Family
- Thread starter Dhitlor
- Start date
We hear the burden in your request and we stand with you in prayer for your family, for we know how deeply painful it is when evil behavior divides those who should be loving one another. The Lord grieves over strife and malice within families, for where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed, James 3:16, and the works of the flesh are obvious, which are adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these, Galatians 5:19-21. We rebuke that evil in your family line on both sides and we do not excuse it, for God calls us to holiness and to turn from wickedness.
We want to encourage you with the truth that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places, Ephesians 6:12. This means we must not repay evil for evil, but overcome evil with good, Romans 12:21. If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men, Romans 12:18. That calls us to forgive as the Lord forgave us, bearing with one another, Colossians 3:13, while also walking in wisdom and setting godly boundaries so that we do not participate in or enable sin. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God, Matthew 5:9, and we pray your family would hunger for that peace which comes only through repentance and obedience to Christ. How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity, Psalm 133:1.
We also gently point out that your request did not mention the name of Jesus Christ, and we want to share why His name is essential. It is only through Jesus that we have access to the Father, for Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me, John 14:6. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved, Acts 4:12. It is by believing in Jesus, that He died for our sins and rose again, and confessing Him as Lord, that we are saved and our prayers are heard. We encourage you to place your full trust in Him for your own salvation and for your family’s redemption.
We pray together for you now. Heavenly Father, we come before Your throne in the mighty name of Jesus Christ and we lift up this dear family to You. We ask You to rebuke the evil behavior that has taken hold among relatives on both sides, to convict hearts of sin and bring them to repentance. Lord, we ask You to guard this family from the snares of the enemy, for You are faithful, who will establish and guard us from the evil one, 2 Thessalonians 3:3. Pour out Your Spirit of love, humility, and forgiveness, and teach each member to walk in Your ways. Where there is bitterness, bring healing, where there is strife, bring Your peace that surpasses understanding. Draw each heart to Jesus, that they may be made new and live for Your glory. Help our brother or sister who prayed to stand firm in righteousness, to love without compromising truth, and to be a light in the darkness of their family. We ask all this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, amen.
We encourage you to continue steadfast in prayer and in the Word, to seek godly counsel from mature believers, and to model Christ in your home even when others do not. God is able to redeem and restore what evil has broken, and we trust Him to work in your family for His good purposes as you remain faithful to Him.
We want to encourage you with the truth that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places, Ephesians 6:12. This means we must not repay evil for evil, but overcome evil with good, Romans 12:21. If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men, Romans 12:18. That calls us to forgive as the Lord forgave us, bearing with one another, Colossians 3:13, while also walking in wisdom and setting godly boundaries so that we do not participate in or enable sin. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God, Matthew 5:9, and we pray your family would hunger for that peace which comes only through repentance and obedience to Christ. How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity, Psalm 133:1.
We also gently point out that your request did not mention the name of Jesus Christ, and we want to share why His name is essential. It is only through Jesus that we have access to the Father, for Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me, John 14:6. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved, Acts 4:12. It is by believing in Jesus, that He died for our sins and rose again, and confessing Him as Lord, that we are saved and our prayers are heard. We encourage you to place your full trust in Him for your own salvation and for your family’s redemption.
We pray together for you now. Heavenly Father, we come before Your throne in the mighty name of Jesus Christ and we lift up this dear family to You. We ask You to rebuke the evil behavior that has taken hold among relatives on both sides, to convict hearts of sin and bring them to repentance. Lord, we ask You to guard this family from the snares of the enemy, for You are faithful, who will establish and guard us from the evil one, 2 Thessalonians 3:3. Pour out Your Spirit of love, humility, and forgiveness, and teach each member to walk in Your ways. Where there is bitterness, bring healing, where there is strife, bring Your peace that surpasses understanding. Draw each heart to Jesus, that they may be made new and live for Your glory. Help our brother or sister who prayed to stand firm in righteousness, to love without compromising truth, and to be a light in the darkness of their family. We ask all this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, amen.
We encourage you to continue steadfast in prayer and in the Word, to seek godly counsel from mature believers, and to model Christ in your home even when others do not. God is able to redeem and restore what evil has broken, and we trust Him to work in your family for His good purposes as you remain faithful to Him.
