Ephesians 6:12
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies,
but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world,
against mighty powers in this dark world,
and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
This is a major point that we MUST remember; we are not fighting against a flesh and blood enemy. You are not fighting your spouse. As difficult as it may seem we must look beyond the flesh and see who is the motivating force behind the words, the lies, and the actions of our spouses. Your spouse is not the enemy. Learn it, know it, believe it, DON'T FORGET IT!!
And this is serious battle we are engaging ourselves in. It's not something that we will do one day and not the next. Once you cross that line and kick over the hornet's nest, there is no going back. The same passage above in The Message translation reads like this: This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
And once you have drawn a line in the sand and the enemy crosses it, your attitude should be one of righteous indignation. You need to take the stance that once the devil messed with you and the family that God gave you, HE DONE MESSED WITH THE WRONG BELIEVER!! The battle will be intense and it will get ugly. But, you have weapons that will work every time. The spiritual weapons that God gives never fail.
One of the major weapons that we have in our arsenal is Praise and Worship!! Praise is the declaring of the mighty acts of God to the world; worship is declaring the awesome majesty of who He is. Praise is telling the world about God; worship is telling God about Himself. Let's look at the Word and see how these weapons function.
A verse we looked at yesterday, 2 Chronicles 20:22, says that when they started to sing and praise is when God set the ambush. The praise and worship of God will cause God to begin to move on your behalf. In Acts 16 is the story of Paul and Silas in prison. It says that around midnight they began to pray and sing hymns (songs to the Lord) and the other prisoners were listening to them. And then suddenly a great earthquake shook the foundation of the prison, their chains fell off, and everyone was loosed. Your praise has the ability to shake the foundation of the prison you or your spouse may be locked in. It has the ability to break chains and bonds and can loose the prisoners. The story of the victory over Jericho was made possible by the mighty shout of praise that came from Israel. Your shout of praise can effect the toppling of walls that keep you, your spouse, your family, and your marriage from tasting the fullness of what God has for you. If you read the history of Israel, when they would march out to battle they would send the singers and praisers out first BEFORE the army! Your praise is a powerful weapon.
What does this look like for us? If you are new to this there are a few things that will help to get the pump primed. First, find some God-honoring worship music. There is lots out there but not all of it is the kind of stuff that will inspire you to fight. Some artists that are warriors in worship would be Rick Pino, Jesus Culture, Leonard Jones, and Christ for the Nations to name a few. You may know of some that really do it for you. Listen to them and worship with them. Soon you will develop your own worship that will flow freely.
Second, read the Word and see how people that encountered God firsthand responded to who He is. Read about the song that Miriam sang after they crossed the Red Sea (Exodus 15). Read the Psalms and what David wrote. You will find how often David felt far from God, discouraged, and depressed. But, you will also read how David knew who his God was. When you read the Word and those that worshipped God you will find this truth: those that worshipped God were doing so in good times and in bad times. They worshipped God because the knew who He was and that their current desperate situation did not dictate the ability or power of the Most High.
Thirdly, worship God on your own. Find your own words. Start out by thanking Him for the obvious stuff. Life, breath, health, your job, your car, your house. Soon you will begin to think of new things that are not so obvious. The destiny that is in your marriage, the fruit that your marriage will produce, the lost people that will come to Christ through your testimony. After some time, you will begin to recount back to God the things that you have read in the Word about His mercy, His grace, His loving kindness, and other attributes of God. Tell Him who He is to you. Tell Him about what He has done for you. Tell Him about His power in the face of what appears to be an impossible situation.
It doesn't matter what your worship looks like. You might be riding in your car, at the office, or in your home. You might find it necessary to kneel or raise your hands. Who know...you might even start dancing in the victory? You might be singing a song that has never been sung or worshipping with known songs. You might not know what to do. Allow the Holy Spirit to move through you and let Him worship the Father with your body.
By worshipping God in this fashion, you will upset the enemy and his plans. Your focus will not be on your spouse, the situation, or the outcome. Your focus will be on God and Him alone. You will be fighting without fighting. You will be worshipping, and as a result, you will be moved out of the way and God will have the room to come in and show Himself strong for you.
So, praise Him. Worship Him. And don't care about who hears you....you are fighting in a battle that you cannot afford to lose!! You are fighting for more than your marriage or your spouse....you are fighting for the fullness of God in your life and His exaltation.
Josh and Serena
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