{"id":305089,"date":"2019-06-18T06:00:05","date_gmt":"2019-06-18T10:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/test-you-and-teach-gods-love\/"},"modified":"2019-06-18T06:00:05","modified_gmt":"2019-06-18T10:00:05","slug":"test-you-and-teach-gods-love","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/test-you-and-teach-gods-love\/","title":{"rendered":"Test You and Teach God&#8217;s Love"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Marital intimacy is a difficult topic to discuss. But Juli Slattery says, Christians must push past our discomfort if we are to have any hope of conveying a Christ-honoring vision of it onto our children.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2019-06-18.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:26:51","filesize":"24.58M","filesize_raw":"25774301","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2810,2088],"tags":[6655,4507,4050,4419,5248,2991,4077,6656],"podcast_series":[8282],"cwp_profile":[3388],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-305089","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growing-spiritually","category-romance-and-sex","tag-bliblical-marriage","tag-bliblical-view-of-sex","tag-marital-intimacy","tag-marriage-covenant","tag-romance-in-marriage","tag-sex","tag-teaching-your-children-about-sex","tag-worldview-vs-biblical-view","podcast_series-what-i-didnt-learn-about-sex-at-church","cwp_profile-juli-slattery","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/305089\/test-you-and-teach-gods-love","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/305089\/test-you-and-teach-gods-love","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"MYg0zCLCdn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/test-you-and-teach-gods-love\/\">Test You and Teach God&#8217;s Love<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/test-you-and-teach-gods-love\/embed\/#?secret=MYg0zCLCdn\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Test You and Teach God&#8217;s Love&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"MYg0zCLCdn\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Marital intimacy is a difficult topic to discuss. But Juli Slattery says, Christians must push past our discomfort if we are to have any hope of conveying a Christ-honoring vision of it onto our children.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2019-06-18.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>As married couples, we need to be committed to taking the subject of marital intimacy\u2014our sexual relationship in marriage\u2014taking that seriously. Here\u2019s Dr. Juli Slattery.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Juli:<\/strong> Friends, there are days, where I get on my knees, and my heart is just broken as we walk further and further away from God\u2019s design for sexuality. One day, when I was on my knees, I heard the Lord very gently say to me, \u201cJuli, why don\u2019t <em>you<\/em> do something?\u201d\u2014because when we become complacent about pursuing sexual wholeness and holiness in our lives, we become complicit in the work the enemy is doing to destroy holy sexuality.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Tuesday, June 18<sup>th<\/sup>. Our hosts are Dave and Ann Wilson; I'm Bob Lepine. Have you ever stopped to consider that your intimate relationship in your marriage might be about something bigger than just your enjoyment and your pleasure? We\u2019ll spend time considering that today with Dr. Juli Slattery. Stay with us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us. So, we\u2019re back to talk more about what we\u2019re talking about this week\u2014at least, here, at the beginning of the week. We\u2019re talking about human sexuality. I know there were some blushers yesterday\u2014that\u2019s what you call them, \u201cthe blushers,\u201d\u2014who tuned in and said \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d and then they stayed with it; and they were like: \u201cOh, that was good. I needed to hear that.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Juli, who we\u2019re going to hear today, was phenomenal on the cruise, talking about this. Bob, I\u2019m sort of glad she was talking about this. Do you remember the first time you invited Ann and I to speak on the cruise? [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I do.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> We had this text conversation going back and forth. It was pretty funny; because I said, \u201cWhat do you want us to talk about?\u201d You ended up saying \u201cSex.\u201d I texted Bob back and said, \u201cDo you really want a couple, in their 50s, talking about sex?\u201d Immediately, you responded: \u201cAre you still having sex?\u2014then, talk about it.\u201d [Laughter] So the answer is: \u201cYes,\u201d and \u201cYes\u201d; so I\u2019m glad Juli\u2019s doing it this time. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> But I think Juli goes a lot deeper than we went.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Dr. Juli Slattery is an author and a speaker. She\u2019s written books on this subject and really has some great insight into the nature of the sexual relationship in marriage. She joined us on the 2019 <em>Love Like You Mean It<\/em><sup>\u00ae <\/sup>marriage cruise. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, we need to just mention here, the 2020 <em>Love Like You Mean It<\/em> marriage cruise is very close to selling out. We\u2019re 90 percent full for next year\u2019s cruise. We expect, by the end of June, it will be completely sold out. If you are interested in being with us\u2014joining Dennis and Barbara Rainey; Dave and Ann Wilson; Dr. Gary Chapman\u2019s going to be with us; Charlie and Kirstie Dates are going to be on the cruise. I mean, we\u2019ve got a great lineup of speakers and artists\/musicians who are going to be joining us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf that\u2019s something you\u2019d like to do, Valentine\u2019s Week next year, we need to hear from you this <em>month<\/em>; because, again, we expect, by the end of June, the remaining cabins will be sold. Our team has agreed that, if you sign up this week, there\u2019s a special incentive for <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> listeners. You can save $300 per couple off your stateroom, and there\u2019s some other perks that are being thrown in. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAgain, we need to hear from you this week. Go to FamilyLifeToday.com if you have questions; or you\u2019re ready to register and talk about your stateroom\/what cabin you want\u2014call 1-800-FL-TODAY\u20141-800-358-6329\u2014that\u2019s 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d Join us on the 2020 <em>Love Like You Mean It<\/em> marriage cruise\u2014our 10<sup>th<\/sup> anniversary cruise.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWell, we\u2019re going to hear Part Two of Juli Slattery\u2019s message today. She was talking about things she never heard about in church related to marital sexuality. We\u2019ve already heard her talk about the first thing, which is that \u201cSex cements and celebrates the marriage covenant.\u201d As we pick up the message today, she\u2019s talking about the second thing that she never heard about in church.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Recorded Message]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Juli:<\/strong> Alright; the second thing I learned about sex, that I never heard in the church, really was that \u201cSex tests and refines your love.\u201d So often, we think of sex just being about a celebration or expression of love; but it will <em>test<\/em> your love. It will test your love perhaps more than anything else in your marriage does. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen I grew up, I kept hearing, over and over again, that sex was this great gift that I was going to open on my honeymoon. But when we opened up this gift on our honeymoon, I was like, \u201cGod, You really shouldn\u2019t have!\u201d [Laughter] And things didn\u2019t get better in our marriage; they continued to be difficult. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of the reasons that the gift wasn\u2019t <em>great<\/em> when we opened it was because my husband and I are different\u2014men and women are <em>different<\/em> when it comes to sexuality. For men, sex leads to feelings of love; for women, feelings of love lead to sex. Men are quickly aroused and satisfied; women are slowly aroused and satisfied\u2014it\u2019s the microwave versus the crockpot. [Laughter] For men, desire\/sexual desire is dependent on one constant hormone, which is testosterone. For women, sexual desire is based on <em>changing<\/em> hormones and many hormones. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo let me ask you a question: \u201cDo you think that Adam and Eve had these differences in the Garden of Eden?\u2014so they had these differences from the beginning?\u201d Why would God do that?\u2014what\u2019s God\u2019s plan in this? There was a period of my marriage, where I thought, \u201cThat is the first question I\u2019m going to ask God when I see Him.\u201d [Laughter] But fortunately, He didn\u2019t make me wait until I got to heaven to answer that question; because what God began to reveal to me is that <em>God<\/em>, in His <em>brilliance<\/em>, built these differences into male and female sexuality; because having a great sex life requires learning to be unselfish. Having a long-term satisfying sex life between a man and a woman is <em>impossible<\/em> if you\u2019re not learning to love each other unselfishly. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI began to realize that sex is actually more of a gift like LEGO<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>s. If somebody gives you a box of LEGOs, that has this awesome Batmobile on the outside of the box, you don\u2019t expect that you\u2019re going to open it up and find a Batmobile; do you? If you do, you\u2019d be really disappointed; because when you open it up, you\u2019re going to find all these pieces that don\u2019t seem to fit together. You have to learn to build. When God gives a man and a woman this gift of sexuality, He\u2019s inviting them to build. He\u2019s inviting them to build love\u2014to learn what real love is like. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe began showing me that in my own marriage; but 10 years into our marriage, when we had three little kids, the gift of sex for me was really not getting any better. In fact, it was getting worse; because I was exhausted. I began to see sex as something that was more of a gift for my husband and more of a duty for me. I just kind of accepted: \u201cWell, that\u2019s my lot in life. That\u2019s the way it\u2019s going to be\u201d; but I started <em>avoiding<\/em> it. I\u2019d be exhausted at the end of the day, and I really didn\u2019t want my husband to make any advances. You know, sometimes he'd say: \u201cHoney, you look really tired. Can I give you a back rub?\u201d I\u2019d say: \u201cWhat kind of back rub?\u2014what\u2019s involved?\u201d [Laughter] But that was my attitude; I almost became afraid of it. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI would really reserve the evening, after the boys went to bed, for my quiet time\/my time with the Lord. I can remember one day\/evening God was just really stirring in my life when I was having my quiet time. Have you had those moments, where you just sense God calling you to go deeper with Him? I began to pray: \u201cGod I want to <em>know<\/em> You. I want to <em>serve<\/em> You. How do I serve You? How do I surrender more of my life to You?\u201d God\u2019s answer really kind of shocked me; because I sensed Him saying, \u201cGo up and initiate sex with your husband.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cGod, I want to <em>know<\/em> You. [Laughter] God, I\u2019m <em>so<\/em> into Leviticus I can\u2019t put it down!\u201d I begin arguing with the Lord: \u201cGod, You can send me to the mission field; but please don\u2019t send me upstairs\u201d; [Laughter] because going upstairs was symbolic of entering into an area of my life that I wasn\u2019t wanting to enter into. Sex is one of the few places in life, where Christians feel like they can be selfish\u2014where we can be closed\/where we can protect ourselves\u2014instead of being vulnerable. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tGod began working on my heart, so I went upstairs. I looked into the bedroom, and Mike was there. I\u2019m like [pensive voice]: \u201cHey honey. You know why I\u2019m here?\u201d He said: \u201cOh yes! I know why you\u2019re here.\u201d I said: \u201cNo, no; it\u2019s the weirdest thing. I was having my quiet time, and I was <em>praying<\/em>. God told me to come up and initiate sex with you.\u201d He said: \u201cNo kidding. [Laughter] I was praying and asking God to <em>tell<\/em> you that.\u201d [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, why would God tell me that? Why would He say, \u201cIf you want to get closer to Me, this is an area of your life that I want you to work on\u201d?\u2014because He was revealing to me that I had stopped building the LEGOs. We were not building intimacy. I didn\u2019t know how to get through some of the trials that we were having in this area of our marriage. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSome of you can relate to that. The question isn\u2019t: \u201cHow many times a week should you be having sex?\u201d As a matter of fact, some of you need to stop having sex so you can work on the issue that\u2019s in the way of you building real intimacy: learning to love, learning to share, learning to address the pain of trauma in the past or the shame of the sin that\u2019s in the past, taking steps toward forgiveness and true communication. Sex is an invitation to begin to learn to love like Jesus loves. For many of us, it will test and refine that love more than any other aspect of your marriage. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe third thing that God showed me about sex is that: \u201cSex teaches us about God\u2019s love.\u201d You\u2019re like, \u201cHow in the world can sex teach us about God\u2019s love?\u201d Well, let\u2019s start with the whole premise\u2014see if you agree with me on this\u2014that <em>everything<\/em> God created was intentional and purposeful. Would you agree with me on that?\u2014that God didn\u2019t just randomly create things out of fun; He had a purpose for it. That purpose of <em>everything<\/em> in creation is what?\u2014reveal His glory; <em>reveal<\/em> Himself to us. So God creates physical things on earth that we can see, and experience, and touch to teach us about spiritual truths that just seem less tangible. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tFor some of you, you went scuba diving today or you went snorkeling\u2014nobody went scuba\u2014but you snorkeled with the sharks. You saw beautiful fish. You did something where you saw creation. I hope you just didn\u2019t\u2019 say, \u201cThat\u2019s a cool experience\u201d; but when you saw the beauty of God\u2019s creation, your heart was called to say, \u201cHow great Thou art!\u201d When we\u2019re in the middle of the sea on this ship\u2014when you look out at the ocean\u2014you don\u2019t just go, \u201cThat\u2019s cool water; it\u2019s pretty\u201d; but you say: \u201cI am so <em>small<\/em>. God, I can\u2019t even imagine how <em>big<\/em> You are,\u201d\u2014that everything in creation is calling us to reflect on <em>something<\/em> of who God is. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis is true of your sexuality as well. John Piper put it this way\u2014he said, \u201cThe ultimate reason why we are sexual is to make God more deeply knowable.\u201d Why would John Piper write something like that? Well, he was reflecting on what Paul said in Ephesians, Chapter 5, when Paul talks about this one flesh union between a husband and wife. He says: \u201cNow this is a great mystery; I\u2019m referring to Christ and the church,\u201d\u2014that marriage and sexuality is a metaphor\/a picture of God\u2019s covenant love for us. It\u2019s a <em>physical<\/em> thing that we experience\u2014that we can <em>feel<\/em> and sense\u2014that teaches us about something that is very intangible, which is God\u2019s covenant love for us. It\u2019s a <em>holy<\/em> metaphor that gives sexuality <em>great<\/em> significance. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThere are times in your marriage, when you\u2019re learning to build those LEGOs; and the thing you need to do is\u2014you need to look at who God is and say, \u201cOkay; Jesus, this is how You love me; and so I want to love my husband\u2026\u201d or \u201c\u2026wife this way.\u201d But there are also times, when you\u2019re building intimacy in marriage\u2014particularly when intimacy is <em>wonderful<\/em>, and it\u2019s exhilarating, and it\u2019s passionate\u2014where you stop and you say, \u201cYou love me like this?