Combatting Assaults on Your Marriage

If you look around you, it doesn’t take much to see that marriage is under assault. Attacks may come from within the marriage and sometimes they come from outside. But, when we don’t combat the assaults effectively, or when we ignore them, the outcome is a broken marriage and possibly a fractured family.

So, how do you combat assaults coming against your marriage, whether they are coming from within or outside? The first step is to assess the source of the assault. A good place to start is embracing the position that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6:12). What this means is that, although the assault may be coming from your spouse, another person (or group), or a circumstance, the real source is the spiritual forces working through them.

It may take some discernment to understand what is really going on, so the best thing to do is to ask the Holy Spirit, as the Spirit of Truth (John 16:13), to reveal the truth of the situation and the real source of the assault. It may be something you caused, wounding from the past, a foul spirit at work, or something else. Knowing the real source of the assault, you can then respond in the most effective way.

You’ve heard it said that the best defense is offense. That’s true in your marriage as well. Put another way, the best way to combat assaults is to protect against them. One way to do this is to not give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:27) by removing sinful behaviors, such as anger, lust, pornography, or even negative thoughts about yourself, your spouse, or God. Sin creates separation from God and gives permission for the spiritual forces of evil to operate in your life.

If you are married or engaged, and would like to explore this subject further, join me and my wife, Julaine, for the 6-week Arm in Arm Marriage Group starting September 24. It is one of the topics we will cover. Click here for more information and to register.