Spiritual Warfare in Marriage

Spiritual WarfareWe’re going to change things up a bit in this Marriage Insight. We’re going to share something extremely important—Spiritual Warfare in Marriage. This is the first time we’ve addressed this particular topic in more than 20 years. It has to do with the issue of spiritual warfare within marriage.

We’re not looking for the devil under every rock. However, we do want you to be aware of a very real threat to your marital unity. The enemy of our faith wants to destroy you and your marriage!

The Spiritual Warfare Fight in Marriage

Jesus warned us in John 10:10: “The thief [the devil] comes to steal, kill and destroy…” And one area of living that the enemy works hard on to destroy is the marriage relationship. Dr. Carol Peters Tanksley, sums up pretty concisely how the enemy “attacks” our marriages. It comes from her article in Charisma Magazine:

“A million things could be affecting your marriage negatively: your spouse’s mistakes, your own mistakes, differing personalities and expectations, lack of communication, busyness, financial or parenting hardships, sickness, extended family problems, and many more.

“But none of these are the real enemy of your marriage. And the enemy of your marriage is certainly not your spouse, regardless of how misguided or lazy or inconsiderate they may be.

“Behind all the junk, the unrealistic media messages, the personal failings, the conflict and the busyness and the overwhelming problems life brings, there is someone who is out to destroy your marriage. He’s behind the culture of divorce and infidelity, the addiction and abuse. And he’s behind the apathy that often sets in when marriage misery takes root. The enemy of your marriage is God’s enemy—Satan and his kingdom.”

To give you a little insight into some of the ways the enemy works behind the scenes of our marriages, the following is an article that we encourage you to read. See if you can relate to some of these warfare battles within your marriage:

SATAN’S 4 TOOLS TO SHATTER A MARRIAGE

Spiritual Warfare: Frontal Attack

As Dr Tanksley points out, spiritual warfare in marriage is rarely an all out frontal attack. Here’s another way to look at what we’re up against:

“Biblical marriage points people toward God. He ordained marriage and was there when Adam and Eve were first joined together. It is a picture and witness to this world of Christ and His Church. (See: Ephesians 5:31-32.) It is good and holy. And Satan hates everything about it. He wishes to destroy your marriage (along with your life, testimony and family).

This isn’t to scare you, but to remind you to be watchful. Your adversary, the devil is as a roaring lion, walking about seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). He often uses the troubles of this world to divide a husband and wife. He’s crafty and knows how to tear couples apart. And he would love nothing more than for you to give up on each other. He wants you to throw in the towel, and say to the world that marriage is too hard.” (Kimberly Williams from the Liveyourbestmarriage.com article, “When Life is Hard”)

So, we’ve clearly identified who the real enemy is in our marriage — the devil. And we know his plan is to destroy our marriages. Here are a few important points to consider as it pertains to Spiritual Warfare in Marriage:

Important Spiritual Warfare Points

• You are most vulnerable when you, your marriage partner and God—are not standing in unity.

Keep in mind what we’re told in the scriptures: “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

“When the enemy can get us off our knees, he is helping us to cut off our only source of help and hope. When couples refuse to pray individually and together, the devil can get a foothold in their marriage. The times when prayer seems the most difficult are the very times we need prayer the most. When a couple is under spiritual attack, the enemy can make us feel too busy to pray. It is too hopeless to pray, and too pointless to pray. So a weakening of a couple’s prayer life could be a sign of their being under spiritual attack.” (Pastor Jack Wellman, from his article, 4 Signs of a Spiritual Attack on Your Marriage)

When you sense you are under spiritual attack, this is when you have to fight every natural tendency to NOT PRAY. Instead, you and your spouse should pray together. Be sure to pour out your pain, frustrations and anger to God. He can take it! And He can begin to show you a new way to handle whatever the enemy is using to divide you.

Additionally Know:

• The enemy of your faith will try to trick you into believing falsehoods about your spouse and your marriage.

It’s important to know this.

“Often the battle occurs in the mind. It is easy to listen to the lies of the enemy, who twists and distorts the truth. This creates perspectives that can cause us to be self-focused. Try to take a step back and stand outside your situation. Ask the Lord to reveal to you any areas where you may have the wrong focus. You cannot change another person, but you can look inward. You can allow God to help you see where you need to make changes in yourself. Claiming the verse below will help you stay strong and move forward in obedience to Christ. God always blesses the man or woman willing to humbly seek Him.”

We are destroying speculations, and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God. And we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.(2 Corinthians 10:5) (Quote by, Beth Steffaniak, from her article, “Three Ways to Fight Spiritual Attacks on Your Marriage”)

Here’s another point to consider:

• We may think our fight is with our spouse.

And that could be true. But when we fight, the enemy of our faith tries to needle us to take things onto a more destructive path.

