{"id":305851,"date":"2020-03-18T07:00:04","date_gmt":"2020-03-18T11:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/engage-your-emotions\/"},"modified":"2020-03-18T07:00:04","modified_gmt":"2020-03-18T11:00:04","slug":"engage-your-emotions","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/engage-your-emotions\/","title":{"rendered":"Engage Your Emotions"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What does the Bible mean when it calls women &#8220;the weaker vessel&#8221;? Author Mary Kassian explains that women are more vulnerable to being abused and hurt. Kassian gives women practical advice for engaging their emotions in a God-honoring way.<\/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:\/\/mp3.familylife.com\/fl2020-03-18.mp3","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:27:44","filesize":"25.39M","filesize_raw":"26624141","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2838,2836,2831,2093],"tags":[4001],"podcast_series":[8344],"cwp_profile":[3160],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-305851","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mothers","category-raising-girls","category-wives","category-women","tag-women","podcast_series-the-right-kind-of-strong","cwp_profile-mary-kassian","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\/305851\/engage-your-emotions","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/305851\/engage-your-emotions","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=\"jkwNU0INUA\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/engage-your-emotions\/\">Engage Your Emotions<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/engage-your-emotions\/embed\/#?secret=jkwNU0INUA\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Engage Your Emotions&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"jkwNU0INUA\" 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"},"spectra_custom_meta":{"_wp_page_template":["default"],"transcript_url":["https:\/\/transcript.familylife.com\/fl2020-03-18.pdf"],"audio_file":["https:\/\/mp3.familylife.com\/fl2020-03-18.mp3"],"transcript_content":["<strong>Bob: <\/strong>We tend to think that strength and humility are on different parts of the spectrum, that they\u2019re antithetical to one another at some level. Mary Kassian says a strong wife\/a strong woman is going to be humble.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>We tend to look at our spouse and be critical and say: \u201cWell, it\u2019s his fault,\u201d or \u201cIt\u2019s her fault,\u201d and \u201cIf only she were this,\u201d or \u201cIf only she didn\u2019t have sin in her life,\u201d\/\u201cIf only <em>he<\/em> didn\u2019t have sin in his life.\u201d I know that every time that I have done that\u2014and come to the Lord, complaining about Brent\u2014that the Holy Spirit has very gently pointed out the sin in my life. I find that, when I get rid of the sin in my life, all of a sudden, things improve.\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 Wednesday, March 18<sup>th<\/sup>. Our hosts are Dave and Ann Wilson; I'm Bob Lepine. You\u2019ll find us online at FamilyLifeToday.com. It takes a lot of strength, for both husbands and wives, to acknowledge our own weaknesses. We\u2019ll talk more about that today with Mary Kassian. 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. I remember getting a text from one of my sons. He\u2019d been married for maybe a year or two; and he said, \u201cDad, help me understand this verse that talks about women as the weaker vessel.\u201d I don\u2019t know the context\u2014I don\u2019t know if it was a conversation with his wife; I don\u2019t know what was going on\u2014but he was trying to honor and esteem his wife. You read this verse that says women are the weaker vessel; and he goes: \u201cWhat am I supposed to do with that? What am I supposed to make of that?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCertainly, that\u2019s one of those verses that a lot of people in our culture today would say: \u201cScratch that one out. Just cover that\/just skip over that and go on to the next verse.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>I actually don\u2019t think I married that woman.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u2014the weaker vessel. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>She\u2019s not the weaker vessel. But it is a great question; what does it mean?<br>\u00a0\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Well, we have a woman <em>here<\/em>, talking about the right kind of strong with us this week\u2014Mary Kassian, who joins us again on <em>FamilyLife Today. <\/em>Welcome back.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Thank you so much.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Mary is an author; she\u2019s a speaker. The new book she\u2019s written is called <em>The Right Kind of Strong<\/em>. She\u2019s been on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> regularly. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen you came across that verse the first time, \u201cWomen are the weaker vessel,\u201d did the hackles on your neck kind of raise up?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Absolutely, the hackles on my neck rose up! I had never considered myself to be a weak woman; I\u2019ve always considered myself to be a strong woman. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut that passage is a fascinating one; because when you dig down into it, it basically says, \u201cGuys, you better treat women with respect; because they\u2019re weaker\u201d; in other words: \u201cThey are more vulnerable. They\u2019re more vulnerable to being abused; they\u2019re more vulnerable to being hurt. So, guys, if you are men, you will step up to the plate and you will protect women, and you will look out for them. You need to treat them with respect and with care, and not be careless and not be cruel,\u201d and \u201cYou need to be a man and treat a woman well.\u201d That\u2019s what that passage is talking about.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>There\u2019s another passage, and it\u2019s the one we\u2019ve been talking about this week, that talks about weak women in the Bible; it\u2019s 2 Timothy, Chapter 3. Read that one more time for us, because Paul is talking about a problem in the church in Ephesus that he\u2019s counseling Timothy on dealing with. The problem is women, who are spiritually weak; and as a result, there are all kinds of issues emerging in their homes and in the church.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Yes, the passage is in 2 Timothy 3, verses 6-7. Paul says, \u201cAmong them are those who creep into households\u201d\u2014so it\u2019s talking about false teachers here; these false teachers creep into households\u2014\u201cand capture weak women.\u201d\u00a0 These women are \u201cburdened with sins, led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe talked about the problem of these women being weak because they were allowing creeps in, and that they were weak because they were allowing their minds to be captured and captivated rather than being taken captive by Scripture.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>They\u2019re weak because they\u2019re burdened with sin, because they have baggage in their lives?\u2014is that right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Absolutely. That\u2019s <em>exactly<\/em> what that phrase means, \u201cburdened with sins.\u201d Actually, in the Greek, the word is a word picture of being loaded up, like a wagon being overloaded with sin, and just being burdened and weighed down. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat\u2019s the thing about sin: I think sin, when we don\u2019t deal with it in our lives\u2014when we just allow it to accumulate and we don\u2019t address it\u2014when we don\u2019t get rid of that baggage, then it begins to weigh us down. It actually can become very heavy, and it can actually make us weak.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>So what does a woman do? How does she counteract that baggage?