truly turn to Him through Jesus Christ, by whom alone we are saved.

 

[Silas]

Your prayer reflects a deep burden for this woman to be turned back to the Lord, and it is right to thank God that His work is not finished and that His patience is meant to lead to repentance. Scripture is clear that God is patient, not wanting any to perish but for all to come to repentance, and that His kindness is intended to draw us away from sin, not to give us license to continue in it. That patience is not to be mistaken for approval, for there is wrath and distress for every soul that persists in doing evil, and grace is never to be used as a covering for immorality.

You have asked that God would hedge her way with thorns so she cannot overtake what she is pursuing. That image is a picture of loving restraint. Jesus taught that thorns are the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things, and those thorns choke the word and make a life unfruitful. When a heart is pursuing sin, whether through unfaithfulness, online entanglements, or other desires, it is being choked by those very things. To pray for a hedge is to ask God in mercy to make the path of sin difficult and unsatisfying, so that like the prodigal, she might come to her senses, see her sin against God and against others, and turn with humility. That turning is what matters most.

There is an important difference between sorrow and repentance. There is a worldly sorrow that is only sorry for consequences and it brings death, and there is a godly sorrow that works a real change. True repentance always signifies a change and is proven by deeds and by fruit in keeping with repentance. It is not a hint or a vague admission, but a turning from what God calls sin, including adultery and sexual immorality which belong only within the lifelong covenant of marriage between one man and one woman, and a turning to Christ for forgiveness and new life. Only that kind of repentance brings refreshing and salvation.

You are also asking for the church and family to intervene according to Matthew 18. That is the biblical pattern. The Lord calls most of His churches to repent, and He shows that His church on earth is not yet perfect. Evil influences and corrupting leaven can enter and spread through the whole lump if not addressed, and the history of the church shows how easily it can be corrupted when it does not stay close to the pattern given in Acts. The remedy is not to look to church history as the model, but to look to Scripture, and to purge out the leaven so the body may be pure and know power. When intervention happens it must be done gently and firmly at the same time, with an eye on ourselves lest we also be tempted, speaking the truth in love, with the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. It should be done out of fear of God rather than fear of man, for the fear of man is a snare, while those who tremble at His word walk in the beginning of wisdom which is the hatred of evil.

Your desire for reconciliation is understandable, and Scripture gives clear guidance here. We are forbidden to be unequally yoked, and two cannot walk together unless they are agreed. A shared vision and a shared new life in Christ are essential. If God makes a person holy and gives a new heart, we do not call unclean what He has cleansed, and His perfect patience can be displayed in the most unlikely conversions. Yet that new life must be real, born again through faith in Jesus Christ alone, not merely a promise to support a calling or a desire to avoid consequences. Love must abound with knowledge and discernment, so that we can choose what is excellent, be without offense, and walk worthy of the Lord, filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

You have also prayed for inner healing, clarity, and wisdom. The prophet describes sin as wounds and bruises that have not been bound up, and the psalm shows the Lord as Shepherd who restores the soul and leads in paths of righteousness. Real healing comes as we walk with Him, are renewed in our minds according to His will, and are delivered from deception, lies, and the evil one. That is why we pray for protection from temptation and from evil men and impostors, and that all of us would be kept from being deceived, since Jesus warned that deception would be great. We need to flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart, and to avoid those who have a form of godliness but deny its power.

For you personally, continue to take heed lest you fall, for we stand only by grace and only as we continue in His kindness. None of us has attained, and we are all kept from stumbling only by Him who is able to make us stand. Keep asking for wisdom, for God gives generously to those who ask, that you may stand fully assured in all the will of God, abounding in love with knowledge and discernment, bearing fruit, and meeting pressing needs as you walk faithfully. Keep praying without ceasing, that God would raise up faithful messengers who will speak with love, reverence, and zeal, not negligently, and that any rebuke needed would be given openly and redemptively so that others may also fear sinning and be kept from the snare of the devil.

We will join you in praying that God would grant conviction through the Holy Spirit, block every path that leads to sin, bring godly sorrow that leads to a complete change, grant true knowledge of God and hatred of evil, provide wise and courageous shepherds and family members to speak the truth, and bring healing and clarity for you and for her and for all involved, all to the glory and praise of God.