Stepping In Faith
Stepping In Faith is a podcast that deepens your walk with Jesus each week by exploring the heart of faith, love, and relationships from a Spirit-led perspective. Each episode focuses on building intimate relationships with Jesus Christ, strengthening marriages, providing guidance for singles, and fostering healthy, God-centered connections.
Stepping In Faith
Sacrificial Love: God's Love Sets The Standard
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Sacrificial love sounds beautiful until you realize it isn’t powered by feelings, it’s powered by surrender.
Walter and Shanea start with the two scriptures that set the bar for Christian love and marriage: John 3:16 and Ephesians 5:25. God gives. Jesus lays His life down. That becomes the pattern we’re called to follow—not as a performance, but as a Spirit-led way of living.
In this episode, we cover:
- Conditional Love vs. Real Love: Why contract-style relationships fail and why "ride or die" loyalty can easily turn into a trauma bond.
- Unconditional Love = Unconditional Access: Why setting boundaries, confronting sin, or walking away isn't cold—it's wisdom.
- Pruning & Pressure: How the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) develops through refining seasons, using Joseph’s journey as the blueprint.
- A Hard Church Reality: Addressing how Ephesians 5 gets weaponized in toxic situations, including how men suffer silently without a safe space to speak up.
If you’ve been asking what agape love actually looks like in real relationships, this conversation will give you language, scripture, and clarity.
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Welcome Back And Real Life Updates
WalterWelcome back to another episode of Stepping in Faith, where together we explore the importance of having a relationship with God and how that relationship with God can impact the relationship you have with others. I'm your host, Walter, joined here alongside my lovely wife.
ShaneaShinea.
WalterYou struggling with your mic stand again.
ShaneaYes. Hello everybody. Welcome back.
WalterSo this is episode 16.
ShaneaYeah, that's what you said.
WalterOkay. Alright. We always start these episodes out with prayer. So this will be nothing different. We apologize. We know it's been like a month. We're trying to figure this out. It's a lot of stuff we have going on that we don't speak of. Trying to be mindful of what we do and don't share. Because we be having monitoring people. We be having people trying to monitor what we do.
ShaneaYeah. And it's back to school season.
WalterSo back to school season, amongst other things. Um trying to figure out how I like how we could take our testimony, the things that we've been going through, and how that can be presented to hopefully be a blessing to others at some point. We're going to pray on that though. Because it has been interesting.
SPEAKER_05Yes.
WalterSo I'll start us out in prayer. Father
Opening Prayer And Surrender
WalterGod, as we come before you this morning, we thank you for your love, mercy, and your grace. We thank you, Father God, that you are consistently in control. That no weapons formed against us shall prosper, God. We thank you for being here. We submit and surrender ourselves to you and pray that this message, this episode will reach those you've called for it to reach. We submit ourselves to your guidance, to your wisdom, to your understanding, understanding and pray that you will speak through us. Allow your perfect will to be carried out in all of our lives, including those that's listening. Allow us all to encounter you in a fresh way. Allow this to impact the lives of those, God, you've called for it to reach. We thank you that you are here. We welcome you. We submit to you. We place our hope, our trust, our reliance in you. It's in Jesus' name we pray, Amen.
ShaneaAmen.
WalterOkay.
John 3:16 And Ephesians 5:25
WalterUh, what is the what is the name of this week's episode?
ShaneaSacrificial love.
WalterAlright. So, John 3.16, you want to read that?
ShaneaFor God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son. So that whoever believe in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
WalterNLT version states that for this is how God loved the world, he gave his one and only son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life. Okay, ma'am. Ephesians 5, 25 through 30. Can you read that?
SPEAKER_01What's the difference in what I said?
WalterThat's just a little slight shift of words.
ShaneaOh, because I I read the New King James Version.
WalterWell, I mean, we all know New King James Version, ma'am. It's just It's just Yeah. Don't start with me.
ShaneaWhat are we doing now?
WalterEphesians 5.25.
ShaneaEphesians 5.25.
WalterFor husbands, this means love your wives just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, clean, washed by the cleansing of God's word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she would be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church, and we are members of his body. Did we let him know that this week's episode is sacrificial love? That's the title.
SPEAKER_03Yes.