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Scripture tells us that a strong woman will have a habit of looking for sin in her life. A strong woman makes a habit of getting rid of the sin. If I\u2019m a strong woman\u2014and I\u2019m going through my day, and I\u2019m finding that I\u2019m snipping at my husband or am just being rude\u2014if I am strong, I will make a habit of going to the Lord with that and saying: \u201cLord, I just sinned against You; and I was really nasty towards my husband. Help me correct that.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf I am a weak woman, I\u2019ll go, \u201cAw, not a big deal,\u201d and I\u2019ll just let it sit there and accumulate. The thing about sin is that sin tends to attract more sin. If I let that sin of criticism fester there, and I don\u2019t deal with it\/if I don\u2019t get rid of that baggage, then chances are there will be more criticism coming pretty soon, and more criticism, more snarkiness, more discord, and more of letting that creep in and starting to fester with an attitude and with sins. It will start to weigh me down in my Christian life.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>What you\u2019re talking about is what Puritan writers used to call the mortification of sin. It\u2019s looking at sin\u2014I remember my friend Crawford Loritts, who said: \u201cMost of us don\u2019t want to mortify sin; we want to manage sin. We want to keep it around so we can pet it from time to time, but we don\u2019t want it to get bigger or to do anything disruptive.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWell, the Bible says that doesn\u2019t work with sin. Sin will get bigger; sin will break out of its cage; sin will consume you. You have to put it to death\u2014that\u2019s why Jesus said\u2014\u201cIf your right hand sins,\u201d\u2014you don\u2019t say, \u201cWell, I\u2019ll put a glove on it,\u201d\u2014\u201cyou cut it off\u201d; right? So to be smart\/to be strong is to say: \u201cI will not let sin remain. I will deal with this. I won\u2019t treat it lightly.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>That\u2019s right; these women, who were weak, were letting it pile up\u2014they were letting the baggage pile up. It says that they were \u201cburdened with sins.\u201d We don\u2019t know what those sins were; but we do know that they were many, and that they were accumulating, and that it was weighing these women down.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, the thing about sin is that Jesus dealt with all of it on the cross. He forgave our sins\u2014past, present, and future\u2014and sin is dealt with; it\u2019s done with. Romans tells us that: \u201cThere is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,\u201d because once we enter into a relationship with Jesus, there\u2019s no condemnation. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDealing with sin, as a Christian, is a matter of what the Bible calls\u2014is sanctification\u2014it\u2019s becoming holier. It\u2019s not justification, which means your standing before God. You are accepted; you are fully loved; it doesn\u2019t matter how much sin is in your life. And yet, God wants us to deal with sin, on an ongoing basis, in order for us to become freer, in order for us to become holier, in order for us to glorify Him, and in order for us to have lives that are fruitful and productive.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Your phrase, \u201cditch the baggage,\u201d is a good phrase; because I think it\u2019s easy\u2014because we\u2019re justified and we are forgiven\u2014to just pile on the sin.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Exactly!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>You know, it\u2019s like: \u201cOh, it\u2019s no big deal; I am forgiven,\u201d or \u201cIf I\u2019m not forgiven right now, in terms of my experience, I will be tonight when I deal with this sin; and I get on my knees and ask for forgiveness.\u201d I am adding baggage; I am literally putting a backpack on, weighed down with weights, if I play around with this sin rather than ditch it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u201cThe sins that so easily entangle and encumber us,\u201d\u2014that\u2019s what the writer of Hebrews says; yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Right!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Hebrews says: \u201cGet rid of it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>\u201cGet rid of it. Set aside the sin that entangles you and encumbers you.\u201d I think we forget that\u2014we forget that sin messes us up; it entangles us; it trips us up.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Think about this in your marriage; because when I play around with sin and bring that into my marriage, I can\u2019t have the marriage I want. I can blame my spouse; I can blame God; I can blame the big creep, Satan; but I am bringing baggage to my own marriage. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019ve done this\u2014I\u2019m like: \u201cWhat is wrong with my wife?\u201d \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with my marriage?\u201d I\u2019m playing with something\u2014I\u2019m not taking it captive; I\u2019m not dealing with it\u2014I\u2019m bringing weight. The second I receive the forgiveness of God and confess my sin, there\u2019s a freedom that enables us to get to the marriage we <em>want<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Mary, talk about the woman, who is weakened by\/unable to be strong\u2014not because of present sin\u2014but because of the burden of past sin, and the shame, and the guilt\u2014and she just, as much as she would like to be free, the accuser continues to remind her of her baggage that she can\u2019t seem to ditch. What does she do with that?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>She needs an infusion of truth. She needs to run to the Word of God and ask God to make His truth real in her life; because the truth of the matter is God forgives us\/that we are forgiven, and that all of the certificate of debt was nailed against the cross when Jesus died for our sins, and that there\u2019s no condemnation.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, there are sometimes some things that we need to deal with in terms of working through the journey, particularly if we\u2019ve been sinned against. Sometimes it\u2019s not <em>our<\/em> sin, but sometimes it\u2019s a sin that\u2019s been committed <em>against<\/em> us; and then we need to deal with bitterness and unforgiveness, because our response to that sin is piling on the baggage in our life as well. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSometimes it\u2019s a process. I think God gives us a lot of grace for that process, but we need to be walking that journey of saying, \u201cNo, I am a child of God.\u201d We need to be truth-declarers, saying: \u201cI am forgiven. I am a child of God. I am taking this sin, and I am confessing it, and I\u2019m getting it out of my life right now.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think what you said, Dave, is so applicable in terms of marriage; because we tend to look at our spouse and be critical and say, \u201cWell, it\u2019s his fault,\u201d or \u201cIt\u2019s her fault,\u201d and \u201cIf only she were this,\u201d or \u201cIf only she didn\u2019t have sin in her life,\u201d\/\u201cIf only he didn\u2019t have sin in his life.\u201d I know that every time that I have done that\u2014and come to the Lord, complaining about Brent\u2014that the Holy Spirit has very gently pointed out the sin in my life. I find that, when I get rid of the sin in my life, all of a sudden, things improve.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>What we\u2019re doing is\u2014we\u2019re saying: \u201cMy sin is justified.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u201cMy critical spirit\/my harsh attitude\u2014that\u2019s justified\u2014because the other person is provoking it in me.\u201d It\u2019s <em>never<\/em> justified.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Yes, we <em>love<\/em> to see sin in other people; don\u2019t we?\u2014[Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Absolutely.