The devil loves to destroy Godly relationships. Being a thief that comes only to "steal, kill and destroy," he will stop at nothing so that he can ruin your God-given relationships, such as the one with your family, your spouse, your pastor, your mentor in the Lord, and the ones you disciple for Christ.

Whether we like it or not, there are times when our relationship with people in our lives are threatened by various factors that we can call "wedges." Satan drives these wedges between you and others so that you will not be able to fulfill God's will for you in each other's lives - i.e. be a blessing and source of joy. Sadly, without proper knowledge, we are unable to fight for these precious connections that God has established in our lives and instead let them go, not realizing we just handed Satan the victory.

So what do you do when your relationships with people become strained and sour? Here are some things you can do to fight back and be fruitful in your relationships with people.

1) Identify your true enemy

Ephesians 6:12 tells us, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

We often blame people for what the devil has done against us.

We must realise that people who hurt or offend others are under the influence of the enemy, in one way or another. They could be hurt, bitter about something, or are held in bondage to sin. We must recognise that the true enemy here is Satan, and that the person who hurt you or is causing division needs your prayer and forgiveness.

2) Identify the lies and face them with the truth

Satan is also called a "slanderer," someone who drives wedges characterised by false information or misrepresentations into a relationship. For example, he will present someone to another person as an unlikeable, untrustworthy person who does nothing but hurt others, when in fact that person is a Godly, innocent man. The devil always causes misunderstanding and misperception among friends so that they will have problems going forward.

Jesus said the truth will make us free. Strive to find out the truth of the matter, and let everyone involved know the truth so that they will be freed from wrong perceptions and deceptive thoughts.

3) Pursue Godly relationships

Is it a Godly relationship? If it is, then it's worth protecting and fighting for. Pray hard for your spouse, your family, your pastor, and whoever God has put in your life to bring you closer to Him.

If you ever find out that the relationship is an ungodly and unhealthy one, let it go. Don't hesitate to root it out of your life so that you can have room for Godly connections. Remember, "[God] cuts off every branch in [Jesus] that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." (John 15:2)