Families are the foundation of society, a place of love, support, and strength. But the enemy knows that if he can divide families, he can weaken individuals, communities, and even entire generations. His tactics are subtle, deceptive, and often disguised as normal life struggles. Here are 20 strategies the enemy uses to tear families apart—and how to fight back.
1. Encouraging Poor Communication
Lack of communication creates misunderstandings, assumptions, and emotional distance. The enemy thrives when families stop talking, leaving room for resentment and division.
💡 Fight Back: Make communication a priority. Listen more than you speak, and seek to understand before reacting.
2. Promoting Selfishness
When individual needs and desires come before the good of the family, relationships suffer. The enemy wants each family member to think, “What about me?” instead of “How can I serve?”
💡 Fight Back: Cultivate selflessness. Strong families are built on mutual sacrifice and love.
3. Sowing Seeds of Unforgiveness
Holding onto grudges keeps families divided. The enemy whispers, “They don’t deserve forgiveness,” making reconciliation seem impossible.
💡 Fight Back: Choose forgiveness, not for them, but for the sake of your own heart and peace in your home.
4. Encouraging Busyness Over Connection
Families are often so busy with work, school, activities, and technology that they rarely spend quality time together. The enemy wants you distracted and too exhausted to invest in relationships.
💡 Fight Back: Schedule family time. Prioritise meals together, game nights, and deep conversations.
5. Normalising Disrespect
When children disrespect parents, spouses belittle each other, and family members speak harshly, division follows. The enemy wants respect to erode so that love and honour fade away.
💡 Fight Back: Establish a culture of honour. Teach and model respect in every interaction.
6. Promoting Addictions
Substance abuse, pornography, social media, gambling, or any other addiction can destroy trust and stability in a family. The enemy loves to enslave individuals so they neglect and harm their loved ones.
💡 Fight Back: Seek help early. Addiction thrives in secrecy, but healing comes through accountability and professional support.
7. Creating Financial Struggles and Materialism
Money issues are one of the top reasons for family conflict. The enemy fuels financial stress and tempts families to pursue wealth over relationships.
💡 Fight Back: Align on financial goals. Live within your means and prioritise generosity over materialism.
8. Destroying Marriages Through Infidelity
Affairs—whether emotional or physical—are one of the biggest weapons the enemy uses to destroy families. He lures people with temptation and convinces them that a moment of pleasure is worth more than a lifetime of commitment.
💡 Fight Back: Protect your marriage. Set boundaries, communicate openly, and invest in your relationship.
9. Turning Small Conflicts Into Lifelong Feuds
The enemy knows that small arguments can turn into deep wounds if they are not resolved quickly. He fuels pride so that reconciliation seems impossible.
💡 Fight Back: Don’t let the sun go down on your anger. Resolve conflicts with humility and grace.
10. Weakening Parental Authority
The enemy wants parents to be either too controlling or too passive, creating imbalance in the home. When authority is undermined, children lose guidance and discipline.
💡 Fight Back: Parent with both love and firmness. Set clear boundaries and enforce them consistently.
11. Encouraging Discontentment
When people are constantly dissatisfied—whether with their spouse, children, home, or lifestyle—the enemy wins. He makes people believe the grass is greener elsewhere.
💡 Fight Back: Practice gratitude daily. Contentment strengthens family bonds.
12. Breaking Family Traditions and Unity
Traditions create identity and belonging. The enemy wants families to drift apart by neglecting holidays, special occasions, and shared experiences.
💡 Fight Back: Keep traditions alive. Even simple routines like Sunday dinners or annual trips strengthen family bonds.
13. Encouraging Generational Cycles of Brokenness
Dysfunction, abuse, poverty, and destructive habits often run through generations. The enemy wants families to believe they are trapped by their past.
💡 Fight Back: Break the cycle. Choose a different path and build a healthier future for the next generation.
14. Fostering Emotional Detachment
Many families live together but are emotionally distant. The enemy promotes indifference, where family members stop caring about each other’s struggles and joys.
💡 Fight Back: Show affection. Speak words of love, encouragement, and appreciation often.
15. Using Entertainment and Technology to Replace Relationships
TV, social media, and video games often take priority over real-life relationships. The enemy loves when families sit in the same room but are disconnected from each other.
💡 Fight Back: Set boundaries for technology use. Prioritise face-to-face interactions.
16. Making Divorce Seem Like the Easy Solution
The enemy wants couples to believe that divorce is the best escape from difficulties, rather than working through struggles together.
💡 Fight Back: Seek help before it’s too late. Invest in your marriage with counseling, prayer, and commitment.
17. Encouraging Gossip and Betrayal
When family members talk negatively about each other or betray trust, division is inevitable. The enemy thrives on backstabbing and broken loyalty.
💡 Fight Back: Protect your family’s reputation. Speak life, not destruction, about each other.
18. Turning Children Against Their Parents
The enemy loves to create division between generations. He fuels rebellion, entitlement, and resentment to weaken the bond between parents and children.
💡 Fight Back: Foster love and respect. Build relationships based on trust, not just rules.
19. Weakening Faith in the Home
When faith is removed from the family, values begin to erode. The enemy convinces people that faith is outdated or unnecessary.
💡 Fight Back: Keep faith central. Pray together, read scripture, and live out spiritual principles.
20. Making Families Believe They Can’t Be Restored
Perhaps the enemy’s greatest lie is that broken families can never be healed. He wants people to give up on each other.
💡 Fight Back: Believe in restoration. No family is beyond repair with love, effort, and divine intervention.
Final Thoughts
The enemy is relentless in attacking families because he knows their power. But awareness is the first step to victory. By recognising these strategies and actively resisting them, you can protect, heal, and strengthen your family.
A strong family is one of life’s greatest blessings—fight for it.