Common Enemies of the Marriage Covenant - Part 2

I want you to turn here to Genesis chapter 3, Genesis chapter 3 again, and we're going to the second part of this message, common enemies of the marriage covenant. Common or normal or popular or well-known enemies of the marriage covenant. We aren't ignorant of any of these enemies, they're very notable, they're very obvious, they're very much seen, but just because we're familiar with something doesn't mean that you're aware of the danger of it. In fact, I would dare say most who are aware of these things and conscious of these things don't make any protection on their marriage against these things. They're aware of it, they're scared of it, they might be in fear of it, but they don't take any precautions. That is very negligent, that is very dangerous to do that. To not pray into your marriage is very foolish indeed. You ought to be praying, laboring in prayer for these things. And so we go to our second part we started last week with three points and I want to deal with another three points here. I dare say if I wasn't going away this coming week, this could have easily turned into a series, because there's so many enemies. We're only touching on it, and just so you know, over the next several weeks I probably won't be preaching on a Sunday. We've got guest speakers coming, we've got much going on, so please do pray into these weeks. I will be preaching on the Wednesday nights, but let's just seek that God speaks into the very heart of this church. But reading from Genesis chapter 3 and verse 1, Genesis chapter 3, and I want to read these first eight verses which set the context of all that we are saying. Genesis chapter 3 and verse 1. Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden. And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be open, and ye shall be as God's, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave it unto her husband with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for the word of God that's inspired of your Holy Spirit. Your Holy Spirit that overseen the working of all things gave us these words, these warnings, these instructions, these examples. Lord God, he exposes the evil one, his stratagems, his methods, his lies, his fiery arrows. And Father, I pray, even this morning, that you might extinguish by faith every fiery dart of the evil one. Father, I pray that we would go to war against the methods of Satan. Lord God, I pray that these marriages would batten down, that there would be a securing, a strengthening, a defending of the homes against the adversary, the devil, coming against the children in this church. Father, I pray, make us wise as husbands. Make us wise as wives in this church. Lord God, I do pray in the mighty name of Jesus that you move by your divine spirit. Lord God, we know it's an hour of war. We are on a battlefield. We are at war with our adversary, and our adversary is at war with us. Lord God, don't let us sleep and slumber, but my God, startle us awake. Make us to rise up. Lord God, stand in defense of these marriages. Lord God, we pray for every marriage here and those online. Father, we pray that you'd set a protection around them, that you'd deal with sin, that you'd make us wise concerning our tongue and our thoughts and our attitudes and the actions of our hand and where our feet carry us. Father, I pray for divine wisdom, that you set a guard over your church. In Jesus' mighty name. Now, Lord God, raise up marriages that'll bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ, that there might be a manifestation of the person of Christ, that there'd be a revealing of the mystery of who the Lord Jesus Christ is. In Jesus' mighty name. Amen. Amen. Again, my message, part two in this series, common enemies of the marriage covenant. Common enemies of the marriage covenant. In Ephesians chapter five in the New Testament, in verse 22 to 33, remember, this is in the context of spiritual warfare, putting on the armor of God. Remember when Paul teaches about marriage in Ephesians five, he then leads you to putting on the armor in Ephesians six. This is a context. This shows you that Satan is at war with marriages. He hates marriages. He knows what God's purpose for a marriage is. He knows the blessing of a marriage. He knows what can happen in a marriage. And so the devil does attack marriages. But listen to this. After Paul teaches on marriage, Ephesians five, verse 22 to verse 33, listen to what he says at the end of that portion in verse 32. So he's talking about the relationship between a man and a woman in a marriage, how a husband should act towards his wife, how a wife should act towards her husband. And he begins to lay this out in detail, both parties, how they conduct themselves in the covenant of marriage. But listen to what he says about it, a very surprising statement. After giving teaching on marriage about men and women, he says this in verse 32, this is a great mystery. The word mystery there means something concealed, something hidden, something you don't naturally observe or understand, something that needs God to teach you. In other words, you won't even notice it. It's in your face and you can't see it. You can't perceive it. You don't even know what you're looking at. And yet it's there. It's obvious. But you cannot understand it unless God teaches you. That's what a mystery is in the New Testament, something that needs revealed, something that needs opened up, something that God needs to teach you. And so he says, this is a great mystery. What's a great mystery? And notice, he doesn't just say mystery. He says great mystery. The word great is mega. There's lots of mysteries in the New Testament, but this is called a mega mystery. In other words, this is massive. This is ginormous, what he's saying here. It's big, it's important, it's vital. It's the biggest and greatest mystery in the Bible. In other words, it's a teaching so hidden that it takes God to reveal it to you. This is the greatest teaching, the greatest story. And it's utterly hidden unless God begins to teach you. Well, what is it? He then tells us in verse 32, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. So here he is, he teaches about the marriage relationship, the husband and wife, how they relate together. And he gives you all the teaching on marriage. Then he says, hold on a second. I've taught you about your marriages, you husbands, you wives, I've taught on that. But then I suddenly swing in and say, this is a great mystery. Actually, what I'm really talking about is concerning Christ and the church. Do you know what that tells me is there's a mystery in marriages. There is something hidden. You don't even understand why God created marriage. Why do you think God invented marriage, created marriage, ordained marriage? You know, the Bible begins with a marriage and it's going to end with a marriage. From Genesis to Revelation, it begins and it ends with a marriage. Why do you think that is? Why do you think this teaching is a great mystery about a husband and wife? Well, all you say is him and her. You know, in this church, we do not joke about marriages. We don't make jokes about our wives. We don't make jokes about our husbands. Do you realize we're at war? The devil hates marriage. Why would I joke? I'm not part of that Christian culture that laughs and makes these jokes. I don't like it. You know why? The devil is destroying marriages, even in the church. It's not funny. It's not funny to deride your wife. Not funny to make little of a husband or their roles or their responsibility. We are in a vicious warfare against the evil one. And so we don't joke about that. But you know what he's saying here? If you have eyes to see it, and I know it's imperfect, I know you're dealing with flesh and blood. I know you're dealing with something that involves us, and it's far from perfect. I understand that. But within the marriage bond, within this covenant, within this relationship with its responsibilities, if you're taught of God, you can begin to see the relationship