“Oftentimes people assume that the struggle they are facing is just a natural battle. Yet just beneath the surface there is something far more complex taking place. They are under a spiritual attack!

“What is a spiritual attack? …A spiritual attack is a series of events coordinated by the demonic realm in order to abort promises, shipwreck faith, oppress a believer and stall out destiny. Your fight is not with your spouse. It is with demonic forces–regardless of the indifferences, bullheadedness, stubbornness, etc. The enemy is using the circumstances of your marriage to abort promises, shipwreck faith, oppress you and stall out your destiny.” (Alex Colón, from his article, “7 Ways to Recognize When Your Marriage is Under Spiritual Attack”)

Another Spiritual Warfare Tactic to Note:

• Keeping secrets from each other ushers the enemy in to pit you against each other.

“Secrets: Anytime we’re hiding anything—especially from our spouse—the enemy is winning in some way. Honesty breaks the enemy’s strongholds.” (Chuck Lawless)

You give the enemy leverage when you keep secrets from each other. Just so you know, there is a difference between secrecy and privacy. Sometimes a spouse needs a bit of privacy for some reason. But keeping a secret from his or her spouse is another thing.

To learn more, here is an article you can read that explains both:

PRIVACY VS SECRECY IN MARRIAGE

Also Realize:

• When life gets busy, beware!

That’s when we can get so caught up in just trying to survive that we let our guard down. Our imaginations can be a feeding ground for the enemy of our faith. The aim is to amp things up and plant untrue thoughts into them. Here’s an example from Suzanne Gosselin that illustrates this:

“With the birth of our third child, we found ourselves the parents of three children under 3, and our stress levels hit an all-time high. I felt like a failure as a wife and my husband’s apparent lack of care for me made me angry. I knew these thoughts were straight from the pit, but as hard as I tried, I couldn’t seem to fix things. One morning it hit me: Something bigger is going on here.

“The Bible is clear about the spiritual battle around us. Paul writes, ‘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(Eph. 6:12 NIV). But in the heat of the moment, when tensions rise and feelings get hurt, sometimes I forget about those unseen forces who are trying to destroy what God has established.” (From Suzanne Gosselin’s article, “When Your Relationship is Under Attack”)

So, be on the alert. Be aware of this plot of the enemy. Pray individually; pray together, and work together to partner together in every area of life.

Last Point on Spiritual Warfare Attacks

There are many, many ways the enemy of our faith attacks our marriages. But below is one that we want to point out here.

• Resentment and Bitterness can creep in to divide you even further, if you don’t fight it.

You think you need to fight with your spouse. And that may be true if you do that in healthy ways. But be especially aware of the fact that the enemy works best by fann the flames of bitterness.

“If you don’t move swiftly at the first feelings of resentment or unforgiveness toward your spouse, you may find contention hiding in your home. Hebrews 12:15 warns how roots of bitterness cause trouble and defile many relationships. This begins with your marriage. And then it spills over into your connections with your children.” (Rhonda Stoppe, from the Focus on the Family article, “When the Enemy Attacks Your Marriage”)

Cindy and I (Steve) have fallen for every one of these spiritual “assaults” at different times in our marriage. And there are literally hundreds more that could be mentioned. The Devil knows what/where our weaknesses are and that’s where he attacks. It’s important to remember:

“This enemy of our souls launches his total arsenal against our marriages in order to divide and conquer. He is seeking to prove to the onlooking world that God is a fraud. He tries to prove that his program of love and grace is really a sham and will ultimately end in complete ruin.” (From the Crosswalk.com article, Marriage Warfare)

Fighting Spiritual Warfare Attacks

We’ve found there is only one way we can ward off these attacks to kill our marriage. It’s using God’s Word (the “Sword of the Spirit”) to fight our foe. For example:

Be of sober spirit. Be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him. Be firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.(1 Peter 5:8-9)

Additionally, use the following scriptures to pray through and fight the enemy of our faith:

Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day. And having done everything, stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. In addition to all, take up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit. And with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.(Ephesians 6:13-18)

And there are more scriptures to pray through and apply. Just look throughout the Bible. As you look to Him, God will lead you.

Cindy and I will be the first to admit that reading these verses is a lot easier than living them out. That’s especially true when we’re under attack. But we’ve found that they work when we apply them!

In Closing

Here are a couple of thoughts we want you to prayerfully consider:

  • In the realm of Spiritual Warfare, we can never let our guard down.
  • It’s important to remember the Devil can’t make you do anything. He only has the power to tempt you. But he will set the trap. However, we are the only ones who have the power to say “yes” or “no” to the temptation.

Finally, we urge you, don’t try to engage in this battle alone. Remember, 1 Corinthians 10:13:

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.

Please take advantage of all that God offers you to fight the good fight.

