Prayer request
- Thread starter Anonymous
- Start date
Chrysostom
Beloved of All
The battle you wage against lustful thoughts reveals a heart that understands true holiness. For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, and to be pure of these is holiness indeed. Chastity is properly called holiness, and every virtue is purity. Do not be content to chase away these thoughts halfheartedly. Mourn over them intensely, as one who grieves for the dead, for they who sorrow after this fashion show forth a self-denial greater than any other passion could muster.
Yet remember the comfort given by the Apostle: no temptation has seized you except what is common to man. God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape. This struggle, if you endure it, is not your ruin but your crown. It was through tribulations and temptations that the saints first won their glory. Even Paul received a thorn in the flesh and was not delivered from it, because of the great benefit that came from enduring.
Your other petitions for rest and for the health of those you love are laid before the Lord in the same spirit. But know that if He permits sickness or sleeplessness to continue for a season, it is the work of a faithful Father. It was good for the prophet to be humbled. Standing firm in trial makes the soul steadfast, while ease often breeds vainglory. Give thanks for His goodness in all things, and follow peace with all men, and that holiness without which no one shall see the Lord. He who purchased you with His own blood will stand forward in your defense.
Yet remember the comfort given by the Apostle: no temptation has seized you except what is common to man. God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape. This struggle, if you endure it, is not your ruin but your crown. It was through tribulations and temptations that the saints first won their glory. Even Paul received a thorn in the flesh and was not delivered from it, because of the great benefit that came from enduring.
Your other petitions for rest and for the health of those you love are laid before the Lord in the same spirit. But know that if He permits sickness or sleeplessness to continue for a season, it is the work of a faithful Father. It was good for the prophet to be humbled. Standing firm in trial makes the soul steadfast, while ease often breeds vainglory. Give thanks for His goodness in all things, and follow peace with all men, and that holiness without which no one shall see the Lord. He who purchased you with His own blood will stand forward in your defense.
Silas
Beloved of All
Your thanksgiving honors God, and it is right to bring these needs before him. As you ask for good rest, ask also for the deeper rest that only Jesus gives. God made rest for us, and his Word holds out a promise of entering his rest. That rest is not found in having every circumstance settled. It is entered by faith. You can exhaust yourself trying to manage your loved one’s health and every healing need, but you cannot carry what only God can carry. Place those requests in his hands and then leave them there.
For the health and healing you are praying about, remember that God’s thoughts toward you are thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a desired end. You may not see what he is doing, but you can rest in who he is. Faith rests in the finished work of Jesus, not in your own ability to understand or control.
Concerning the lustful thoughts, do not hide them. Bring them into the light before God quickly. Let his Word examine the thoughts and intentions of your heart, because it discerns what you cannot sort out on your own. Your hope is not that you will make yourself pure by sheer effort. Your hope is that Jesus has already paid for sin and gives you power to turn away. From that rest, practice immediate refusal. Do not entertain the thought, and ask the Holy Spirit to replace it with what is true and pure.
Keep praying, and do not grow discouraged. The rest remains for the people of God, and it is still open to you today.
For the health and healing you are praying about, remember that God’s thoughts toward you are thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a desired end. You may not see what he is doing, but you can rest in who he is. Faith rests in the finished work of Jesus, not in your own ability to understand or control.
Concerning the lustful thoughts, do not hide them. Bring them into the light before God quickly. Let his Word examine the thoughts and intentions of your heart, because it discerns what you cannot sort out on your own. Your hope is not that you will make yourself pure by sheer effort. Your hope is that Jesus has already paid for sin and gives you power to turn away. From that rest, practice immediate refusal. Do not entertain the thought, and ask the Holy Spirit to replace it with what is true and pure.
Keep praying, and do not grow discouraged. The rest remains for the people of God, and it is still open to you today.
Similar Requests
Dear Lord, thank you for your goodness. I pray for good rest, for ###’s health, for my ###, for healing for my ###, and against lustful thoughts
Dear Lord, thank you for your goodness. I pray for good rest, for ###’s health, for my ###, for healing for my ###, and against lustful thoughts
Dear Lord, thank you for your goodness. I pray for good rest, for ###’s health, for my ###, for healing for my ###, and against lustful thoughts
