I care for my parents and live with them but they are severely mentally ill (which includes controlling behavior toward me even though I am an adult). I cannot take it anymore. They are loving parents but their behavior has negatively impacted all their children and even their grandchildren. Please pray. I am starting to have to respectfully put my foot down this year with certain behaviors. I firmly believe there is demonic activity involved in how they act and both their families have heavy occult involvement which neither of them have ever fully renounced even though they believe they are Christian. Both their families also have severely dysfunctional patterns. Please pray. Thank you.
Mental illness
- Thread starter Dhitlor
- Start date
We hear your heart and we are lifting you and your parents before the Lord together, for we know how heavy and exhausting this burden of caregiving has become for you. To care for parents you love while enduring controlling behavior and the effects of severe mental illness is a difficult and often lonely place, and we thank you for sharing this so honestly with us. We see your desire to honor them while also needing to protect your own heart and health, and to protect the wider family including children and grandchildren who have also been impacted.
The Word calls us to Honor your father and your mother Exodus 20:12 and again Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right Ephesians 6:1, but it also says Fathers, don't provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord Ephesians 6:4. Honoring does not mean allowing ongoing harm or control without boundaries, especially when you are an adult. To respectfully put your foot down as you described is not dishonoring, it is walking in the wisdom and self control God gives, for God didn't give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control 2 Timothy 1:7. We encourage you to continue to set those respectful, firm boundaries with love and consistency, and to seek wise counsel as you do so, for in the multitude of counselors there is safety Proverbs 11:14. This may include a trusted pastor, a biblical counselor, and also qualified medical and mental health professionals who can help assess and support your parents' illness, because mental illness is real and often needs comprehensive care, even as we also address spiritual realities.
You wisely discerned the spiritual dimension here and we agree that occult involvement opens doors that must be closed. The Scripture is clear that There shall not be found with you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices sorcery, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer Deuteronomy 18:10, and that those practices are detestable to the Lord. When families have heavy occult involvement that has never been fully renounced, even when they believe they are Christians, there can remain ground for the enemy to influence thoughts and behaviors. For 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. Yet we have hope, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds 2 Corinthians 10:4 and we are told Be subject therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you James 4:7. We encourage you and, as God gives opportunity, your parents to specifically confess and renounce any and all occult involvement, generational patterns, and agreements with darkness, asking the Lord to forgive and cleanse, for 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. Putting on the whole armor of God daily Ephesians 6:11, staying rooted in the Word, prayer, and fellowship, is essential for you as you stand in this place.
We also want to gently address that your request did not mention the name of Jesus, and we want to be sure you know that it is only through Him that we have access to the Father and find true deliverance and salvation. 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 encourage you to place your full trust in Jesus Christ, believing that He died for your sins and rose again, and to call upon His name daily for mercy, wisdom, and power, for whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved Romans 10:13. It is in His name that we can pray with confidence for healing, freedom, and peace that passes all understanding Philippians 4:7.
We know you are weary, and the Lord knows it too. He says Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest Matthew 11:28 and He gives power to the weak and increases strength to those with no might Isaiah 40:29. Do not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we don't give up Galatians 6:9, but also remember to bear one another's burdens Galatians 6:2 by letting others help you, whether family, church family, or trusted professionals, so you are not carrying this alone. Guard your heart as well, for Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life Proverbs 4:23.
We pray together now for you and your family.
Father, in the name of Jesus Christ we come before Your throne of grace and lift this dear one to You who is caring for both parents in their mental illness and exhaustion. Lord, You see the love and honor given, and You see the pain, the control, and the dysfunction that has wounded children and grandchildren. We ask You to pour out Your mercy, healing, and rest upon this caregiver. Renew strength daily, grant wisdom for every boundary that must be set, and give words that are both respectful and truthful, spoken in love. Guard this heart from bitterness, fear, and despair, and fill it with Your power, love, and self control.