of the church and Jesus Christ. Is it any wonder why Satan hates the marriage bond? Why do you think he tries to attack it and pervert it and wreck it and misuse it? This is why. Because within a marriage, God has built beautiful things, beautiful things, divine order, love, blessing, goodness, kindness. For a second, let me just take you to Genesis 1, 2, and 3. Just consider this for a moment before we go into these three points. When God made man and woman, and remember this before the fall, before sin, before culture, before anything, before children, he made them, first of all, different. God deliberately made them different. They were never meant to be the same. They were never meant to be merged. They're meant to be distinct in the order of God. That seems like a simple thing, but you've got to emphasize it in this hour. God made a man a man. He made a woman a woman. He made them different. They are uniquely different. He also made them at different times. He didn't make them at the same time. Equally, let's make sure there's no bias here. I've got to make them together. He didn't do that. He made man first. Then he made woman, taking her out of him. He also made them in different ways. He did not use the same way to make them. He made them in two unique, different ways. And of course, he made them differently with different makeups and attribute, or else there wouldn't be compatibility if they were the same. He made them with a different purpose, not the same purpose. He didn't say, man has the same purpose as a woman. No, he gave them unique commands, tasks, jobs, and he fitted them for it. And remember, this is from the very creation, not as a result of sin. Sin had not affected anything, and yet all of this was uniquely different between them. Both of them were unique, but both of them were to be complementary. What the man doesn't have, the woman has. What the woman doesn't have, the man has. They're meant to be complementary, depend on one another, or draw upon the other one for what they do not have. This is what God has created. They do have similarity. They are to have unity. They are to have compatibility. And yet, look at them together. There is variety. Just because you're different doesn't mean you can't have unity. It's the same with the church. I love this church. It's so diverse. The real body of Christ is so different. We don't want to make you like ax handles or pancakes, turning you out all the same. We don't want to do that. You know what? Just because we have diversity and difference doesn't mean we don't get on. In fact, I love diversity. I absolutely love it. And there's a unique unity within all of this. The differences of roles and function, God actually created them. Variety, function, different tasks, different roles, different abilities to see different things. This is all the handiwork of God. Both do or have the ability to do what the other does not have. They have what the other does not have. It's meant to be like that. So in coming together, you add something, you bring something to the table. Together, they're to rule. Together, they're to subdue. But equality does not mean that their roles are interchangeable. They're not. They're not the same. The fall of man did not introduce difference and roles or capabilities. It wasn't the fall. It was creation. The fall actually damaged it and intensified the difference of them. It damaged the role that God had given them. But please be aware, when God created man and Eve, it was with an order. Sin does not change that. Listen to me carefully. Grace does not change that. Grace does not change the order of God, how God created them. Some people in the church, you think, grace, there's no difference. There's no idea. God's mind has gone out the window because grace come in. That is a false view of grace. In Genesis chapter one, God reveals the equality of Adam and Eve together. They are equal in the image of God. Under grace, they are one. That's Genesis chapter one. Then move to Genesis chapter two. God reveals their unique roles, their calling, their purpose, or their ministry. Chapter one and chapter two is revealing a distinct different thing about both of them. But let me go to my message here. I just want you to see there's an order, there's a plan, there's a purpose, and Satan attacked it immediately. Do you see what Satan done? Man was the one created as the head. Eve was the helpmate. Who does Satan approach? He approaches Eve. He begins a conversation with Eve. Can I tell you, when the devil starts a conversation with you and gets you into a conversation, you're on dangerous ground. If he leads you in your mind into conversations, you're on bad ground. Well, I think this. Oh, oh, well, no. God said, would you really believe that? You really think that? Where does it say that? Did God mean that? You're in a conversation with someone very dangerous. Very, very dangerous. And when you engage in that certain thing, you better know that you're on biblical ground and that you're dealing with a very real devil. You know, the devil tries to start a conversation with a wife, all of you, his wives. Do you know the devil speaks to you? Do you know the devil wants to draw you into conversation? Husbands, can I tell you, the devil wants to draw you into conversation as well. There was an attack. So the first marriage, as soon as it's created with the order of God, Satan attacks it. And do you know what? In 6,000 years of history, marriage, men, women, children have never been under such an attack as right now in 6,000 years. Your schools, your politicians, your society, the media, everything around you, the newspapers have been hijacked and away for 6,000 years. Marriage has never been attacked like this. Never, ever. You need to wake up and realize that. You need to realize you're on the battlefield right now when the devil is after your children, like he's never been after one other generation in 6,000 years. And he's after the marriage more than any other generation. When are you gonna wake up and begin to ask why that is? Do you realize how shocking that is? That you are living here right now when an unparalleled attack. Do you think this attack on Eve is bad? It is nothing. That was the beginning of the warfare. You see the strategies, you see the attitudes, you see the words, you see the lies. Saints of God, I wanna stir you to take heed to the word of God here this morning. Last week we dealt with three points. Unforgiveness. Unforgiveness is used as a tool of Satan. You cannot play with unforgiveness and not letting it go without the devil being there. You can't. Selfishness, only thinking about yourself. The devil is there. Neglect of your obligations which the Bible commands you. The devil moves in on that. Now let me give you three others here this morning. My first one this morning, false accusation. False accusation. Listen to what it says in Titus chapter two and three. And this is a very important verse for all of you ladies. Titus chapter two and verse three. It says the aged women. It's talking about the older mature ladies in the church. You could be 25 and fall in this bracket because you're the oldest or the most mature in that group of believers. You could be the most spiritually mature at 25. But it's talking about the aged women. Generally speaking, the older women within the church who have had children, raised children, maybe lived out their married life. The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers. This is my first point this morning. I believe this is one of the common enemies the devil uses to attack a marriage. If the devil wants to attack your marriage, this is a false accusation. And ladies, just humor me for a moment. I'm gonna focus on you in a moment. A man can commit this sin. I know about it. I know it. Any man could. But the Bible is focusing, I'll focus on men on the second point I deal with. But you ladies, I'm gonna focus for a moment. You know why? The Bible does. And I wanna warn you ladies, ladies are more inclined to false accusation than men. And I've