WalterOkay, nursing is late. So that came to me a few hours ago. Because I was like, Holy Spirit, you're gonna have to help. Because I don't know what we're talking about. I know what the title was, Sacrificial Love. The first thing that came to me was John 3.16. And we are able to witness the love of God. What we would call an agape type love. And so with these scriptures in both examples, we see both God and Jesus operating in a sacrificial way, right? The Father giving up his only son life as the perfect sacrificial offering, and Jesus offering his own life for the church. This becomes the backdrop, the starting point of the type of love God has called for us to operate in. And when we look at the gospel, we're consistently seeing examples of that being the case. Whether it would be in a what what what what type whatever type of relational aspect. Why are you looking like that? Is it something wrong?
ShaneaNo. This is really curly, I guess. Maybe it's the light hitting it.
WalterSo my mustache distracted you.
ShaneaIt did.
unknownOkay.
WalterLike a cowboy mustache mustache.
ShaneaI don't know. It's just the light or something.
WalterSo um we see multiple examples of people operating within a sacrificial love type way. Um one of the things that Jesus consistently reminded us of in the gospels was what uh that we had to lay our lives down. And we saw the disciples do that time and time again.
SPEAKER_04Why are you smiling?
ShaneaI can't smile.
SPEAKER_04Lord have mercy.
WalterSo, what are your thoughts, Shania, when exploring the title of this week's episode, Sacrificial Love?
ShaneaUm, I don't know. To be honest, I have no idea where we're going with this.
WalterWe have no idea where we're going.
ShaneaNo.
SPEAKER_04What comes to mind?
ShaneaSacrificial love. I don't know. Are we talking about God's love? Are we talking about relationships? What are we talking about?
WalterIt's all the above. I mean, it starts with God's love being the example, the backdrop, which allows us to operate in it, um, extending it to one another. Whether that be in a romantic relationship or a platonic relationship?
ShaneaThat we're supposed to die for each other, like Rose and Jack.
WalterYes. And if we ever thought about monetizing this, just but yes, we are supposed to give up our lives.
ShaneaWhat did I say?
WalterThe D-word. We're supposed to give up our lives for each other. Yes, we are. I don't know the reference though.
ShaneaWhat reference? Rose and Jack? Titanic.
WalterMy wife.
SPEAKER_01What?
WalterMy wife has this idea. She consistently referenced uh romantic movies, or what one would think, or say chick flicks. And she always referenced these movies as if these are movies that I've seen. And I have to continually remind her that I am a man, and I have not seen a lot of these movies or seen them enough to have an understanding when she references those movies. Princess Diary. What else she talked about? Little Women.
ShaneaWhat's little women?
WalterI don't know. Something. Whatever, whatever else she's talked about, we'll see something. The devil wears Prada, um, whatever may have you. And she would look at me as I've as if I've watched this movie before. And I always tell her, I'm a dude. I have not seen that.
ShaneaBut you like the notebook.
WalterThat's different.
ShaneaIt's a uh a man flick?
WalterYes.
ShaneaA bromance.
WalterYes, and she did him dirty in that movie.
ShaneaA bromance.
WalterShe did him dirty.
ShaneaMaybe that's why she lost her mind.
WalterShe did him dirty, just like uh we're off subject, just like uh Tom Hanks with uh Forrest Gump, he was done dirty too.
SPEAKER_01Was he though?
WalterAbsolutely.
SPEAKER_01Was Tom was Forrest Gump like a brance?
WalterYes.
SPEAKER_01Was it?
WalterEssentially. Anyhow, back to love.
Conditional Love Versus Real Love
WalterUm we've touched on this before, I believe. But we have conditional love, unconditional love, and agape love. So we understand many people in the world operate based upon that idea or the ideology of conditional love, but they think they're operating from an unconditional love perspective. And it's even in the church. It's literally love that depends on certain expectations or conditions being met. Matter of fact, the church would teach you that that's how you should love, right? Put the list together of what you want.
ShaneaYes, that famous list.
WalterPut the list together of what you want, what you desire in a person, what they need to uh satisfy you. Exactly. Conditional. In order for you to give yourself to that person. That's conditional love. I love you because or as long as. And it could depend on behavior, performance, loyalty, agreement, or reciprocation. Uh, when the conditions disappear, the love may also disappear.