\u201d because the Scripture says that sexuality and God\u2019s covenant love\u2014that one teaches us about the other. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLet me give an example where we see this in Scripture. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for sexual intimacy between a husband and wife is the word, <em>yada<\/em>. Does anybody know what the word, <em>yada<\/em>, means?\u2014to know. It means to know intimately or deeply. Now, the word, <em>yada<\/em>, is used in the Old Testament over 940 times. How many of you have read the whole Old Testament? Okay; let me ask you: \u201cIs there that much sex in the Old Testament?\u201d\u2014<em>no<\/em>. The reason the word, <em>yada<\/em>, is used over 940 times is because, most of the times, it\u2019s used it is referring to God\u2019s intimate sacred knowledge of us and our desire to know Him intimately. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIn Psalm 139\u2014the psalm of intimate knowing\u2014David says \u201cYou have searched me O God and You <em>yada<\/em> me. You <em>yada<\/em> when I sit and when I rise\u2026before a word is on my tongue You <em>yada<\/em> completely.\u201d When Moses was asking to see the glory of God, he was saying, \u201cGod, I want to <em>yada<\/em> You; I want to intimately <em>know<\/em> You.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you\u2019re reading the Old Testament in the original language, you would know that sexual intercourse between a husband and wife is a metaphor\/a symbol reminding us all and always of our longing to know God more intimately and more passionately\u2014to enter into who He is. You know, some of us\u2014I\u2019ve been here\u2014we <em>say<\/em> we love God. We say it out loud; we might even sing the worship song, but we don\u2019t know how to enter into the passion of knowing who God really is and of celebrating Him. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis gives sex great significance\u2014to know that its purpose is to be a metaphor of something as holy as God\u2019s covenant love. It is not just a metaphor for us, within our own marriages; it is a metaphor that the world is watching. It is the one thing on planet earth that is a physical tangible way of us showing people that God loves us intimately, that He loves us passionately, that He loves us faithfully, that He doesn\u2019t break His covenant. This gives sexual intimacy within your marriage holy significance, and it also is why the enemy so desperately wants to destroy sexuality. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCan you think of anything in our culture that is under more spiritual attack than sexuality? We see sexual brokenness everywhere. In my job\/in my ministry, what I deal with every day is sexual brokenness and sexual questions. I deal with brokenness: in marriage; pornography; \u201cHow do you recover from an affair?\u201d I deal with same-sex attraction; I deal with gender fluidity and confusion; and sexual abuse. Sometimes, it gets pretty overwhelming when you see all that pain and you know all that pain is there. Friends, there are days, where I get on my knees, and my heart is just broken for the pain. I see that the pain is only going to get worse as we walk further and further away from God\u2019s design for sexuality. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSometimes, I just cry out to God and I say, \u201cGod, why don\u2019t You do something?\u201d One day, when I was on my knees, just praying that prayer, I heard the Lord very gently say to me, \u201cJuli, why don\u2019t <em>you<\/em> do something?\u201d\u2014because when we become complacent about pursuing sexual wholeness and holiness in our lives, we become complicit in the work the enemy is doing to destroy holy sexuality. Here\u2019s what I realized: \u201cWe need revival.\u201d And you know where revival is going to come from?\u2014it\u2019s going to come from us; it\u2019s going to come from God\u2019s people. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThere is sexual brokenness, and shame, and sin, and hurt that\u2019s not being spoken out loud\u2014we\u2019re not asking God to bring healing; we\u2019re not being honest with what we\u2019re struggling with. If we want to see revival <em>out there<\/em>, it has to begin with <em>right here<\/em>. That\u2019s why I say to God: \u201cI don\u2019t want the enemy to have one inch of territory of that area in my marriage. I want to <em>fight<\/em> for it. I want to <em>fight<\/em> for God to reclaim what the enemy has stolen.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to ask you to fight for it, too. Again, fighting for revival\u2014it\u2019s not about \u201cHey, let\u2019s get these laws changed,\u201d or \u201cLet\u2019s picket this.\u201d It\u2019s about asking Almighty God to reclaim territory that has been stolen by the enemy, not out there, but right here. [Applause]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Studio]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Now, again, that\u2019s Dr. Juli Slattery speaking on the <em>Love Like You Mean It<\/em> marriage cruise this year. We\u2019re going to hear from her, again, before we\u2019re done\u2014she\u2019s going to pray for couples. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tShe\u2019s right; this is a spiritual issue\u2014a profoundly spiritual issue\u2014that has an impact, not just on our marriages, but in our culture. How we deal with this good gift from God affects everything about our lives and our culture.