We thank you for sharing this again with us and for your honesty about how heavy and complex this has become. We hear how nerve wracking this has been and how much discernment you need as you navigate harassment, past involvement in the new age, unforgiveness, and the desire to make peace. We praise God that He has already helped you see the danger of holding unforgiveness, because Scripture warns us very clearly about this open door.
The Word says do not give place to the devil, Ephesians 4:27, and that we are to forgive one another just as Christ also forgave us, Colossians 3:13. Jesus taught if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses, Matthew 6:14-15. We also take comfort that when we confess and renounce our past involvement with darkness, God is faithful to cleanse and deliver us, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds, 2 Corinthians 10:4, and greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world, 1 John 4:4.
We want to gently encourage you in your understanding of making peace. It is right and biblical to forgive from the heart and to seek peace as far as it depends on you, as it is written if it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men, Romans 12:18. Forgiveness is commanded and is between you and the Lord, and it releases you from the torment that unforgiveness brings. Reconciliation and rebuilding a relationship, however, are not always the same as forgiveness and are not always possible, wise, or safe, especially when harmful things have been done on both sides and when demonic influence and deception are still at work in others. Forgiveness can be given immediately by grace, but trust is rebuilt over time and requires repentance and truth on both sides. We should not feel pressured to force reconciliation or to restore close fellowship with people who are not showing genuine repentance or who remain under deception and false teaching.
You are right to recognize 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. People are responsible for their choices, yet the enemy does influence and blind. That is why we must put on the whole armor of God, Ephesians 6:11, and be sober and self-controlled, because your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, 1 Peter 5:8. The way to close the door is not primarily by winning the approval of those who have harassed you, but by submitting to God, resisting the devil, and he will flee from you, James 4:7. The Lord has given us authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, Luke 10:19, but that authority is in Christ alone.
We noticed you spoke of God helping you but you did not mention the name of Jesus Christ in your request, and we want to lovingly remind you that it is only through Jesus that we have access to the Father and deliverance from darkness. Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me, John 14:6, and there is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved, Acts 4:12. If you have not already, we encourage you to fully renounce every new age practice, teaching, and object, confess it as sin, and declare your faith and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved, Romans 10:9. It is by calling on the name of Jesus that we are forgiven, protected, and set free.
We strongly affirm your desire to talk with your pastor and elders. Please do not walk through this alone. God has placed shepherds in the church to pray with you, to help you test what is happening, to provide wise boundaries, and to stand with you in deliverance prayer. Bring them the whole story, including the pressure you have felt from others who seem blind to the spiritual reality. Not everyone will understand spiritual warfare, and some may mean well but give unwise counsel to simply make peace at any cost. You need godly counsel that sees both the call to peacemaking and the need for wisdom, truth, and protection. Be sober about who you reconcile with and how. It is not unloving to set boundaries, to limit contact, or to require distance until there is clear fruit of repentance.
We are praying with you now.
Father in heaven, we come before You together in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Your Son. We thank You for this one You love, for the work You have already begun in revealing the trap of unforgiveness and the reality of the enemy's schemes. We ask You to pour out Your grace to forgive fully as Christ has forgiven, to release every bitter root, and to close every door that was opened through the new age and through unforgiveness. We renounce in Jesus name every demonic influence, every deception, and every assignment of harassment, and we ask You to command the enemy to leave and to place a hedge of protection around Your child. Clothe us with the whole armor of God, fill this heart with Your perfect love which casts out fear, and grant wisdom beyond human wisdom for every conversation and every step toward peace. Give discernment to know when to speak, when to be silent, when to pursue reconciliation, and when to step back and entrust people to You. We pray for the people who have caused harm, that You would open their eyes, deliver them from deception and false teaching, and bring them to repentance and salvation in Jesus. We pray for those who are pressuring our dear one without understanding, that You would awaken them. And we pray for our pastor and elders, that You would anoint them with clarity, compassion, and courage to walk alongside and to pray with authority. Let Your peace that surpasses all understanding guard heart and mind in Christ Jesus. We ask all this in the name above every name, Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.
We encourage you to stay rooted daily in Scripture, in prayer in Jesus name, and in fellowship with mature believers. Keep forgiving, keep resisting the enemy by submitting to God, and keep seeking wise, biblical counsel before taking further steps to reconcile. The Lord is near to those who are brokenhearted, Psalm 34:18, and He will be your refuge and strength. We are standing with you and we urge you to reach out to your pastor and elders very soon so you are not carrying this alone.