suffered men falsely accuse me, many men. But I wanna warn you ladies, your makeup, your intellect, your emotions, all of that is prone to false accusation. The Bible, that's why the Bible says when dealing with an older ladies in the church, you know what you ladies? False accusation was not marching you older ladies because you'll impact all the younger ladies. So the older women in your behavior, how you live, how you speak, how you act, it ought to be in a holy way. False accusation is not holiness. You think I'm so righteous. You're accusing, you're doing this. You could think you're so holy. Actually it's unholy. It's sin against God. False accusation. Do you know what the Greek word for, not for false accusers here, not false accusers. Do you know what the Greek word is? It's the Greek word diabolos. It's one word, false accusers, diabolos. An older woman in the church should not be a diabolos. And if you know anything, if you know your Spanish and Greek, you know the word diabolos is the word for the devil or for demons. It's one word meaning do not be a diabolos. Listen again in 1 Timothy chapter three and 11. It talks about a deacon's wife. So it gives qualifications for a deacon, then a deacon's wife. Listen to what it says in 1 Timothy three and 11. Not slanders. That's the same word, diabolos. So a deacon has a wife. It's not the wife is a deaconess. The husband's a deacon. But you can only be a deacon in the church. And a deacon isn't someone who preaches or leads. He's not a spiritual leader. Do you know what he is? He takes care of the business of the church, the practical issues of the church. And you know what the Bible says here? You're disqualified. We can't even ask you to be a deacon in the church if your wife is a false accuser or is a slander. Remember, it's diabolos. If your wife's diabolos, you can't even be practically fitted for a task in the church. Do you think this is extreme? It's the Bible. This is the basic teaching of the word of God. It's a remarkable thing. And so we see even about the deacons, it also talks about the deacons, amen, they are not to be double-tongued. That's verse eight. If they're double-tongued, they mustn't be a deacon in the church. Not talking about elders, talking about deacons. They are given a position, a task of responsibility for practical things in the church. But sir, you're disqualified. Why am I disqualified? You're double-tongued. You know what the Greek means? You've got two tongues. Remember the old Indian, what he said? White man speaks with four tongue. You older ones know that from the movies. White man speaks with four tongue. Do you know what that means? You go over here and say that to that person. Then you go over here and say something to them differently. You're double-tongued. You're a liar. You change. You're not trustworthy. Don't make that man a deacon. Stephen was not that sort of man in Acts chapter six because he had been disqualified. Sorry, Stephen, you're working miracles, but you can't be a deacon in the church. You know why? You're double-tongued. Do you realize one of the great enemies of a marriage is your tongue? Can I ask you, is your tongue set on fire of heaven or of hell? Remember all the teaching in the book of James? It says the tongue is a little member, but it's set on fire of hell. Do you realize your tongue can be set on fire? It's told to Christians, believers. Can you imagine if your tongue is set on fire of hell, the damage it does in a marriage, it sets everything on fire. That tongue, if it's not under control, isn't tamed, isn't in subjection to God, is very, very dangerous. And so look at this. This false accuser is a very dangerous thing. It's a tongue set on fire of heaven, accusing someone. Do you know it also uses this word, Diabolus, for the tongue, in 2 Timothy chapter three and three. It's talking about the last days, what our generation is gonna be right in the very last generation. You know what it says? They're gonna be false accusers. You know what that tells me? This generation, men and women, this generation is gonna be marked by false accusation, slander. Diabolus is gonna get a hold of the tongue of this generation. It's gonna set our world on fire, accusation, uncontrolled. You know this word, Diabolus, 35 times it's used in the New Testament. It's translated in the English as devil or demons. Twice as false accuser, once as slander. What does it actually mean? It means to slander, to accuse someone, to defame them. With your words, you literally bring them down to a very low level. It means to unjustly criticize them in order to hurt them or to malign them or damage their reputation. It means to deliberately use your words to accuse someone. And it means much more than that. It means that you deliberately wanna hurt them. You use your words to hurt them. Do you know when you're tempted to say something and you know that word, I can hurt them, that's Diabolus. Have you ever had it? I have. Well, you're there and you go, I can strike back. I can say this and I know it will hurt you. Do you realize what that is? That's Diabolus. And if you're prone to do that, if that's a part of your makeup, every time hitting back, it's rare with me, very rare I'm tempted to it because it's not part of my makeup. But I do know what it's like. Just there surmising going, I could say this. I could say this. You better be very careful. If that's part of your character, you need to repent. You're on such dangerous ground. You think I can hit them. I can hurt them. I can say words. You armify words. Imagine doing that against your husband. Imagine saying things that are meant to deliberately hurt him and you know those words will hurt them. Wives, never say those words. Shelf them, stop them. Speak the truth in love. You're allowed to do that. You're commanded to do that. Speak the truth in love. But that's no false accusation. Not at all. You've got to be very, very careful. This word of Diabolus was used in secular Greek culture for a backbiter, someone who's always picking up on the faults. If you always come to me pointing out a fault, never come and encourage me, I'm gonna shut the door in your face. Do you hear me? It might be true what you're saying. If you can't encourage someone, if you don't have the ability to encourage people and you're always there, you get hyped up and you go to war about little things, you've got a wrong spirit, you've got a wrong attitude. You better make sure you've encouraged that person at least five times. If you can't even think when you encourage them, you need to hold your tongue. You know what? Diabolus is trying to cause real, real damage and you don't want to be a victim of that. Someone who makes charges in an effort to bring down someone else or to destroy them. When this false accusation gets into home, it'll destroy the marriage, it'll destroy the man or if it's the man, always speaking down to the wife, always criticizing what she does, what she tries, how she dresses. You know, you keep doing that, you'll destroy your wife. She'll be so beaten up. You may never lay a finger on her. Just do that. She'll be so beaten up. You won't believe it. You won't even imagine it. You know, when I was at school, primary school, I was dyslexic. The teacher tried to put me in the handicap unit. Just told me, sit there and don't bother learning. But I did have some intelligence, you know. All the teachers used to say, sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me. You know, I'd sit there and go, how can these teachers be so intelligent and so stupid at the same time? I went, sure, everyone knows names hurt. And all these teachers keep repeating it. You know, names won't hurt you. Names won't hurt you. I thought, boy, how have they missed that one? That's a strange one, isn't it? Do you realize how damaging words are? These false accusers, specifically women in a marriage, you can make false accusations. You know, false accusation can be that you're telling lies. It's not the truth. You could imagine your husband sleeping with someone and