Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Your request has been heard and your pain is not overlooked by God, especially the deep grief of being separated from your children for five years and living under daily fear and distress.
I want to pray for your protection and for justice for children who are truly vulnerable, and at the same time to speak to you as a pastor must, with care for truth and for your own soul.
Scripture teaches that spiritual warfare is real, but that our first battle is within the heart. From the heart proceed evil thoughts, and therefore the prophet prays, Create in me a clean heart, O God. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. If we are to stand against real evil, we must first be cleansed ourselves through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ alone, who delivers us not only from outward dangers but from every evil work and from sin itself. He is the one who can deliver like one delivered from the mouth of a lion, and who also keeps us from being overcome by the adversary who seeks to destroy souls.
Scripture also commands us to prove all things and hold fast to what is good, and to abstain from every form of evil. That means we do not receive or repeat charges carelessly, without careful examination. Words have weight before God. Jesus said we will give account for every idle word, and experience shows that a life of virtue, of temperance and order, already brings a reward even in this life, being freed from anxiety, rivalry, and the danger of false accusation. When we make serious accusations against others, including those in authority or in secret groups, we must be certain we are speaking truth that has been tested and verified, not suspicion or rumor, lest we harm ourselves and others and undermine the very justice we seek.
For this reason I urge you to walk in a way that is both zealous for good and strictly careful:
Turn fully to Christ for salvation and for a clean conscience, confessing your own sins and seeking His mercy daily. Seek a faithful local church where pastors and mature believers know you, can counsel you face to face, and can pray with you regularly.
Do not pursue justice through secret or unlawful means. Hacking, anonymous threats, or taking the law into your own hands will not bring true justice and will expose you to greater legal and spiritual danger. If you have credible evidence of harm to children, bring it through lawful, verifiable channels to trustworthy authorities and to a qualified attorney who can advise you, and keep careful, truthful records. If you believe local officials are compromised, a lawyer and your pastors can help you seek help at a higher lawful level in an orderly way.
Guard your speech. Do not spread claims you cannot prove. To accuse falsely, even with good intentions, brings judgment on the accuser and distracts from real wrongs that need to be exposed. Hold fast to what is good and abstain from every form of evil, including any evil done in the name of fighting evil.
Seek lawful and peaceful restoration with your children where it is possible and wise. Their protection is right to desire, but long separation also wounds them. Godly counsel and legal counsel together can help you discern the safest and most loving path forward for them and for you.
I will pray for you now.
Father in heaven, in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son, I ask You to have mercy on this man who is weary and afraid. Cover him with Your protection and give him wisdom beyond his own understanding. If there is real evil and real harm being done to children in his town, bring it into the light in Your way and in Your time, and give lawful authorities the courage to act justly. Frustrate every plan that is truly wicked and let truth be clearly shown. At the same time, guard this man from error, from hasty words, and from every false accusation. Create in him a clean heart and renew a right spirit within him. Deliver him from sin and from the power of the evil one, and grant him peace that comes from an orderly and temperate life in Christ. Provide for him faithful pastors, wise legal help, and genuine friends to walk with him. And where it is Your will and for the good of his children, open a right way for him to see them and to care for them. Keep him from taking vengeance into his own hands, and teach him to trust Your justice and to do what is good and lawful. In Jesus name, Amen.
Stay close to Christ, remain under the care of a local church, and pursue what is true and good with patience and carefulness. God sees and He will judge with perfect righteousness.
I want to pray for your protection and for justice for children who are truly vulnerable, and at the same time to speak to you as a pastor must, with care for truth and for your own soul.
Scripture teaches that spiritual warfare is real, but that our first battle is within the heart. From the heart proceed evil thoughts, and therefore the prophet prays, Create in me a clean heart, O God. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. If we are to stand against real evil, we must first be cleansed ourselves through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ alone, who delivers us not only from outward dangers but from every evil work and from sin itself. He is the one who can deliver like one delivered from the mouth of a lion, and who also keeps us from being overcome by the adversary who seeks to destroy souls.
Scripture also commands us to prove all things and hold fast to what is good, and to abstain from every form of evil. That means we do not receive or repeat charges carelessly, without careful examination. Words have weight before God. Jesus said we will give account for every idle word, and experience shows that a life of virtue, of temperance and order, already brings a reward even in this life, being freed from anxiety, rivalry, and the danger of false accusation. When we make serious accusations against others, including those in authority or in secret groups, we must be certain we are speaking truth that has been tested and verified, not suspicion or rumor, lest we harm ourselves and others and undermine the very justice we seek.
For this reason I urge you to walk in a way that is both zealous for good and strictly careful:
Turn fully to Christ for salvation and for a clean conscience, confessing your own sins and seeking His mercy daily. Seek a faithful local church where pastors and mature believers know you, can counsel you face to face, and can pray with you regularly.
Do not pursue justice through secret or unlawful means. Hacking, anonymous threats, or taking the law into your own hands will not bring true justice and will expose you to greater legal and spiritual danger. If you have credible evidence of harm to children, bring it through lawful, verifiable channels to trustworthy authorities and to a qualified attorney who can advise you, and keep careful, truthful records. If you believe local officials are compromised, a lawyer and your pastors can help you seek help at a higher lawful level in an orderly way.
Guard your speech. Do not spread claims you cannot prove. To accuse falsely, even with good intentions, brings judgment on the accuser and distracts from real wrongs that need to be exposed. Hold fast to what is good and abstain from every form of evil, including any evil done in the name of fighting evil.
Seek lawful and peaceful restoration with your children where it is possible and wise. Their protection is right to desire, but long separation also wounds them. Godly counsel and legal counsel together can help you discern the safest and most loving path forward for them and for you.
I will pray for you now.
Father in heaven, in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son, I ask You to have mercy on this man who is weary and afraid. Cover him with Your protection and give him wisdom beyond his own understanding. If there is real evil and real harm being done to children in his town, bring it into the light in Your way and in Your time, and give lawful authorities the courage to act justly. Frustrate every plan that is truly wicked and let truth be clearly shown. At the same time, guard this man from error, from hasty words, and from every false accusation. Create in him a clean heart and renew a right spirit within him. Deliver him from sin and from the power of the evil one, and grant him peace that comes from an orderly and temperate life in Christ. Provide for him faithful pastors, wise legal help, and genuine friends to walk with him. And where it is Your will and for the good of his children, open a right way for him to see them and to care for them. Keep him from taking vengeance into his own hands, and teach him to trust Your justice and to do what is good and lawful. In Jesus name, Amen.
Stay close to Christ, remain under the care of a local church, and pursue what is true and good with patience and carefulness. God sees and He will judge with perfect righteousness.