We hope with everything within us that you will! Above all, may we together continually work to reveal and reflect the heart of Christ within our marriages!

Steve and Cindy Wright

— ADDITIONALLY —

To help you further, we give a lot of personal stories, humor, and more practical tips in our book, 7 ESSENTIALS to Grow Your Marriage. We hope you will pick up a copy for yourself. (It’s available both electronically and in print form.) Plus, it can make a great gift for someone else. It gives you the opportunity to help them grow their marriage. And who doesn’t need that? Just click on the linked title or the picture below to do so:

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Comments

19 responses to “Spiritual Warfare in Marriage

  1. Thank you for the article and the timing is just right. I have recently gone through an attack, which God exposed before it went far. I am being thankful to God and while my spirit is against it I often get tempted to demand an explanation from my husband. I am trusting God that his heart will be protected and that my heart will be filled with God’s peace and love to forgive. Thank you so much. Our marriage is truly enriched.

    1. We’re so, so glad the timing of this article was a good one for your marriage issues. It’s something that we always need to keep in the forefront of our minds. However, we need to be careful not to blame the devil for everything. We are responsible for our choices. I am praying and trusting with you that your husband will resist temptation and become a strong man of God. We need so many more of those in this world to be a good influence on others around him. We stand together, believing God will help him to stand strong against all that the devil throws his way.

      1. Hello Cindy, get a life and a REAL JOB (not “support donations”) and stop emboldening these snow flakes in their rebellion.
        After all, you claim to know the Bible, don’t you?

        1. And you think that I/we are living off of donations? So sorry to disappoint you. You are writing to the wrong person. Right from the start of Marriage Missions I never got paid anything monetarily. As a matter of fact, we have PAID to keep this ministry going (and it’s expensive) and often I work more than 40 hours a week (plus my husband helps when he can). As the ministry grew we made the difficult decision for me to quit my paying job so I could dedicate and VOLUNTEER my time for this ministry. The workload was too much for me to work elsewhere and still keep up with all that goes on with Marriage Missions.

          My husband has worked full time to help support Marriage Missions and us. And because he/we have been in full time Christian broadcasting ministry over the years, we never made much money. But over the years God has given us pay checks of the heart through Marriage Missions. So we are rich in that way. He is now retired and we live off of Social Security. And if you think we get rich off of that, you need to rethink things. But God has been faithful, and we are thankful.

          I won’t even address the “snowflakes” comment because it shows how little you know about the majority of people who come to this ministry for help. I feel bad for you. But I understand it. There are some that mishandle and take advantage of others… and get rich off of ministry funds. And that SHOULD NOT BE! But that certainly isn’t us. I encourage you to focus your attention elsewhere to help and encourage others. “The harvest is plentiful and the workers are few…”

          1. Thank you Bob; that means a lot to both of us. We are indeed blessed to participate with God in this ministry. Thank you for your kind words.

          2. Dear Cindy 🙏 there are some responses that you shall not respond to, you can help everyone, some time when people are hurting and you are doing the work of the Lord you don’t need to answer! I am a minister, I have 3 ministrys, not once do I get a donation, or asked for a donation, when I need something for the ministries, I go in 🙏 prayer and tell my Father in Heaven what I need, through people here on earth he uses whomever he chooses. Psalm 121:1-2 lets me know where my helps comes from, remember Satan also has people who comes to kill, steal, and destroy the plans That God has for you to fulfill, be blessed on your journey, God got you!!

          3. Thank you Joyce. Appreciate your ministry! And by the way, I don’t answer everyone who writes, only those that I believe the Lord would have me respond to… but thank you for the reminder. May the Lord bless the ministry He has given you!

  2. Wow, this is really powerful. More people need to know about this. More grace to you in JESUS NAME AMEN. SHALOM

    1. Favour, Thank you for your encouragement. We are glad you understand the importance of knowing who our enemy “really” is in our marriages. Blessings as you live your marriage to the glory of God.

  3. This is a wonderful write up, full of challenge to us as couples in this 21st century. May the Lord help us to be vigilant at all times in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you sir.

  4. MY COMMENT is: thank you for this wonderful article. Yes, we are all in a battle. God designed marriage and it is so important to HIm.

    You as His daughter or son are also very important to HIm. Sometimes a marriage has to end, or at least become a separation because your spouse is abusing you. Please do not think God wants you to put up with this kind of injustice.

    Dont stay if you are being hurt emotionally, spiritually or psychologically. Get healthy, pray for them, leave them to God as He is well able to deal with them.

  5. Please help and pray for my marriage that has been under attack before we even got married. I’m aware of all the lies and tactics the enemy has fed us both and I’m aware of how Satan has been after me since early childhood. Unfortunately I’m in the battle of my life now where it has had an impact on my whole family where we have all come close to death.

