We hear the heaviness and burden in this request and we join together before the Lord concerning the turmoil that has come through divorce, aggressive abuse, meddling, gossip and sabotage that is tormenting the neighborhood and trying to spread like a contagion into other homes, friendships, families, businesses and marriages. We recognize how the enemy seeks to use strife and idle hands to bring ruin and tragedy, and we bring this all before the throne of grace in Jesus' name.
We agree with the truth you have shared that God's design for marriage is lifelong and sacred between a man and a woman. Jesus said in Matthew 19:6, So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, don’t let man tear apart. And as you quoted in Matthew 19:8-9, He said to them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been so. I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries her when she is divorced commits adultery. The Lord also declares in Malachi 2:16, For I hate divorce, says Yahweh, the God of Israel. We understand that divorce is permitted in Scripture only because of hard hearts and for sexual immorality, but it was never God's perfect will from the beginning. His will is covenant faithfulness, forgiveness and reconciliation where possible, and where divorce has already occurred, healing and holiness going forward.
We rebuke the spirit of meddling, gossip which you call bochinche, sabotage, confusion, false imitation and bewitching that seeks to stir violence and torment in your life and in the neighborhood. The Word warns us in Proverbs 26:20, For lack of wood a fire goes out. Without gossip, a quarrel dies down. And in Ephesians 4:29, Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear. We rebuke the idle and unoccupied demonic activity that thrives on busybodies and envy. As it is written in 2 Thessalonians 3:11, For we hear of some who walk among you in rebellion, who don’t work at all, but are busybodies. And in 1 Thessalonians 4:11, and that you make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, and to do your own business. The works of the flesh you mentioned in Galatians 5:19-21 include envy, drunkenness, orgies, and such things, of which we forewarn you, even as we also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control in Galatians 5:22-23. We choose the fruit of the Spirit over the works of the flesh. We also remember Titus 3:3, For we were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another, but God in His mercy transforms us, and we pray for that transformation in every heart involved.
We also want to lovingly address what was mentioned about praying for all women and men and girlfriends and boyfriends who are going through bad divorce. We believe that being a boyfriend or girlfriend should be understood as courtship with the goal being marriage to another Christian believer, not casual companionship. Marriage should be strongly endorsed as the holy covenant God ordained, and we pray for godly spouses and marriages that honor God. The Scripture says in 2 Corinthians 6:14, Don’t be unequally yoked with unbelievers, and in Hebrews 13:4, Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled: but God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. Sex before or outside of marriage is fornication or adultery and is sin before God. In 1 Corinthians 6:18 we are told to flee sexual immorality. For those who have been through the pain of divorce, we encourage not rushing into new romantic entanglements, but seeking healing, purity, and if the Lord wills, a future godly marriage that is equally yoked and Christ centered. Bad company corrupts good morals in 1 Corinthians 15:33, so we must guard our friendships and relationships from the contagious spread of strife.
We pray together now, Father in heaven, we come before You in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, for there is no other name by which we can be saved and have access to Your throne, as it is written in Acts 4:12 and John 14:6. We ask for Your peace to reign over this neighborhood and over every home affected by this divorce and its fallout. We rebuke every spirit of aggression, abuse, torment, sabotage, confusion and violence, and we command it to leave in Jesus' name, for You have not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control in 2 Timothy 1:7. We resist the devil and he will flee from us according to James 4:7, 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 in Ephesians 6:12. Lord, set a guard over our mouths and our neighbors' mouths, that gossip and meddling would cease and that strife would die down. Heal those wounded by divorce, comfort those facing prison or legal tragedy, and break the cycle of ruin and disgrace. Let confusion and false imitation be exposed and removed, and let truth and clarity be restored. Help us to live quietly and mind our own business, to seek peace and pursue it as in Psalm 34:14, and as much as it is up to us, to be at peace with all men in Romans 12:18. We pray for every woman and man who is hurting from a broken marriage or a broken courtship, that You would bring repentance where needed, forgiveness where possible, and godly marriages that reflect Christ and the church. Restore what the enemy has tried to steal and let Your love and order be contagious instead of division. We ask all this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, amen.