OVERCOMING THE POWER OF SPIRITUAL MANIPULATION IN COURTSHIP/MARRIAGE

RELATIONSHIP SERIES

“And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel” (1 Chronicles 21:1).

This same way, the devil is avowed to stand against homes (especially godly homes) and relationships such that many relationships/marriages are just not working.

Anything that God loves, the devil hates. God loves Israel, the devil stood against Israel. God loves and instituted marriage, the devil hates it and is standing against it. And it is so important to give attention to this issue because it is a high pathway to Hell if not addressed. We are not ignorant of the devices and strategies of the devil. He can allow people go to church only to wait for them at home.

Before I continue, I’ld like to pray with you reading this message;

-          I join my faith with yours and in the name of my God and your God, every voice of manipulation and wind of frustration working and blowing against your relationship/marriage are extinguished by the fire of God in Jesus’ name.

-          In the spiritual realm, it takes fire to terminate fire. Every strange fire burning up your marriage/relationship, we decree to be consumed by the fire of God in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Many years ago, the Lord through His Spirit ministered to my heart (while writing a book) that many of the broken courtships are being blamed on incompatibility among other things, but deeply, they are as a result of manipulation of the devil.

He explained to me that the devil is scared of the future of some relationships/courtship. He sees potential danger ahead for him and his kingdom of darkness should those courtships resulted into marriage. He is so scared of the seeds that will come forth from the union, and so he (the devil) creeps in unaware and do what he is best at – ‘steal, kill, destroy’. By the time he is done, guilts are flying and the song is ‘we are not compatible’ or ‘my parents did not want him/her’.

I once taught that you are headed for a destination in life and eternity. And one way to get to where God is taking you is on a ‘SHIP’, and this is the birth of relation-SHIP (court-SHIP, marriage, and the likes).

Once you find the right ‘SHIP’ the devil is never at peace. He looks for ways to affect your relationship. Even when you get married, he comes again (he never gives up), and this is why many ‘SHIPS’ that survived the ‘court-SHIP’ eventually drown in marriage as divorce or separation. This is never the will of God.

Many courtship and marriages are hit by storms. The storm that affected Paul’s ship was called “But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon” (Acts 27:14). Indeed, storms have names. Relationship/marriage storms include: ‘distance, disagreement, distrust, unforgiveness, sin, etc’.

I want to quickly add that it is not every relationship that breaks that is due to manipulation. There are some relationships that are not approved by God and He gives many signals yet the parties are not listening. In this case, God in His mercy, not wanting a wrong marriage (with divorce never an option), makes things to come to an end, and the two (2) parties go their ways. Sometimes, God might even make a particular family not to support it. How God makes it to end is not my business; He works in various ways. What is important is that His will prevails above all. I pray that God will bring you out of any wrong courtship in Jesus’ name. ONCE IT IS SEALED IN MARRIAGE, THERE IS NO ROOM FOR DIVORCE. “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matthew 19:6). GOD HATES DIVORCE (Malachi 2:16).

Also, some people are on courtship that is not a threat to the devil and no potential threat in marriage. So, the devil does not bother himself too much about these ones. Whether in courtship or in marriage, they belong to him. It becomes even easier for him to make the divorce/separate in marriage and also destabilize their children.

Many of the divorce that has happened and those waiting to happen are purely the devil’s manipulation. In many of this case, the man who hitherto had been understanding just starts acting odd and strange. The woman also goes strange, and before anything, the strange fire of manipulation has consumed the seed of trust, love and peace...and the end is divorce or separation. “And Satan stood up against Israel” (1 Chronicles 21:1a). The devil has stood up against homes and marriages, crumbling many and sinking destinies.

Sometimes, the devil uses other people as channels (not sources) of manipulation. Understand that there are only 2 sources in life: God and the devil. God is the source of every good thing; the devil is the source of every evil thing – tears, pains, sorrow, etc. Those people you think are doing you, they are mere channels, the devil is the source-in-chief of the armed forces of evil. He tried to use Peter to dissuade Jesus from going to die. The same way he (the devil) can use anybody: best friends, family, relations, etc. Be watchful!

I do not know the manipulation that is working against your relationship, but I know God can overthrow it if you are sensitive enough to discern it and pray.

CONFESSION/PRAYER

-          I join my faith with your faith and in agreement we come against and stand against every manipulation that has risen and/or working against your relationship (courtship/marriage)...in the name of Jesus, they are broken!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-          Every battered and altered relationship; receive divine re-arrangement. Let life enter every dead relationship. Let strength envelope every collapsed relationship in Jesus’ name.

The Lord said to me and I prophesied at the beginning of the year that there shall be restoration of broken marriages.

-          I decree restoration into your relationship. It is working again. The spirit of confusion and disagreement is exiled to hell in Jesus’ name. Manipulation in your life, family, relationship, marriage, spiritual life, destiny is over forever!!!

Maranatha.

(Culled from manuscript of the book: JUST BEFORE YOU ARE MARRIED by Dr. Bukola Williams. Next in this series we shall examine the topic: IDOLATRY VERSUS RELATIONSHIP: THE IDOL OF TRIBALISM IN RELATIONSHIP. To subscribe to relationship teachings, send a mail request to drwilliams4j@yahoo.com)