Your Marriage Has An Enemy
A good marriage can be polarizing. What I mean is, it elicits different reactions. Think about it. How do people respond when they witness a married couple that’s happy and in sync with one another?
How do people react to a couple that’s a team, laughs together, and is truly one? You know what I mean, right? You know that kind of intimate marriage when you see it.
Here’s what I’ve noticed…
Some smile and celebrate. It brings a sense of joy that something that good could exist, especially in today’s intimacy-starved world.
Some don’t smile and celebrate. Instead, they seem bothered by it, and even resentful that such a union is even possible. Some may even mock and oppose it.
It reminds me of the scene in Oz The Great and Powerful, when Theodora (after she’s been betrayed by the would-be wizard, and given herself over to evil by becoming a full-blown witch) visits the good, pure hearted people of Oz. After she looks around for a moment and realizes she’s in the presence of a good kingdom, she makes a surprising statement,…
There’s so much good here, it sickens me.
Sickened by goodness? Yep.
Consider these words from Mike Mason in his book, The Mystery of Marriage:
The biblical ideal of marriage cannot help but stand in judgment over contemporary society, laying wide open the sin and corruption of hearts, making woefully obvious the poverty of true intimacy in the world.”
“Society senses that marriage is a powerful weapon for the advancement of the kingdom of God, and that it stands for a depth of intimacy the world at large is decidedly suspicious and fearful of.”
Wow.
An intimate, Christ-centered, marriage stands in judgment over the rest of society. It exposes the sin, corruption, and the lack of true intimacy in the world. It’s a weapon in the advancement in the kingdom of God. And if that weren’t enough, it stands for a level of intimacy the world tends to mock, rather than celebrate.
This is why the kingdom of darkness is fiercely opposed to an intimate marriage – fiercely opposed to your marriage. Here’s a few more reasons why:
Together, you reflect the image of God to the world. Genesis 1:27 says, God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. A man and woman together (in an intimate, covenant marriage) reflect the image of God.
Together, you mirror the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. Each marriage is intended to be a living, breathing representation of the gospel (of Jesus Himself) everywhere it goes. How? By the joy and intimacy that comes when a husband and wife love each other unconditionally, submit to one another daily, and forgive each other routinely.
Together, you are a powerful weapon for the kingdom of God. Whether its praying together, building a Christ-centered home for your kids, or serving and doing ministry together, …you are a powerful team and a mighty weapon in God’s hands.
Maybe this is why biblical marriage has been under assault for so long.
So what do we do about it?
Fight for your marriage every day.
The fight isn’t just to stay together, but to thrive together. The world expects, and our Enemy hopes, that you and your spouse become living singles – married roommates. Our battle isn’t just to prevent divorce, but to build and maintain intimacy.
Here’s a few steps you can take today…
PRAY – fight for intimacy in your marriage by putting it at the top of your daily prayer list.
TALK – fight for intimacy in your marriage by making meaningful conversation a part of your daily routine together.
DATE – fight for intimacy in your marriage by intentionally carving out time to have fun together.