Spiritually battered

[cherubim]

I underwent a medical procedure and was damaged and am now disabled. I have been at home and forgotten. So I am looking for advice. My sister never had a family and I had given her my adult children's cell phone #'s.  She abused it and invited them someplace where an unsafe individual was that I did not want them around. We had a blowout over it where she lied and blamed me for HER mistakes.  She caused unbearable trouble in my family, so I told her to leave my family alone.  Unbelievably, she completely ignored my request and is contacting my children.  It is causing unbearable harm in my family and she refuses to butt out - my husband called her a bully.  She is an unbeliever. I prayed but think satan is using her. I'm getting attacked in my mind because I worry she will lure them - I think she wants to make my family hers. I told her she needs psychological help but she blocked my emails yet contacts my children. My husband says to ignore her but I think she's a threat - and I don't like her pushing her way into our family causing trouble. She and her husband are worldly.  I so regret giving her their contact info that she has abused. What would others do?

[Dabby26]

I am so sorry to hear of your family's trouble.  This definitely sounds like a spiritual battle.  Remember that we battle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Once you are able to see it as such, pray about it and take your spiritual authority that you have in Christ Jesus.  Put the whole situation in God's hands because He said that "vengeance is His." He can work things out for your good so much better than taking matters into our own hands. 

[gdemoss]

The hardest thing I ever did was trust God, especially when things were not going the way I wanted them to or thought they should.  What I learned is that I needed to simply look at myself and confess my wrongs and my relationships turned around.  I am excellent at seeing faults in others but blind to my own.  I needed help seeing myself so I had to invite a spiritual adviser into take a look at me with me.  It was hard but necessary.

[Ezra]

1 hour ago, cherubim said:

I so regret giving her their contact info that she has abused. What would others do?

cherubim,

Sorry to hear about this nasty situation. Here is what you can do:

1. Shut down the accounts with the telephone numbers you gave out, and obtain new unlisted numbers immediately. You can also get disposable cell phones for emergency contacts, but have everyone in your family commit to non-disclosure of these numbers.

2. Do not communicate with your sister and her family at this time. That could be a temporary or permanent decision.

3. Arrange for your own family to meet together in one place (away from your home).  Tell them what is happening and how you feel, and see if you can set up a united front against those who are undermining you and your family.

4. Commit this matter to the Lord when you all get together, and devise a sound strategy for the future.

 

[cherubim]

Thank you for the suggestions. The situation is more complex.  My husband nor I were raised Christian. I became a believer before the birth of our first child.  My husband was a jerk (now a great guy) and involved with a terrible group of friends. The only reason we married was because my foolish parents kicked me out at 17 because my two older sisters & their husbands moved back in. My husband didn't become a Christian until YEARS later. We had a difficult marriage - but now a good one. So our children were not raised in a 'stable' Christian home.  I tried harder than anyone I knew to raise them right.  My ex-family are people I do not want around my children. I thought I could trust my sister, but I made a mistake and learned she is untrustworthy - but the horse is already out of the barn and I would like to ask prayer that God spiritually works in some way that she can not locate their numbers - similar to the angels blinding the men in Sodom as they attempted to gain entrance to Lot's house. Or prayer that our children will refuse their calls, emails, and texts.

My adult children have had the same cell numbers for years - there is no way I could convince them to change numbers. My children do not follow the faith I taught them - although I see momentary returns to the faith.  My son's friend got him involved in Buddhism, and I can not reach him. In public school years back my daughter was exposed to satanists, my other daughter married a Catholic - but is now divorced.  My sister and her husband are the drinker/ partygoers, friendly, worldly, joking (fake) people that think "they" have it together.  My husband and I are trying to get our children to follow the "narrow road"- which means avoidance of people and activities, but my sister and her husband have a worldly 'appeal' - which I deem unsafe, and I regret giving my sister their contact information.  PLEASE pray.  I know I've been under spiritual attack and satan is using my sister to lure my children into her life because she never had a family.  I just have a weird sense of a threat - I don't know if any of you had sensed things - or felt uneasy about it.  I feel uneasy.  Please pray. Or if you have any advice given these facts I would appreciate it.  I'm trying to win my children's hearts but I think there is a battle.

[Marilyn C]

4 hours ago, cherubim said:

I underwent a medical procedure and was damaged and am now disabled. I have been at home and forgotten. So I am looking for advice. My sister never had a family and I had given her my adult children's cell phone #'s.  She abused it and invited them someplace where an unsafe individual was that I did not want them around. We had a blowout over it where she lied and blamed me for HER mistakes.  She caused unbearable trouble in my family, so I told her to leave my family alone.  Unbelievably, she completely ignored my request and is contacting my children.  It is causing unbearable harm in my family and she refuses to butt out - my husband called her a bully.  She is an unbeliever. I prayed but think satan is using her. I'm getting attacked in my mind because I worry she will lure them - I think she wants to make my family hers. I told her she needs psychological help but she blocked my emails yet contacts my children. My husband says to ignore her but I think she's a threat - and I don't like her pushing her way into our family causing trouble. She and her husband are worldly.  I so regret giving her their contact info that she has abused. What would others do?

Hi cherubim,

Sorry to hear of your difficulties. Now don`t let the enemy tell you that you are `forgotten.` The Lord is always with us through every trial, you have your husband, children, (visiting?) & people here on the forum. We are so blessed. Never look at what has been taken away, always be thankful for what we have. Remember those over in the Middle East & Africa who are being tortured & killed for their faith.

