Grief(s):
I feel so vulnerable when my husband begins to find fault with me and taunts me because of my belief in God. What can I do to keep myself from believing I am the ignorant person he says I am?

Response:
First, Jesus says in Matthew 5 that you are blessed when you are persecuted for His sake. Secondly, He has equipped you with the Armor of God to deflect onslaughts from satan through your husband’s behavior. You are in a fierce battle to persevere when trials come from known and unknown sources. A Christian is in the battles of life daily and needs to know how to use the equipment God has given: the Armor of God. You are not ignorant. When you learn how much God loves you and has prepared ways for you to be knowledgeable and wise about who you are in Christ, God’s wisdom will shine all around you.

Affirm:

Ephesians 1 gives a thorough description of how blessed you are in Christ. Your identity in Him is clearly seen in these verses.

In Ephesians 2, Paul exhorts you to look deeper at how you have been made alive in Christ. Your salvation is all of God, and none of you, all of grace.

In Ephesians 3 Paul lovingly shares that this is a mystery for an eternal purpose. He teaches you to praise the Lord for his immeasurable ability to do more than you can ask or think as you bring your prayers to Christ.

In Ephesians 4 Paul exhorts you to understand your need to be unified in Christ knowing that there will be many things to try to pull you apart from each another. As a child of light, you are to reflect the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. He wants you to delete the old self that is drawn easily into sin and bad habits, and insert godly habits believing God will adorn you with the Holy Spirit in such a way that your mind and heart will reflect your new relationship with Jesus.

Ephesians 5 exhorts you to be an imitator of Christ, keeping close to Jesus in verse 19, using all the resources God gives you, being joyful in the Lord for who He is.

Connect:
Then Paul begins a strong warning in an instructional tone that is an exhortation of his authority in Christ.

In Ephesians 6:10-19 he bids you to be strong in the Lord. God adorns His chosen priesthood with His armor. My husband is a firefighter. When he gets ready to go to an emergency he protects his body with gear specifically designed to keep him safe in the face of great danger.

Just as my husband uses equipment to fight a combustible fire, so you have been given equipment to fight a far greater fire. Your battle is covered by a veil. It is eternal and supernatural: against the rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. These forces are determined to keep you weak in your faith and powerless in your witness of Christ in your relationship with your husband. In verse 13, “put on” means to consciously wear every waking moment the armor of God, every day you are alive and breathing. You are a target to Satan. You are the creation of Satan’s enemy, God. It is Satan’s desire to see all of God’s creation destroyed and thrown in the lake of fire with him when the time comes. It is important to the kingdom of God and your own spiritual welfare that you stand your ground, trust in the Lord, hold onto your faith, and be a living witness of the supernatural power of the Lord Jesus Christ in action in your life. When you observe your husband struggling with sin this armor equips you to be your husband’s faithful prayer warrior.

Putting on this spiritual armor requires daily discipline. When you get dressed in the morning ask the Holy Spirit to bring the different parts of the armor to your memory. As you prepare for the day think of how God has already given you everything you need to face the events of the next twenty-four hours.

The Armor of God

The Belt of Truth: God’s Word is truth and you must continually you’re your mind in His view of you rather than your husband’s. You are not ignorant. You are a daughter of the King of kings. When the enemy whispers lies in your ears, steadfastly recall the fact that Jesus died on the cross and was raised again the third day and is coming again. Satan will attempt to use your love for your husband against you as you look to him for confidence, self worth and your identity. Stop the whispers before they grow into shouts. Remember, your position in Christ is secure, sealed and marked with the Holy Spirit as stated in Eph. 1:13, 4:30. Isaiah 54:17 says that choosing to believe these truths sets you free, and you can say without doubt, God Said It! That Settles It!

The Breastplate of Righteousness: This weapon covers your heart and emotions. The breastplate of Christ’s righteousness guards you emotional responses to circumstances and enables you to make right choices seen through the grid of God’s word rather than the grid of your sinful nature ( 2 Cor. 5:21). As you exercise this belief, you will find you are not a timid doormat, but an emotionally stable person who has been given authority by the Holy Spirit, to be steadfast and confidence in Him. Memorize 2 Timothy 1:7 to confront the lies of Satan. Christ’s breastplate gives you the mettle to be courageous when challenged.

