Why does marriage present such a struggle to so many? Why is it so hard? Why has something that God designed to be so pure and joyous become such a burden to us?
Well, I’ll tell you one of the main reasons.
We are in a battle. Spiritually speaking, we are being attacked constantly. In every spiritual way possible, we are being tugged at, poked, prodded, nudged, pinched, punched, clobbered, bashed, belted, smashed, smacked, slapped, slugged, walloped, attacked, attacked, attacked.
Wherever, whenever, and however, the enemy will be after you. Unfortunately, he knows all your weaknesses, he knows where your weaknesses come from, how they got there, why they remain, and he does everything in his power to keep you focused on them.
It is a battle, and it’s constant.
Check out this scripture:
“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” — 1 Peter 5:8
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…” – John 10:10a
Let’s stop there for a minute. In two very short verses, we learn a whole heck of a lot about what we are up against.
First of all, the enemy is simply out there searching for someone on which to do his thing. THAT MEANS YOU!!! Yes, he is out there looking for you. And me, and the person next to you in line at the store, your mother, your sister, your children, your best friend, you worst enemy, and yes, even your spouse. Frightening, isn’t it?
Okay, so he’s searching for us. Mind you, this isn’t just some random search. He is searching for a very specific purpose. This is what he wants to do to you:
- DEVOUR
- STEAL
- KILL
- DESTROY
What a horrible list! Yet, this is exactly what the enemy wants to do to you every minute of every day. These attacks are spiritual in nature.
The enemy wants to devour you spiritually, steal from you spiritually, kill you spiritually, and destroy you spiritually. Ultimately, he wants to enslave you to him.
He may attack you emotionally to do this, he may attack you physically, or he may attack you mentally. The scope and range of his tactics are beyond our immediate comprehension and require the revelation of the Spirit, but just know, he is attacking for the purpose of devouring, stealing, killing, and destroying you…spiritually.
We will discuss in more detail in my next few posts some of his specific tactics and methods, but for now, meditate on this reality. Let the truth behind these verses sink in, let the knowledge of this reality implant itself in your mind and heart, so that no doubt of its existence will ever be present in you.
One of satan’s first tactics will be to try to get you to think this battle isn’t occurring. He will want you to doubt its existence, its effectiveness, its persistence, and its purpose. If you discredit the reality of this battle, the enemy is already one step ahead of you. If you ignore this battle, as most people do, he is once again already winning.
I want to leave you with this additional thought to ponder: if this battle is real, and it is, and the enemy is seeking you out, specifically prowling about, searching for you, and his purpose is to devour, kill, steal, and destroy you spiritually, is it any wonder that marriage is tough?
Think about it!
It amazes me how tireless satan is in his attacks. How he knows our weaknesses so clearly. And how he uses us to upset one another. Sometimes when my husband and I are arguing and don’t really know why, he will tell me it’s almost like someone is throwing stones at us while we aren’t looking, and we’re each blaming the other for it. As alert as I may be in the daytime, he almost always attacks me in my dreams.