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> And because the sexuality of our lives is so tied to our souls, which is something you need to hear in the church. What Juli was talking about, it deeply affects us from the inside out so, when we made bad decisions, it\u2019s something that you carry for your whole life. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tRevival\u2014man, she\u2019s so right. It\u2019s like: \u201cAm I willing to take this area of my life and surrender it to Jesus?\u2014and ask Him to do a revival in that part of my soul so that it can spread out to the world?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I so agree. I see so many people and couples in bondage in this area\u2014that they can\u2019t get free. I love that she\u2019s going here, because God can set us free. He can revive our hearts, and revival starts within ourselves before we can take it to the world.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> And the people, who are in bondage, feel helpless; because they feel like, \u201cThis is something I can\u2019t talk to anybody about.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Right; and \u201cThere are no answers.\u201d \u201c<em>Here<\/em> are answers.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Exactly; Juli\u2019s written on these subjects. In fact, we\u2019ve got a number of her books in our <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> Resource Center. You can go, online, at FamilyLIfeToday.com to get more information about books from Juli Slattery. Again, our website is FamilyLifeToday.com; and her material is very helpful.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLet me also mention\u2014I mentioned this earlier\u2014but the <em>Love Like You Mean It<\/em> marriage cruise, where Juli was speaking this year\u2014our 2020 cruise is almost completely sold out. We\u2019re in what we\u2019re calling \u201cCountdown to Sellout.\u201d We expect, by the end of June, all of the cabins will be claimed. If you\u2019re interested in joining us on board the <em>Love Like You Mean It<\/em> marriage cruise in 2020\u2014Valentines week\/February 11-17\u2014go to FamilyLifeToday.com and get more information, or call to register at 1-800-FL-TODAY. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf we hear from you this week\u2014you\u2019re a <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> listener\u2014there is a special offer available. You can save $300 per couple off the cost of your stateroom, and there are some additional perks that the team is throwing in. Find out more when you call 1-800-FL-TODAY to book your cabin. Again, the number to call: 1-800-358-6329; and we can get you all set up to join us, in February 2020, on the tenth anniversary of the <em>Love Like You Mean It<\/em> marriage cruise. We hope you can join us for that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, here, again, is Dr. Juli Slattery to close our program today in prayer.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Previously Recorded]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Juli:<\/strong> As we close, I\u2019m going to ask you just to hold your spouse\u2019s hand; and close your eyes for a minute with me. These aren\u2019t easy things to talk about, even between you and your spouse. But if God is stirring on your heart\/if there\u2019s something that He is revealing\u2014where you just feel like God is asking you to put a stake in the ground to address something that maybe is hard to talk about\/to confess something that you\u2019re afraid to talk about or confess\u2014would you just squeeze your spouse\u2019s hand? Just between the two of you say: \u201cHoney, this is something we need to talk about later,\u201d or \u201c\u2026pray about.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI would just ask the Lord to give you the courage to follow through with that, because I <em>really<\/em> believe that God redeems and reclaims one life at a time and one marriage at a time. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLord, we come before You. I see in Your Word the pattern of You moving begins with You breaking Your people\u2019s heart; and when their hearts are broken, You ask them to begin with personal repentance. We sang to You, O God, just an hour ago about how You are the healer and, if You are for us, then who can stand against us? I claim that prayer for every couple in this room. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSome couples are just wanting to celebrate in a different way than they ever have before. Some couples need to invite You into healing\u2014need to invite You in to removing shame\/removing bitterness so that their marriage can truly be a metaphor for the depth of Your covenant love. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLord, I pray that You would do this in our hearts and in our lives in this place so that we really could be lights in a dark world for Your glory. In Jesus\u2019 name I pray; Amen.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas; a Cru<sup>\u00ae <\/sup>Ministry. Help for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2019 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/305089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=305089"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=305089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=305089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=305089"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=305089"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=305089"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=305089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}