Don’t look now, but there is someone who is dead set against you and your spouse enjoying a happy, fulfilling marriage. No, we’re not talking about your in-laws or an old, jealous boyfriend or girlfriend –we certainly hope these people aren’t against you! We’re talking about someone very hateful, powerful, and devious. We’re talking about God’s archenemy and the enemy of your soul. We’re talking about Satan.

Now, maybe you’re wondering, “What’s so special about my marriage that the devil himself is out to ruin it?” Here’s the bottom line: Your marriage is God’s creation, and your family is God’s joy. And that’s why the Devil is out to destroy it. It is vital that you guard your hearts and your marriage from the devil’s ongoing assault.

Throughout the Bible, God uses marriage as an object lesson for his desired relationship with humankind. Solomon’s love poem illustrates the kinds of relationship God wants between you and Himself – and you and your spouse. It says, “I am my lover’s, and my lover is mine” (Song of Songs 6:3).

That’s what your marriage is supposed to look like: a husband and wife totally devoted to and absorbed in one another. When you love your spouse sacrificially and unconditionally according to the guidelines of Scripture and when he or she loves you the same way, you are modeling for all to see the essence of how God wants to be involved with us.

God wants your marriage to paint a true picture. He wants your kids to see a dad and mom so devoted to each other and to them that they say, “Wow! So that’s how much God loves me.” He wants your neighbors, work associates, and friends to see how you humbly serve one another and say, “Amazing! So that’s what it means to serve God.” No wonder Satan wants to deface this image by ruining your marriage – or at least keeping it from becoming all it can be!

How does Satan seek to devour your marriage? One of his primary weapons is the godless culture we live in. You can talk all you want to about America as a “Christian nation,” but there is a lot going on in American culture that is working against the health and success of your marriage. And if you fail to guard against these subtle – and sometimes blatant – influences, this world will drain the vitality and passion from your marriage relationship. What influences are we talking about?

The media. When was the last time you flipped on a television drama, viewed a movie at the theater, or read a secular novel that didn’t glorify adultery or an illicit affair in some manner? And even when infidelity and dishonesty in marriage isn’t glorified in these presentations, it is at least accepted and condoned as “normal.” At the same time, wholesome, monogamous marriages are often pictured as anemic or boring.