A Christian couple shouldn’t ask, “Do we face spiritual warfare in our family?” but “How are we facing spiritual warfare in our family?” Following Jesus puts a target on your back when it comes to your Enemy. Satan is the Father of Lies, the Deceiver, and he loves chaos and conflict. He also loves spoiling God’s work of reconciliation in the world. He loves doing whatever he can to interfere with God’s movement in the lives of people and nations. He is a master of looking for cracks to find his way in and do damage. We are foolish to forget Satan sees Christian homes as anything other than targets for his evil strategies.
Why Spiritual Warfare happens at home
A recent Bible study challenged me to see the battle from our Enemy’s perspective. If we wanted to destroy God’s plan for peace, where would we attack with spiritual warfare? An assault on marriage and family would be a guaranteed, far reaching return on the Enemy’s investment. If marriages can become places of strife, distrust, and bitterness, generations of believers and all those around them can be turned away from the love of a Heavenly Father who has called out a Bride for His own Son. If you want to crush the world, marriage is a great place to start.
A lazy lover makes an easy target for Satan’s power. We have to be filled with and controlled by God’s Spirit. “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” (Ephesians 4:26-27) The Enemy is vigilantly looking for an opportunity in your home, in your marriage, in your heart, in your parenting, in your children, in your bedroom. Are you giving the Evil One an easy opportunity?
Why do we do family life without a “battle-ready” mindset? The Western world is so unalarmed by Lucifer, God’s arch enemy. We dress up our children in likenesses of him and even call them “little devils.” We treat the very person of Evil like a Disney character or comic strip villain. But he never forgets the battle is real and we are easy, complacent targets. He has a lot to work with, since we have a fleshly nature, struggle to put off our old selves, and live in a worldly world. If the Devil was to declare war on your marriage and family, how would he strike you?
How Satan may try to target you
- dividing a husband and wife through unforgiveness
- planting seeds of bitterness between man and wife or parents and kids
- using something good to become an idol or a distraction
- delivering pornography or sinful themes through entertainment
- whispering reminders of old choices that still breed guilt
- inspiring one family member to bully or intimidate another
- nurturing a sense of fear and chipping away at trust
- stirring up harsh words and inciting sarcasm as the norm
- putting lustful images in your paths to create discontentment
- using past relationships to whisper messages to be on guard
- luring one of you into dependence on a drug or alcohol
- raising walls that spoil your physical intimacy and freedom
- convincing you that you are unlovable and unwanted
- dominating your time and attention with social media or technology
- sowing a commitment to material pursuits and wealth
But Satan has already declared war against your family and mine. Join me tomorrow for 3 reasons to be encouraged and confident and for the key to being a victory and not a casualty.
Is there a particular opportunity the Enemy keeps using in your marriage? In your family?
This post is so helpful and should be a wake-up call for us. Our complacency could be lulling us into a war zone before we realize it.
In a Bible study called “Gideon,” Priscilla Shirer writes, “Spiritual warfare is a conflict waged in the invisible spiritual realm that manifests itself in the visible physical realm.”
You asked if there is a particular opportunity the enemy uses to strike war in our families. For me, I can see the ploy of walls. When I give in to whispers of half-truths, I erect and fortify walls that are intended to keep me safe. In the end, they only keep me in solitude and make me think the enemy is actually my family members. I end up fighting the wrong battles against the wrong people!
We must use spiritual weapons to fight these spiritual battles. I am thankful for God’s spiritual armor!
So well said, LeAnn. And the scary thing about the walls I’m most familiar with (the ones in my family) is that they went up gradually, brick by brick, til there was a wall there. Great example!