he's not doing it. You could actually go to him and say, you're making advances on her and it's not true. It's an absolute lie. Ladies, you need to be careful of your lady's intuition. It's a big difference between female intuition. Sometimes it's right, deadly right, accurately right. Other times it's awfully wrong and Diablos gets into it. You know what? You cannot make an accusation that you don't have evidence. But I just know. Really? How do you know the devil didn't tell you? Oh, but I know. You need evidence. You need fact. You cannot just say, I just know. Well, give me the facts. Give me the evidence. Give me the proof of the thing. You see, a false accusation can be lies. It can be suspicion. And can I tell you, suspicion is a great thief. A terrible thief. You're caught up in suspicion, thinking things, inventing things, lying awake at night. None of it's true. You know what? The devil's playing with you. He's stolen your joy, your peace, your comfort. And then he sets your tongue ablaze and you make an accusation that's very hurtful. Have you ever been falsely accused? I have. And you know what? A false accusation's deeply hurtful. Deeply hurtful. You know, if that fits, wear it. If your wife tells you something's true, wear it. Pray through, then come back to her and say, you're right. Might take 24 hours, but you do that. Do you know what? The accusation, it may be false, or it could be partially true, but it leaves out some facts. It's just choice in pulling things. No complimenting of what is good. But you criticize what is wrong and you're accurate in your criticism. You're falsely accusing. You're absolutely right. But when do you ever commend? Then your accusation's only partially right. And you know that. A partial truth is a lie. Remember, when we grew up, you heard about white lies. There are no white lies. Do you know, you can have a conversation where you say things, you tell the truth. What you say is true, but you don't tell the truth. There's a difference between saying something true and telling the truth. What you could say is true, but you leave out certain facts and evidence that I need to know to make a decision you haven't told me. All you're giving me is the negatives. You never tell me the other side. You're a liar. You're deliberately leaving out bits of information. That's a false accusation. So you make an accusation against someone and you're very specific. You only choose certain bits of information. What about the others? You know, a preacher pastor like me learns to ask a lot of questions or to listen very carefully and never commit himself. Paul Souff and the others that watched me over the years said, we'd say things and you're just blind. You don't respond. Why do you think that is? I've learned it over the years. I'm very careful what I commit myself to. And so you've got to be careful of partially telling the truth that leaves out facts or isn't balanced. I listen to some wives who you'd think the husband's murdering them every night. Nothing of the sort. Absolutely not. Or they leave out scripture. They're making accusations against the husband or the husband or the wife. Making accusations and they don't even take scripture into account. Listen to what it says in Matthew 3, 25, Jesus speaking. And if a house be divided against itself, a husband against a wife, this is what he's talking about. He's talking about a home, a house. If, he's gonna tell you what the consequences are if a husband and a wife are set against each other. If that house cannot stand. Do you hear me? Do you realize there's a teaching of Jesus? A house divided, a home divided, a marriage divided, an attack in one another. Who do you think stirred up the attack? Don't you realize the attack comes from outside to try and stir up? Job is at his lowest point. The devil drops into the mind of Mrs. Job. Curse God and die. Where did she get that thought? She's speaking to her husband. The 10 children, they're at the graveside. This man of God has lost all his wealth. He's about to lose his health. It's gonna get worse. What does Mrs. Job say? Curse God and die. Do you know who's got a hold of you? Diablos. And now you're making this trial a lot worse. Oh, to have a wife at that time, they would say, stand up, man of God. Stand up, man of God. All hell, she feels like death. She's buried her 10 children. I don't criticize Mrs. Job. I'm telling you, she was facing something. It says in Galatians 5 and 15. But if ye, talking about the church, but if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed of one another. Be very careful. You know, you could come and give a false accusation about someone. Oh, it could be true. And then that situation moves on. That person searches himself out. You never think of going back and telling someone like me, oh, they've turned around or they put things right. You don't do that. I only hear the negative of what's happened. You see this across the church. And so it leaves a bad testimony, an untamed tongue according to the book of James. It has bitterness. It is spiteful. It is hurtful. It has lies, slander, excuses, backbiting, gossiping, tailbearing, and rumors. The entire Bible speaks of all of these things. But listen, ladies, let me just come to you again before we move on to the second point. I'm gonna get to men, don't you worry. But do you know what? The scripture emphasizes that you ladies are more prone to false accusation than us men. And I say that knowing I've met hundreds of men who falsely accuse, okay? So I'm saying that in that context. So after saying the aged women, the mature, the older women within the church, let them behave themselves as become holiness, not false accusers. But listen to what he moves on to say then. Teachers of good things. Do you wanna use your tongue in the church, in your family, in your home? Not for false accusation. He immediately in verse three, after talking about not false accusers, not diabolos, not having your tongue set on fire of the devil of demons. Do you know demons are trying to get a hold of your tongue, ladies? Demons, demons are real. I'm telling you, they're very close and they wanna hold to your tongue. But he goes on to say teachers of good things. That's all one word, teachers of good things. So you can't separate the teaching from teaching good things. Do you hear me? This is deliberate. Teachers of good things. You ladies ought to be teachers of good things. What are the good things? Beautiful, right, the best, commendable, admirable. So you are a teacher. You're a setter forth of good things. Then it gives you your platform, your focus. Verse four, that they may teach the young women. So here's a lady. You're not a false accuser in the church or in the home, but you're rather a teacher. Teach them that are young, the newer, the younger believers, young in age, those that are going into marriage, those that are raising children. Why don't you become a woman of God and a teacher of good things? Not an accuser of false things, but actually a teacher. You can take women, I give you the right, the biblical right to be a teacher in this church. Every lady in this church ought to be a teacher. Do you hear me? We believe in women teachers. But be very careful where the scriptures say, how they explain it. It says that they may teach the young women. Listen to what it says about them. It says to be sober. You're to teach the younger women. You younger ladies ought to have older ladies in your life who teach you to be sober, serious in mind, to love their husbands. Some older ladies you talk to, all they do is slander, falsely accuse. I wouldn't go to them to hear about marriage, no way. You know, an older lady in the church who God has his hand on is gonna teach you, love your husband. If that older lady doesn't teach you to love your husband, there's something wrong with her. To love their children. You older ladies should be teaching this. After all, you lived it out, didn't you? Or did you fail? If you failed, then you ought to have been super. You're saying, love your children. Love