Lord, we lift these parents to You. You know their minds, their histories, and the heavy occult involvement in both family lines. We ask in Jesus' name that every unrenounced agreement with darkness be exposed and broken. Lead them to true repentance and full renunciation of all occult practices, and cleanse them by the blood of Jesus. We rebuke any demonic activity and influence in this home and command it to leave in Jesus' name, for You have given us authority to resist the devil and he must flee. We pray for sound minds, for healing of mental illness, for proper care and treatment, and for the peace of Christ to rule in this household. Let Your truth make them free John 8:32 and let Your light drive out all darkness.
Father, heal the generational patterns of dysfunction, protect the children and grandchildren, and restore what has been broken. Surround this family with godly counsel, supportive community, and practical help. Let Your will be done in this home, and let all who dwell there come to know Jesus more deeply as Lord and Savior. We trust You to work even in this very hard season for good, and we thank You that You are near to the brokenhearted. We ask all this in the mighty and only saving name of Jesus Christ, our hope and our deliverer, amen.
The Word calls us to Honor your father and your mother Exodus 20:12 and again Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right Ephesians 6:1, but it also says Fathers, don't provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord Ephesians 6:4. Honoring does not mean allowing ongoing harm or control without boundaries, especially when you are an adult. To respectfully put your foot down as you described is not dishonoring, it is walking in the wisdom and self control God gives, for God didn't give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control 2 Timothy 1:7. We encourage you to continue to set those respectful, firm boundaries with love and consistency, and to seek wise counsel as you do so, for in the multitude of counselors there is safety Proverbs 11:14. This may include a trusted pastor, a biblical counselor, and also qualified medical and mental health professionals who can help assess and support your parents' illness, because mental illness is real and often needs comprehensive care, even as we also address spiritual realities.
You wisely discerned the spiritual dimension here and we agree that occult involvement opens doors that must be closed. The Scripture is clear that There shall not be found with you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices sorcery, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer Deuteronomy 18:10, and that those practices are detestable to the Lord. When families have heavy occult involvement that has never been fully renounced, even when they believe they are Christians, there can remain ground for the enemy to influence thoughts and behaviors. For 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. Yet we have hope, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds 2 Corinthians 10:4 and we are told Be subject therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you James 4:7. We encourage you and, as God gives opportunity, your parents to specifically confess and renounce any and all occult involvement, generational patterns, and agreements with darkness, asking the Lord to forgive and cleanse, for 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. Putting on the whole armor of God daily Ephesians 6:11, staying rooted in the Word, prayer, and fellowship, is essential for you as you stand in this place.
We also want to gently address that your request did not mention the name of Jesus, and we want to be sure you know that it is only through Him that we have access to the Father and find true deliverance and salvation. 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 encourage you to place your full trust in Jesus Christ, believing that He died for your sins and rose again, and to call upon His name daily for mercy, wisdom, and power, for whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved Romans 10:13. It is in His name that we can pray with confidence for healing, freedom, and peace that passes all understanding Philippians 4:7.
We know you are weary, and the Lord knows it too. He says Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest Matthew 11:28 and He gives power to the weak and increases strength to those with no might Isaiah 40:29. Do not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we don't give up Galatians 6:9, but also remember to bear one another's burdens Galatians 6:2 by letting others help you, whether family, church family, or trusted professionals, so you are not carrying this alone. Guard your heart as well, for Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life Proverbs 4:23.
We pray together now for you and your family.
Father, in the name of Jesus Christ we come before Your throne of grace and lift this dear one to You who is caring for both parents in their mental illness and exhaustion. Lord, You see the love and honor given, and You see the pain, the control, and the dysfunction that has wounded children and grandchildren. We ask You to pour out Your mercy, healing, and rest upon this caregiver. Renew strength daily, grant wisdom for every boundary that must be set, and give words that are both respectful and truthful, spoken in love. Guard this heart from bitterness, fear, and despair, and fill it with Your power, love, and self control.
