ONENESS - SPIRITUAL WARFARE WEAPON for MARRIAGEনমুনা

House Un-divided

And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.” Matthew 12:25

When the Pharisees accused Jesus of doing miracles by the power of Satan, Jesus gave this answer to His accusers. This is a profound truth for marriage and family. Division will weaken and destabilize the marital relationship.

Satan and self are the two enemies of marriage. We must be careful not to allow the two to cause division in marriage. The enemy will cause division through his craftiness and lying nature. When God says that the man and the woman shall become one, the enemy will try his best to keep them divided as two different people – as far away as he can in every way - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. To achieve this, the enemy will use his old strategies. One of them is he speaks in such a subtle way that it almost seems like the truth – Did God really say? His question to Eve was still the same as it is today – Does the Bible really say that?

For example, When the Word of God says, ‘the man shall leave the father and mother,’ satan would quote the scripture, ‘Honor your parents’ and confuse us. Instead of having your spouse as an ‘exclusive companion,’ satan would say – you need other close friends too, with whom you can share all your intimate things. When it comes to being absolutely ‘transparent’ with your spouse, the enemy would say, “You don’t have to tell everything to your spouse; you need your private space. You have to be careful”, and so on.

Another strategy Satan would use is to magnify the flaws of our spouse. He would speak negative things about our spouse. Sometimes, backing it up with what may appear to be convincing examples.

So, I have to shut my ears to the enemy's voice and open my ears to hear what God is saying about my spouse. We must see our spouse as God sees them – co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).

Knowing that Satan is a liar and a deceiver, we must shut down his voice and grant access to hear the voice of God.

Self-centeredness and selfishness can cause division in marriage. This will result in strife, make the marriage crumble, and fall apart. Having frequent strife and arguments will lead to silent treatment or aggressive behavior. At the root of the strife, we will be able to see ‘self’ – selfishness, self-gratification, self-centeredness (James 4:1,2)

With the help of God, we must make every effort to live in peace with our spouse. We must be willing to quickly forgive, release and bless our spouse. We must believe that Jesus has broken every dividing wall on the cross (Ephesians 2:14)

If you feel there is no oneness, just begin to yield your personal life to God, then pray with your spouse. As you pray, God will do His work. Nothing is beyond the power of the cross.

Prayer: Dear Father, I invite you to break every dividing wall in my marriage. Open my eyes to see the divisions the enemy has created. Forgive me for many times causing division through my self-centered and selfish behavior. Fill my heart with Your love for my spouse and children. In Jesus’ name. Amen.