    It’s a scary thing to actually experience multiple times a battle with Satan revealed in a death experience in a season where my husband and I should have been able to enjoy the most. Too much has been given, much is expected and I have done my best to overcome the “job” experience born 3:16 married to John with the name Joy. What God has put together no man shall separate. We have been separated as an act of love from God though it has crushed me to the point I did not think I would make yet I am with the faith of a mustard seed.

    1. So sorry Joy, that you find yourself in this place. Please keep fighting the fight against the enemy of our faith. It’s worth it! You may get exceedingly tired, but keep persevering knowing that, “Greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world.” These are not just fancy words; they are true. I’m living it and so are millions of others. You aren’t your past. You can be an overcomer and an inspiration to others that we don’t have to stay prisoner to what happened to us earlier in our life. Each day can be a new beginning.

      Yes, I prayed for you and will pray for you. “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ —to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11) As you lean upon the Lord, “May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.” (Jude 1:2)

  6. I am not married yet but we started our preparations for marriage and these are our days of prayer and fasting for that matter. I have been so scared of what happens after committing to marry. I have struggled to equip myself spiritually in order to stand and resist the marriage waves of these evil days. Thank you so much Cindy, we shall always abide on these encouraging words and I know we shall be overcomers. I will never forget you Cindy, you don’t know how I have been feeling in these days of seeking God for the good of my marriage. You have given me what I wanted.

    1. Thank you Bikumbi, for your kind words. It means so much to me and to Steve to know that God is using us to help point others to Him. I pray the Lord gives you clarity as you are in this preparation time for marriage. Marriage is wonderful! I highly recommend it! But you need to make sure that you are marrying the right person that loves God, loves you, and that both of you are totally committed to the vows that you both will be taking. They are sacred to God and they should be sacred to each of you, if you marry.

      Also, here’s an insight for you to take seriously as you are preparing for marriage that Pastor Bill Hybels gives that is one of our favorites; because it’s so true. Please note that: “Marriage can be wonderful. It can be deeply satisfying and mutually fulfilling. But if it becomes that, it is because both partners have paid a very high price over many years to make it that way. They will have died to selfishness a thousand times. They will have had countless difficult conversations. Additionally, they will have endured sleepless nights and strained days. They will have prayed hundreds of prayers for wisdom and patience and courage and understanding. And they will have said, ‘I’m sorry’ too many times to remember. They will have been stretched to the breaking point often enough to have learned that, unless Christ is at the center of both their lives, the odds for achieving marital satisfaction are very, very low.” That is so, so true! Please realize the gravity and sacredness of marriage and what it involves for both spouses for a lifetime.

      Also, as you prepare for marriage, I/we recommend that you go into the Topics section at the top of the web site and prayerfully go through 3 topics (maybe more, as God impresses you). Go into the “Single Yet Preparing” topic and then the “Preparing for Marriage Topic” and the “Spiritual Matters” topic and ask God which articles to read that will be relevant for your relationship with the person you are preparing to marry. (Not all articles will be relevant.) Take your time. If you CAN, over the course of time, read them one-by-one with your fiancé or separately, and then you come together to discuss each one so you can better see where you each stand.

      You and your fiancé are very different people, from different backgrounds, and have different approaches to many issues. That is why it’s important to make sure you can work through issues in healthy, God-honoring ways with the commitment to marry your differences. You won’t always agree on every issue but you can come to the place where you are headed in the same direction through life.

      I pray the Lord gives you wisdom, and also joy. You want to enter into marriage joyful, as prepared as it is possible, looking to the Lord to help you whenever you encounter rough patches. Please know that you WILL have troubles in marriage. We are told that in the Bible. But God will help us as we lean into Him and into our commitment to these sacred vows to persevere and triumph through whatever life hands us.

      “May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” (2 Peter 1:2) “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26) “The blessing of the LORD be upon you! We bless you in the name of the LORD!” (Psalm 129:8)

      1. You can have a good marriage without all that angst. It doesn’t have to be that hard.

        1. Of course. But it isn’t a matter of angst, it’s a matter of heading off trouble beforehand, being prepared, and especially about being in line with God’s plan for us as we line our married lives up with His will, just as we are to do with our single lives.

          We are told that in marriages there WILL be trouble. So, why not be prepared? Also, in preparing there is unity happening, which is an important goal in marrying. We want to enjoy our married lives together and head off and work through problems in differences in healthy ways. Worrying is never a good option, but preparing, looking to the Lord and the help (even beforehand) He can point us to, is.

  7. Please pray for the spiritual battle I am in. My husband did file for divorce. He was saved many years ago but turned away from faith so I feel like I am fighting this battle without enough help from fellow believers. Please lift my marriage up in prayer!