What is the Strength of Your Marriage?

What is the Strength of Your Marriage? The marriage institution is at the centre of the cosmic war between the Kingdom of God and that of darkness led by the devil. Marriage is the bedrock of any society because it produces the family from which society draws its strength. It is no wonder then that the devil has unleashed all sorts of weapons against this important institution – same sex marriages, abortion on demand, prostitution, mutilation of the sexual organs under the transgender ideology and high rate of divorce even among Christian believers.

Each time I watch couples taking the marriage vows, I ask myself, “How long will this bliss last?” This is because many marriages are short-lived these days. It would appear that satan and his demons are working overtime to wreck homes and undermine God’s purposes in people’s lives through marriage.

So, what can you do to protect your marriage against the devil’s onslaught? From the statistics presented on the net, many people do not enter into matrimony with the intent of divorcing their spouses. They meant every word of the oath they took either at the altar or at the court. I am also aware that many churches, especially those in the Pentecostal fold host marriage seminars for their members, while those in courtship are compelled to attend marriage counselling, in addition to reading several materials on marriage before ministers officiate at their weddings. In essence, marriages do not fail for lack of counselling or because the affected spouses were not sufficiently prepared for it. The missing link is a productive relationship with God.

Romans 8:14 is emphatic that only those who are led by the Holy Spirit are children of God. What does a life lived in the Spirit entail? It means that we no longer allow our flesh to decide what we do. Romans 8:5-6 explain it succinctly: “For those who are according to the flesh and are controlled by its unholy desires set their minds on and pursue those things which gratify the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit set their minds on and seek those things which gratify the Holy Spirit.

Now the mind of the flesh (which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit) is death (death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter). But the mind of the Holy Spirit is life and (soul) peace (both now and forever).”

 Every Christian believer should take 1 Corinthians 6:19 to heart, in connection with our relationship with God. The Scripture says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.” This is what we mean when we say that we have “given our lives to Christ.” If we have either given our lives to Him or surrendered to the leading of the Holy Spirit, whose decision was it for us to seek a divorce or do other things that are contrary to the purposes of God for our lives?

No Christian who has encountered the Lord Jesus Christ and has received His Spirit would willingly disobey God. The idea that you need a spouse that can meet your expectation is borrowed from the world! Were you the one who chose your spouse? If you did that, you are justified to discard him or her and go look for something new.

If God, the One who paid the ransom for your soul through His Son Jesus Christ chose your spouse for you, how dare you reject His gift? Are you now the owner of yourself? Are you the one who saved your soul? Many Christian believers have shipwrecked their lives because they allow the world – friends, families, social media etc. to influence their decisions and actions.

If you desire to have a lasting marriage, there is only way one to do it. Surrender your life to God and let Him be the centre of your life. Do not look for anyone to complete you. Colossians 2:10 says; “And you are complete in Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.” Ask God to send you a prince or princess that can help you to love Him more. Make marriage all about God, not about you and He will give you His best.