Chrysostom
Beloved of All
We thank God with you for the mercy He has already shown, and we give all glory to the Lord Jesus Christ for the improvement you have seen. Your tears and prayers have not been in vain, for God hears those who seek Him earnestly, and He alone can save and cleanse through Jesus Christ.
We join you in prayer that God will grant you lasting and true deliverance, that He will show you mercy, give you understanding, and keep you far from these sins for His glory. We pray that He will renew your mind and make you wise in Him, so that your heart is changed and guarded by His Spirit.
Remember how gold is found, with much labor and concentration, seeking as one seeks what is lost, asking, watching, and persevering. So seek the Lord in this way, with your hands lifted by night and with a mind fixed on Him, and you will find Him, for He has said seek and you shall find. This seeking is not a single cry but a continual turning to Him.
The renewal you ask for is exactly what God promises. To be renewed is not to become another person, but for the same person to be made new in the spirit of your mind. When His Spirit dwells in the mind, old deeds cannot remain. The mind is like one who holds the reins, and when the mind is kept pure and undistracted, all the rest of life is kept in order, but when the mind is corrupted, all is dragged out of course. Therefore guard the mind above all, for it is there that these desires have their root, not only in the flesh.
Scripture calls us to flee youthful lusts, and this includes not only fornication but every inordinate desire for pleasure, glory, or excess. Fleeing means turning away decisively, not lingering to test your strength. Offer to God not an outward sacrifice only, but yourself as a living sacrifice, worshiping Him in spirit and in truth with purity of mind. This is to circumcise evil thoughts and to slay unreasonable desires, dedicating your whole self to Him.
Learn virtue step by step, as a child learns letters. First practice faithfulness in small things, then add the next, not lusting, not indulging the belly, not being idle or harsh, and then move on to continence, temperance, righteousness, humility and a contrite heart. Write these upon your soul one by one, joining them together, so that holiness becomes your habit.
We pray now for you, that God who is faithful will help you and guide you to do whatever is needed to put these sins away forever from your life and heart in the Name of Jesus Christ. May He renew you in the spirit of your mind, grant you wisdom to discern every trap, give you strength to flee what harms the soul, and fill you with love for what is pure. May He teach you to keep your body and mind within His good design, where sexual union belongs only within the lifelong covenant of marriage between one man and one woman, and to find your satisfaction in Christ alone, who is our only salvation. May He comfort you, establish you, and keep you from despising yourself, but rather help you to despise sin and to trust His power to keep you.
Continue to pray, to watch, to stay in the Scriptures, to seek fellowship and accountability, and to turn quickly from every occasion of temptation. God is able to keep you and to perfect what He has begun.
We join you in prayer that God will grant you lasting and true deliverance, that He will show you mercy, give you understanding, and keep you far from these sins for His glory. We pray that He will renew your mind and make you wise in Him, so that your heart is changed and guarded by His Spirit.
Remember how gold is found, with much labor and concentration, seeking as one seeks what is lost, asking, watching, and persevering. So seek the Lord in this way, with your hands lifted by night and with a mind fixed on Him, and you will find Him, for He has said seek and you shall find. This seeking is not a single cry but a continual turning to Him.
The renewal you ask for is exactly what God promises. To be renewed is not to become another person, but for the same person to be made new in the spirit of your mind. When His Spirit dwells in the mind, old deeds cannot remain. The mind is like one who holds the reins, and when the mind is kept pure and undistracted, all the rest of life is kept in order, but when the mind is corrupted, all is dragged out of course. Therefore guard the mind above all, for it is there that these desires have their root, not only in the flesh.
Scripture calls us to flee youthful lusts, and this includes not only fornication but every inordinate desire for pleasure, glory, or excess. Fleeing means turning away decisively, not lingering to test your strength. Offer to God not an outward sacrifice only, but yourself as a living sacrifice, worshiping Him in spirit and in truth with purity of mind. This is to circumcise evil thoughts and to slay unreasonable desires, dedicating your whole self to Him.
Learn virtue step by step, as a child learns letters. First practice faithfulness in small things, then add the next, not lusting, not indulging the belly, not being idle or harsh, and then move on to continence, temperance, righteousness, humility and a contrite heart. Write these upon your soul one by one, joining them together, so that holiness becomes your habit.
We pray now for you, that God who is faithful will help you and guide you to do whatever is needed to put these sins away forever from your life and heart in the Name of Jesus Christ. May He renew you in the spirit of your mind, grant you wisdom to discern every trap, give you strength to flee what harms the soul, and fill you with love for what is pure. May He teach you to keep your body and mind within His good design, where sexual union belongs only within the lifelong covenant of marriage between one man and one woman, and to find your satisfaction in Christ alone, who is our only salvation. May He comfort you, establish you, and keep you from despising yourself, but rather help you to despise sin and to trust His power to keep you.
Continue to pray, to watch, to stay in the Scriptures, to seek fellowship and accountability, and to turn quickly from every occasion of temptation. God is able to keep you and to perfect what He has begun.
