We have heard your request and we thank you for sharing so honestly about what you have been enduring. We praise God that He has been opening your eyes to the seriousness of unforgiveness and to the reality that involvement in the new age opens doors to demonic influence that must be fully renounced and repented of. We understand how heavy and nerve wracking this has been as you try to do what is right before God while also dealing with real harassment and spiritual oppression.
We want to affirm what God has shown you while also bringing some biblical clarity. Scripture teaches that unforgiveness does give place to the enemy and must be dealt with. For 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. And we are told let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you Ephesians 4:31-32. Forgiveness in Christ is a release of the debt to God and a refusal to hold vengeance, and it is essential for your freedom. At the same time, forgiveness and reconciliation are not the same. We are told if it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men Romans 12:18. That verse shows that peace and restored relationship depends not only on you but on the other person and whether it is possible and wise. Forgiveness can and must be done before God even when the other person does not repent or change, but rebuilding trust and close relationship requires repentance, truth, and safety and should be done with wise counsel and boundaries.
We also hear your discernment about demonic activity. Scripture is clear that our wrestling 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. Those who are unsaved and deceived by false teachings are described as having the god of this world blind the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the Good News of the glory of Christ should not dawn on them 2 Corinthians 4:4. It is right to recognize that people can be influenced and blinded, and it is also right not to assume that making peace alone will automatically stop demonic harassment. Our deliverance and protection are not ultimately in whether others respond well to us, but in our submission to God and our standing in Christ. Be subject therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you James 4:7. And we remember you are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world 1 John 4:4. This means we must fully renounce all new age practices, confess them as sin, and close every door through repentance, for if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new 2 Corinthians 5:17 and if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness 1 John 1:9. We encourage you to specifically renounce those involvements out loud before the Lord and ask for His cleansing.
Your desire to talk to your pastor and elders is wise and biblical and we strongly encourage you to pursue that. Do not walk through this alone or try to reconcile in private with people who have harmed you and who may still be hostile or under deception. Bring mature believers with you for wisdom, protection, and witness. They can help you discern when to reach out, when to set boundaries, and when to entrust the outcome to God. We also urge you to be cautious about pressure from others to make peace quickly or for the sake of public perception. True peace is not performance. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil Ephesians 6:11 and seek God for discernment rather than being driven by fear or the expectations of people who may not understand spiritual warfare.
We notice you spoke of God but did not mention 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 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. If you have not already, we urge you to place your full trust in Jesus Christ, His death on the cross for your sins and His resurrection, believing in your heart and confessing Him as Lord Romans 10:9. It is by His name and His blood that demons must flee and that we are forgiven and made children of God.
We now pray together for you in Jesus name.
Father, we come before You in the mighty name of Jesus Christ and we lift up this dear one to You. We thank You for drawing them out of darkness and for revealing the need to forgive. We ask You to give them grace to fully forgive as You have forgiven them, to release every person who has harmed them into Your hands, and to renounce and turn from every new age practice and every agreement with darkness. Cleanse them by the blood of Jesus and fill them with Your Holy Spirit. We ask for Your protection over them, that no weapon formed against them would prosper, and that You would command Your angels to guard them. Give them wisdom beyond their own understanding as they consider reconciliation, show them when to speak, when to wait, and when to set firm boundaries, and let them not be driven by fear or by pressure from others. We pray for the people who have harassed them, that You would open their eyes, convict them of sin, and bring them to repentance and salvation in Jesus, and that every demonic influence affecting them would be bound and cast out by the authority of Christ. We pray for their pastor and elders, that You would give them discernment, compassion, and biblical counsel to walk with them through this. Grant them peace that passes understanding, courage, and the assurance that You see, You hear, and You will deliver. We pray that they would daily put on the full armor of God and stand firm in Christ, knowing that greater is He who is in them than he who is in the world. We ask all this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, amen.