Fun Activity This Week: Write love letters to one another listing all the wonderful qualities you adore. Read them aloud and do not rush through the romantic moments.
Week 45: Weapons of Warfare & Wise
Weapons of Warfare: Spiritual warfare is very real, and Satan would love to see all marriages fail. Stay equipped in the whole armor of God, and you can defeat your enemy against every attack!
I could write an entire book on this subject, but instead I will do my best to keep this brief. I have quickly summed up how the weapons of spiritual warfare can be applied to your marriage.
Belt of Truth: While being truthful is imperative, this is more about being armed with the Truths of God’s Word. The lies of the world and false preachers will harm your marriage. When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13), He was able to defeat His enemy and send him fleeing by quoting the Truth of scripture. When we keep this belt securely in place, we can also send the devil running.
Breastplate of Righteousness: When both husband and wife strive to live lives of righteousness (see 1 Corinthians 9:24-27), they are guaranteed a joyful marriage even when circumstances are difficult. The breastplate protects one’s heart and when you choose not to live according to the ways of the world, you protect the heart of your mate as well. When you give into sin, you give into Satan, but walking on the straight and narrow path of holy living keeps Jesus on your side.
To grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. Luke 1:74-75
Shoes of Peace: Hebrews 12:14 perfectly sums up the way we should treat our mate, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” When we choose to actively chase after a peaceful life and existence, it is as important as striving for holiness. You will not see God nor share His eternal home if you choose to be argumentative, discordant, and bitter. Verse 15 adds, “looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.” Keep these shoes on all times and you will give no room for the Devil to interfere with your marriage.
Shield of Faith: Faith in God when life and/or marriage seems hopeless will help you keep a positive attitude even in the dark times. When you read the below passage in Ephesians 6, you will see verse 16 tells us that the shield is the most important and will literally keep Satan’s arrows from hitting His target: our marriages.
Hebrews 11:1 is sometimes difficult for me to put into practice. It states, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” I am overly logical. How can I trust what I cannot see? Lack of faith is doubtless the area I struggle most with in my walk with the Lord. But when I use my shield of faith, even when it is small, I can quiet the over-analytical side of my brain and focus on the promises of God. I can quench the darts of doubt Satan hurls at me and embrace the joys of my marriage that much more.
Helmet of Salvation: It is so difficult to write such a brief section on the Armor of God, but this one is particularly difficult for me to sum up in so short a space. Our salvation may begin when we say the “sinner’s prayer,” but it does not end there. Unless we follow the principles of Jesus, we could lose that salvation. We must guard our walk with the Lord until the day we die. Philippians 2:12 tells us we must, “work out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling,” which means our salvation is a continual work in progress. This is a long subject, but for further reading, you can read (at the least) Revelation chapters 2 & 3 for more clarity.
What it comes down to is the same concept as the Breastplate of Righteousness; we must daily choose to wear this helmet of right living in order to keep our marriages safely out of the enemy’s claws.
Sword of the Spirit: This Sword is the Word of God, and just as with the Belt, we can wield it at Satan’s ugly head by quoting scripture and being confident of its Truths. Psalm 119:11 reminds us that when we keep God’s “Word… hidden in [our] heart,” it will inspire and encourage us “not [to] sin against” God. The principles of the Bible will protect our marriage as well as any sword ever protected any brave knight!
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. Ephesians 6:11-18
Wise: We are to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16). It is wisdom to protect our marriages in such a manner. This means we are to treat everyone with kindness and gentleness but be careful whom we allow into our lives. Mel and I both try to be kind to everyone wherever we go, but that does not mean we are going to let just anyone into a close relationship. It is very possible to show the love of God to people and have a good relationship with them without visiting each other's homes or being friends with them outside of church or work.
As I mentioned above, spiritual warfare is real, and the enemy will try to send people into your lives to try to interfere with and possibly even destroy your marriage. Pray for wisdom and discernment whenever considering making new friends that you plan to socialize with on a regular basis. Ask God to block people from your lives that could be harmful, and you will find things being revealed in their character that you may have never expected was there. It is okay to see less of people and even completely weed people out of your lives if you feel they are a threat in any way. And listen to your spouse's warnings to you if he/she feels a certain person needs to be released from your lives.
I hope this concept does not sound too harsh, but it is a Biblical principle. Using wisdom with people you allow to get close to you could even save your marriage. If you feel a check in your spirit and someone makes you feel uncomfortable, trust your instincts as this very well may be a warning from God. Be friendly, but do not allow these people to get too involved in your lives. In other words, you do not have to reveal very much personal information. You do not have to socialize with people you feel have immoral lifestyles. You can witness to them as they allow, but do not spend a lot of time with those you feel may try to corrupt your morals, or who will expect you to accept their immoral behaviors but continually make fun of yours. It is far better to keep the peace from a distance (over the phone or Internet) than continually cause friction and hard feelings up close (in person).
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people. Therefore Come out from among them And be separate,” says the Lord. “Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you." II Corinthians 6:14-17
It is wisdom to realize that there are some people which you may need to let go. When we allow people with poisonous personality traits or ungodly beliefs in our lives, we are asking for trouble. These people already have open doors they have allowed Satan to walk through, and he very well may connect us to them and begin to harass us. This is not my concept, read the above verses as well as, “Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go, lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul.” Proverbs 22:24-25 & “Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits. Awake to righteousness, and do not sin.” 1 Corinthians 15:33-34
You may meet a seemingly nice person who just happens to be into Wicca. Make no mistake, there is nothing innocent or nice about witchcraft; just being around this person can invite the demons attached to her to follow you home and oppress you and therefore cause chaos in your marriage. “For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:14 We are to treat everyone with kindness and respect, but when we willingly let a person involved in Satanism in our lives, we are mixing dark and light when they are clearly meant to be separated.
Use the utmost wisdom when choosing friends if not for your own sake, then for the sake of your marriage!
Marriage-Enhancing Ideas for the Week:
Weapons of Warfare: Art Project Idea: Create an armor based on the above listed weapons of spiritual warfare. There are a variety of ways you can do this: Draw pictures of yourselves dressed in armor or use photographs and Photoshop armor onto the both of you. You could draw just the armor itself or print the pictures off the Internet. Whichever you choose, be certain to label each piece of armor such as “Helmet of Salvation,” “Breastplate of Righteousness,” etc. and include the scripture reference of Ephesians 6:11-18 or include all the words from those scriptures. Frame it if you so choose, but at least display it where you can both be reminded that God is on your side. You can also do a spiritual check each time you look at the picture and ask yourself if you are lacking any weapons of warfare. If so, pray for God to help you put them on.
Note: You can be creative with the armor. In my Bible journal, I drew the weapons in western style. For the helmet I used a cowboy hat, the breastplate was a vest, the shoes of peace cowboy boots, the sword of the spirit a gun, shield of faith a sheriff’s badge, and the belt a western belt with buckle. In other words, you can use any type of "armor" you so choose as long as it fits the scripture reference.
Wise: Check in with each other this week and ask for honest opinions on all the people you allow access to your lives. Allow the other to be honest in voicing any concerns. Respect each other’s wisdom and spiritual instincts. Consider limiting access to those that cause red flags. Use wisdom in lowering the portcullis and keep the harmful people separated from you and your loved one.
