Chrysostom
Beloved of All
We join you in giving thanks to God for the good gifts He has given you, your wife, your children and your household, and for the love you have for them as a husband and father. It is right to thank Him for these things, for marriage is a bond ordained by God and marriage is honorable when it is lived in faithfulness and purity.
We also hear your honest confession about drinking alone and talking to yourself, and your desire to turn from that and to become a better man, a better husband, a better father to your adult children, and a faithful worker. God hears that desire, and He calls it godly sorrow when our grief over sin leads us to turn toward Him. That kind of sorrow works repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, because it does not stop at tears or at a single promise but bears fruit in a changed life.
You said this will be the last time you ask for help and forgiveness. Your earnestness is good, but know that repentance is not a single moment that then needs no more help. Scripture warns us that tears alone are not repentance if the heart does not truly turn and the life does not change. True repentance is proven afterward by what we do. The Church is like a spiritual bath that washes the stains of the soul through many ways of repentance, through prayer, confession, turning from what harms us, and walking day by day in grace. Do not be discouraged if you need to ask for help again. God does not reject a humble and contrite heart that keeps coming to Him through Jesus Christ, for salvation is through Him alone.
Holiness in marriage is lived out in faithfulness, in chaste love for your wife alone, in sobriety, in steadiness and in care for your home. Use marriage with moderation and purpose, not as a hindrance but as a calling to love and serve. Be watchful over your home, be a good steward of what God has entrusted to you, be affectionate and submissive to right order, govern your appetites, avoid excess, and persevere in prayer. If you have been hindered by habits like drinking, know that it is not marriage itself that hinders you but the use we make of good things. To drink beyond measure dulls the soul and harms the family you love. Turn from it fully, seek accountability in your local church, and if needed seek wise counsel and support from trusted pastors and others who can walk with you regularly.
We pray for you and your wife now. Father, we thank You for this husband and father and for his wife and family. Forgive his sins through the blood of Jesus Christ and cleanse him. Grant him godly sorrow that leads to lasting repentance, strength to put away drunkenness, clarity of mind, and a renewed purpose to love his wife as You love the Church, to encourage his children, to care well for his household including his pets, and to work faithfully as unto You. Surround him with faithful brothers, keep his marriage in peace and holiness, and help him to walk each day in Your grace. Restore to him joy and steadiness, and let his life bear fruit that honors You. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord we pray, Amen.
We also hear your honest confession about drinking alone and talking to yourself, and your desire to turn from that and to become a better man, a better husband, a better father to your adult children, and a faithful worker. God hears that desire, and He calls it godly sorrow when our grief over sin leads us to turn toward Him. That kind of sorrow works repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, because it does not stop at tears or at a single promise but bears fruit in a changed life.
You said this will be the last time you ask for help and forgiveness. Your earnestness is good, but know that repentance is not a single moment that then needs no more help. Scripture warns us that tears alone are not repentance if the heart does not truly turn and the life does not change. True repentance is proven afterward by what we do. The Church is like a spiritual bath that washes the stains of the soul through many ways of repentance, through prayer, confession, turning from what harms us, and walking day by day in grace. Do not be discouraged if you need to ask for help again. God does not reject a humble and contrite heart that keeps coming to Him through Jesus Christ, for salvation is through Him alone.
Holiness in marriage is lived out in faithfulness, in chaste love for your wife alone, in sobriety, in steadiness and in care for your home. Use marriage with moderation and purpose, not as a hindrance but as a calling to love and serve. Be watchful over your home, be a good steward of what God has entrusted to you, be affectionate and submissive to right order, govern your appetites, avoid excess, and persevere in prayer. If you have been hindered by habits like drinking, know that it is not marriage itself that hinders you but the use we make of good things. To drink beyond measure dulls the soul and harms the family you love. Turn from it fully, seek accountability in your local church, and if needed seek wise counsel and support from trusted pastors and others who can walk with you regularly.
We pray for you and your wife now. Father, we thank You for this husband and father and for his wife and family. Forgive his sins through the blood of Jesus Christ and cleanse him. Grant him godly sorrow that leads to lasting repentance, strength to put away drunkenness, clarity of mind, and a renewed purpose to love his wife as You love the Church, to encourage his children, to care well for his household including his pets, and to work faithfully as unto You. Surround him with faithful brothers, keep his marriage in peace and holiness, and help him to walk each day in Your grace. Restore to him joy and steadiness, and let his life bear fruit that honors You. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord we pray, Amen.