The Gospel of Peace. – As my husband’s boots carry him safely to the scene of the emergency so you bring people the gospel, the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ, your feet are adorned with the beautiful, lasting attitudes and attributes of Jesus, ready to share Him wherever you find yourself. Prepare yourself to share the good news, the gospel of peace to be a blessing to others and to be blessed yourself (Isaiah 52:7). Writing out your testimony enhances what you believe and the Lord gives you confidence in Him as you share it. Practice saying it to yourself. If the Lord opens the door, be ready to go through it for His glory, and for the salvation of the person you may share your testimony with. God will enable you to share what is necessary, in His time.

The Shield of Faith: When my husband fights a fire, he has to be confident in his abilities and that what he has been taught and experienced will bring him through unharmed. He has to join his abilities with other firefighters to work together to free someone from harm. Each of them has a job to do and each of them is necessary to get the job done. To you as a believer in Christ, God has given the gift of faith (Eph 2:8), that encompasses you round about, over, and under you. This shield enables and equips you to deflect the fiery darts of things Satan would try to do to you. His target is your faith. If he can undermine your faith, he can undermine your spirit, and then he thinks he can undermine your relationship with Christ. He forgets that Christ’s supernatural power is key in your faith. Your faith is built upon God’s word and what it says and how much you allow yourself to believe it so that it penetrates your mind and heart. (Romans 10:17; Heb 11:1) When you focus on the finished work of Jesus while you are in the battle, you will do valiantly ( Ps. 60:12, Isa. 55:11).

The Helmet of Salvation: My husband’s fire hat protects him from the flak and embers that result from fire, protecting his head from harm. The Helmet of Salvation protects your mind and your thinking processes. You need to rest on the knowledge that your salvation was obtained by Christ on Calvary. Stop thinking negatively by practicing the ‘delete/insert’ system. When first accosted by a negative thought, think something pure, right, and positive in its place. All scripture is enough to come against Satan if you are determined to let it cover you. Memorize Phil 4:8 or Proverbs 4:5, 6 and begin practicing now!

The Sword of the Spirit: My husband’s tools are an ax and a pick that can get to the bottom of the root of the origin of the fire, as well as using a water hose that sprays a safety shield of water between him and the fire. How interesting that scripture tells us that when used correctly God’s word cuts to the heart of the problem, (2 Timothy 3:16) and is sharper than a two edged sword. Jesus is the Living Word, Logos, as mentioned in John 1:1 and Heb. 4:12. Jesus also says that he who comes to him will never thirst…because His Word is truth, and is the authority and power of God. Jesus used the scriptures in His own battle against Satan in Luke 4:1-14. If you are weak in this area encourage yourself with scripture that encourages you to be strengthened in Him. Begin with Col. 1:11-12 and be encouraged in verses 13 and 14.

 

Equip:
God’s Instructions for the Use of our Armor. Each piece of a firefighter’s equipment has an assigned place in the fire house. The coats, helmets, boots, etc., are ready for use at all times. God wants you to use your armor for your personal protection against Satan so that you may have victory and live an overcoming life. The weapons are always available to you. Pray a hedge of protection around yourself as you minister during the day; bring him your husband’s specific needs. Your mission is to Keep Your Armor Battle Ready.

Since you have been called into the position of being married to an unbelieving husband, you never know when Satan is going to feel so threatened by you he will blindside you with something unexpected. Get ready by preparing yourself through reading God’s word, memorizing it, listening to good preaching, reading good books by trusted authors, listening to good tapes and CDs that are uplifting and encouraging, or seeing movies and videos that have healthy, godly subliminal messages. Surround yourself with friends that are godly and who will stand with you when you are in the midst of the battle.

G.R.A.C.E. Gem: You are a mighty warrior and will receive priceless rewards when you see God work in you as you are obedient and as you see God’s power at work in a particular situation. You will experience the peace that passes all understanding when you know that God did all the work and you have been a willing vessel. You will gently radiate a Christlike example as you become more emotionally stable as a result of your relationship to Christ when you put on the whole armor of God.

Was this article helpful? Please share with us how God is using this site to encourage you.