Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
A few years ago Suzy and I were in Cuba for a Christian Family Life conference and as we were walking in Old Havana I happened to see through a door to what looked like a boxing ring. Upon further investigation it was and Suzy and I decided to get in the ring and take a picture of her “fake” punching me!
This picture was a visual for us of how many times we truly make each other the enemy.
Don and Sally Meredith in our resource “Two Becoming One” wrote, “Too often, as couples we forget we are soldiers in the same army fighting the same enemy. Instead we turn our weapons on each other and shoot each other, allowing Satan to take more ground. Stable marriages are the foundation of resilient and healthy families, communities, and nations. When Satan defeats a marriage, the impact is far reaching – often resulting in collateral damage impacting children, neighbors, and friends.”
Satan is a liar, and will always be a liar. He is opposed to everything that God has created. Since marriage is God’s design, Satan desires to destroy it. His tactic is to lie to you and your spouse like he did to Adam and Eve. In Genesis 3 we see how Adam and Eve quickly went from perfect beings to sinful, fearful, and fighting beings to preserve themselves. Without the move of God in each of our hearts, we are doomed for the same outcome. We become sinful, fearful, and hopeless! This causes us to self preserve and fight whatever is a threat to us. Usually our spouse.
The challenge here is to ask God to open our spiritual eyes. Ask the Lord to show you the real enemy. The one that John 10:10 calls a thief that is looking to steal, kill, and destroy you and your marriage. Instead of attacking each other and constantly coming out on the losing end, turn your focus and attention to the real enemy. Use the spiritual armor God has given us to fight with His power. Do it together and see how it begins to transform your marriage.
James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” This verse is a great way to start your Spiritual fight together. Both of you humble yourselves before the Lord and lean on His power together and watch the enemy flee!