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>\u2014whether it\u2019s our spouse or a neighbor. It\u2019s hard to look in the mirror. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut I go back to the passage, and I want to know what you have to say about this; because it says, \u201c\u2026burdened with sins,\u201d\u2014which we just talked about\u2014\u201cand led astray by various passions.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>That\u2019s a big one for women.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Oh yes; let\u2019s talk.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Passions, which are desires, or longings, or yearnings\u2014we all have them\u2014and they\u2019re so tied to our emotions. I think that that\u2019s a mark of a strong woman\u2014is a strong woman gets a grip on her emotions.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, I think emotions are a really good thing; they\u2019re God\u2019s gift to us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>I would never want to tell women, \u201cOh, don\u2019t be so emotional,\u201d because being emotional\u2014or having those emotional feelings and having that depth of feeling\u2014that\u2019s a real gift; and God gives us that as a gift.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>It\u2019s part of being a woman.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>It is part of being a woman, and it\u2019s a precious part of being a woman. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think that women tend to respond to that in two opposite ways. They either tend to let emotions <em>run<\/em> their lives; or they tend to suppress their emotions and say, \u201cI\u2019m not going to have any feelings,\u201d and they stuff them down; and they don\u2019t acknowledge what those emotions are.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNeither of those are a good response. These women in Ephesus\u2014it said that they were \u201cled astray by various passions\u201d; in other words, their feelings\/their desires were leading them astray.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>You often hear, \u201cWomen are emotional\u2014more emotional than men.\u201d I\u2019m not saying that\u2019s true at all\u2014I don\u2019t even think it\u2019s true\u2014but you hear that\u2014\u201cAnd they can\u2019t control their emotions; they\u2019re just going to <em>follow<\/em> their emotions.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou don\u2019t even say, in this habit, to manage your emotions; you say, \u201cengage.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Well, a good illustration that I like to use is that I think emotions are like those indicator lights on your dashboard of your car. The light comes on\u2014tells you the tire pressure is low\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>\u201cThose lights we\u2019re supposed to pay attention to?\u201d [Laughter] Like, \u201cI\u2019m not doing anything about that; that thing\u2019s faulty!\u201d\u2014right? [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Exactly\u2014the tire\u2014I think I\u2019ve got one on my car right now\u2014tire pressure: \u201cTire pressure is low\u201d; or you need \u201cMore gas\u201d; or \u201cThis needs attention\u201d; you need more \u201cWindshield wiper fluid.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think that your emotions give you <em>good<\/em> information, but they\u2019re not supposed to be the steering wheel. Your emotions are to come under the lordship of Jesus Christ in conjunction with your will, and your mind\/your intellect.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think, when the Lord created us, our minds, our wills, and our emotions all pulled in the same direction; but sin broke us, so now we have the situation that Paul complained about\u2014is that he does what he doesn\u2019t want to do; right? Your emotions aren\u2019t pulling you in the same direction as what you <em>know<\/em> you ought to do.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhenever you have that situation, where you go, \u201cI know I should, but\u2026\u201d it\u2019s probably because your emotions are not in line with your intellect. It\u2019s good to acknowledge that\u2014say: \u201cThat\u2019s the light on my dashboard; that\u2019s what this is indicating to me. My emotions tell me that I want to linger with this thought,\u201d \u201c\u2026I want to linger with this guy,\u201d \u201c\u2026I want to send him a text message\u201d; but my mind tells me, \u201cI ought not to do that.\u201d I don\u2019t know if I have the will to resist doing what my emotions are doing, so you take that whole package to the Lord and you say, \u201cGod, help me with this.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>That\u2019s good. I kind of like the idea of putting a bridle on your emotions; and taking the bridle\u2014you take it to the Father. Here\u2019s the habit that I\u2019ve gotten into: \u201cFather God, this is what I\u2019m feeling\u2026\u201d\u2014insecure; comparing myself\u2014\u201cWhat do You want me to know about that emotion?\u201d It\u2019s almost like you take it to the Father; because He goes deep into our soul of, \u201cThis is what\u2019s going on, Ann.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Exactly. \u201cWhy is this emotion here? Why am I feeling this way? What is it connected to? What belief is deep, deep in the depth of my heart that is causing this emotion to rise up?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>I\u2019ve <em>never<\/em> forgotten something that I heard Robertson McQuilkin say on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Years ago, he was telling the story. He\u2019s a pastor and was the president of Columbia Bible College and Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina, before it became Columbia International University. His wife Muriel had Alzheimer\u2019s disease; he resigned to go home and take care of her.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe said they were driving one time, and they were in a heated conversation. They were in disagreement, and he was being logical with her about what she was going through. She would say something; and he would go, \u201cWell, look at this logically.\u201d She finally\u2014he told us this\u2014he said, \u201cShe looked at me and she said, \u2018Robertson, logic isn\u2019t everything; and emotions aren\u2019t <em>nothing<\/em>.\u2019\u201d [Laughter] It\u2019s a good word. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tEmotional intelligence is a phrase that\u2019s been coined today. There are things that our emotions will tell us that will give us insight that our logic will never get us to, so we need to be alert to, and listening to, and paying attention: \u201cWhat is that emotion; what\u2019s that data supposed to mean?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut as you said, it\u2019s not the steering wheel. We don\u2019t say, \u201cI feel this way; therefore, I <em>am<\/em> this way; therefore, I will <em>act<\/em> this way.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>\u201cTherefore I will <em>go<\/em> this way.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>That\u2019s right. Our <em>will<\/em> is to get information from our mind and from our emotions before it decides, \u201cHere\u2019s what we\u2019re going to do.\u201d If our feelings aren\u2019t in line with what the Scriptures teach, then we need to recalibrate and we need to govern our emotions; but we don\u2019t ignore them, and we don\u2019t stuff them, or repress them. We have to listen to them and know what we can learn from them.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>They give us <em>such<\/em> valuable insight. Sometimes my emotions will give me insight into my spiritual condition in a way that nothing else will give me. If I evaluate my emotions, and they are not in line with the way that God wants me to feel, then something\u2019s off; and I need to address that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Anybody who doesn\u2019t think that emotions have a place at the table hasn\u2019t read the Book of Psalms. In Psalms, when David is feeling these emotions, and he expresses them, and he brings them before God\u2014as you were talking about, Ann\u2014then the next thing he does is\u2014he says, \u201cBut I see where these are out of line.