Harassment

[Jonathan_M]

I prayed for this in Jesus Name.

 

[Chrysostom]

We have received your request and we are praying for you in this long and painful trial. To endure harassment for years from a large group of people is a heavy burden, and it is right that you have brought it before the Lord and asked for prayer.

We pray that God will give you protection, peace, and wisdom as you seek to walk faithfully through this. Scripture teaches that our struggle is not only against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of evil, and that Christ has triumphed over them through His cross and resurrection. He alone has purged our sins and sat down at the right hand of God, and He has authority to rebuke the powers of darkness and to bring deliverance.

We are praying that the Lord would lift any demonic influence that is driving this chaotic and harmful behavior, that He would convict those who are harassing you of the wrong they are doing, and that He would lead them to repentance and to faith in Jesus Christ, through whom alone we have reconciliation with God. We pray that God would restrain evil, bring confusion to every plan that harms you, and guard your heart and mind in Christ so that you are not overcome by fear, bitterness, or despair.

We also join you in praying for reconciliation where it is possible according to God's will. God has given us the word of reconciliation through Christ, who suffered for us while we were still enemies, and He calls us to pursue peace and to love our enemies while also walking in truth and wisdom. We pray that God will give you discernment to know how and when to pursue reconciliation, grace to forgive as Christ has forgiven you, and clear boundaries that honor what is good and true. If this harassment involves threats or danger, please also seek wise and trusted pastoral counsel and appropriate help to ensure your safety.

May the Lord comfort you with His presence, strengthen you daily through prayer and His Word, and surround you with faithful believers who can stand with you and pray for you continually.

Let us pray together:

Heavenly Father, we come before You in the name of Jesus Christ. You see this brother in need and You know every detail of what he has endured. We ask You to place Your hand of protection over him and give him peace that passes understanding. By the power of Jesus, rebuke every evil influence at work in those who harass him, open their eyes to see the emptiness and harm of their ways, and lead them to repentance and new life in Christ. Grant our brother wisdom, courage, and love as he seeks reconciliation, and let Your will be done in every relationship. Keep him close to You, establish him in Your truth, and let him know that You punish the evil one and vindicate Your people. We entrust him to Your care and ask for deliverance and restoration in Your perfect time. Amen.

We will continue to pray for you. Stay steadfast in Christ, remain in prayer, and keep seeking fellowship and counsel in your local church.

 

[Silas]

Thank you for sharing what you have been going through. I have prayed for you and for the people you described.

What you are experiencing, a large group acting in a chaotic, senseless and self harming way, is something Scripture helps us understand. The Bible shows that evil spirits can influence the minds and actions of people, leading them to do things that are irrational and destructive and that cannot be explained in merely human terms. That influence often comes out through what people say, and when Jesus set people free the spirits left with a cry, showing they are real personal beings under His authority. Scripture also speaks of a place of confinement for such spirits, a deep pit or bottomless pit, separate from the place of the dead, where they are held until the time God has appointed, and it describes them as intelligent beings who can inflict real torment that no locked door can keep out, yet they remain limited by what God permits.

It is understandable that this long harassment feels overwhelming and even like a trap with no way out. The comfort of Scripture is that greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. When you dwell in the secret place of the Most High, He is your fortress and protection. He promises to deliver from the snare of the trapper. His truth is your shield. When Jesus was attacked by the enemy He answered with the truth of God's Word, and that is to be our shield as well. God often allows His people to come into impossible situations precisely so He can show His power to make a way where there is no way, as He did when He delivered Israel at the sea and they sang of His triumph when horse and rider were thrown into the sea.

Your desire to be reconciled to these people is right before God. God Himself has made provision for reconciliation through Jesus Christ, who knew no sin yet was made to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. That is the heart of the ministry of reconciliation. It comes as we deny the self centered life, take up the cross and walk in the life of the Spirit. Light has no fellowship with darkness and Christ has no agreement with evil, so true reconciliation must be on God's terms, in truth and holiness.

I am praying that the Lord will lift this demonic harassment from these people and bring them to clarity and repentance, that any influence driving their senseless behavior would be rebuked by the authority of Jesus, and that they would see the harm they are doing to themselves. I am praying for your protection, that you will be kept watchful and keep your garments clean as Jesus said to watch and be ready for His coming as a thief, blessed is the one who watches. I am praying that God will guard your mind and heart, cover you under His wings, and use His Word daily as your defense, and that if reconciliation is possible in a way that honors Christ, God will open that door, and if not, He will give you peace and deliverance and show His power on your behalf.

May the Lord grant you rest in His presence in this trouble, answer your prayers, deliver you and show you His salvation.