There is a war being waged against your marriage. This post is the first of our posts about how you can take proactive measures to guard your marriage from the enemy’s assaults.
In the Bible there is an account of a godly king of Judah named Hezekiah. At one point in his reign the king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. Hezekiah immediately took measures to fortify his defenses. He gathered the leaders and people of the city and…
“He set to work resolutely and built up all the wall that was broken down and raised towers upon it, and outside it he built another wall….” (2 Chronicles 32:5)
In the original language the word used for “resolutely” has the sense of seizing something, being courageous and to be urgent. Hezekiah had a focused determination in going about his task. He was going to do whatever it would take to protect the people he cherished.
It is this kind of resolute determination that every spouse needs when it comes to building up defenses against the enemy’s attacks. But the weapons waged against our marriage are more subtle and covert than a sweeping army.
Over the next month we are going to cover four key areas that we believe need to be addressed with a resolute focus to protect our marriages. The first area to protect our marriage from is:
Pride
C.S. Lewis wrote that “Pride is the mother hen under which all other sins are hatched.” We may not think we are prideful, but the manifestation of pride is seen in what we do even if we don’t identify it as such.
For example, it’s pride that keeps us from apologizing when we are wrong. It’s pride that withholds praise to punish our spouse. It’s pride that finds fault in our spouse. It’s pride that drives self-centeredness while dismissing our mate’s needs.
Resolutely rooting out pride requires a right view of one’s self. We get that by focusing on what Christ did for us on the cross. He paid a price we could not pay for our sins. And remembering why Christ did it—because we are a sinner who is helpless without Him.
Then, we live out what the Apostle Paul wrote when he said, “…in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)
Your marriage needs to be resolutely protected from your pride. Your spouse needs you to reflect Jesus to them in order for them to be fully loved by you. That will only come as you practice humility and learn to serve your spouse.
Starting today and for the next seven days, say a simple prayer to God asking for his help. You might pray, “God, thank you for Jesus. Help me to love and serve my spouse today with the attitude of sacrifice and humility that Jesus showed me.”
As you make the choice to resolutely protect your marriage, you will be making the choice to proactively build your marriage!