3For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

INTRO: Have you ever had a problem dealing with something in life that seemed to have control over you? Well I am going to deal with some things that are kind of like a "monkey on your back" kind of thing.

So, today when we hear the term, they have a monkey on their back, they are having a terrible time dealing with an issue, habit, or even a sin in their lives. I want to start a series dealing with some of these things people face in life.

Today I want to continue looking at the Monkey of Key Situations. I have been dealing with emotions the last several weeks. Today, I want to look at how Satan uses situations around us to cause us problems. Specifically I want to zero in on how he uses marriage.

Marriage at it's best is great. It brings happiness, joy, peace, contentment, etc. It is however at it's worst devastating. It brings heartache, bitterness, nervous breakdowns, hatred, physical abuse, jealousy, rage, etc. It is such an important part of our lives and society. And, Satan knows this and he is continually striving to undermine it in our lives. Today, I want to look at another area that Satan puts a monkey on our backs in key situations, and that is marriage.

First, I want to share some statistics with you, some that may not be surprising.

The state with the greatest ratio of unmarried men to unmarried women is…

Nevada with 132:100. That is 22% higher than the national average.

There were 2,230,000 marriages in 2005 - down from 2,279,000 in 2004, even though the population rose by some 2.9 million.

The divorce rate in 2005 (per 1,000 people) was 3.6 -- the lowest rate since 1970, and down from 4.2 in 2000 and from 4.7 in 1990. (The peak was at 5.3 in 1981, according to the Associated Press.)

In 2004, the state with the highest reported divorce rate was Nevada, at 6.4 (per 1,000). Arkansas was a close second, with a divorce rate of 6.3, followed by Wyoming at 5.3. The District of Columbia had the lowest reported divorce rate, at 1.7, followed by Massachusetts at 2.2 and Pennsylvania at 2.5. (Figures were not complete for California, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Louisiana, or Oklahoma.)

*

8.1% of coupled households consist of unmarried heterosexual partners, according to The State of Our Unions 2005, a report issued by the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University. The same study said that only 63% of American children grow up with both biological parents -- the lowest figure in the Western world.

Americans tend to get married more between June and October than during the rest of the year. In 2005, August had the most marriages at about 235,000 or a rate of 9.3 per 1,000 people. The previous year, July was the highest month at 246,000, or a rate of 9.9; this doubled the lowest month in 2004, January.

Other Marriage and Divorce Facts (2002)

Percentage of population that is married: 59% (down from 62% in 1990, 72% in 1970)

Percentage of population that has never married: 24%

Percentage of population that is divorced: 10% (up from 8% in 1990, 6% in 1980)

Percentage of population that is widowed: 7%

Median age at first marriage: Males: 26.9

Females: 25.3

Median age at first divorce: Males: 30.5

Females: 29

Median age at second marriage: Males: 34

Females: 32

Median age at second divorce: Males: 39.3

Females: 37

Median duration of first marriages that end in divorce: Males: 7.8 years

Females: 7.9 years

Median duration of second marriages that end in divorce: Males: 7.3 years

Females: 6.8 years

Median number of years people wait to remarry after their first divorce: Males: 3.3 years

Females: 3.1 years

Percentage of married people who reach their 5th, 10th, and 15th anniversaries: 5th: 82%

10th: 65%

15th: 52%

Percentage of married people who reach their 25th, 35th, and 50th anniversaries: 25th: 33%

35th: 20%

50th: 5%

Percentage of people who have ever been married by the age of 25: Males: 32%

Females: 50%

Percentage of people who have ever been married by the age of 35: Males: 77%

Females: 84%

Percentage of people who have ever been married by the age of 45: Males: 87%

Females: 90%

Percentage of people who have ever been married by the age of 55: Both males and females: 95%

Number of unmarried couples living together: 5.5 million

Okay, enough of that.

Let me give my disclaimer that my lawyer recommended I give today…(that was a joke) seriously, today, I will talk about marriage, divorce, and co-habitation. I am not trying to be mean, nor would I be mean to any of you about these three things.

If you have never nor are married at present, I am not here to tell you that you are anything less than what God wants form your life. That is not my goal. I will say that Satan is glad to do so. And I remind you that he a liar and the father of all liars. I am here today to look at how Satan uses a good thing , or at least it should be good thing in our lives and makes it bad.

It is not just the fact that marriage brings with it benefits of longevity, health, wealth, well-being and happiness, it is what God has designed for us. It is right.

First, Satan's goal is to defeat all of us. His desire is to see us miserable, hurt and in his control, which means estranged from God. If marriage is God's blessings to us, then divorce must be Satan's "gift" as well. Divorce is the bane of society today. I am not here to beat anyone who has divorced, and I do not take a place of condemnation. God's forgiveness covers divorce as well as any other sin.

I would like to tell you that Christians never divorce, but we know that is not true. As Christians we too often listen to the lies of Satan. We fail to handle the "Monkeys" on our backs in the right manner.