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI always go back to Psalm 13\u2014one of my favorites\u2014where David says: \u201cHow long are You going to forget me, Lord? How long will You withhold favor from me? How long will my enemies triumph over me?\u201d This is all the emotional processing of: \u201cLife is not going the way I want it to. I\u2019m frustrated; I\u2019m defeated; I\u2019m feeling this way.\u201d Then it ends with: \u201cBut on Your kindness I will rely. I will exalt in Your saving grace. I will sing to the Lord. That\u2019s what I am going to do.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Absolutely.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>He\u2019s counseling his own soul and saying: \u201cI know this is what I\u2019m feeling. These feelings are real, but I\u2019m going to bring them under the authority of God\u2019s Word and God\u2019s Spirit; and I\u2019m going to respond to life, based on what\u2019s true, not based on just what I feel.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>I\u2019ll one-up you, Bob. How about this?\u2014Psalm 73.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Again, David\u2019s complaining about, \u201cEverybody\u2019s prospering; we\u2019re not prospering.\u201d I\u2019m not one-upping you, but I\u2019m just saying he does the same thing here. I\u2019m trying to find exactly where he says it at the end\u2014he says, \u201cBut then I went into the sanctuary of God.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s sort of what Ann was saying, taking your emotions to Jesus and saying: \u201cWhat\u2019s going on here? When I sat with God, I then had a perspective and control to respond correctly.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Counseling your emotions\u2014I think that\u2019s the problem\u2014is that we let our emotions sometimes speak to us so loudly, and we never talk back; we don\u2019t <em>counsel<\/em> our souls.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThere\u2019s another verse in Psalms, where it talks about\u2014David said: \u201cI counseled my spirit,\u201d \u201cAt night, I counseled my spirit.\u201d So, when he was laying there in the dark, and all kinds of emotions and thoughts were there to overwhelm him, he began to speak to his emotions and speak truth to his emotions.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>I don\u2019t think this is something that we wait to do for a quiet time or a devotional time. This is something that we do as we go\u2014as we\u2019re walking along the way\u2014as we\u2019re coming out of a meeting, as we\u2019re engaging with somebody. We\u2019re talking to God, all along. As we talk to Him\u2014when Paul says you \u201cpray without ceasing\u201d\u2014we\u2019re talking to Him all day long about our emotions, about our situations; and we\u2019re taking it all to the Father.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>I would add this to the listener right now: \u201cWhen this program\u2019s done, quiet yourself.\u201d If you\u2019re like me, you\u2019re running, running, running; you\u2019re not even looking at this emotion that you\u2019ve been feeling. \u201cAsk God: \u2018Why am I feeling this? What do You want me to do with this?\u2019\u2014that\u2019s a strong woman; that\u2019s a strong man.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Yes. I think, for women, it\u2019s so important that we have each other, also, because we have hormonal things going on in our bodies that really impact our emotions. A lot of women struggle with that time of the month, just in terms of the emotions just going. You don\u2019t even know where it\u2019s coming from, and you can\u2019t even evaluate it; it\u2019s just the way you\u2019re feeling. Sometimes it\u2019s so good just to have a girlfriend come alongside and just help us with that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSometimes, also, just after giving birth, women are struggling if you have a brand-new baby at home. They used to call it \u201cthe baby blues.\u201d You just went through these times of emotions, that were just overwhelming, and you didn\u2019t even understand what it was connected to. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s good to counsel your own emotions, but also good to draw in the community of believers to speak truth to you and to help you counsel your emotions.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>That is the right kind of strong; that\u2019s what we\u2019re talking about here. It\u2019s not how the world defines strong; and it\u2019s not some kind of artificial weakness and softness that sometimes gets thrust upon women in church contexts, where women feel like, \u201cOh, I guess my job is to go to the fellowship hall and fold the napkins, because that\u2019s what women are supposed to do.\u201d That\u2019s <em>not<\/em> what the Bible\u2019s calling women to. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe right kind of strong is the kind of strong that you\u2019ve outlined in this book, Mary. I hope a lot of women will get together with a lot of other women; and they\u2019ll go through this together, chapter by chapter.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>This would be a great study to go through together with a group of women.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>This could be revolutionary in a lot of women\u2019s lives.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Mary, thanks for being on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Thank you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And thanks for writing the book. We have copies of Mary\u2019s book in our <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> Resource Center. Again, the title is <em>The Right Kind of Strong<\/em>. Go to FamilyLifeToday.com to order one or multiple copies\u2014again, if you want to go through this with other women. The book is called <em>The Right Kind of Strong<\/em>; the website is FamilyLifeToday.com. You can also call to order: 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\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow I want to wrap up today by reading you a passage of Scripture that I think is good for all of us to meditate on in our current circumstances. This is from Philippians 4. The Bible says, \u201cRejoice in the Lord always.\u201d It\u2019s not easy to find ourselves rejoicing in our current circumstances but the Bible tells us, \u201cAgain, I say rejoice.\u201d It goes on to say, \u201cLet your reasonableness be known to everyone.\u201d Let\u2019s be reasonable people. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd then, \u201cDo not be anxious about anything,\u201d that\u2019s easier said than done, right? But we need to follow the biblical pattern for how we deal with anxiety. It says, \u201cwhen you\u2019re facing anxiety in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.\u201d Thankfulness is a big part of how we deal with our own anxiety. Be thankful for the blessings of God we experience \u201cand let your requests be made known to God.\u201d It goes on to say that \u201cthe peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThese are days when time in God\u2019s word is paramount. In fact, think about how much time you\u2019re spending on social media or cable news and ask yourself how much time am I spending renewing my mind with God\u2019s word? That ought to be a priority for all of us in these difficult times. So, we want to keep pointing you in that direction here at FamilyLife and just take this time on today\u2019s program to remind you to rejoice, not to be anxious, and to be prayerful. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>\u00a0<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd we hope you can join us back tomorrow as we continue to provide practical help and hope for your marriage and family. Vicki Courtney is going to join us to talk about how we raise strong, confident daughters. I hope you can be with us for that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our hosts, Dave and Ann Wilson, I\u2019m Bob Lepine. We will see you tomorrow for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \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> 2020 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>"],"_seopress_titles_title":[""],"_seopress_titles_desc":[""],"_seopress_robots_index":[""],"duration":["00:27:44"],"show_notes":[""],"_thumbnail_id":["294104"],"filesize":["25.39M"],"filesize_raw":["26624141"],"_uag_css_file_name":["uag-css-305851.css"],"_uag_js_file_name":["uag-js-305851.js"],"_uag_page_assets":["a:9:{s:3:\"css\";s:82560:\".wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom 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does the Bible mean when it calls women \"the weaker vessel\"? Author Mary Kassian explains that women are more vulnerable to being abused and hurt. Kassian gives women practical advice for engaging their emotions in a God-honoring way.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylife.com\/fl2020-03-18.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>We tend to think that strength and humility are on different parts of the spectrum, that they\u2019re antithetical to one another at some level. Mary Kassian says a strong wife\/a strong woman is going to be humble.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>We tend to look at our spouse and be critical and say: \u201cWell, it\u2019s his fault,\u201d or \u201cIt\u2019s her fault,\u201d and \u201cIf only she were this,\u201d or \u201cIf only she didn\u2019t have sin in her life,\u201d\/\u201cIf only <em>he<\/em> didn\u2019t have sin in his life.\u201d I know that every time that I have done that\u2014and come to the Lord, complaining about Brent\u2014that the Holy Spirit has very gently pointed out the sin in my life. I find that, when I get rid of the sin in my life, all of a sudden, things improve.\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 Wednesday, March 18<sup>th<\/sup>. Our hosts are Dave and Ann Wilson; I'm Bob Lepine. You\u2019ll find us online at FamilyLifeToday.com. It takes a lot of strength, for both husbands and wives, to acknowledge our own weaknesses. We\u2019ll talk more about that today with Mary Kassian. 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. I remember getting a text from one of my sons. He\u2019d been married for maybe a year or two; and he said, \u201cDad, help me understand this verse that talks about women as the weaker vessel.\u201d I don\u2019t know the context\u2014I don\u2019t know if it was a conversation with his wife; I don\u2019t know what was going on\u2014but he was trying to honor and esteem his wife. You read this verse that says women are the weaker vessel; and he goes: \u201cWhat am I supposed to do with that? What am I supposed to make of that?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCertainly, that\u2019s one of those verses that a lot of people in our culture today would say: \u201cScratch that one out. Just cover that\/just skip over that and go on to the next verse.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>I actually don\u2019t think I married that woman.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u2014the weaker vessel. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>She\u2019s not the weaker vessel. But it is a great question; what does it mean?<br>\u00a0\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Well, we have a woman <em>here<\/em>, talking about the right kind of strong with us this week\u2014Mary Kassian, who joins us again on <em>FamilyLife Today. <\/em>Welcome back.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Thank you so much.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Mary is an author; she\u2019s a speaker. The new book she\u2019s written is called <em>The Right Kind of Strong<\/em>. She\u2019s been on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> regularly. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen you came across that verse the first time, \u201cWomen are the weaker vessel,\u201d did the hackles on your neck kind of raise up?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Absolutely, the hackles on my neck rose up! I had never considered myself to be a weak woman; I\u2019ve always considered myself to be a strong woman. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut that passage is a fascinating one; because when you dig down into it, it basically says, \u201cGuys, you better treat women with respect; because they\u2019re weaker\u201d; in other words: \u201cThey are more vulnerable. They\u2019re more vulnerable to being abused; they\u2019re more vulnerable to being hurt. So, guys, if you are men, you will step up to the plate and you will protect women, and you will look out for them. You need to treat them with respect and with care, and not be careless and not be cruel,\u201d and \u201cYou need to be a man and treat a woman well.\u201d That\u2019s what that passage is talking about.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>There\u2019s another passage, and it\u2019s the one we\u2019ve been talking about this week, that talks about weak women in the Bible; it\u2019s 2 Timothy, Chapter 3. Read that one more time for us, because Paul is talking about a problem in the church in Ephesus that he\u2019s counseling Timothy on dealing with. The problem is women, who are spiritually weak; and as a result, there are all kinds of issues emerging in their homes and in the church.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Yes, the passage is in 2 Timothy 3, verses 6-7. Paul says, \u201cAmong them are those who creep into households\u201d\u2014so it\u2019s talking about false teachers here; these false teachers creep into households\u2014\u201cand capture weak women.\u201d\u00a0 These women are \u201cburdened with sins, led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe talked about the problem of these women being weak because they were allowing creeps in, and that they were weak because they were allowing their minds to be captured and captivated rather than being taken captive by Scripture.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>They\u2019re weak because they\u2019re burdened with sin, because they have baggage in their lives?\u2014is that right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Absolutely. That\u2019s <em>exactly<\/em> what that phrase means, \u201cburdened with sins.\u201d Actually, in the Greek, the word is a word picture of being loaded up, like a wagon being overloaded with sin, and just being burdened and weighed down. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat\u2019s the thing about sin: I think sin, when we don\u2019t deal with it in our lives\u2014when we just allow it to accumulate and we don\u2019t address it\u2014when we don\u2019t get rid of that baggage, then it begins to weigh us down. It actually can become very heavy, and it can actually make us weak.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>So what does a woman do? How does she counteract that baggage?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Scripture tells us that a strong woman will have a habit of looking for sin in her life. A strong woman makes a habit of getting rid of the sin. If I\u2019m a strong woman\u2014and I\u2019m going through my day, and I\u2019m finding that I\u2019m snipping at my husband or am just being rude\u2014if I am strong, I will make a habit of going to the Lord with that and saying: \u201cLord, I just sinned against You; and I was really nasty towards my husband. Help me correct that.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf I am a weak woman, I\u2019ll go, \u201cAw, not a big deal,\u201d and I\u2019ll just let it sit there and accumulate. The thing about sin is that sin tends to attract more sin. If I let that sin of criticism fester there, and I don\u2019t deal with it\/if I don\u2019t get rid of that baggage, then chances are there will be more criticism coming pretty soon, and more criticism, more snarkiness, more discord, and more of letting that creep in and starting to fester with an attitude and with sins. It will start to weigh me down in my Christian life.