You name it – the possibilities are endless. He might induce a husband or wife to put too much emphasis on a career or to spend too much time pursuing houses, cars, and material wealth. He might introduce envy or jealousy or dishonesty into their relationship or entice one of them to be unfaithful to his or her mate. He can wait until the first fires of romantic love begin to fade and then plant whispers of doubt in their minds about the wisdom of their decision to marry.
If these strategies don’t work, he can use greed, lust, pornography, drug or alcohol addiction, or obsessive gambling to drive a wedge between them. He can stir up rebellion among the kids. He can incite mom and dad to blame one another for their children’s social problems or academic failures. He can employ social pressures, media messages, or rivalries between friends, neighbors, and relatives to bring out the worst in everybody.
The key is to get you, your spouse, and your children to put love of self ahead of love for God and one another. Once that hairline fracture is introduced into the foundation of your family, it’s only a matter of time before the entire structure starts to crumble – unless you take steps to reverse the process. There are a million different ways of doing this, and we can be sure that Satan is master of them all. But we also have God’s promise that he will flee from us if we’re savvy to his wiles and have the gumption to resist his tricks (James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8, 9).
If you or anyone else in your family is struggling in any of the specific areas we’ve mentioned, we’d like to invite you to call and discuss your situation with a member of our team. Focus on the Family has a staff of professional counselors available who would love to speak with you over the phone.
Resources
If a title is currently unavailable through Focus on the Family, we encourage you to use another retailer.
The Strategy of Satan
Radio Theatre: The Screwtape Letters
What The Bible Teaches: The Truths of the Bible Made Plain, Simple, and Understandable
The Steps to Freedom in Christ
Referrals
Freedom in Christ Ministries
