“And a man’s enemies will be the members of his household” (Matthew 10:36).

Among other things, our Lord Jesus reveals one of the devil’s strategies against Christians in this scripture. Who is the Christian’s principal foe? Who wants to see us dead and all our dreams destroyed? Who wants to see our marriages wrecked and our family relationships marred beyond restoration? It is Satan; it is Satan who is at the root of evil against God’s people (1 Peter 5:8, Ephesians 6:12).

In heeding the Bible’s warning to be vigilant against the devil, we tend to look in distant circles for his activities. We look at non-Christians or nominal Christians; we look at the difficult colleague at work or the mean boss. But in Matthew 10:36, our Lord Jesus Christ tells us that a major field of demonic conflict in our lives will be our own homes.

Home is the one place where our guards are down and we feel relaxed. It is the place where our hearts are attached, and where we seek solace, comfort, and companionship. Unfortunately, home can also be the one place where we are easy prey for the devil—pretty much like when a soldier is taking a break after a long day on the battlefield.

So what do we do? Do we keep our guards and walls up in our own homes? Do we refuse to love and trust lest we be hurt? Do we avoid delving deep into each others lives just to avoid conflict? I believe that doing any of these would be counter-productive and would compromise God’s purposes for placing us in families. Rather than take such steps, we should purpose to push the devil out of our homes. We should ask the Lord to help us put on His armor and with it drive the wicked one outside the physical and spiritual boundaries of our families.

Satan’s strategies are diverse, intricate, and laced with deception. It is only through God’s light that we can truly discern them. Very often, we see their outcome and ignorantly lay the blame in all the wrong places, but we need the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to the truth about our circumstances. We also need God’s armor of truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation and the Word of God, plus Holy Spirit led prayer and watchfulness to enable us stand successfully against all the strategies and deceits of the devil (Ephesians 6:11-18).

Friends, we need love and breakthrough in our homes so that we can enjoy our families as God intends. May God grant this to us through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Meditate on this: In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides]. Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and deceits of the devil (Ephesians 6: 10-11 Amplified Bible).

Pray: Dear Lord, please empower me against the enemy of my soul. Clothe me with your armor so that I may be able to repossess every ground that Satan has stolen within my home. Strengthen me so that I am able to keep him outside my family perpetually; make every member of my family vigilant and able to resist his lures. I thank you in advance for victory through Christ our Lord, Amen.