6 Prayers to Protect Your Marriage Against Temptation and Adultery
- Amanda Idleman Contributing Writer
- Published Feb 29, 2024
The enemy of our souls is out there, prowling around like a lion, seeking to steal, kill and destroy our lives. That can sound dramatic, but it's what the Bible tells us! We are in a battleground for our souls. Marriage is one of the most sacred institutions God created, and it's under attack.
This isn't new to our generation. The evil one has been causing strife between men and women from the beginning of time. The first story of the Bible tells us about a breakdown in communication between a couple. One thought something looked "good to eat," and the second one grabbed a bite rather than exploring this assessment by asking questions. Together they opened the door to a sinful nature they had not known prior to this historic choice. How quickly our eyes can deceive us!
Our marriages have to be guarded and continually prayed for. Temptation lies everywhere! How quickly our eyes can pull us away from honoring the gift of marriage we have been given. Maybe it's a picture that tempts us online, a comparison that says I should have it better than I do, or lust that draws us towards a person other than our spouse. The struggle to remain faithful to each other in heart, mind, and body is real.
Let's pray bold prayers of faith over our marriages! We need the Holy Spirit at work in our lives every day in order to stay committed to each other through thick and thin. Here are some marriage prayers to protect your relationship from temptation:
1. Guard Our Hearts
Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
Father, our hearts are so important to you! Your Spirit searches our hearts to know who we are. Help us to protect our hearts. Reveal what boundaries we need to keep in place to keep the evil one at bay. Show us the path of righteous living. Allow us the strength to avoid things that may look pleasing to the eye but will undoubtedly poison our hearts. Help us to live by faith and not by sight. Striving to live a pure and holy life. Amen.
2. Honor God With Our Bodies
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
God, we thank you for the gift of sex! This expression of intimacy in marriage is a beautiful source of pleasure and connection that you have created for our good. Help us to remember that you have given us instructions on how the gift of sex is to be practiced. We thank you for making us in your image with value, and you desire us to honor our bodies. All the ways we use our body should be pure, holy, and honor to You and Your Word. As we grow together as a couple, remind us of this truth. Let us see sex as a gift just for us to share. Keep our eyes focused on each other. Protect us from the temptation to go outside what God has told us is right and good regarding our sexuality. Amen.
3. Beloved
Song of Songs 2:16 My beloved is mine, and I am his; he grazes among the lilies.
Father, may we, in every season, remember to see our spouse as our beloved and yours. You have created them with purpose, beauty, and for my pleasure. Let me see them with eyes of love and affection. Would your grace always be sufficient to meet every one of our needs as we walk through life together? Give us eyes only for each other. Desiring to be intimate and to lean into our union even when life gets tough. We are so thankful for each other and pray your hand is on us. Amen.
4. Protect Us From the Evil One
James 4:7 Submit yourselves, therefore, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
God, give us the strength we need to resist the devil. When he wants to pop up in my browser, social media feed, office, after-work drinks, or even with friends, give me the wisdom and strength to resist his pull. May we always remember to focus our hearts on whatever is good, noble, pure, worthy, and of good report. Let us not even consider what others do in darkness but be relentless pursuers of the light. Amen.
5. Protect Us From Lust
Matthew 5:28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
God, you know our every thought. Would you help me guard my thoughts against lust? May I see others as people worth honoring and not as objects for my pleasure? Help me capture the evil thoughts that push me away from my spouse and want to ensnare me in a pit of bondage. Give me a soft heart that honors you and hates evil. Amen.
6. Give Us Wisdom
James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
Father, your wisdom is a gift you give us to help guide and protect us through every season of life. Let me grab ahold of your wisdom and let it be the ruler of my life. May our marriage honor your ways and follow your path. Each place we go, let us focus our minds and hearts on all that is pure, gentle, reasonable, merciful, good, impartial, and sincere. Let me lean into you when loving my spouse is a struggle. Give us renewed hope and strength from temptation, Amen.
Marriage is the foundation of our society. It's where we find security and our children find the love they need. It's no wonder that so many things can easily pull apart our homes. We have to cling to Jesus and each other if we are going to make it together for a lifetime.
