We join you in lifting up your dear friend and her young daughter before the throne of grace and we thank you for standing in the gap for her as a faithful intercessor from ###. We are moved by your compassion for this new sister in Christ who has endured so much hardship including violence from an ex partner, the painful loss of custody of her daughter, and the battle with addictions that has followed.
We see the reality of spiritual warfare in what you describe, that the enemy has been working overtime to keep her from the house of God even as she desires to come for prayer and ministry. Scripture reminds us that 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, and that the devil walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour in 1 Peter 5:8. Yet we also cling to the promise that if we are subject therefore to God and resist the devil, he will flee from us in James 4:7. We rebuke the schemes of the enemy that would isolate her, condemn her, and keep her in bondage, and we declare that whom the Son makes free will be free indeed in John 8:36.
We also speak lovingly and clearly about the addictions she is battling. We know that God is faithful and that no temptation has taken you except what is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it in 1 Corinthians 10:13. Addiction is a chain that Christ came to break, and if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old things have passed away, behold all things have become new in 2 Corinthians 5:17. We pray for her complete deliverance and sobriety, that she would turn from every substance and coping mechanism that dishonors the temple of the Holy Spirit and find her comfort and strength in Jesus alone. We encourage her to pursue godly accountability, pastoral counseling, and a Christ centered recovery community where she can walk in the light and be washed and sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus in 1 Corinthians 6:11.
We grieve with her over the violence she has suffered and the separation from her daughter. God is a refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble in Psalm 46:1, and Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit in Psalm 34:18. We pray for her safety and for divine protection from her violent ex partner, that the Lord would be a shield about her and that she would have wisdom to maintain clear boundaries and to seek help from safe authorities and the church body, never returning to a relationship that endangers her life. We pray for her precious daughter as well, for the Lord is a Father of the fatherless in Psalm 68:5 and children are a heritage of Yahweh in Psalm 127:3. We ask for the Lord's hand upon that little one wherever she is, for her protection and peace, and for restoration of the mother and daughter relationship as God wills and as it is healthy and safe for the child.
We are encouraged that your friend gave her heart to Christ two years ago. It is only by the name of Jesus that we have access to God, for Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father, except through me in John 14:6, and there is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved in Acts 4:12. We rejoice that she has called upon that name and we pray now that she would grow deep roots in Him, not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another in Hebrews 10:25. The House of God should be a place of healing and deliverance for her, and we pray that every hindrance, whether it be shame, fear, transportation, spiritual oppression, or discouragement, would be removed so she can gather with believers who will love her, disciple her, and pray over her.
We pray together now.
Father in heaven, we come before You in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, and we thank You for Your mercy and steadfast love. We lift up this dear daughter of Yours to You and we ask You to break every chain of addiction, fear, and trauma in her life by the power of the Holy Spirit. Wash her, cleanse her, and strengthen her to walk in holiness and sobriety one day at a time as she abides in Your Word which is a lamp to her feet and a light to her path in Psalm 119:105. Surround her with godly men and women who will mentor her, hold her accountable, and remind her of Your promises. We ask You to open the doors of the local church wide to her and let her find a home there where she is welcomed, prayed for, and ministered to without condemnation. Protect her from the violent ex partner and from every plan of the enemy to harm her or pull her back into darkness. Comfort her broken heart over her daughter and we ask in Your perfect will and timing that You would bring restoration and reunion where it is for the good of that child and for Your glory. Let Your will be done in the courts and in the hearts of all involved, and let this mother be restored as a stable, sober, Spirit filled witness to her daughter. We pray for her destiny in Christ, for You have said For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says Yahweh, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future in Jeremiah 29:11, and we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose in Romans 8:28. Fill her with hope, renew her mind, and let her experience a real spiritual breakthrough where she knows she is forgiven, loved, and called with purpose. We also lift up our friend in ### who has carried this burden in prayer, strengthen and encourage him as he continues to intercede. We ask all this in the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, amen.
We encourage you to continue to stand with her, to speak the Word over her, to invite her gently but persistently into fellowship, and to remind her that God has not forgotten her. Encourage her to cry out to Jesus daily, to read the Scriptures, and to seek help from mature believers and pastors who can walk closely with her through deliverance and healing. We will continue to pray with you for her freedom, for her protection, and for the day when she and her daughter can be reunited and worship together in the house of the Lord.