‘Knowing Your Opponent and Their Tendencies’ – 2.16.2025

February 16, 2025
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MARRIAGE IS ONE OF LIFE’S GREATEST GIFTS FROM GOD.

18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” 19 So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. 20 He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. 23 “At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’” 24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. 25 Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame. Genesis 2:18-25 NLT

  • Marriage is a holy covenant.
  • Marriage is not easy.
  • Your marriage is worth fighting for.

 

KNOWING YOUR OPPONENT

  • Our spouse is not our opponent, but a gift.
  • All too often, couples turn on each other when they dwell on how their spouse has not measured up to expectations and negative thinking sneaks in to undermine their marriage. 

8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 NLT

  • Instead, couples need to stand together against their real enemy, Satan.
  • Recognizing the real enemy is Satan, not your spouse, is a vital step to take in fighting for your marriage.

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. Ephesians 6:12 NLT

  • The greatest mistake you can make with evil is to overestimate or underestimate its influence.

 

SOME STRATEGIES OF OUR ENEMY/ OPPONENT:

 

  • He twists the Word of God.

1 The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” Genesis 3:1 NLT

 

  • He Divides.

19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21 NLT 

 

If your definition of Christianity has anything to do with hate and division, it’s not Christianity.

 

  • He disguises himself.

13 These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 NLT

  • He steals, kills, and destroys.

10a The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy…   John 10:10 NLT 

Satan can gain access to a life through willful, unconfessed sin.

 

  • He counterfeits.

Satan is able to make lies look like the truth and unbelievers look like believers. This is why it is so important to know God’s Word the truth.

 

  • He accuses.

Satan can’t steal our salvation. But he can steal our joy. And he delights in doing it.

 

However, when you expose it to the light of Christ, evil loses its power.

1 My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. 1 John 2:1 NLT

 

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Galatians 5:22-23 NLT

 

2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. Ephesians 4:2-3 NLT

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