If I Were the Devil, revisited...

If I were the devil, I'd bring somebody into your marriage to upset the balance between God, Husband, and Wife. 

No, not a stranger.  That's much too sinister and obvious.  I'm talking about somebody closer - somebody who's already in your life, like a really close friend or even a family member.  Someone who, all of a sudden, is receiving a lot of attention and time from one spouse.  Someone who needs financial resources that husband/wife had already designated for other things.  Someone who needs to come over to the house a lot, or even stay for awhile.  Someone who gets sick and needs help.  Someone who is having their own marital problems and wants to talk to one of you about it all the time.  Someone who influences the children in a negative way.

But you can't say or do anything, can you?  Because what's thicker than blood?  Nothing!  ...right?  *FALSE.  The bond of Husband/Wife should supercede any friendship or familial relationship and as long as both spouses are seeking God first, and aim only to please God and each other, "let no man separate."

What I'm talking about is boundaries.  As I plan to marry, soon!, I want us to have these boundaries in place.  My future-husband and I plan to help others, and we want to be influential for the Kingdom of Christ.  But not at the expense of our marriage.  It must be balanced.

The enemy wants to tear down the boundaries in marriage, because that's how HE gets in.  So all I'm saying is, he's no dummy.  And neither am I.  So I'm trying to fight fire with fire.  Think about what I would do, if I were "the bad guy" and try to protect what I've wanted for so long.