We join you in bringing this heavy burden before the Lord and we hear the distress over the aggressive and disgraceful ruin that divorce can bring when it is handled without repentance and with hard hearts, spreading torment through a neighborhood, through families, friendships, businesses and marriages, and even seeking to drag others down with it through sabotage, gossip and the distribution of photos with bad intentions.
The Word of God is clear about the sanctity and permanence of marriage. We believe marriage is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman before God. Jesus taught us that from the beginning it was not this way, but because of hardness of heart Moses permitted divorce, and that whoever divorces his wife except for sexual immorality and marries another commits adultery, Matthew 19:8-9. And it is written that Yahweh hates divorce and the covering of one's garment with violence, Malachi 2:16, and what God has joined together, let no man separate, Matthew 19:6 and Mark 10:9. Deuteronomy 24:1-4 shows how seriously God views the breaking of this covenant, not as something casual or contagious to be celebrated or spread. The enemy seeks to use divorce as a weapon to bring confusion, envy, malice and strife, but God is not a God of confusion but of peace, 1 Corinthians 14:33, and where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed, James 3:16.
We also must address what you mentioned about girlfriends and boyfriends going through bad divorces. In biblical principle there is no such thing as a boyfriend or girlfriend in the casual sense, but rather courtship with the purpose of discerning marriage to another Christian believer. Sex outside of marriage between unmarried persons is fornication and sex outside of marriage involving a married person is adultery, both of which are sin before God. Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled, but God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers, Hebrews 13:4. We must flee sexual immorality, 1 Corinthians 6:18, and pursue purity so that relationships honor Christ and lead toward a godly marriage rather than repeating the cycle of hardheartedness. The works of the flesh are obvious, which are adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these, of which we forewarn you, even as we also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God, Galatians 5:19-21, but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control, Galatians 5:22-23. We were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another, Titus 3:3, but God in His mercy calls us out of that.
We rebuke together in Jesus name the spirits of idleness, meddling, envy, malice, slander and confusion that seek to enter another house and another life to create false imitation and bewitching confusion where it is said he is not him and she is not her, and that stir violence and sabotage. The distributing of photos or words with bad intentions to disgrace another is bearing false witness and slander, which God condemns, You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor, Exodus 20:16, and whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him will we destroy, Psalm 101:5, and he who utters a slander is a fool, Proverbs 10:18. We do not wrestle 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, and greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world, 1 John 4:4. We rebuke the torment that would seek to bring prison, ruin and contagious misery and we ask the Lord to set boundaries around your home and neighborhood.
We pray together now.
Father in heaven, we come before Your throne in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved, Acts 4:12, and no one comes to the Father except through Him, John 14:6. We thank You that You see all affliction and that You are our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, Psalm 46:1. Lord we ask You to rebuke every idle and unoccupied demonic assignment that seeks to meddle, to confuse, to imitate, to sabotage and to disgrace. We ask You to expose and stop every plan to distribute images or words with evil intent, to bring ruin or to push anyone toward prison or tragedy, and to silence every tongue that rises against Your people in judgment, Isaiah 54:17. We pray for Your peace which surpasses all understanding to guard hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, Philippians 4:7, and that You would give a spirit not of fear but of power, love and self-control, 2 Timothy 1:7.
We pray for this neighbor and for every woman and man, every person in courtship and every family being torn by hardhearted divorce, that You would bring conviction, repentance and healing where there has been sexual immorality, hardness of heart and violence. Where reconciliation according to Your will is possible, bring it, where it is not, bring godly boundaries, godly sorrow and a turning from the works of the flesh to the fruit of the Spirit. Protect the businesses, friendships, marriages and relationships in that neighborhood from this contagious spirit of division, and let no weapon formed against Your children prosper. We ask that You would restore what the enemy has tried to ruin and that You would turn tragedy into testimony for Your glory, for we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose, Romans 8:28.
Help us to walk in love, to not repay evil for evil, but to overcome evil with good, Romans 12:21, and to be peacemakers who sow in peace. Establish our steps and let Your will be done in this neighborhood as it is in heaven. We trust You to bring justice with mercy and to guard the innocent from disgrace.
We ask all this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, amen.