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>What you\u2019re talking about is what Puritan writers used to call the mortification of sin. It\u2019s looking at sin\u2014I remember my friend Crawford Loritts, who said: \u201cMost of us don\u2019t want to mortify sin; we want to manage sin. We want to keep it around so we can pet it from time to time, but we don\u2019t want it to get bigger or to do anything disruptive.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWell, the Bible says that doesn\u2019t work with sin. Sin will get bigger; sin will break out of its cage; sin will consume you. You have to put it to death\u2014that\u2019s why Jesus said\u2014\u201cIf your right hand sins,\u201d\u2014you don\u2019t say, \u201cWell, I\u2019ll put a glove on it,\u201d\u2014\u201cyou cut it off\u201d; right? So to be smart\/to be strong is to say: \u201cI will not let sin remain. I will deal with this. I won\u2019t treat it lightly.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>That\u2019s right; these women, who were weak, were letting it pile up\u2014they were letting the baggage pile up. It says that they were \u201cburdened with sins.\u201d We don\u2019t know what those sins were; but we do know that they were many, and that they were accumulating, and that it was weighing these women down.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, the thing about sin is that Jesus dealt with all of it on the cross. He forgave our sins\u2014past, present, and future\u2014and sin is dealt with; it\u2019s done with. Romans tells us that: \u201cThere is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,\u201d because once we enter into a relationship with Jesus, there\u2019s no condemnation. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDealing with sin, as a Christian, is a matter of what the Bible calls\u2014is sanctification\u2014it\u2019s becoming holier. It\u2019s not justification, which means your standing before God. You are accepted; you are fully loved; it doesn\u2019t matter how much sin is in your life. And yet, God wants us to deal with sin, on an ongoing basis, in order for us to become freer, in order for us to become holier, in order for us to glorify Him, and in order for us to have lives that are fruitful and productive.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Your phrase, \u201cditch the baggage,\u201d is a good phrase; because I think it\u2019s easy\u2014because we\u2019re justified and we are forgiven\u2014to just pile on the sin.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Exactly!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>You know, it\u2019s like: \u201cOh, it\u2019s no big deal; I am forgiven,\u201d or \u201cIf I\u2019m not forgiven right now, in terms of my experience, I will be tonight when I deal with this sin; and I get on my knees and ask for forgiveness.\u201d I am adding baggage; I am literally putting a backpack on, weighed down with weights, if I play around with this sin rather than ditch it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u201cThe sins that so easily entangle and encumber us,\u201d\u2014that\u2019s what the writer of Hebrews says; yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Right!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Hebrews says: \u201cGet rid of it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>\u201cGet rid of it. Set aside the sin that entangles you and encumbers you.\u201d I think we forget that\u2014we forget that sin messes us up; it entangles us; it trips us up.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Think about this in your marriage; because when I play around with sin and bring that into my marriage, I can\u2019t have the marriage I want. I can blame my spouse; I can blame God; I can blame the big creep, Satan; but I am bringing baggage to my own marriage. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019ve done this\u2014I\u2019m like: \u201cWhat is wrong with my wife?\u201d \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with my marriage?\u201d I\u2019m playing with something\u2014I\u2019m not taking it captive; I\u2019m not dealing with it\u2014I\u2019m bringing weight. The second I receive the forgiveness of God and confess my sin, there\u2019s a freedom that enables us to get to the marriage we <em>want<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Mary, talk about the woman, who is weakened by\/unable to be strong\u2014not because of present sin\u2014but because of the burden of past sin, and the shame, and the guilt\u2014and she just, as much as she would like to be free, the accuser continues to remind her of her baggage that she can\u2019t seem to ditch. What does she do with that?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>She needs an infusion of truth. She needs to run to the Word of God and ask God to make His truth real in her life; because the truth of the matter is God forgives us\/that we are forgiven, and that all of the certificate of debt was nailed against the cross when Jesus died for our sins, and that there\u2019s no condemnation.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, there are sometimes some things that we need to deal with in terms of working through the journey, particularly if we\u2019ve been sinned against. Sometimes it\u2019s not <em>our<\/em> sin, but sometimes it\u2019s a sin that\u2019s been committed <em>against<\/em> us; and then we need to deal with bitterness and unforgiveness, because our response to that sin is piling on the baggage in our life as well. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSometimes it\u2019s a process. I think God gives us a lot of grace for that process, but we need to be walking that journey of saying, \u201cNo, I am a child of God.\u201d We need to be truth-declarers, saying: \u201cI am forgiven. I am a child of God. I am taking this sin, and I am confessing it, and I\u2019m getting it out of my life right now.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think what you said, Dave, is so applicable in terms of marriage; because we tend to look at our spouse and be critical and say, \u201cWell, it\u2019s his fault,\u201d or \u201cIt\u2019s her fault,\u201d and \u201cIf only she were this,\u201d or \u201cIf only she didn\u2019t have sin in her life,\u201d\/\u201cIf only he didn\u2019t have sin in his life.\u201d I know that every time that I have done that\u2014and come to the Lord, complaining about Brent\u2014that the Holy Spirit has very gently pointed out the sin in my life. I find that, when I get rid of the sin in my life, all of a sudden, things improve.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>What we\u2019re doing is\u2014we\u2019re saying: \u201cMy sin is justified.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u201cMy critical spirit\/my harsh attitude\u2014that\u2019s justified\u2014because the other person is provoking it in me.\u201d It\u2019s <em>never<\/em> justified.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Yes, we <em>love<\/em> to see sin in other people; don\u2019t we?\u2014[Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Absolutely.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>\u2014whether it\u2019s our spouse or a neighbor. It\u2019s hard to look in the mirror. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut I go back to the passage, and I want to know what you have to say about this; because it says, \u201c\u2026burdened with sins,\u201d\u2014which we just talked about\u2014\u201cand led astray by various passions.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>That\u2019s a big one for women.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Oh yes; let\u2019s talk.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Passions, which are desires, or longings, or yearnings\u2014we all have them\u2014and they\u2019re so tied to our emotions. I think that that\u2019s a mark of a strong woman\u2014is a strong woman gets a grip on her emotions.