Defending Your Marriage

Is your marriage under attack?Sometimes it can feel like the world is trying to tear your marriage apart. Internal conflicts or external pressures might make you wonder if something sinister is going on. How can you tell if you're facing spiritual opposition? And what can you do about it?Tim Muehlhoff provides a straightforward resource for protecting your marriage from the threats of the evil one. He looks at what Scripture says about spiritual warfare and how our everyday struggles have deeper spiritual realities. And he provides practical steps for guarding our marriages with the whole armor of God.In our marital challenges, we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities that try to separate us from God and each other. But fear not. Learn to stand firm in Christ and trust in the Lord to deliver us from evil.



Tim Muehlhoff (PhD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) is professor of communication at Biola University in La Mirada, California, where he teaches classes in family communication, interpersonal communication, persuasion, and gender. Muehlhoff and his wife, Noreen, are frequent speakers at FamilyLife Marriage Conferences, and Tim also serves as a speaker and author with Biola's Center for Marriage and Relationships. His books include I Beg to Differ, Marriage Forecasting, and Winsome Persuasion, which received a 2018 Christianity Today book award of merit in apologetics and evangelism.

Foreword by Clinton E. Arnold


Introduction: When Your Marriage Is a Target


1. The First Step: Making Sense of Our Adversary


2. Why Would Satan Care About My Marriage?


3. How Can I Tell If This Is Spiritual Warfare?


4. The Serpent Was Crafty: Understanding the Tactics of Satan


5. Fighting Back as a Couple: Utilizing Our Spiritual Protection


6. Our Greatest Defense: Prayer: Energizing Our Spiritual Protection


7. Taking the Devil's Perspective: Insights from C. S. Lewis


Conclusion


Acknowledgments


Notes

"The vast majority of couples starting their marriages think that their marriage will take place on a romantic balcony, not on a spiritual battlefield. Tim masterfully unmasks the ploys of our true enemy and thoughtfully equips us to protect our marriages, stay on the offensive, and leave a godly legacy for future generations. Every married couple needs to read, discuss, and apply Defending Your Marriage."



"Tragically, we westerners still do not take the demonic seriously, especially when it comes to addressing problems in our marriage. That is until now. As far as I know, my friend and colleague Tim Muehlhoff has written the only book that tackles this crucial yet neglected aspect of cultivating healthy marriages. I really can't say enough about Defending Your Marriage. It is thoroughly biblically based and experientially sound; it is so well written that it reads like a novel, and it is chock-full of insights and practical applications. To be honest, I don't see how anyone can afford not to read this book who is involved in marriage counseling or simply wants his or her marriage to grow. It deftly adds a new dimension to marriage protection and enrichment that you will find nowhere else."



"Tim Muehlhoff approaches the idea of spiritual warfare in Christian marriage by beginning with Scriptural teaching about Satan. He then moves on to discuss ways to recognize spiritual battles in marriage and offers wise counsel regarding simple and practical things couples can do to face it. Written with accessible language and illustrated with engaging stories and occasional sidebars, this book is as readable as anyone could ever want a book to be on any subject. As intimidating as the topic of spiritual warfare in marriage may seem to be, Muehlhoff's approach is an unthreatening treatment of this long neglected but significant issue. No matter the current condition of their marriages—whether thriving, tedious, or troubled—Christians will benefit from reading this book."



"This is a desperately needed book on an overlooked topic. Defending Your Marriage is a sobering reminder of an invisible but very real danger to every Christian marriage—spiritual attack. When we fail to protect ourselves from this threat, we leave the backdoor open to forces that can erode our love, weaken our commitment, and even destroy our marriage. Thanks to Dr. Muehlhoff for identifying our hidden enemy and giving us plans for a strong defense, and for doing it in such a readable and engaging style." weniger anzeigen expand_less