them, care for them, watch over them. Have a passion for your children. To be discreet. Remember, these all are the themes, this is all the subject. To be discreet. Do you know what it means to be discreet as a lady? All ladies are to be discreet. I've met some who aren't. Chaste. Keepers at home. Good. Obedient to their husbands. So the older ladies are teaching the younger ladies, be obedient to your husbands. That doesn't mean blind obedience. Or servitude. That the word of God be not blasphemed. So you can see these ladies, don't be a false accuser, but be a teacher of the younger ladies in the church. Begin to teach them. Love your husband. Love your children. Isn't there a stark difference between a false accuser, a diabolist? Diabolist demons being in control of your tongue. And you being an older lady who says, love your wife. You get an older lady in the church always trying to bring division in a marriage. She's a dangerous lady. Don't speak to such a lady. It's better that you get challenged saying, love your husband. Bear with him. Pray for him. That's what a godly lady whose tongue is set on fire of heaven will do. That's my first thing. And I believe it's a great attack of the devil. You could say, this is an attack from hell. A lady doesn't just falsely accuse or imagine things or tear down. Or a husband, and I've seen it both ways, both ways. A husband can destroy a wife. You know, it used to be said some years ago, amongst good Christian circles, just look at the wife. And I know it's not always true. You can get a bad wife and a good husband. But it said, look at the wife. And as she's shining, that's a testimony to the husband. There's a reflection. If things are in order, my wife, she won't even need to open her mouth. She will shine because of how she's being dealt with. It's a beautiful thing. It's a beautiful thing. When it says to teach that they ought to teach these things, it means to make a sound mind, to be self-controlled, to be disciplined. But my second one here, now men, I'm gonna deal with you primarily, adultery. It's not that a wife can't commit adultery, but I'm telling the Bible focuses on the man when it comes to adultery. First of all, false accusation. Secondly, adultery. What is adultery? It can only be committed inside the marriage bond, either with someone inside a marriage bond or you when you're inside the marriage bond. This is the seventh commandment given in Exodus chapter 20 and verse 14. Thou shalt not commit adultery. It says in Leviticus 18 verse 20. You see, we need the law because it defines things. The law is good. The law exposes sin. We don't throw the law out or the Old Testament out. It actually defines things very accurately, very well. That's why we go to it. And it says in Leviticus 18 20, thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbor's wife. When you go into the law, the Old Testament, it describes adultery in detail. And you know what? When your children read, I really regret that as a young boy, I came up through Sunday school, I never knew about David's adultery. I suddenly got to reading the Bible myself and I was shocked. I got to David and I went, I've never all these years heard that he committed the sin of adultery. I never once grown up. I was shocked. I was disappointed. I began to ask, why didn't I know that? You may say, don't, don't. Kids shouldn't hear that. Do you realize what your kids are being targeted with in this generation? We've got to speak openly and clearly and precisely. Kids can read these stories and they understand. They really do. And it's modest and it's careful and it's biblical. Adultery is sin. The Bible actually defines fornication. That's a broader, bigger word, including adultery, but it includes all sexual sin with anyone. It defines homosexuality, harlotry or prostitution. And then the Old Testament, it said the consequences was stoning. Adultery was so dangerous to the people of God. If you committed it, you don't get forgiven. You get taken. There's no problem with divorce and remarriage here because what you've done was you took the person outside as long as there's two or three witnesses and whether you're the man or the woman, if you're caught in the act, you died with stoning. It says, remove that person, stone them, kill them. Now, thank God under grace, you can have committed that and you're forgiven. You're restored. You're made right with God. But do you know what the law does? It shows how serious this sin is. Today, we sin and we blink at it. It doesn't mean anything. Oh, forgive me, Lord. It doesn't break people. It doesn't bring tears of repentance. You know what? Even after you're forgiven. Do you know the Bible says that way after you'll begin to mourn? Not at the point. Do you know you could be absolutely forgiven under grace and it could be years down the road, the weight of your sin hits you and you groan within you. That's the right thing. Don't think, oh, that's the devil trying to condemn me. Not always. It's the weightiness of what you've done. You know you're forgiven. You know you're free. You know it's gone. You know there's no condemnation, but the weight of your sin could intensify as you walk with God. It's a very, very real thing. Listen to me, adultery, when you're inside a marriage and you break that marriage bond and you step outside that marriage bond and you have sexual intercourse physically with some other third person, it's high treason. The Bible defines it as one of the greatest of sins. When you commit sexual sin and you're inside a marriage bond, it is very, very serious. You're a rich thief. You've got your own wife, but you're going sleeping with someone else. You're a rich thief. You have no need to go and do that, but you are. Listen to what Job says in chapter 31 and 11. He calls it a heinous crime. I wish we called adultery a heinous crime again. What's adultery? Being unfaithful to your wife sexually. It's a heinous crime. It's unforgivable. It's despicable. That's what Job called it. Listen to what he says a few verses earlier. Verse one, this Job. I made a covenant with my eyes. Why then should I think upon a maid? Guys, can I exhort you? If you controlled your eyes, you'd control your mind. If you controlled your mind, there'd be no chance for adultery. That's a process. You know where it begins? Eyes. You know, when I got married at first, there's lots of things you learn in married life. And there's lots of things you're unaware of. Candace had lived a life, seen a lot of things. And a bit into our marriage, she said, I've noticed something about you. I said, what's that? I'm sure you've noticed a few things, but what's that? Says, I've watched you over this. I don't know whether it was a couple of years. Says, when we walk into a shop, you look the opposite direction from where all the magazines are. And says, it's not coincidental. I've watched you very carefully. And I hadn't thought about it. I wasn't consciously doing it. Do you know when I put that in place in my late teens? See, when you're driving your car and there's a girl walking, see how they dress at the minute? You better divert your eyes. You can't miss it, really. But you can build in the action of diverting your eyes. I'm talking to you men, you ladies. Do you know they always said ladies weren't prone to these things? They are now, because your female generation's being destroyed by pornography as much as the men. And now they're saying the sin of women in these things has skyrocketed through the roof. They're as guilty as the men are. It didn't used to be, or at least that's what we thought. Guys, why don't you train yourself like I did in my late teens in the army? When I was in all the rigors of teens, I taught myself, when you walk in, you know where certain things are that you should look at. You train yourself, then it becomes a part of your life. But you have to build that in. Job said, I made a covenant with my eyes. Therefore, why would I think on a young maiden? You know what he's saying? Adultery is a heinous thing. It's a serious thing. It