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, I think emotions are a really good thing; they\u2019re God\u2019s gift to us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>I would never want to tell women, \u201cOh, don\u2019t be so emotional,\u201d because being emotional\u2014or having those emotional feelings and having that depth of feeling\u2014that\u2019s a real gift; and God gives us that as a gift.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>It\u2019s part of being a woman.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>It is part of being a woman, and it\u2019s a precious part of being a woman. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think that women tend to respond to that in two opposite ways. They either tend to let emotions <em>run<\/em> their lives; or they tend to suppress their emotions and say, \u201cI\u2019m not going to have any feelings,\u201d and they stuff them down; and they don\u2019t acknowledge what those emotions are.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNeither of those are a good response. These women in Ephesus\u2014it said that they were \u201cled astray by various passions\u201d; in other words, their feelings\/their desires were leading them astray.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>You often hear, \u201cWomen are emotional\u2014more emotional than men.\u201d I\u2019m not saying that\u2019s true at all\u2014I don\u2019t even think it\u2019s true\u2014but you hear that\u2014\u201cAnd they can\u2019t control their emotions; they\u2019re just going to <em>follow<\/em> their emotions.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou don\u2019t even say, in this habit, to manage your emotions; you say, \u201cengage.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Well, a good illustration that I like to use is that I think emotions are like those indicator lights on your dashboard of your car. The light comes on\u2014tells you the tire pressure is low\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>\u201cThose lights we\u2019re supposed to pay attention to?\u201d [Laughter] Like, \u201cI\u2019m not doing anything about that; that thing\u2019s faulty!\u201d\u2014right? [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Exactly\u2014the tire\u2014I think I\u2019ve got one on my car right now\u2014tire pressure: \u201cTire pressure is low\u201d; or you need \u201cMore gas\u201d; or \u201cThis needs attention\u201d; you need more \u201cWindshield wiper fluid.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think that your emotions give you <em>good<\/em> information, but they\u2019re not supposed to be the steering wheel. Your emotions are to come under the lordship of Jesus Christ in conjunction with your will, and your mind\/your intellect.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think, when the Lord created us, our minds, our wills, and our emotions all pulled in the same direction; but sin broke us, so now we have the situation that Paul complained about\u2014is that he does what he doesn\u2019t want to do; right? Your emotions aren\u2019t pulling you in the same direction as what you <em>know<\/em> you ought to do.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhenever you have that situation, where you go, \u201cI know I should, but\u2026\u201d it\u2019s probably because your emotions are not in line with your intellect. It\u2019s good to acknowledge that\u2014say: \u201cThat\u2019s the light on my dashboard; that\u2019s what this is indicating to me. My emotions tell me that I want to linger with this thought,\u201d \u201c\u2026I want to linger with this guy,\u201d \u201c\u2026I want to send him a text message\u201d; but my mind tells me, \u201cI ought not to do that.\u201d I don\u2019t know if I have the will to resist doing what my emotions are doing, so you take that whole package to the Lord and you say, \u201cGod, help me with this.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>That\u2019s good. I kind of like the idea of putting a bridle on your emotions; and taking the bridle\u2014you take it to the Father. Here\u2019s the habit that I\u2019ve gotten into: \u201cFather God, this is what I\u2019m feeling\u2026\u201d\u2014insecure; comparing myself\u2014\u201cWhat do You want me to know about that emotion?\u201d It\u2019s almost like you take it to the Father; because He goes deep into our soul of, \u201cThis is what\u2019s going on, Ann.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Exactly. \u201cWhy is this emotion here? Why am I feeling this way? What is it connected to? What belief is deep, deep in the depth of my heart that is causing this emotion to rise up?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>I\u2019ve <em>never<\/em> forgotten something that I heard Robertson McQuilkin say on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Years ago, he was telling the story. He\u2019s a pastor and was the president of Columbia Bible College and Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina, before it became Columbia International University. His wife Muriel had Alzheimer\u2019s disease; he resigned to go home and take care of her.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe said they were driving one time, and they were in a heated conversation. They were in disagreement, and he was being logical with her about what she was going through. She would say something; and he would go, \u201cWell, look at this logically.\u201d She finally\u2014he told us this\u2014he said, \u201cShe looked at me and she said, \u2018Robertson, logic isn\u2019t everything; and emotions aren\u2019t <em>nothing<\/em>.\u2019\u201d [Laughter] It\u2019s a good word. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tEmotional intelligence is a phrase that\u2019s been coined today. There are things that our emotions will tell us that will give us insight that our logic will never get us to, so we need to be alert to, and listening to, and paying attention: \u201cWhat is that emotion; what\u2019s that data supposed to mean?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut as you said, it\u2019s not the steering wheel. We don\u2019t say, \u201cI feel this way; therefore, I <em>am<\/em> this way; therefore, I will <em>act<\/em> this way.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>\u201cTherefore I will <em>go<\/em> this way.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>That\u2019s right. Our <em>will<\/em> is to get information from our mind and from our emotions before it decides, \u201cHere\u2019s what we\u2019re going to do.\u201d If our feelings aren\u2019t in line with what the Scriptures teach, then we need to recalibrate and we need to govern our emotions; but we don\u2019t ignore them, and we don\u2019t stuff them, or repress them. We have to listen to them and know what we can learn from them.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>They give us <em>such<\/em> valuable insight. Sometimes my emotions will give me insight into my spiritual condition in a way that nothing else will give me. If I evaluate my emotions, and they are not in line with the way that God wants me to feel, then something\u2019s off; and I need to address that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Anybody who doesn\u2019t think that emotions have a place at the table hasn\u2019t read the Book of Psalms. In Psalms, when David is feeling these emotions, and he expresses them, and he brings them before God\u2014as you were talking about, Ann\u2014then the next thing he does is\u2014he says, \u201cBut I see where these are out of line.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI always go back to Psalm 13\u2014one of my favorites\u2014where David says: \u201cHow long are You going to forget me, Lord? How long will You withhold favor from me? How long will my enemies triumph over me?\u201d This is all the emotional processing of: \u201cLife is not going the way I want it to. I\u2019m frustrated; I\u2019m defeated; I\u2019m feeling this way.\u201d Then it ends with: \u201cBut on Your kindness I will rely. I will exalt in Your saving grace. I will sing to the Lord. That\u2019s what I am going to do.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Absolutely.