so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:10-11

A couple weeks ago in a post I mentioned wearing the proper gear when battling FOR our marriage. That gear is talked about in Ephesians 6:10-18; the armor of God. The following is certainly not an exhaustive list of how you might apply the armor of God to your marriage. Let it stir your thoughts on how you can take action in the Spirit to stand strong and allow God to fight for you!

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. (vs. 12)

PERSPECTIVE: The enemy is out to destroy marriages. When we fight IN our marriage, we do the enemy’s work for him and our marriages are more likely to die from friendly fire! Acknowledging this is the first step to fighting the battle the right way. It helps us train our eyes on the one who can win against the enemy. Our ever faithful heavenly Father.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist…(vs.14a)

REALITY CHECK: Don’t believe what the enemy says about the situation in your marriage, your husband or you. If you believe the lies, you will behave as if those lies are truth. One common lie is that “our spouse can never change.” If we live by that, we easily give up or live in a marriage filled with resentment, power struggles, distrust.

Check everything you are living by with scripture. John 8:32 says, “…you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”.” Jesus says in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” He is truth. Know Him. Know His word. Feed our hearts and minds with HIS words more than we do with the world’s words (places to start being careful: entertainment, friends, aquaintances, etc).

…with the breastplate of righteousness in place…(vs.14b)

GUARD YOUR OWN ACTIONS: On our own we are not righteous. It is God’s righteousness in us. “…not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.” (Phil. 3:9) But, by the choices we make, we can block HIS righteousness being evident in our life. That is like inviting our enemy in to have dinner with us, only to have him start WWIII. Our spouse may have made many wrong choices and each one is his and his alone, but usually we have our own messes that need to be brought to God. When we do, that allows Him to heal our hearts and we are in a better position to usher God’s presence into our marriage, so He can restore it.

…with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace…(vs.15)

LAY DOWN YOUR SWORD OF THE FLESH: When we war in the flesh it brings discord and more injury, when we war in the spirit, we put our trust in God to win the battle and can walk in greater humility and compassion. This brings the peace of God into the situation and greater opportunity to work together toward a healthier marriage.

“But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” James 3:14-18

…take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one…(vs.16)

BELIEVE/TRUST GOD: In the middle of a broken marriage, it can be difficult to trust your spouse. Believe me, the enemy will throw plenty of flaming arrows our way in the form of lies. Anything to stir up strife between spouses and prevent healing. This is the time to trust GOD who is always faithful. No matter the outcome, when we trust HIM we will be victorious in our walk. Someone has to lay down their sword first and believing God will help us be able to do this.

…take the helmet of salvation…(vs.17a)

PROTECT YOUR MIND: The enemy is after the way you think about and the choices you make in your marriage. If he can influence that, he can discourage you, keep you from the truth and from believing in God and his ability to bring about healing and change. Your mind determines how you will choose to fight in every arena of this spiritual battle.

…and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God… (vs. 17b)

BE IN THE WORD: This is where we find truth for any situation. This is where we find God’s opinion on and approach to any matter. When His words fill our hearts, it is easier to detect the lies of the enemy that would wreak havoc in our marriage.

Click to Tweet

…And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests… (vs. 18a)

CONNECT WITH THE POWER SOURCE: If we attempt to walk out a healthy marriage on our own power, we will quickly wear down. Only by HIS Spirit can we walk it out for the long haul.

“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” Galatians 5:16-17

Which part of the armor do you find the most challenging to take up during difficult moments/days in your marriage? Do you have an illustration for putting the armor of God that is different than what I shared?

Please let me know how I can pray for you and your marriage this week. Simply comment “pray” and I will lift you up knowing the Lord knows what you need. Or use the comment form in the sidebar if you would like specific prayer.

Verse: 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. Ephesians 6:12

Personalize for Prayer: Lord, help me to remember that my husband is not the enemy, but Satan is and he is out to destroy our marriage. Help me to keep my eyes on YOU and fight in the spirit.

Challenges:
1- Read and pray this verse every day for a week. (Do your best to memorize it.)
2- Mentally “put on the armor” every morning. Train yourself to think in terms of a spiritual battle.
3- Journal about your journey to fight for your marriage. Focus on identifying places where you see the enemy’s handiwork and noting what God’s truth say about it.