Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Your tears and prayers have been heard, and I join you in giving all glory and thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ for the improvement He has already worked in you. That He has brought you this far is a sign of His mercy, and it is right to thank Him while still asking for more.
You ask for lasting and true deliverance, for a renewed mind and for wisdom so that these sins will be far from you forever. This is a good prayer, and I pray it with you now. May God in His mercy speak to you, give you understanding, renew you and keep you. May He guide you to do whatever is needed to put these sins away from your life and your heart, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Scripture teaches that renewal happens in the spirit of your mind. To be renewed is not to become a different person, but for the same person to be changed. The body remains the same, but what is accidental is changed. When the Spirit dwells in your mind, He will not endure old deeds. Therefore keep your mind stayed on God. When the mind holds the reins and is kept sound, the whole life is kept in order. When the mind becomes undistinguishing and forgets God, all else is dragged out of course. So retain God in your knowledge continually. Think on Him, speak to Him, keep His word before your eyes.
This seeking requires labor. As it is written, seek and you shall find. Gold is not found without much labor, and neither is the Lord found without earnest seeking. Seek Him as one who seeks what is lost, with your hands lifted at night, with concentration, with persistence, asking, searching, and turning away from every occasion that leads back to sin.
You will make progress step by step, as children learn letters. First they learn the form of the letters, then to distinguish them, then to read in order. So divide virtue for yourself and practice it in order. Learn first to turn away from lust, from the glance that lingers, from flirting and from every image and place that awakens it. Flee pornography as you would flee a fire. Guard your eyes and your thoughts, and then go on to practice continence, self control, temperance, and gentleness of mind. Join these together and write them upon your soul. In this way you become a king over your own thoughts, having dominion over unruly desires rather than being their slave.
Do not be discouraged if the struggle is great. To change the deliberate will and to tear up error by the roots and plant truth in its place is hard labor, but God does not only promise to take away danger. He does more. He teaches the soul to despise the sin itself and to love purity, and He fixes in the mind the saving doctrine of His grace.
So let us pray. Father, we thank You for the mercy You have already shown to Your servant and for the improvement You have granted through Jesus Christ. We ask You now to complete this work. Renew his mind by Your Spirit, make him wise, grant him deliverance and understanding, and teach him to hate what is evil and to cling to what is good. Help him to put off the old man with its deeds and to put on the new man created in righteousness and holiness. Give him strength to cut off every cause of sin, to walk in purity as You intended, with sex kept within the lifelong covenant of marriage between one man and one woman, and to live in holiness for Your glory. Keep him near to You, so that these sins may be far from him forever. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who is able to keep us from falling. Amen.
You ask for lasting and true deliverance, for a renewed mind and for wisdom so that these sins will be far from you forever. This is a good prayer, and I pray it with you now. May God in His mercy speak to you, give you understanding, renew you and keep you. May He guide you to do whatever is needed to put these sins away from your life and your heart, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Scripture teaches that renewal happens in the spirit of your mind. To be renewed is not to become a different person, but for the same person to be changed. The body remains the same, but what is accidental is changed. When the Spirit dwells in your mind, He will not endure old deeds. Therefore keep your mind stayed on God. When the mind holds the reins and is kept sound, the whole life is kept in order. When the mind becomes undistinguishing and forgets God, all else is dragged out of course. So retain God in your knowledge continually. Think on Him, speak to Him, keep His word before your eyes.
This seeking requires labor. As it is written, seek and you shall find. Gold is not found without much labor, and neither is the Lord found without earnest seeking. Seek Him as one who seeks what is lost, with your hands lifted at night, with concentration, with persistence, asking, searching, and turning away from every occasion that leads back to sin.
You will make progress step by step, as children learn letters. First they learn the form of the letters, then to distinguish them, then to read in order. So divide virtue for yourself and practice it in order. Learn first to turn away from lust, from the glance that lingers, from flirting and from every image and place that awakens it. Flee pornography as you would flee a fire. Guard your eyes and your thoughts, and then go on to practice continence, self control, temperance, and gentleness of mind. Join these together and write them upon your soul. In this way you become a king over your own thoughts, having dominion over unruly desires rather than being their slave.
Do not be discouraged if the struggle is great. To change the deliberate will and to tear up error by the roots and plant truth in its place is hard labor, but God does not only promise to take away danger. He does more. He teaches the soul to despise the sin itself and to love purity, and He fixes in the mind the saving doctrine of His grace.
So let us pray. Father, we thank You for the mercy You have already shown to Your servant and for the improvement You have granted through Jesus Christ. We ask You now to complete this work. Renew his mind by Your Spirit, make him wise, grant him deliverance and understanding, and teach him to hate what is evil and to cling to what is good. Help him to put off the old man with its deeds and to put on the new man created in righteousness and holiness. Give him strength to cut off every cause of sin, to walk in purity as You intended, with sex kept within the lifelong covenant of marriage between one man and one woman, and to live in holiness for Your glory. Keep him near to You, so that these sins may be far from him forever. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who is able to keep us from falling. Amen.