Now as to your adult children, if you continue to try & control the situation that just pushes people away. Keep praying & trusting the Lord, for He saved you & your husband, (later) from the world, & He can do this for your adult children. The thing is that we tend to have to come to the end of ourselves before we call out to God. So be patient, (developing Christ likeness in you) & stop trying to control. Take your hands off & let God show Himself strong.

regards, Marilyn.

[Guest]

Praying protection, building a hedge of protection over the children is a great thing to do, and I totally agree with this.

Rebuke the devil for the hold that he has on your family members that are causing these issues, bind his hold over them. Take authority over this situation and command it to leave, just as Jesus did when dealing with the demonic forces.  The devil has illegal entry into this situation, and like a thief, he won't leave until he is driven out, spiritually, not so much in the physical would actions, such as blocking numbers, etc. People always find a way around deterring efforts. As Dabby26 stated, this is nothing more than a spiritual attack in high places. We must hit it on that level.

I'm also getting the feeling that we should also focus our attack out of LOVE, meaning, move completely forward in LOVE and pray as hard as ever for the salvation of your sister and any other family members that the devil is using in this demonic battle against you and your husband. Ultimately, the devil is simply using this to divide and destroy the family unit, where WE should be coming against this in the name of Jesus, in an all out effort to reconcile the family into one harmonious loving family.

 

The devils tactics never change, because they get results for him; it was his ultimate goal in the garden, to divide man from God...and his scheme worked, because Adam and Eve gave in to the flesh, and did not listen to God.

I know, words are easy to type...and I have experienced this in my own family, but, my oldest brother is slowing softening his heart, I look forward to the day when the alcoholism spirit, the anger spirit, is completely broken from him, and we can all be a family again, happy again.

God Bless you - you are among Godly friends/warriors here, and we stand united in Jesus!

 

[cherubim]

8 hours ago, Dabby26 said:

I am so sorry to hear of your family's trouble.  This definitely sounds like a spiritual battle.  Remember that we battle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Once you are able to see it as such, pray about it and take your spiritual authority that you have in Christ Jesus.  Put the whole situation in God's hands because He said that "vengeance is His." He can work things out for your good so much better than taking matters into our own hands. 

Thank you for caring - I've needed this forum - a body of believers. I agree that it is a spiritual battle. Although I've been through many battles I still have a difficult time knowing what our responsibility vs God's. Will you pray for wisdom? My husband & I are facing trial upon trial - and now have my sister - who I care about - betray my trust. Things in the world are going crazy and it seems the people in it! No one does right.

[cherubim]

3 hours ago, Abby-Joy said:

Hi... similar in some ways to what you've shared, I have children who chose to connect with unhealthy/unsafe relatives when they got older.  But they still know that I'm here for them.  I can't control what they choose to do as adults... but the truth I taught them, and the years I tried to fight for their safety are not in vain.  One daughter, I didn't see or hear from for over 3 years.  During that time, she went into living a lifestyle that was very dangerous.  But she knew... the last words she heard from me, was, "I love you... I'm here if you need me."  And praise God, she has come back into my life!!  It's not easy... there's a lot of MESS to deal with.  But love covers a  multitude of sins... and she knows I love her and I care. 

It's not easy, knowing the years we put into shielding and protecting our children... and allowing them to go and make their own decisions.  I've felt betrayed... alone... rejected... but I have to keep my heart open and available to them... letting go, loving from a distance... praying.... if they've been given the truth, it will be like a beacon of light when they need it....  

It's hard when you've done so very many hours of work that went unappreciated. The betrayal of my sister is hard. 3 years is a long time - you are right - it is a fight for their safety and spiritual well-being.  Interesting thought from a different angle - I tend to worry - I don't want them lured in my sister's fake "party people" personas. I love her but she has issues she has to deal with. I have given them truth - I guess now is the time to see if it works.  It's like a test I guess.

[cherubim]

5 hours ago, Marilyn C said:

Hi cherubim,

Sorry to hear of your difficulties. Now don`t let the enemy tell you that you are `forgotten.` The Lord is always with us through every trial, you have your husband, children, (visiting?) & people here on the forum. We are so blessed. Never look at what has been taken away, always be thankful for what we have. Remember those over in the Middle East & Africa who are being tortured & killed for their faith.

Now as to your adult children, if you continue to try & control the situation that just pushes people away. Keep praying & trusting the Lord, for He saved you & your husband, (later) from the world, & He can do this for your adult children. The thing is that we tend to have to come to the end of ourselves before we call out to God. So be patient, (developing Christ likeness in you) & stop trying to control. Take your hands off & let God show Himself strong.

regards, Marilyn.

My husband has been excellent. We have normal family problems, but the one my sister created caused SEVERE damage.  I am trying to rebuild, but my arrogant sister is pushing her way in!  It's sadistic that I'm having terrible medical problems and she would do that. I've told her to stop contacting them and she won't!  I know Christians are persecuted and I know God has promises.  I'm waiting for Him to answer some heavy prayer requests.  I can't understand someone thinking they can butt into another person's family. I think she has something psychologically wrong - I think she wants my family to be hers because she never had one.

When my husband & I were out of state, she got my children together and parked herself in the midst of them and someone texted us the photo.  I am very intuitive and picked up on it.  She is trying to make my family hers and wedge herself between us.  She even made a remark: "Your children don't like you! They know what you're like!"  I've forgiven things, but I can't stand by and let her tear my family apart.  I don't know if "just praying" will suffice.