Not long ago, I felt the Lord leading me to intercede for my
marriage. Being that I already pray for
my husband and our marriage daily, I found this nudging a little alarming…to
the point that I stopped and asked God right then, “Why? Is something wrong?” No sooner than that thought crossed my mind…literally,
I didn’t even have enough time to voice my question to the Lord…He
answered. His response was so clear, it might
as well have been an audible answer, but it wasn’t. I felt the Lord tell me, “All is well, but
there is an enemy waging war for your marriage and family. I tell you to pray that so that you will be alert and aware of his tactics.”
For those of you who don’t have a personal relationship with
the Lord, you may not understand how someone can have these clear conversations
with God. I can’t even explain it other
than just tell you that all believers have the Holy Spirit living inside of
them and although the Lord speaks to us through His Written Word and through prophets,
He most often speaks to us through His Spirit that is within us! Before Jesus left this earth, He told His
disciples “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I
do not go away, the Helper (Holy Spirit) will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you (John
16:7.)” The Holy Spirit is a
game changer in the life of a believer because He is our helper! The Holy Spirit plays many roles in a
believer’s life, but one of His roles is to be our Guide. I can’t imagine trying to navigate this life
without the help of my guide! He goes
before me and prepares the way. He leads
me every step of the way. And as my
guide, He is in constant communication with me preparing me for the next step
so that I won’t stumble. He is the Spirit
of Truth, only speaking what the Father says Himself (John 16:13) and I trust
Him completely. When He speaks, I
listen.
So when I felt Him leading me to pray for my marriage, you
better believe I was on it! Not knowing exactly
how to pray or what to pray, I just prayed in the Spirit. Ephesians 6:18 says, “Pray in the Spirit at all times
and on every occasion. Stay alert and be
persistent in your prayers.” I
recognized that there is indeed an enemy waging war for my children and my marriage,
but as a believer I don’t have to live in fear!
As long as I am living my life devoted to the Lord, I understand that I
pose a threat to the devil! He knows his
time is short and it makes him mad! He
is desperate to take out as many as he can in what time he has left and those
who are fully devoted to Christ have the biggest targets on their back because they
pose the biggest threat to keeping him from accomplishing that which he has
come to do! I have a friend who
describes it as “New levels, new devils!”
As we walk in obedience to what God has called us to do here on this
earth and go to new levels in our relationship with Christ, the devil isn’t
just going to leave us alone and move on to the next one! No! He
just ups his games and tries to come at us from a different angle in hopes to
catch us off guard and defeat us! But
thank goodness for God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, because with them, we have
everything we need to be victorious!
As I have been interceding for my marriage these past few
months, the Lord has really opened my eyes to the attacks of the enemy on
marriages. I have seen the effects of
those attacks on marriages inside the church today. It breaks my heart. I catch myself saying, “I would never…” or wondering
“how did it get to this?” but then the
Lord gently reminds me that no one is off limits when it comes to the attacks
of the enemy and it very well could be me if I am not on guard and protecting
myself from the silent killer in Christian marriages today…Satan’s deception
runs deep friends. It starts with a
thought…and then turns to imaginations…and then becomes a stronghold. Once that spirit of deception takes root in a
person’s heart and becomes a stronghold, that’s when a person begins taking
actions that lead to destruction…right where the enemy desires to see you
fall! John 10:10 says the devil comes
to kill, steal, and destroy. He
hates seeing your marriage flourish. He
hates seeing our families grow and prosper.
He wants to destroy it all and steal all your happiness along the
way! He hates seeing husbands being the
priest of their homes. He hates seeing
mothers and fathers train their children in the ways of the Lord. He wants our kids and he is willing to use
whatever he can to get them…even our schools, our government, and our
entertainment. Whatever doors he can
open, he’ll go after it because all he needs is a point of entry. The devil is no dummy. He knows that if he destroys the family unit,
he has easier access to our children so he is waging war on Christian families
like never before. And his tactics...DECEPTION…the
silent killer! It begins as an innocent
thought. Every broken marriage…every
family unit destroyed…it began as a thought.
If my husband/wife was more like __________, my life would
be so much better.
If my husband didn’t work so much, I would be happier.
She’s/He’s really good-looking.
I wish my spouse didn’t ____ so much.
He is such a great guy.
She is a really good person.
I wish my spouse treated me the way _____ does.
I wish we had a life like _______.
This isn’t the life I dreamed about.
I wish…
If only…
We’ve all had them.
Be honest. Especially now that we
have social media showing the highlight reels of everyone’s perfect moments, it’s
even easier to have these or similar thoughts cross our mind! However, when we are alert, grounded in
faith, and have the Holy Spirit as our Guide, we recognize these thoughts as
bait from the enemy! He is at work
friends and we have to be alert and take these thoughts captive before
imaginations begin! If not, pretty soon
we will find ourselves imagining what life would be like if we left our spouse
or if we had a life like someone else.
We will begin imagining how much better our life could be. 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us to “take every
thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.” When a couple says their vows, they make a
covenant to keep those vows “until death do us part.” Marriage is a BIG deal to God! In fact, marriage is the closest thing we
have to describe Christ’s relationship with the church! The Bible tells husbands to love their wife
like Christ loves the church and God’s Word tells us Christ is coming back for
a spotless bride! Can you see why the
enemy would want to destroy this covenant so badly? It represents so much more than just a family
unit!
Don’t allow Satan’s lies to take root in your heart to the
point that your family is destroyed!
Take those thoughts captive! I
don’t care how bad things are in your marriage!
No marriage is too broken for God.
