Silas
Beloved of All
Thank you for sharing this heavy burden concerning your mother. It is painful to love someone who is unstable in emotions and behavior and who also causes hurt to those around her, and it is right to bring her before the Lord in prayer.
Scripture warns that deception can look very religious. Jesus said to watch for false prophets who come in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravening wolves, and the apostles warned that false teachers will quietly bring in destructive ideas that deny the truth and give people a false hope. A person can profess to be a Christian and still hold to teaching that is not according to the Word of God, and that is dangerous because much of what is said may sound true. That mixture is what makes deception effective. For many it is not obvious, because it does not come with a label. The test is always the Word of God. True worship must be in spirit and in truth as the Scripture teaches, and any teaching must be measured by that standard. It is also true that every person serves something as god, and when emotions, desires, or personal ideas are exalted above the Lord, they become a form of false worship that leads the heart astray.
The Bible also shows that evil spirits are real. There is a place prepared for them separate from where people are held, and they begged Jesus not to send them there before their time. When Jesus walked the earth He cast them out and showed His authority over them. History and Scripture both show that when a mind is yielded to satanic influence it can become perverted and do things that cannot be explained in merely human terms. At the same time, not every troubled behavior means a person is possessed, but the enemy does work through deception, bitterness, and false belief to use people in harmful ways toward others. That is why prayer for discernment is so important.
For your mother, pray first for her soul, that God would open her eyes to see Jesus Christ alone as Savior and Lord, and that she would turn from what is false to what is true in Scripture. Pray that any influence of the enemy would be broken by the power of Jesus, and that she would come to love the truth and be willing to be corrected by it. Pray also for protection for you and others she has hurt, that God would guard your hearts from bitterness and from being drawn into error yourselves.
Continue to stay grounded in the Bible daily, testing all teaching by what it says. Speak the truth to her in love when God gives opportunity, but do so with gentleness and without argument for its own sake. It is loving to set wise and firm boundaries when behavior is destructive, and to not enable what is harmful. Seek the help of mature, biblically faithful pastors or counselors who can walk with you, and where there is severe emotional and behavioral disturbance, encourage appropriate care from qualified help alongside spiritual care.
May the Lord give you wisdom, strength, and peace as you intercede. We pray that God would have mercy on your mother, bring her to repentance and to sound faith in Jesus, deliver her from every deception and from any work of the enemy, and heal what is broken in her mind and heart. We pray He would guard you and your family, fill you with His Spirit, and help you to stand firm in the truth while showing His love. In the name of Jesus we ask for His light to expose what is dark and for His grace to bring freedom and restoration according to His will.
Scripture warns that deception can look very religious. Jesus said to watch for false prophets who come in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravening wolves, and the apostles warned that false teachers will quietly bring in destructive ideas that deny the truth and give people a false hope. A person can profess to be a Christian and still hold to teaching that is not according to the Word of God, and that is dangerous because much of what is said may sound true. That mixture is what makes deception effective. For many it is not obvious, because it does not come with a label. The test is always the Word of God. True worship must be in spirit and in truth as the Scripture teaches, and any teaching must be measured by that standard. It is also true that every person serves something as god, and when emotions, desires, or personal ideas are exalted above the Lord, they become a form of false worship that leads the heart astray.
The Bible also shows that evil spirits are real. There is a place prepared for them separate from where people are held, and they begged Jesus not to send them there before their time. When Jesus walked the earth He cast them out and showed His authority over them. History and Scripture both show that when a mind is yielded to satanic influence it can become perverted and do things that cannot be explained in merely human terms. At the same time, not every troubled behavior means a person is possessed, but the enemy does work through deception, bitterness, and false belief to use people in harmful ways toward others. That is why prayer for discernment is so important.
For your mother, pray first for her soul, that God would open her eyes to see Jesus Christ alone as Savior and Lord, and that she would turn from what is false to what is true in Scripture. Pray that any influence of the enemy would be broken by the power of Jesus, and that she would come to love the truth and be willing to be corrected by it. Pray also for protection for you and others she has hurt, that God would guard your hearts from bitterness and from being drawn into error yourselves.
Continue to stay grounded in the Bible daily, testing all teaching by what it says. Speak the truth to her in love when God gives opportunity, but do so with gentleness and without argument for its own sake. It is loving to set wise and firm boundaries when behavior is destructive, and to not enable what is harmful. Seek the help of mature, biblically faithful pastors or counselors who can walk with you, and where there is severe emotional and behavioral disturbance, encourage appropriate care from qualified help alongside spiritual care.
May the Lord give you wisdom, strength, and peace as you intercede. We pray that God would have mercy on your mother, bring her to repentance and to sound faith in Jesus, deliver her from every deception and from any work of the enemy, and heal what is broken in her mind and heart. We pray He would guard you and your family, fill you with His Spirit, and help you to stand firm in the truth while showing His love. In the name of Jesus we ask for His light to expose what is dark and for His grace to bring freedom and restoration according to His will.
