It’s important that you arm your marriage in God’s Word and trust God to guide your marriage in all circumstances. There’s nothing the Enemy desires more than to destroy your marriage, especially the character of your spouse and the well-being of your relationship. If you trust God as you daily surrender your spouse and marriage to the Lord’s wise, loving care, you will be in a better position to combat any attacks from the Enemy.
Every day is a battle against temptation and evil. Unfortunately, our marriages are not immune. Yet, there is hope. The Bible tells us, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:11). It’s important that we guard our marriages in God’s truth so that the Enemy has no power over it. Just as a soldier wouldn’t think of going into battle unless properly equipped, you should be equipped with spiritual defenses. Here are four pieces of spiritual armor to protect your marriage.
Prayer
If you’ve been desperate for breakthrough in your marriage, earnest prayer for your spouse is necessary. Prayer is an incredibly powerful piece of spiritual armor to put on to protect your marriage. Praying for your spouse is also one of the most rewarding things you can do in your marriage. The Apostle Paul instructed all Christians to pray for one another (Ephesians 6:18). This includes our responsibility and privilege to pray for our spouse.
It’s hardly a coincidence that the weapons of God’s Word and prayer are listed concurrently in Ephesians 6. While the Word itself is powerful and prayer is absolutely essential, combining the two is even more powerful still. As we abide in Him and His Word abides in us, we can more confidently pray His will, enabling us to battle the enemy. This doesn’t mean we need spend hours in prayer each day, it is simply a time to remind yourself who you are and where you are in Christ. You remind yourself of what Christ has done to the devil and the fact that the devil has no right of access to you. You can serve Jesus without fear, having been delivered from the hands of our enemies. Too often, people are praying ineffective prayers in their marriage that can’t be answered because they are asking for what God has already given them.
God’s Word
God’s Word is the most powerful spiritual armor to protect your marriage. It’s important that we use His Word to combat the enemy and all his evil forces that will constant try to break your marriage down. The truth is, in order to overcome evil, we must be alive in Christ – having access to God’s resources, wisdom, power and weapons He has placed at our disposal. We must know what the Bible teaches about evil. We must also know the provision God has made for us to overcome evil. Most people don’t know how to use the Word of God against the devil – even people who have been in the church for years who have heard the Word the whole time. Yet, hearing the Word isn’t the same as using the Word. Being able to use God’s Word against Satan is one of the most important marks of spiritual maturity. When you’re dealing with a trial in your marriage, use God’s Word against Satan.
The Holy Spirit
In order to defeat the kingdom of darkness and protect our marriages, God equips us with supernatural tools. One of those tools is the Holy Spirit. God’s intention is to restore to His people the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They are the tools and weapons that are needed for doing the work. When a Christian is equipped with the power of the Holy Spirit, they have more power and more spiritual authority in them than all the power of the enemy. We have been given divinely powerful weapons and these can serve as spiritual armor to guard our marriages. However, few understand how to use them. It’s so important that this changes. Those who do not understand and walk in this authority, and know how to use these divinely powerful weapons, will find themselves in increasingly difficult situations and even jeopardy. The Lord gave us the armor and the weapons of our warfare because we need them.
Forgiveness
One major and common reason why believers give Satan a legal claim in their marriages is their failure to forgive others and the failure to forgive themselves. Jesus taught us that we are forgiven by God to the same degree we forgive others. “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). The truth is, we can’t claim forgiveness from God beyond the measure to which we forgive others. When we refuse to forgive others, we allow Satan to have yet another legal claim. You have the power to do what we will, but you cannot dislodge him until you have forgiven the one you need to forgive.” The devil is a legal expert and he knows it. The good news is God’s Word offers total forgiveness of sin and it is more imperative now than ever that we hold on to the total forgiveness by faith. No, this won’t be easy. There will be times when this may be one of the most difficult things you can do, but if you are able to remove the chains of fear around forgiveness, you can begin to transform your marriage.
The apostle Paul taught, “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4). This promise is life-changing, meaning the difference for us between victory and defeat in our marriages. As the world gets darker and darker around us and we face greater spiritual battles than ever before, we have hope through Jesus Christ. Put on the full armor of God, trust in His Word and use these spiritual weapons to protect your marriage.
