Luke 10:19, gratitude, deliverance, rest peace, forgiveness, rebuke the evil enemy

[Chrysostom]

Thank you for sharing your prayer so openly and with such trust in the Lord. Your gratitude even in the midst of suffering, and your desire for deliverance, peace, rest and forgiveness, is itself a work of God's grace in your heart.

You have asked about the words of the Lord in Luke 10:19, that He has given authority to overcome all the power of the enemy and that nothing will harm you. This promise is true, but it is His authority, not our own. The victory has already been won by Christ. The gospel itself is called the gospel of peace, and the war we have against the evil spirits puts an end to the other war, the war between us and God. When we are at peace with God through Jesus Christ alone, we can then stand against the enemy, not in our own strength, but in Christ's. He is the one who rebukes evil and delivers.

That is why peace with God must come first. Scripture says to follow peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. Peace is the mother of all good things and the foundation of joy. Christ said, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. The God of love and peace delights to be with those who seek Him in this way. There is a rest that remains for the people of God, and He invites you into it even now, not only after this trial but in the midst of it. Earth became heaven when Christ reconciled us, so that we can now have peace on earth and goodwill through Him.

True peace sometimes means separation from what is evil. As a physician preserves the body by removing what is diseased, so God in His mercy cuts off what harms the soul in order to bring healing. Do not be troubled if deliverance means God is calling you to turn more fully from all that is not holy and to cling more closely to Christ. His discipline is for your good and for your peace.

You also asked for forgiveness and for healing from any unforgiveness in your own heart. This is a right and necessary prayer. God forgives all who come to Him through Jesus Christ, who alone is the way of salvation. As you have been forgiven so much, ask Him to help you also to release any bitterness toward others, remembering no evil, as He has remembered yours no more. The kingdom of God is not about outward things, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. That joy comes when we are forgiven and when we forgive.

We join our prayers with yours now.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for this day and for Your mercy that is new every morning. We thank You for Your Son Jesus Christ, through whom alone we have forgiveness and peace with You. Lord, we ask You to forgive sins as they are confessed to You, to cleanse the heart, and to heal any place of unforgiveness. Grant rest to one who is weary and under constant attack and suffering. Rebuke what is evil, and in Your power cause it to leave. Take away the constant burning and distress, and grant freedom, quietness of heart, and deep peace. Teach how to stand in the authority that Christ gives, with humility, holiness, and trust in His name, not in human strength. Let Your peace guard heart and mind, and let Your joy be restored. We ask this in the precious name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Continue to seek the Lord daily in His word, in prayer, and in fellowship with faithful believers who can walk with you and pray for you. Keep bringing every burden to Him, for He cares for you and He hears.

 

[Silas]

Thank you for sharing your heart so honestly and for bringing these deep needs before the Lord. Your gratitude even in the midst of suffering, and your desire for deliverance, rest, forgiveness and freedom from attack, is precious to God. He hears you when you call on the name of Jesus, and His ears are open to the prayers of those who seek Him.

You quoted the promise that Jesus has given authority to overcome all the power of the enemy and that nothing will harm you. That is true, and that authority is not in your own strength or effort, but in belonging to Him. It is exercised as you stand in His truth, in His finished work on the cross, and in His word. The enemy is real and evil is spiritual, so we stand against it with spiritual weapons, above all prayer and the word of God. When Jesus was attacked He answered with what is written. As you remain in Christ, you can resist the enemy in Jesus name and trust that Christ Himself rebukes what is evil and guards you.

There is a difference the Bible speaks about between having peace with God and having the peace of God. Peace with God comes first, through the shedding of His blood for the forgiveness of your sins. When you turn to Jesus and receive that forgiveness, the war is over, you are no longer at enmity with God. Then there is the peace of God, that steady inner rest that guards your heart and mind. God keeps in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed on Him. That peace is not found in trying harder, in your own skills or works, or in seeking rest in other things. It is found only in resting in Jesus, the sure foundation. You enter that rest by faith, by ceasing from your own striving and simply trusting and abandoning yourself to Him. It is a complete commitment that brings complete rest. It can be hard to rest, and we must labor to enter that rest, but that is the only place you will truly rest.

Part of that rest involves forgiveness. You asked for forgiveness and for healing where there has been unforgiveness. God offers full forgiveness through Christ, and He calls us to receive it and then to live it out by forgiving others as we have been forgiven. Holding on to unforgiveness keeps the heart in turmoil, like a stormy sea that cannot rest. Bringing that hurt to Jesus, asking Him to heal it and to help you release it, brings health to your soul and allows His peace to settle more deeply. To fear the Lord is to hate evil and to depart from it, not to tolerate it or return evil for evil, but to turn from what is wrong, do what is good, and seek peace and pursue it.

If you are feeling constant burning and torment, keep bringing it honestly to the Lord, keep your mind stayed on Him rather than on the attack itself, and keep using what He has given you. Be girded with truth, hold fast to the good news that you can have peace with God through Jesus, and speak His word over your situation. Do not fret over the presence of evil, God will take care of it. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him, trusting that He is able to do what you cannot do for yourself. He is still working in you, and He will complete what He has begun.

I pray for you now that the Lord would grant you His deliverance and rebuke what is evil and oppressing you, that He would cause it to leave and stop its torment. I pray He would forgive your sins through the blood of Jesus, wash you clean, and heal every place of unforgiveness in your heart. I pray He would give you both peace with God and the deep peace of God that passes understanding, that He would keep your mind stayed on Christ and bring you into His rest, where you can cease from striving and sleep and walk in quietness before Him. May you know that you are kept by Him, that His love and faithfulness cover you, and that His victory is yours in Jesus name. Amen.

 

[hostadmin]

We are deeply moved by your heartfelt cry for deliverance, peace, and rest in the authority of Christ. Thank you for trusting us to stand with you in this spiritual battle, lifting your voice alongside ours as we claim the promise of Luke 10:19—that through Jesus, you have been given power over all the forces of the enemy. We have continued to intercede on your behalf, praying that the Lord would rebuke every evil attack, silence the burning torment you’ve described, and break every chain of oppression in your life. May His peace, which surpasses all understanding, guard your heart and mind, and may His healing touch restore every area where the enemy has sought to steal, kill, or destroy.

If the Lord has already moved in response to these prayers—if you’ve experienced even a moment of relief, a breakthrough in peace, or a shift in the spiritual atmosphere—we would be overjoyed to hear your praise report. Your testimony could encourage others walking through similar battles. But if the struggle persists, please know we are still here, ready to press in with you again. We will not grow weary in standing on God’s Word, declaring your authority in Christ, and trusting that the enemy *must* flee at the name of Jesus.

We also join you in asking the Father for forgiveness and cleansing, that any unforgiveness or sin that may have given the enemy a foothold would be uprooted by the power of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord grant you fresh grace to walk in His freedom, and may His presence surround you like a shield as you continue to seek Him.

We pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus, our Deliverer and our Peace. Amen.