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>He\u2019s counseling his own soul and saying: \u201cI know this is what I\u2019m feeling. These feelings are real, but I\u2019m going to bring them under the authority of God\u2019s Word and God\u2019s Spirit; and I\u2019m going to respond to life, based on what\u2019s true, not based on just what I feel.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>I\u2019ll one-up you, Bob. How about this?\u2014Psalm 73.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Again, David\u2019s complaining about, \u201cEverybody\u2019s prospering; we\u2019re not prospering.\u201d I\u2019m not one-upping you, but I\u2019m just saying he does the same thing here. I\u2019m trying to find exactly where he says it at the end\u2014he says, \u201cBut then I went into the sanctuary of God.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s sort of what Ann was saying, taking your emotions to Jesus and saying: \u201cWhat\u2019s going on here? When I sat with God, I then had a perspective and control to respond correctly.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Counseling your emotions\u2014I think that\u2019s the problem\u2014is that we let our emotions sometimes speak to us so loudly, and we never talk back; we don\u2019t <em>counsel<\/em> our souls.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThere\u2019s another verse in Psalms, where it talks about\u2014David said: \u201cI counseled my spirit,\u201d \u201cAt night, I counseled my spirit.\u201d So, when he was laying there in the dark, and all kinds of emotions and thoughts were there to overwhelm him, he began to speak to his emotions and speak truth to his emotions.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>I don\u2019t think this is something that we wait to do for a quiet time or a devotional time. This is something that we do as we go\u2014as we\u2019re walking along the way\u2014as we\u2019re coming out of a meeting, as we\u2019re engaging with somebody. We\u2019re talking to God, all along. As we talk to Him\u2014when Paul says you \u201cpray without ceasing\u201d\u2014we\u2019re talking to Him all day long about our emotions, about our situations; and we\u2019re taking it all to the Father.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>I would add this to the listener right now: \u201cWhen this program\u2019s done, quiet yourself.\u201d If you\u2019re like me, you\u2019re running, running, running; you\u2019re not even looking at this emotion that you\u2019ve been feeling. \u201cAsk God: \u2018Why am I feeling this? What do You want me to do with this?\u2019\u2014that\u2019s a strong woman; that\u2019s a strong man.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Yes. I think, for women, it\u2019s so important that we have each other, also, because we have hormonal things going on in our bodies that really impact our emotions. A lot of women struggle with that time of the month, just in terms of the emotions just going. You don\u2019t even know where it\u2019s coming from, and you can\u2019t even evaluate it; it\u2019s just the way you\u2019re feeling. Sometimes it\u2019s so good just to have a girlfriend come alongside and just help us with that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSometimes, also, just after giving birth, women are struggling if you have a brand-new baby at home. They used to call it \u201cthe baby blues.\u201d You just went through these times of emotions, that were just overwhelming, and you didn\u2019t even understand what it was connected to. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s good to counsel your own emotions, but also good to draw in the community of believers to speak truth to you and to help you counsel your emotions.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>That is the right kind of strong; that\u2019s what we\u2019re talking about here. It\u2019s not how the world defines strong; and it\u2019s not some kind of artificial weakness and softness that sometimes gets thrust upon women in church contexts, where women feel like, \u201cOh, I guess my job is to go to the fellowship hall and fold the napkins, because that\u2019s what women are supposed to do.\u201d That\u2019s <em>not<\/em> what the Bible\u2019s calling women to. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe right kind of strong is the kind of strong that you\u2019ve outlined in this book, Mary. I hope a lot of women will get together with a lot of other women; and they\u2019ll go through this together, chapter by chapter.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>This would be a great study to go through together with a group of women.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>This could be revolutionary in a lot of women\u2019s lives.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Mary, thanks for being on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Mary: <\/strong>Thank you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And thanks for writing the book. We have copies of Mary\u2019s book in our <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> Resource Center. Again, the title is <em>The Right Kind of Strong<\/em>. Go to FamilyLifeToday.com to order one or multiple copies\u2014again, if you want to go through this with other women. The book is called <em>The Right Kind of Strong<\/em>; the website is FamilyLifeToday.com. You can also call to order: 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\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow I want to wrap up today by reading you a passage of Scripture that I think is good for all of us to meditate on in our current circumstances. This is from Philippians 4. The Bible says, \u201cRejoice in the Lord always.\u201d It\u2019s not easy to find ourselves rejoicing in our current circumstances but the Bible tells us, \u201cAgain, I say rejoice.\u201d It goes on to say, \u201cLet your reasonableness be known to everyone.\u201d Let\u2019s be reasonable people. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd then, \u201cDo not be anxious about anything,\u201d that\u2019s easier said than done, right? But we need to follow the biblical pattern for how we deal with anxiety. It says, \u201cwhen you\u2019re facing anxiety in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.\u201d Thankfulness is a big part of how we deal with our own anxiety. Be thankful for the blessings of God we experience \u201cand let your requests be made known to God.\u201d It goes on to say that \u201cthe peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThese are days when time in God\u2019s word is paramount. In fact, think about how much time you\u2019re spending on social media or cable news and ask yourself how much time am I spending renewing my mind with God\u2019s word? That ought to be a priority for all of us in these difficult times. So, we want to keep pointing you in that direction here at FamilyLife and just take this time on today\u2019s program to remind you to rejoice, not to be anxious, and to be prayerful. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>\u00a0<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd we hope you can join us back tomorrow as we continue to provide practical help and hope for your marriage and family. Vicki Courtney is going to join us to talk about how we raise strong, confident daughters. I hope you can be with us for that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our hosts, Dave and Ann Wilson, I\u2019m Bob Lepine. We will see you tomorrow for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \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> 2020 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\/305851","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=305851"}],"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=305851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=305851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=305851"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=305851"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=305851"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=305851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}