is a criminal act. You know the Bible says it makes you like an animal. If you commit adultery, you are like an animal. We used to say when we're young, you've got the morals of a donkey. In other words, you've got no morals. You're animal-like. It's heinous. Saints, I hope I'm emphasizing how serious this is. There's nothing more serious. See, if a preacher in this church ever committed adultery, they'll never, ever preach in this pulpit ever again. Never. They'll never do the Lord's Table. They'll never hold a guitar. Never. That's how serious this is. Oh yes, you can be forgiven. You can walk with God. You can evangelize on the streets, but you'll never stand at this pulpit. You know why? There's gotta be a godly example. It's gotta be in place. It is soul-destroying. Remember how young Joseph, it was a married woman trying to seduce him. What did he do? He ran and made the accident of leaving his coat behind him. But he ran for his life and under false accusation, ended up in prison. You know what? I would rather end up in prison than in the bed of a harlot or an immoral wife. She is dangerous. And there's immoral women just like there's immoral men. They're everywhere. I'm gonna tell you. 1 Corinthians chapter seven, verse two. Listen to what it says. To avoid fornication. Okay, so here's how you avoid it. Let every man have his own wife and let every woman have her own husband. You can avoid fornication. It says in verse eight, the unmarried and widows, it is good for them if they abide even as I. Paul was single. He never married. And here he is saying, you know, if you're single to stop fornication, go get a wife. Go get a wife. There's no sin in that. But do you know what? You unmarried and you widows. He said, it's a good thing if you remain like me. Just stay single. That's a good thing. But he says, there's no sin in going and getting married. But if any cannot contain themselves, let them marry. For it is better to marry than burn. It's better to marry than to burn with passion. Don't come under bondage saying, I can't hear from God. I don't know what God's will is. You know what? It is better to marry, don't get into a battle over God's will, than to be in a place of sin. It says in Hebrews, and I'm talking about married couples here, and I'm gonna speak very openly, because the Bible does, and you ought to be reading your Bible. The sad thing is most of the church don't read their Bible. They don't meditate. They don't think. They don't spend time. Our world is being hit by immoral thoughts all the time. All of you, from the very youngest to the very oldest, you are being targeted. And I believe I ought to speak straight. It says in Hebrews chapter 13, verse four, marriage is honorable. In other words, it is valuable. Look what the Bible says. You know what? The Catholic church had a very low view of marriage. That's why they had to make the marriage a, what's the word I'm looking for? A sacrament. They had to because when the priests are following the holiest way, a bunch of immoral men, not always, not always, but I'm telling you, the immorality that come to men who are forbidden. You want to walk with God, you're not allowed to marry, and immorality come forth. No wonder they were forbidden. It was a doctrine of demons. But listen, it says marriage is honorable. It's valuable, costly, highly esteemed, of great price. Marriage is honorable in all. Listen, in all. Every area of marriage is honorable or very precious. And the bed undefiled. There's no one holiness in the marriage bed, but whoremongers, immoral men, and adulterers God will judge. The marriage bed is a holy place, sanctified of God. It's a good thing, a moral thing, a holy thing. God has ordained it. God created it. Every young married couple, that is God's wedding present to you. Do you hear me? Don't open it until after the wedding day. It is a gift from God. It is ordained of God. God created it. God designed it. It is beautiful. It is holy. It's pure. You ought to protect that. And I'm telling you, during your marriage, I'm going to tell you, the devil will destroy your marriage with adultery or adulterous thoughts. If only it wasn't him. Why can't I have her? That is so dangerous. It says in 1 Corinthians 7, verse 5, defraud ye not one another, except it be with consent. The word defraud means to keep back or to rob. Some years ago, Candice and I were talking to an older lady in a marriage. And speaking of somehow she come out with us and said, yuck, kissing my husband. I don't do that. It's terrible. And she screwed up her face. I looked at Candice, Candice, we didn't even have words to respond to that. She walked away. You know what I said? I said, their marriage is in serious trouble. You know, her husband, she was thoroughly saved. So she said, her husband was unsaved, an unbeliever. You've got an unsaved husband and you think kissing is horrible. You're a very foolish woman. You know what? You're in dangerous ground. I said to Candice, that marriage is in serious trouble. What you're putting your husband unsaved, doesn't understand the gospel. You're trying to evangelize him and you don't kiss him. You're really on dangerous ground. That marriage break up shortly later. There was no other issue. She had just drawn back. She was defrauding her husband. What does the Bible say? Defraud ye not one the other. You know, in 1 Corinthians 7, I'm just telling you what the Bible says. Go read it. Do you know what it says? A husband has power over the wife's body in a way she doesn't have. Selah, think on this. And the wife has power over the husband's body in a way she doesn't have, or he doesn't have. So there's a way that you don't have rights over your body, your own body, but yet your partner does. Do you understand me? I'm giving you scripture. The Bible gives very clear comments here. And so it says, don't defraud yourself unless it be with consent for a time, a set time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer and then come together again. You may say, brother Keith, you're embarrassing me. You're speaking about things you shouldn't speak about. Or what's this got to do with the devil attacking marriage? Everything. Listen to the next phrase, what I've just read. That Satan tempt you not for your inconsistency. Satan. Oh, Satan's not interested in my marriage, be it on my marriage. Really? The Bible says differently. The Bible says you need to be careful over those things. You ought to be careful time and wise. That's how you order it. Why? Because Satan's waiting there to tempt. Either he'll destroy your husband or he'll destroy you. That matters. That's part of a biblical marriage. I've seen an awful lot of things in my lifestyle, in my lifetime. That's why I say things openly in the church. You know why? I've learned out of good practice, I better speak openly. I better speak biblically, even on things like this. I don't like to. I try to do it so discreetly and wholly. It says in Proverbs 5, 18 and 19, rejoice with the wife of your youth. In fact, I won't even read this. You go home and read it. Men, that's your homework. Go home, read Proverbs 5, verse 18 to 19. And can I just insert, I hope all you husbands bought your wife flowers this week like I asked you to last Sunday. I'm not being silly, you know. It's not a joke. I'm actually asking you to do something as a Christian preacher in this church. That matters. If you don't think buying flowers matters, think again, really think again. I've got so much more to say. Let me finish with point three. Man, I've just cut off half of that message. Let me see that. I know, I'd say I'm not here next week. I can't go to part three. I don't want to do that. So listen, it says in Proverbs chapter 6, 32. Men, listen to me, give me your ears. But whoso committed adultery with a woman, so he's married, but he commits adultery with a woman, lacketh understanding. You're really stupid. Don't give me your reasons. You lack understanding. But he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. Oh, you're trying to get vengeance or satisfy