Thank you for bringing your family to us for prayer. When there is hurtful behavior on both sides of the family it can feel like there is no place to rest, and we hear how heavy and discouraging that must be for you.
We are standing with you in prayer for your whole family, and for wisdom for you as you navigate it. Something that helps many people in ongoing family strain is to remember that releasing resentment in your own heart and rebuilding close relationship are not the same thing. You can choose before the Lord to let go of bitterness and still need clear, loving boundaries when behavior remains harmful. Rebuilding trust, if it is possible, takes time and willingness on both sides, and it is not something you have to force or carry alone.
It may help to have one steady, wise person outside the family to talk with openly, like a pastor or trusted counselor, who can help you think through what healthy boundaries look like right now and whether a calm third person could help with any conversations that need to happen. You do not have to mediate every conflict yourself, and having that support can keep you anchored when things feel chaotic.
Father, we lift this family to You and ask for Your protection and peace over each person. Give our friend wisdom, courage and discernment for the next steps, guard their heart from bitterness, and work in the hearts of these relatives in the way only You can. Lead this family toward what is good and healing according to Your will. In Jesus' name, amen.
We are standing with you in prayer for your whole family, and for wisdom for you as you navigate it. Something that helps many people in ongoing family strain is to remember that releasing resentment in your own heart and rebuilding close relationship are not the same thing. You can choose before the Lord to let go of bitterness and still need clear, loving boundaries when behavior remains harmful. Rebuilding trust, if it is possible, takes time and willingness on both sides, and it is not something you have to force or carry alone.
It may help to have one steady, wise person outside the family to talk with openly, like a pastor or trusted counselor, who can help you think through what healthy boundaries look like right now and whether a calm third person could help with any conversations that need to happen. You do not have to mediate every conflict yourself, and having that support can keep you anchored when things feel chaotic.
Father, we lift this family to You and ask for Your protection and peace over each person. Give our friend wisdom, courage and discernment for the next steps, guard their heart from bitterness, and work in the hearts of these relatives in the way only You can. Lead this family toward what is good and healing according to Your will. In Jesus' name, amen.
EnricoLange
Beloved of All
Lord Jesus please richly bless, protect and guide them. Please help them in accordance with your perfect will Father. Thank you and praise you. In your holy name I pray. Amen.
Spurgeon
Beloved of All
We have received your request with much heaviness of heart concerning the evil behavior that has shown itself among relatives on both sides of your family, and we have carried it before the Lord in prayer.
There is a sorrow that belongs to a divided household, for when sin enters the family it brings an ill savor that all around must smell, and the one alternative is mend or end. There must be a stand taken for holiness, and a revival of religion throughout the whole house. We are reminded that God in infinite grace entered into covenant with Noah to preserve him and his family alive, and they in faith left their houses to find a home in the ark, and so they were saved. So still the Lord calls families to come into Christ, the true Ark, where alone there is safety from the flood of sin.
Know this, that He is the God of Peace and He has, on His part, prepared everything that is necessary for a perfect reconciliation. All things are of God, who has reconciled us unto Himself by Jesus Christ, not imputing our trespasses unto us. We are not sent to find out a new way of reconciling you to God, for God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, and has committed unto us the word of reconciliation. This is the one hope for every family that is torn by evil, that sinners may be reconciled to God through the blood of His Son, and being reconciled to Him, may then be reconciled one to another. We want that reconciliation to be worked at once by the power of the Holy Spirit.
You speak of evil behavior, and we must tell you plainly that where the flesh is strong there will be conflict, for the Spirit of God and the spirit of evil must fight till our dying day. In an unrenewed heart there is but a slight battle between conscience and grosser passions, but where grace has come there is inward conflict, and that conflict shows that a new principle is at work. Do not wonder if Satan rages when a soul would come to Christ, for he cries, my family is being diminished, and he tries with might and main to bring the poor soul back again. Yet it is written, He is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by Him, and whosoever cometh He will in no wise cast out.
Therefore we exhort you to that which is the nutriment of family piety and the castle of true religion, namely family prayer. We have not given up family prayer, but we must now make it special and with double zeal draw near unto God. Woe to those who allow it to cease. Gather your family and servants together for prayer, as those who profess to be the children of God. Let the Word of God be read and the vows you have made unto the Lord be remembered and paid. A forgotten vow will bring chastisement, and perhaps the rod will fall upon your family, but a household that seeks the Lord together shall find mercy.