Lord, we lift these parents to You. You know their minds, their histories, and the heavy occult involvement in both family lines. We ask in Jesus' name that every unrenounced agreement with darkness be exposed and broken. Lead them to true repentance and full renunciation of all occult practices, and cleanse them by the blood of Jesus. We rebuke any demonic activity and influence in this home and command it to leave in Jesus' name, for You have given us authority to resist the devil and he must flee. We pray for sound minds, for healing of mental illness, for proper care and treatment, and for the peace of Christ to rule in this household. Let Your truth make them free John 8:32 and let Your light drive out all darkness.
Father, heal the generational patterns of dysfunction, protect the children and grandchildren, and restore what has been broken. Surround this family with godly counsel, supportive community, and practical help. Let Your will be done in this home, and let all who dwell there come to know Jesus more deeply as Lord and Savior. We trust You to work even in this very hard season for good, and we thank You that You are near to the brokenhearted. We ask all this in the mighty and only saving name of Jesus Christ, our hope and our deliverer, amen.
We can hear how worn down you are, caring for your parents day by day while also navigating their controlling behavior as an adult. Loving them and at the same time feeling the impact on you, your siblings and grandchildren is a lot to carry, and it makes sense you are reaching a point where you need to set some respectful limits.
Learning to put your foot down gently this year is not unloving. We think of healthy boundaries like a property line, they clarify what is yours to carry and what is not, so you can stay connected without losing the freedom to say yes and no honestly. It helps to decide ahead of time what limits you need, how you will communicate them calmly, and what you will do if they are crossed, and to have one or two trusted people who know your plan and can support you.
Because you are carrying both mental health concerns and spiritual concerns, we encourage you not to sort this out alone. A trusted pastor together with a Christian counselor or medical professional can help you get wise, balanced perspective and ongoing support for yourself as a caregiver, not just for your parents. If you have not already, consider reaching out to your church leadership and your own doctor or counselor for that support alongside prayer.
Father, we bring our friend to You in Jesus name. Give wisdom for each conversation, strength for each day, and a steady sense of Your presence and protection. Provide supportive community and clear next steps, and bring healing and peace to this whole family as You lead. Amen.
Learning to put your foot down gently this year is not unloving. We think of healthy boundaries like a property line, they clarify what is yours to carry and what is not, so you can stay connected without losing the freedom to say yes and no honestly. It helps to decide ahead of time what limits you need, how you will communicate them calmly, and what you will do if they are crossed, and to have one or two trusted people who know your plan and can support you.
Because you are carrying both mental health concerns and spiritual concerns, we encourage you not to sort this out alone. A trusted pastor together with a Christian counselor or medical professional can help you get wise, balanced perspective and ongoing support for yourself as a caregiver, not just for your parents. If you have not already, consider reaching out to your church leadership and your own doctor or counselor for that support alongside prayer.
Father, we bring our friend to You in Jesus name. Give wisdom for each conversation, strength for each day, and a steady sense of Your presence and protection. Provide supportive community and clear next steps, and bring healing and peace to this whole family as You lead. Amen.
Savannah20
Beloved of All
I prayed for this request in Jesus Name. Amen.
Spurgeon
Beloved of All
Your burden has been heard and carried before the throne of grace with much tenderness and prayer. To care for loving parents while enduring controlling behavior, mental affliction and the weariness that touches children and grandchildren is a heavy and holy trial, and the Lord knows the weight you bear.
We thank God for the respect and honor you desire to show them even as you learn, with wisdom and firmness, to put your foot down where you must. To honor father and mother does not require you to surrender to what is harmful or to bear without boundaries what crushes the soul. The Lord give you grace to speak the truth in love, to set needful limits with gentleness and constancy, and to seek the help of faithful pastors and wise counselors and, where needed, sound medical help, that you may not walk this path alone.
You have spoken plainly of what you discern in your family history, of occult involvement never fully renounced and of patterns of dysfunction that have run through generations. Scripture teaches us that our deliverance from the power of darkness is altogether the work of God. As it is written, He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son. Deliverance from the guilt of sin and deliverance from the power of sin are both of the Lord, and must be sought from Him alone through Jesus Christ. There is no other ransom. God Himself has said, I have found a ransom, and therefore deliverance is certain for all who trust in His Son. It is not of him that wills nor of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy.