your needs. You're destroying your soul. It is soul destroying. You cannot commit adultery without destroying your soul or at least damaging it. It's so dangerous. And listen to this, a wound and dishonor shall he get and his reproach shall not be wiped away. Men, if you ever commit adultery, it'll never be forgotten. You can be forgiven. You can be restored. Do you know people who knew that? See, Jimmy Swaggart, all these Christians who run after Jimmy Swaggart, I don't understand it. Would I trust a man with the word of God who wasn't faithful with his wife? Oh, but he's forgiven, that was years ago. I don't care, he should not be in the pulpit. He claims to be the only preacher in America who preaches the cross. Do you realize how proud that is, how arrogant that is? Is it any wonder a man who wasn't faithful to his wife, wasn't faithful to the marriage covenant, who the devil done that in, you know what? You can never forget what he done. I don't, I can remember as a young boy watching the nine o'clock BBC news and it come on him crying, publicly exposed with a harlot. I can never watch that man preach the gospel, never, ever. What a serious thing. The Bible is true, Proverbs is true. A wound he got reproached and it shall never be wiped away. Men, I will instruct you from Matthew chapter 5, 27. It says, you have heard that it was said in old time, thou shalt not commit adultery. But I say unto you that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery already with her in his heart. Oh, I'd never commit the act. You might've committed the sin in your heart. Do you realize why he's talking about looking again? Doesn't mean a quick glance, it means gazing. Men, pornography has been released against us in this generation, not the previous. Do you know Bush was going to clamp down on pornography worldwide in America, he was gonna clamp it down. You know, when Clinton got in, do you know what he done? He lifted all the laws, he let it explode. Clinton done that. Do you realize a man like that is in the hand of Satan? Do you realize the devil wants to destroy? Now in the playground of primary schools in this city, little boys are there looking at their phones at things they should never see. Do you realize the devil hates this generation? Do you realize looking leads to sin? Be very careful, men. Don't tell me that you can watch pornography, indulge in sin of the heart and it doesn't affect you because you'd never do it. That's because you don't have courage to do it. Do you hear me? You'll do this, but you won't do that. You're scared to. And I'm not challenging you, I'm just saying you think you're okay because you wouldn't cross that line. So I just keep it in my heart and mind. That's sin. That is sin. It is dangerous, it undermines your morals. Saints of God, please take this serious. This is an attack on marriages. I've heard reports, it's hard to believe that men left their wife going off into a homosexual relationship. Shocking. And then you go, how did it happen? Pornography. Is pornography led them that way? Third and finally, let me finish with this. Materialism. We're given three enemies of the marriage covenant. False accusation, diabolos, a tongue set on fire of hell. Adultery, eyes set on fire of hell. Thirdly, materialism. This is a desire for things, for money, for needs, for possessions. It is a covetous spirit desiring what others have. Do you know money is one of the main reasons for arguments within a marriage? That's what is widely known and said. Money, it causes arguments, strife, pressure, and we understand that. Your work must not come before your marriage. If you care about ministry more than marriage, or your work more than marriage, the devil will walk all over your marriage. Materialism, I work hard. I actually get a kick out of my workplace. What about your wife? What about your wife? You know what, God on that day won't say, oh, how was your workplace? How much did you earn? He's gonna say, what about your home and your family? Do you get a reputation out of your workplace? And they go home and neglect it. That ought not to be. You ought to get a reputation in your home. Husbands, what's your reputation with your wife's like? What does your wife say about you? And I know a wife can be wrong. I understand that. Or the other way, wives, what is your reputation in the home? She's a false accuser. She nags. She's a drip and tap. Isn't the Bible so inspired of God? Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip. Ladies, don't be a drip and tap. Proverbs warns you, drip, drip. Why do you think it warns you? Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip. Oh, I'm gonna go crazy. Do you realize the devil moves in on these things? Listen, it says in 1 Timothy chapter six and six, talking about materialism and the devil is behind this. Not only behind adultery, not only behind false accusation, materialism. And it's a danger in this hour. But godliness with contentment is great gain. Not just contentment, godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and it certainly can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment, let us be there with content. Underline that word content. If you have food and raiment, food and clothes, food and a house over your head, be content. We're gonna come back to that. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare. You wanna be rich, oh, but brother, I wanna be rich so I can provide for the gospel. You don't have that right. But I wanna be rich so I can finance mission. Those that desire to be rich, I don't care what your reason or motive is, this is scripture. They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare. Do you realize the desire to be rich, to have all that you want? Again, the devil is here. Do you see it? Temptation, who's the tempter? The devil. You wanna be rich and to have everything and to have a nice house and to have this and to have that. You know what? You're coming on someone's ground. He's called Diablos, the devil. And it fall under a snare. You know what a snare is? It's a trap that catches you. You can't release yourself. You're moving onto dangerous ground with materialism and into many foolish and hurtful lusts. He can't emphasize it more, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil. The love of money, not money, but the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Do you realize people have deserted and sold out Christ for money? Judas done it for 30 bits of silver. They're still doing it in the church. They will sell Christ, sell their faith. They'll also destroy their marriage. Materialism is dangerous. It's the work of the devil. It could destroy your marriage. It could destroy your husband or destroy your wife or destroy your children. Well, we're just giving them everything we didn't have. Well, we're the grandparents. You know, I don't know what it is about grandparents, what they would kill. Or my parents, my mother would have killed me for things. I'm telling you, we got discipline. We got a look, a stern look. Don't you, but don't you take more than one biscuit when we go into their house. Few years later, I go back. My mommy, no, as a nanny, minding everybody's kids, I walk in, and this wee doofer of a guy, he's there, and he's riding on the wall with a big marker. I need to go off my head and go, what do you do? Oh, sure, he's okay. Sure, let him, he's not doing any, he doesn't know what he's doing. I'll go, I'll wring his neck. Wait till I get ahold of his mommy and daddy. My mom's going, oh, sure, it's okay. I go, you never treated me like that. One biscuit, don't you dare ask for a second biscuit. It took me over 21 to get it. I was a soldier in the army, still couldn't ask for a second biscuit. Do you want a second biscuit? No, no, and I'm going in my mind. I'm allowed a biscuit. It's not wrong, I'm allowed, but mommy has so trained me. I can't even reach for a second biscuit. God help me. Do you know, contemptment, I shouldn't be making you laugh at this. You ought to be crying. But see, with materialism, listen, what