Continuing in the series on marriage, I want to discuss an area that is probably the single most important area that the devil does not want you to know because once you know this and once you understand this there no stopping you as a combined force for God. And the devil is fully aware of this which is why he has done everything he can to prevent us from knowing what I am about to share. So get ready to learn something that will not only strengthen your marriage, but will allow you to give the devil a black eye and send him packing back to hell.

To begin with, you have to understand the concept of the two becoming one flesh and the illustration that I shared a couple of posts ago regarding the two cans of paint (black and white) becoming one (God mixing them into gray). This illustration will play an important part in understanding what I am about to share.

Let us start out with a Scripture.

This verse is most often used in counseling when one spouse is withholding sex from the other in order to control the marriage and this is a very applicable way to use this verse. However, God enlightened me to a greater depth of this verse one day when I was praying for a couple in desperate need. What God did was begin to ask me a series of questions and they were as follows. First God said, “When I join two people are they not one?” And of course, I answered yes. Then he said, “And if they are one, then this verse is a natural extension of being one flesh correct?” And again I said yes. And then God hit me with the one that really opened my eyes, “Then if you can pray and resist the devil in your flesh and you are one flesh with your spouse and have authority over your spouse’s flesh can you not pray and resist the enemy for your spouse?” And that is when I hit my knees because I realized that I was not doing that for my wife. I was not taking authority over her body and spirit and commanding the enemy leave her as I should because as her spouse and mixed into one flesh, one can of gray paint, I have the same ability and authority to pray over her that I do over my own life. In other words, I, just like I can pray for deliverance, healing, restoration, wisdom and even salvation in my own flesh and spirit, can pray the same things over my wife. This is why the Bible says the following:

The reason that this is possible goes back to the concept of one flesh and the illustration of the one can of gray paint. Remember that God, when he joins two people together, does not just knit them or mesh them, but mixes them like white and black paint until there is only one can of gray paint. Because of this, there is only one spirit and therefore when one spouse prays, they pray over the whole can with the same authority that they had to pray over the individual black or white cans before they were married.

Think about this. As a husband, I have the God given right, and the expectation, to pray over my wife and rebuke the enemy and his plans and schemes. In fact, Jesus told us the following:

We have authority to bind up the enemy on earth and Jesus will bind him in heaven for us. That means that if we see something in our spouse that the enemy is doing to tear them down, we can pray with authority, God given authority, over them to bind the enemy off of them and send him back to hell where God sent him to begin with. And we have the confidence that Jesus will bind him in the heavens and remove him from the situation. Therefore, if our spouse is dealing with drugs, alcohol, smoking, affair, work situation, money issues, or anything else that the enemy is throwing at them, we can pray with the power and authority that God has given us as we have been mixed into the one can of paint and bind the enemy and his plans off of our spouse and see the devil have to flee.

While that is totally awesome, the really cool part comes when the husband and wife are in agreement about something they are praying for because the rest of the verses quoted above guarantee that whatever we ask for as two united in prayer and agree on Jesus will give us. Think about that the next time the enemy tells you that praying with your spouse is not necessary or unimportant because he knows all too well that if he can keep the two of you praying then he can keep the power from flowing. Yes, you will still be able to pray him off of your spouse, but that is not near as devastating to him as a holy ghost filled bible believing song singing Jesus loving devil chasing couple uniting in praying to agree about God’s will. That absolutely terrifies him and he does everything to stop that.

God wants everyone who is married to know that they have great power and authority to pray for their spouse that God has given them. It is the same power and the same authority they would have over their own body and spirit that God extends to their spouse when he mixes the two of them into one flesh, one can of gray paint, at the wedding ceremony. From that point on, there is no power in hell and no weapon that can be formed against (Isaiah 54:17) either spouse that the other does not have the authority to pray off in Jesus name. And when the enemy has been defeated and the couple has been restored and reconciled to the fullness of God’s plan for their lives, then God calls them into his service to pray as a united couple where he will grant them whatever they agree on because it advances God’s will on this planet and terrifies the devil. Don’t waste one more moment not praying for your spouse with power and authority. If they have fallen into any type of trap of the enemy take charge and authority and command the devil to flee in Jesus name (James 4:7) and remember when you pray that you are one flesh and that when you submit to God it is the same as if you both submit and the devil must go.

And if you happen to be separated and even if your spouse has found a new lover, as long as a divorce has not been granted you still have that authority because you are still that one can of gray paint. You can pray the devil off of your spouse and pray that the blinders that the enemy has placed on their eyes be removed and that God shows them the truth of how much they truly love you and how much God has them connected back to you. Then when the enemy is not in the picture and God is reigning in the situation, it becomes a whole lot easier for them to see the truth. It is still possible for them to choose to call the devil back and reenter into sin, but at least you are doing your part. And always remember that no matter what it looks like in the natural prayer Moves Mountains and do not give up hope.

I hope this invigorates you to pray with new found power and authority for your spouse and take back what the enemy is trying to steal from all of us. Next time, I will share about communication and how important it is to a marriage.

Love in Christ.

 

 

The Marriage Series (so far):

• Part 1 : Marriages – Introduction

• Part 2 : Marriages – Two Shall Become One Flesh

• Part 3 : Marriages – The Role of a Lifetime

Tags: authority, bind, corinthians, flee, flesh, jesus, loose, marriages, paint, power, prayer, spouse, submit, two, united

This entry was posted on Friday, April 17th, 2009 at 12:10 am and is filed under Insights, Marriages, Studies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.