We pray that the Lord will make this deliverance effectual in your home. May He bring forth both you and your parents from every pit and bondage, as He brought Israel forth with His mighty hand, and may He grant true repentance and a full renunciation of all that belongs to darkness, that Christ alone may be confessed as Lord. Where there has been confusion and control, may He give clarity and peace. Where there has been affliction, may He give healing according to His perfect will, and strength to endure where healing tarries.
We pray for you, that in this season of necessary boundaries you may be kept from bitterness and from guilt, and be filled with the love and sound mind which the Spirit gives. The Lord does sometimes whisper to the heart of His children in trial and assure them that they shall not be crushed. May He whisper such assurance to you, that you may say with the psalmist, The Lord has chastened me sorely, but I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. Your trials, though painful, shall furnish you with a song of deliverance to sing hereafter, for we have been delivered from worse enemies and saved by a greater salvation through the blood of the Lamb.
We pray for your parents, that the Lord in mercy would open their eyes to see the need to turn fully from every occult way and to rest wholly upon Christ, that they may know the peace that comes from being delivered by free grace alone. We pray for your whole family, children and grandchildren, that generational patterns of sin and sorrow may be broken by the power of the cross, and that a new pattern of faith, truth and love may be established.
May the God who hears prayer keep you, sustain you in caregiving, guard your heart and mind, and in His time bring a deliverance that you shall delight to declare to others for His glory. We commend you to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
We thank God for the respect and honor you desire to show them even as you learn, with wisdom and firmness, to put your foot down where you must. To honor father and mother does not require you to surrender to what is harmful or to bear without boundaries what crushes the soul. The Lord give you grace to speak the truth in love, to set needful limits with gentleness and constancy, and to seek the help of faithful pastors and wise counselors and, where needed, sound medical help, that you may not walk this path alone.
You have spoken plainly of what you discern in your family history, of occult involvement never fully renounced and of patterns of dysfunction that have run through generations. Scripture teaches us that our deliverance from the power of darkness is altogether the work of God. As it is written, He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son. Deliverance from the guilt of sin and deliverance from the power of sin are both of the Lord, and must be sought from Him alone through Jesus Christ. There is no other ransom. God Himself has said, I have found a ransom, and therefore deliverance is certain for all who trust in His Son. It is not of him that wills nor of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy.
We pray that the Lord will make this deliverance effectual in your home. May He bring forth both you and your parents from every pit and bondage, as He brought Israel forth with His mighty hand, and may He grant true repentance and a full renunciation of all that belongs to darkness, that Christ alone may be confessed as Lord. Where there has been confusion and control, may He give clarity and peace. Where there has been affliction, may He give healing according to His perfect will, and strength to endure where healing tarries.
We pray for you, that in this season of necessary boundaries you may be kept from bitterness and from guilt, and be filled with the love and sound mind which the Spirit gives. The Lord does sometimes whisper to the heart of His children in trial and assure them that they shall not be crushed. May He whisper such assurance to you, that you may say with the psalmist, The Lord has chastened me sorely, but I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. Your trials, though painful, shall furnish you with a song of deliverance to sing hereafter, for we have been delivered from worse enemies and saved by a greater salvation through the blood of the Lamb.
We pray for your parents, that the Lord in mercy would open their eyes to see the need to turn fully from every occult way and to rest wholly upon Christ, that they may know the peace that comes from being delivered by free grace alone. We pray for your whole family, children and grandchildren, that generational patterns of sin and sorrow may be broken by the power of the cross, and that a new pattern of faith, truth and love may be established.
May the God who hears prayer keep you, sustain you in caregiving, guard your heart and mind, and in His time bring a deliverance that you shall delight to declare to others for His glory. We commend you to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Azoirpaertown
Humble Servant
I prayed for this request in Jesus Name. Amen.
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