After a major defeat, Satan calls a meeting with his evil officials to plan how to discourage and paralyze born-again Christians.

One demon says, “Men love their comfort. Let’s bring them suffering after suffering, so they become frozen like Lot’s wife.”

But Satan shakes his head: “You forget what happened with Job? Suffering only refined him, so we could no longer touch him.”

Then another demon, known for clever schemes, suggests:
“Men crave comfort and happiness. Let’s actually give them even more — so much that they forget to pray or read the Bible. If we can separate them from the Word, their prayers will become disconnected from God’s truth. That is the key to destroying their faith.”

Satan grinned and sent his legions to carry out that plan.

Of course, this is a made-up story, not biblical fact — no demon can act against a believer without the permission of their Savior. But the message behind this story is worth pondering.

👉 And speaking of staying rooted in God’s truth, let’s continue from where we left off last time on Ephesians 5:25:

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”

We have already seen that every verse in Scripture is God’s own Word — not just advice from someone we admire. Because it truly is God’s Word, it deserves our full trust and submission. That’s why God’s commands are always for our good — but they can only bless us if we obey them. Obedience says to God, “I love You.” Disobedience says, “I don’t love You,” no matter how religious we might appear.

Today, I want us to see just how critical the place of God’s Word is in the Christian life. If Christians fall for the devil’s schemes — as described in the story above — the first thing they usually abandon is their devotion to the Word of God.

Of course, there are people in churches who go through the motions but have never had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We are not speaking of them — they are not true Christians. We are speaking of genuine believers who, through subtle deception, begin to see the Bible as an outdated book written by ancient, uneducated people.

A crucial question for every believer to ask is:
“What place does God’s Word hold in my life?”

When Scripture calls a husband to love his wife, the assumption is that he loves God and loves God’s Word, striving to live by it. But if a husband begins to believe there is a better way to live than by God’s Word, the Bible will lose its place in his life. Once that happens, he may feel clever and enlightened — but in reality, he has cut himself off from the source of true life.

Can such a husband truly love his wife in the way God commands if the Bible has no place in his life?
Absolutely not.

👉 Jesus said:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
(John 15:5)

A branch separated from the vine cannot bear fruit; it can only wither and die. In the same way, a Christian — including a husband — can only bear the fruit of the Spirit if he stays rooted in God’s Word. And what is the first fruit of the Spirit?
Love (Galatians 5:22-23).

No husband can love and keep on loving his wife as God commands without the truth and grace that come through God’s Word, daily renewing and strengthening him.

God still pleads with His people:

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
(Jeremiah 29:11)

“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.”
(Isaiah 48:17)

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”
(Psalm 32:8)

How does God teach, instruct, and guide His people in His good plans?
👉 Through His Word.

From Abraham, who heard God’s voice, to Moses, who received the words written on stone, God has always revealed Himself through His Word — and He still does today.

So where do Christians find God’s voice?
In the Bible. Where else? ///