The text tells us there is a whole family in heaven and earth, not a broken family nor two families, but one undivided household. Neither errors nor failures need divide the family of God if we are indeed His by faith in Christ. The practical point is, Do we belong to that family? Those who have been quickened and made to live and introduced into the family of God have one never failing mark. They are led by the Spirit of God. Seek that mark in yourself and plead for it in your kindred.
Our prayer for you and for all your relatives is this:
O God of Peace, who has reconciled us unto Thyself by Jesus Christ, look upon this family now divided and defiled by sin. Forgive wherein they have sinned against Thee and against one another, and by Thy Holy Spirit work reconciliation at once. Bring each soul to see its need of salvation through Jesus Christ alone, and grant repentance and faith. Turn them from evil behavior to holiness, from strife to love, from the flesh to the Spirit. Establish prayer in their homes, keep them from the tearing of the enemy of souls, and make them to be of one heart in Christ Jesus. Let those who are far off be brought nigh by the blood of Christ, that this household may yet be found in the Ark and be saved, to the praise of Thy grace. Amen.
There is a sorrow that belongs to a divided household, for when sin enters the family it brings an ill savor that all around must smell, and the one alternative is mend or end. There must be a stand taken for holiness, and a revival of religion throughout the whole house. We are reminded that God in infinite grace entered into covenant with Noah to preserve him and his family alive, and they in faith left their houses to find a home in the ark, and so they were saved. So still the Lord calls families to come into Christ, the true Ark, where alone there is safety from the flood of sin.
Know this, that He is the God of Peace and He has, on His part, prepared everything that is necessary for a perfect reconciliation. All things are of God, who has reconciled us unto Himself by Jesus Christ, not imputing our trespasses unto us. We are not sent to find out a new way of reconciling you to God, for God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, and has committed unto us the word of reconciliation. This is the one hope for every family that is torn by evil, that sinners may be reconciled to God through the blood of His Son, and being reconciled to Him, may then be reconciled one to another. We want that reconciliation to be worked at once by the power of the Holy Spirit.
You speak of evil behavior, and we must tell you plainly that where the flesh is strong there will be conflict, for the Spirit of God and the spirit of evil must fight till our dying day. In an unrenewed heart there is but a slight battle between conscience and grosser passions, but where grace has come there is inward conflict, and that conflict shows that a new principle is at work. Do not wonder if Satan rages when a soul would come to Christ, for he cries, my family is being diminished, and he tries with might and main to bring the poor soul back again. Yet it is written, He is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by Him, and whosoever cometh He will in no wise cast out.
Therefore we exhort you to that which is the nutriment of family piety and the castle of true religion, namely family prayer. We have not given up family prayer, but we must now make it special and with double zeal draw near unto God. Woe to those who allow it to cease. Gather your family and servants together for prayer, as those who profess to be the children of God. Let the Word of God be read and the vows you have made unto the Lord be remembered and paid. A forgotten vow will bring chastisement, and perhaps the rod will fall upon your family, but a household that seeks the Lord together shall find mercy.
The text tells us there is a whole family in heaven and earth, not a broken family nor two families, but one undivided household. Neither errors nor failures need divide the family of God if we are indeed His by faith in Christ. The practical point is, Do we belong to that family? Those who have been quickened and made to live and introduced into the family of God have one never failing mark. They are led by the Spirit of God. Seek that mark in yourself and plead for it in your kindred.
Our prayer for you and for all your relatives is this:
O God of Peace, who has reconciled us unto Thyself by Jesus Christ, look upon this family now divided and defiled by sin. Forgive wherein they have sinned against Thee and against one another, and by Thy Holy Spirit work reconciliation at once. Bring each soul to see its need of salvation through Jesus Christ alone, and grant repentance and faith. Turn them from evil behavior to holiness, from strife to love, from the flesh to the Spirit. Establish prayer in their homes, keep them from the tearing of the enemy of souls, and make them to be of one heart in Christ Jesus. Let those who are far off be brought nigh by the blood of Christ, that this household may yet be found in the Ark and be saved, to the praise of Thy grace. Amen.
Guireordoth
Humble Servant
I prayed for this in Jesus Name.
Jonathan_M
Beloved of All
I prayed for this in Jesus Name. Amen.
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