is covetousness? There's a definition, to fix your desires upon something, your desires. It's an inward demand for more. It's a constant wishing for more. It is a deep lust for things, or for money, or for possessions. You're not satisfied. You've got more than ancient kings have. You're not even satisfied. I don't like the car. What's wrong with it? Oh, nothing. I just had it a few years. I want to change. Look at the thinking behind that. Look at the attitude. It is a dissatisfaction with what you have. It is to be greedy for things. It's a strong desire to have what is not yours, to desire what is forbidden by God's word. It's a willingness to gain dishonestly, or to gain what you do not need. You understand what covetousness is? It's an unsatisfied desire. The more you get, the more you want. The more you get, the less you seem to have, and the more dissatisfied you are. What a dangerous thing. It says in Proverbs 15, 27, he that is greedy of gain, troubleth his own house. You're going to bring trouble to your home, your family. Show me someone who's greedy for things, and I'll show you a man or a woman causing problems in that family. Even if it's not their husband and wife, with that family circle, they cause problems. That greedy attitude, you know what it is? Covetousness. You're a covetous person. You're a greedy person, and it's destructive. It destroys lives. It damages lives. Greedy, greedy, greedy. Do you know what it says there at the end of verse eight? To be content. Listen carefully as I close. I'm going to close with this. What does the word content mean? Being greedy, materialism. Do you remember Lot's wife? Do you remember? She used to be the close, intimate friend of Sarah, Abraham's wife. She's the woman who represents the new covenant, the covenant of grace. She's the woman, the mother of all those that believe in God. Even the Muslims recognize her, the Jews recognize her, the Christians. She is the greatest woman in world history. And you're her intimate friend. You live next door to her. Your tents are together. You're intimate friends. You pray together. You do everything together. This is your closest family relative. Do you know what Lot done? For a house, a house in Sodom. She forsook her tent. She forsook her prayer altar, and she forsook her friendship with Sarah. All for a house. That's materialism. You went, oh, I'm not going to Sodom. I just want to be in that direction. Why? Oh, I'm still a Christian. Well, why don't you care about what day you work, about earning money, about your friends, about buying things, how you use your money? Are you storing up in heaven? Are you storing your money up in heaven? Are you storing it up here for hell? What are you doing with it? Listen to what this word contempt means. It's so different than covetous. Covetous is greedy for things. I've got to have that house in Sodom. Lot, buy me that house. Do you know how wicked that city is? It'll be okay. It'll be all right. It'll be fine. You're going to lose your kids, all your kids, and then your wife. Husbands, don't give in to carnal desires and your wife. She'll lead you to Sodom, and then she'll be turned into a pillar of salt, and you'll be left with nothing. And you go, but I've done it all these years for her. You followed her to Sodom, and now you have nothing. You don't even have her anymore. Be very careful. Content is what it means. The word, Greek word, contempt. Are you listening? To be content. The Greek word, look it up. It means to raise up a barrier against something. So if you're not going to be covetous or materialistic in your marriage or in your home or with your children, to be content with just having food and a house over your head and clothes in your body may not be all you want, but are you content? If you're going to stop that, you need to raise up a barrier, a barrier against your flesh, a barrier against those things, a barrier against the trends of this world. Staying up with the Joneses is a very dangerous thing. I need to get those goodies, those trainers. Nike, I need a t-shirt, name, design. They're rubbish. Don't buy by price. Don't do it. You get cheap things of better quality. It could still have them in 10 years. Your expert name you bought for that, it'll wear out. But do you know worse? It'll wear out your soul. Saints of God, I've given you six enemies of the marriage covenant. And as we close, I want you to consider this. Unforgiveness will destroy your marriage. Selfishness will destroy your marriage. It's a tool of Satan. Neglect of your biblical obligations. False accusation, adultery, and materialism. Let's stand together. Father, we need your grace, your mercy right now. We ask for it, oh God, upon every single life. Those that are married, have been married, will be married. We need your grace, oh God. We're in a warfare. We're in a battle in Jesus' name, amen. I don't want you to sing this morning. I want you to see if you're married. Sorry if your wife or husband isn't here. I would like all of you to sit down, and just the couples. If you're a couple here, would you just come together, stand together? We're gonna pray. If you're a husband, you stand. If you're a wife, you stand. Even if your partner isn't here, we really wanna pray for you. We wanna pray for you as a church. I want us to see all of this. Just come stand as a couple, just for a moment. Online, you do the same. We're gonna pray here for these marriages. We're gonna believe God. See, yous that are either single, divorced, widows, whatever you are, just have a look for a second. I want you to go lay hands on someone, and pray for someone here. I want you to go and pray for them. Women lay hands on women, men lay hands on men. Just move right now, quickly. Let's just be quick about this. Saints of God, we believe in the marriage covenant. We wanna pray. Someone go to Edgar there as well. We're gonna pray, we're gonna believe together. As I pray, you begin to pray. Let's begin to really believe God. Let's look to God to really move. Father, we're praying. Lord God, for all these husbands and wives, we agree as a church. For those online, Lord God, for those standing here right now, Lord God, we're not playing games. We're not giving sermons to entertain. We have no desire. Lord God, we believe that you're speaking at this time for a very particular reason. My God, I pray for these marriages in this church. My God, move miraculously. My God, on every husband, every wife, we pray for a move of God. We pray for the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Don't let these just be messages. Don't let these just be points that are forgotten. My God, we go to war, even here in this room this morning. My God, we realize we've got a real devil, a real Diablos, a real enemy. My God, I ask of you for these marriages. Lord God, will you shelter them, will you protect them? Lord God, where there's things wrong, I pray for a breakthrough, oh God. Let your Holy Spirit move in the hearts of husbands. Lord God, woo them and draw them. Make them to love their wives, oh God. Father, we pray for the wives, that they'd have a heart, oh God, to submit biblically and to follow you, oh God. Lord God, we're asking, oh God. Lord God, none of this is easy or natural when the flesh rises up. And oh God, we're asking of you, let your grace flow down into these marriages. We ask for miracles and testimonies and breakthroughs, oh God. When there's difficulties in marriage, oh God, save us from the devil. Lord God, deliver from the hand of the evil one. Break his power in these marriages. Lord God, we pray, oh God, that you bring deliverance to men and women in this church. Lord God, pour out your Holy Spirit. Lord God, let the fire of God come. Let our tongues be set on fire of heaven. Oh God, let fire burn in this place, oh God. Lord God, even those preparing for marriage or who'll marry in the days ahead, oh God, protect them and guard them. Let them walk in holiness and purity in the name of Jesus Christ. We love you, we exalt you in Jesus' name, hallelujah. Oh, hallelujah.