Chrysostom
Beloved of All
We join you in prayer before God with thanksgiving that you continue to intercede and have not grown weary, as we are taught to always pray and not give up. We thank God with you for His grace that keeps this burden on your heart, trusting that He who began a good work will be faithful to complete it, and that His kindness is meant to lead to repentance.
We pray as you have asked, according to Scripture, not that God would bless what He calls sin, but that He would bring conviction and rescue. We ask the Holy Spirit to convict of sin and righteousness and judgment, to hedge the way with thorns as in Hosea so that the path of lovers cannot be overtaken, to grant clarity and wisdom and knowledge of His will, and to deliver from temptation and from evil men and from the evil one. We pray that looking with lust, which the Lord calls adultery already in the heart, and every imitation and entertainment of it that makes many adulterers and emboldens the eye, would be seen for what it is and fled from. For adultery is not only when a married woman gives herself to another, but also when one who is bound by covenant defiles himself with one who is free, for the one who is bound has transgressed the law and injured his own flesh. We pray she would flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart, and would not use the grace of God as license for immorality.
We pray for true repentance unto life, not only tears or sorrow for consequences. As Scripture shows with Esau who sought the blessing with tears yet found no place of repentance because his grief was not true repentance, so we ask for a repentance that bears fruit and is proved by deeds, a returning to God like the prodigal who came to his senses and confessed I have sinned against heaven and against you. We pray she would confess sin plainly, turn from online avenues and adulterous entanglements, and bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance, knowing God is not mocked and that He desires all to come to repentance and not perish, though there is wrath for every soul that does evil.
We pray for the church and family to act in love and truth according to Matthew 18, that pastors and relatives and friends would fear God rather than man, for the fear of man is a snare, and tremble at His word. As a house must be ruled well if it is to care for the church of God, which is like a household, so we ask God to raise up messengers with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, to speak gently but firmly, with reverence for covenant and zeal and not negligence, restoring with gentleness while watching themselves lest they also be tempted. We pray that rebuke where needed would be given openly for the good of all, so that she would not stop attending the assembly but would be helped to remain under sound teaching, and that others also would fear sinning. We pray for her sister and family members and any pastors who need correction, that they would receive the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom and is to hate evil, and be renewed in mind and established in the faith through Jesus Christ alone by whom alone we are saved and made righteous and holy.
We pray also for you, for ever increasing wisdom and discernment to choose what is excellent and walk worthy of the Lord, for inner healing where there are wounds and bruises as described by the prophet and for the Shepherd to restore your soul and lead you beside still waters, for strength for duties, grace to fast and to meet pressing needs, and protection from deception, lies and every snare of the devil. We ask that your love would abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, that you would stand fully assured in all the will of God, kept from stumbling by Him who is able to keep you, continuing in His kindness and taking heed lest you fall, standing only by His grace.
We will continue to bear these requests before the Lord with you, asking that what is done would be done in love, with patience like that shown to the chief of sinners, yet without compromise, trusting God to grant repentance and to bring hope and a future for all who turn to Him in truth. In Jesus Name we ask this, for His glory and praise.
We pray as you have asked, according to Scripture, not that God would bless what He calls sin, but that He would bring conviction and rescue. We ask the Holy Spirit to convict of sin and righteousness and judgment, to hedge the way with thorns as in Hosea so that the path of lovers cannot be overtaken, to grant clarity and wisdom and knowledge of His will, and to deliver from temptation and from evil men and from the evil one. We pray that looking with lust, which the Lord calls adultery already in the heart, and every imitation and entertainment of it that makes many adulterers and emboldens the eye, would be seen for what it is and fled from. For adultery is not only when a married woman gives herself to another, but also when one who is bound by covenant defiles himself with one who is free, for the one who is bound has transgressed the law and injured his own flesh. We pray she would flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart, and would not use the grace of God as license for immorality.
We pray for true repentance unto life, not only tears or sorrow for consequences. As Scripture shows with Esau who sought the blessing with tears yet found no place of repentance because his grief was not true repentance, so we ask for a repentance that bears fruit and is proved by deeds, a returning to God like the prodigal who came to his senses and confessed I have sinned against heaven and against you. We pray she would confess sin plainly, turn from online avenues and adulterous entanglements, and bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance, knowing God is not mocked and that He desires all to come to repentance and not perish, though there is wrath for every soul that does evil.
We pray for the church and family to act in love and truth according to Matthew 18, that pastors and relatives and friends would fear God rather than man, for the fear of man is a snare, and tremble at His word. As a house must be ruled well if it is to care for the church of God, which is like a household, so we ask God to raise up messengers with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, to speak gently but firmly, with reverence for covenant and zeal and not negligence, restoring with gentleness while watching themselves lest they also be tempted. We pray that rebuke where needed would be given openly for the good of all, so that she would not stop attending the assembly but would be helped to remain under sound teaching, and that others also would fear sinning. We pray for her sister and family members and any pastors who need correction, that they would receive the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom and is to hate evil, and be renewed in mind and established in the faith through Jesus Christ alone by whom alone we are saved and made righteous and holy.
We pray also for you, for ever increasing wisdom and discernment to choose what is excellent and walk worthy of the Lord, for inner healing where there are wounds and bruises as described by the prophet and for the Shepherd to restore your soul and lead you beside still waters, for strength for duties, grace to fast and to meet pressing needs, and protection from deception, lies and every snare of the devil. We ask that your love would abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, that you would stand fully assured in all the will of God, kept from stumbling by Him who is able to keep you, continuing in His kindness and taking heed lest you fall, standing only by His grace.
We will continue to bear these requests before the Lord with you, asking that what is done would be done in love, with patience like that shown to the chief of sinners, yet without compromise, trusting God to grant repentance and to bring hope and a future for all who turn to Him in truth. In Jesus Name we ask this, for His glory and praise.
