The Enemy Is Knocking...Don't Let Him In!

Image Credit: homeword.com

Obviously, marriage is a very important topic for me.  My husband and I recently went through some very trying times which led to about eight months apart.  During this time, my husband and I were both hurting and being hurt.  I was certain I was done with our marriage.  Our marriage almost ended…the divorce was almost final.  God was fully carrying me through this time as I was mourning the death of my marriage and my family. Even though I initiated the divorce, I was in so much pain.  God began re-shaping me and revealing to me many things…I know that now.  I know that every marriage has its share of issues and many of those issues can break your marriage.  Having been through this, I wanted to write about what I have learned and what got me through.  If you read the picture above, the last part speaks on the enemy. I firmly believe that the enemy is the sole cause for marriages falling apart.  He is literally battling your marriage every day.  You and your spouse are under attack daily and you may not even realize it. The enemy loves to bring tension, resentment, bitterness, disconnection, anger, unforgiveness, deceit, fights and even bad people into your marriage. The enemy got a HUGE grip on me before my separation as I was angry, bitter, withdrawn, full of blame and I rejected my husband at every turn.   I couldn't see past those feelings or the hurt I was carrying. While being separated from my husband for a time, I prayed every day…several times a day relentlessly.  Many prayers would last for hours.  I prayed for my husband, my marriage and myself.  I asked God to remove my husbands negative feelings toward me and I asked God to show me my emotions or behaviors that caused the downfall of my marriage.  I had a really hard time with that…He did some lengthy and revealing work on me.  I learned I was at least half of the problem...my attitude toward my husband and my beliefs about my husband which grew over time were probably more than half of the problem.  I asked God to show me the path He wanted my marriage to go down and to show me the TRUTH...His truth.  I even asked God to remove certain people from our lives that were a hindrance and who brought darkness into our marriage.  I just prayed and prayed along the entire way.  I turned to Him for comfort.  He wrapped His loving arms around me and helped me through the worst days of my life.  When He revealed to me that I was to stay in my marriage and showed me all of MY faults, I humbly reached out to my husband and asked if he would consider working things out.  The enemy didn’t win then!  However, the enemy is still trying to rip apart my marriage and my family just as he does yours.  There are still bouts of anger and resentment, distrust, there are temporary financial consequences, there are people who want to destroy my marriage and there are sometimes struggles to reconnect.  These things are all a result of our lengthy and destructive time apart. For me, there is jealousy and distrust right now. This is all the enemy!  He lurks working to tear apart the vow made and the people who made the vow.  In today’s world, he wins a lot!  People feel like walking out on their marriage is optional.  God did not leave you unequipped to fix your marriage and He is there to help you do your best in your marriage.  God provided you with His armor!  You wouldn’t believe the power of prayer.  JUST PRAY!  I do realize that people have their own free will or maybe there are some situations that are perhaps unforgivable such as abuse or ongoing affairs.  In those situations, maybe your marriage isn’t to be saved.  I don’t know that God put you here to be abused or to risk your health, but if you turn to Him...he will show you the way.  However, if you are a believer and those things are not occurring…please pray to your Father every day and night and turn the situation over to Him.  Ask him for clarity, strength, wisdom, patience and His purpose/will for your marriage.  He will show you!   It may take a few days, it may take eight months or it may even take years.  If you consistently pray, He will reveal His will to you.  Whatever you do, don’t let the enemy get to you.  Also, ask God to reveal to you your faults as a husband or wife and to help you see your spouse through His eyes.  He will.  I know, it happened to me.  I have no idea if my marriage will survive after the storm we just went through, but I know that I have placed it in God's hands and I know I am more ready than ever to make it work. I will do my best and there will be days that I fail tremendously, but I will get up and keep trying. I love my husband more today than I ever have.  God will handle your spouse, God will handle you and God will handle the enemy.  However, you have to invite Him in to do so!  You have to ask Him to come in…He will not force Himself on you or your marriage.  If you want to truly fight for your marriage, having God on your side is what you need.  He wants to help.  He wants to lead you.  He loves you!  Think about this...God is the author of marriage and he counts it as sacred.  Just don’t give up until you have truly put it in His hands and have given Him the chance to work on your marriage, your spouse and you!  Don’t let the enemy win!