He can restore your marriage and make it stronger than ever before. It may not be an easy road, but with God, all
things are possible. Recognize that your
battle is not against your
spouse, your finances, or a career. “For
though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons
of the world. On the contrary, they have
divine power to demolish strongholds. We
demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the
knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to
Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.” Our
battle is with the one who comes to kill, steal, and destroy…not our
spouse! Be alert! Recognize that when those thoughts come, that
is just the enemy’s tactics to bring division in your marriage. Division is an open door for the enemy! “A house divided against itself cannot
stand. Mark 3:25.” The devil wants you to ignore the spiritual reality behind the physical one, because as long as you're focused on what you can see with your physical eyes, he can continue to run rampant underneath the surface.
I am so thankful for the role of the Holy Spirit in my
life. I am thankful that God is fighting
on my behalf and that through prayer and spiritual warfare, we have the power
to thwart the attacks of the enemy completely...those fiery darts that we don't even see yet...we can fight for our marriage and prevent the problems before they arise! Yes, the devil is real. Yes, his
attacks are very real. Yes, he wants to
steal our joy and destroy our future. It’s
no joke. But you need to hear something
today, friends! Listen to what God’s
Word says and get it into your heart today!
“Put on the FULL armor of God, so that you can STAND against the devil’s
evil schemes. For our struggle is not
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil
in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put
on the FULL armor of God, so that WHEN the day of evil comes, you may be able
to STAND YOUR GROUND, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth
buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and
with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of
peace. In addition to all this, take of
the shield of faith, with which you can EXTINGUISH ALL the flaming arrows of
the evil one. Take the helmet of
salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the world of God.” Ephesians
6:11-17
“Submit yourselves to God.
RESIST the devil, and he will FLEE from you.” James 4:7
“Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4
“Be self-controlled and alert.
Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for
someone to devour. RESIST him, standing
firm in the faith.” 1 Peter 5:8-9
“No weapon that is formed against you will prosper.” Isaiah 54:17
“In all these things, we are MORE than conquerors through Him who loved
us.” Romans 8:37
“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57
“But the Lord is FAITHFUL, and He will strengthen you and protect you
from the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3
“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions,
and over all the power of the enemy, and NOTHING shall hurt you.” Luke 10:19
“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,
and whatever you lose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on
earth agree about anything they ask for, it WILL be done for them by my Father
in heaven.” Matthew 18:18-19
“The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated
before you. They shall come out against
you one way and flee before you seven ways.” Deuteronomy 28:7
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is FAITHFUL; he will not let you be
tempted beyond what you can bear. But
when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
1 Corinthians 10:13
“Fight the good fight of faith.
Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made
your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:12
“Do not fear them, for the Lord your God is the one fighting for you.”
Deuteronomy 3:22
“If God is FOR us, who can stand against us?” Romans 8:31
“Through You we will push back our adversaries, through Your name we
will trample down those who rise up against us.” Psalm 44:5
“For You have girded me with strength for battle; You have subdued
under me those who rose up against me.” Psalm 18:39
Friends, when we belong to Christ, we are victorious! This is just the short list of scriptures
that reference battle and how to overcome the attacks of the enemy! If anything, we need to be aware that there
is a real war waging and we need to be alert and aware of the enemy’s
tactics! Do not be deceived! Take those thoughts captive! I’m not saying to ignore problems in your
marriage as they arise. There may very
well be things in your marriage that need to be addressed. Talk about them. Get wise counsel. Pray together. Be honest about those problems and ask God to
intervene. But recognize who the battle
is with. It’s NOT your spouse! The real enemy is the one waging the war on
your marriage…it’s the DEVIL himself.
Take those thoughts captive and don’t even entertain them! Those thoughts cannot become a stronghold in
your marriage when you begin to take them captive and make them obedient to
Christ!
For the past few months, I have been praying continually for
my marriage and for my children. I have
been putting the full armor of God on daily.
I have talked to my husband about what the Lord has put on my heart and
we have prayed together. We have put
boundaries in place to protect our marriage.
We don’t even want to open a door for compromise...not in our marriage and
we sure don’t want to be responsible for opening a door in someone else’s marriage! Listen, husbands and wives…guard yourselves
and take steps to protect your marriage now!
Do not seek out or accept friendships on social media of anyone you have previously dated. Do not fall into the comparison trap. Just don't do it! Don't compare your spouse to anyone else. Do not call or text anyone from the opposite sex. If you feel comfortable calling or texting
someone of the opposite sex for just casual conversation, there is a boundary
that has been crossed that can easily lead to something more friends. Guard yourself! Avoid situations where you are alone with
someone of the opposite sex…not only to avoid the appearance of anything inappropriate but to protect yourself too!
It’s just not wise. The enemy is
sly. He is patient. He will work on one boundary at a time. Don’t be deceived. Recognize his tactics and take precautions now. Establish boundaries and take those thoughts
captive. Do not be deceived. Be strong and courageous, do not be
afraid! The battle belongs to the Lord,
and He has the final victory! Just walk
in obedience and be alert!
“As for me and my house, we WILL serve the Lord!” Begin covering your marriage and your
children with prayer. Pray in the Spirit
and put on the full armor of God…daily!
Read the Word of God daily because the more you know God’s voice, the
easier it is to recognize the lies. And
pray together! A marriage that prays
together stays together! I am lifting
you up friends. I see the enemy at work
and I see the lives he has already destroyed.
It breaks my heart. It stirs me
to action. I pray that those who read my
words today will be stirred to action as well.
We are in the fight of our lives friends. Don’t be caught off guard. We have all the tools necessary to be
victorious but if we don’t see the enemy coming, he’ll blindside us. Open your eyes…your spiritual eyes
today. I’ll leave you with this today
and pray it over your marriage daily…”And the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one
flesh. Therefore, what God has
joined, let no one separate.” Mark 10:8-9.
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