ShaneaSo your love is basically, and it's that's really I mean, it's hard because some people think they be loving people, but they don't. It's just like trauma bonding. So it's hard.
WalterExplain.
ShaneaLike you think that you are in love with this person and you think it's unconditional because they put you through all this stuff and you stick by them. Like that's your man, and you soon you won't stick beside him.
WalterRide or die?
ShaneaYeah, ride or die. You said that the D word is different. How? It is because it came out your mouth?
WalterNo, it's just different.
ShaneaOkay, okay. Well, yes, that ride or die love. Um, that is not love.
WalterI wouldn't recommend it, but hey, teachers own. That's not how God has called us to live.
ShaneaNo. That's a very that's it's called abuse.
WalterIt's a worldly, excuse me. It's a worldly way of looking at things. Um, or a pagan type way.
ShaneaYeah, so like loyalty, like like ride or die is like a loyalty type of thing.
WalterMm-hmm. And no matter what, I'm here. No matter how toxic it may be. Yeah. And I mean, and people, you know, you find yourself um exploring and being attracted to toxic relationships, and then that could in return impact the type of relationship you have with God or how you see God or how you see Jesus.
unknownRight.
WalterAnd so you get that picked up. And um it's it's just interesting. So yeah, uh unconditional love. Love that does not have to be earned or deserved. I love you, even if does not mean unconditional approval, trust, access, or relationship. You can love someone while establishing boundaries, confronting wrongdoing, or ending an unhealthy relationship. And so I think that's really important because we see scriptural instances of this. We see it in Malachi when Malachi addressed the fact of uh men being abusive or um the way they treated the wives of their youth. We see 1 Corinthians 13 as the backdrop of what love should look like. I feel like we've read that before. Um, but that's you know, considered the quote unquote uh love chapter. The whole um verse 4 love is patient and kind, love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude, it does not demand its own way, it is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice, but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance. Now, the interesting thing, and we've touched on all this before, and hopefully this doesn't sound like a broken record, but even as you're reading 1 Corinthians 13, when it touches on love, you have to remember that love is actually one of the fruit of the spirit.
Fruit Of The Spirit And Pruning
WalterAnd so when you think of operating within that, or from that perspective, you got to think of that uh stating that um Galatians 5, verse 22, but the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And so I think one of the key things is when approaching sacrificial love or approaching love the way that God has called us to, not only from the relationship that you have with the Father, but also the relationship you have with others, it's only possible that you do this by way of the spirit. Outside of that, it's not possible. What's on your mind?
ShaneaNothing. Um, I was just thinking or had a thought when you were talking about the fruits of the spirit, and I was thinking about how God puts us in certain situations to bring those fruits out. Love, patience, particularly patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.
WalterOkay. I don't expand on that or expound.
ShaneaUm I get what you're saying, but it has it's not has nothing to do with love. It was just a it was just like a revelation that I got that you know that uh for us to become more like Jesus or more like him, um, and to house the Holy Spirit, there has to be some type of conditioning that we have to go through.
WalterPruning.
ShaneaYeah. To go that we have to go through in order to produce these fruits.
WalterThe scripture touches on us being pruned. Yeah, I mean, that's why, you know, they always anyone experienced, they would tell you to be careful of what you pray for and be careful of what you ask God for. Um this new thing where everybody wants, for example, to be a multimillionaire in the church. But interestingly, they forget about Joseph. Joseph was literally the overnight success story, right? Yet they forget that Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. Um, he was he was disowned by his family, rejected, and dealt with rejection because his family didn't want him. His brothers was jealous of him. Um after he was sold into slavery by his brothers, uh he excelled as a slave, and then he was accused of um essay uh with trying to fornicate by Potiphar's uh wife, falsely accused, when he was doing the right thing, which is running away from her. The Bible tells us that he was in such a frantic of trying to get away from her that she ripped his garment. And she later used that garment to accuse him of making advances at her, unwanted advances at her. And then we've seen him thrown into prison. Well, once again, he excelled, but he was in prison for one would say at least, at the very least, a decade. Um, and you know, he interpreted the dreams, et cetera, et cetera. And it was some time before he went from there to actually meeting the Pharaoh and now taking upon this position of power that God has showed him in a dream in his youth. And he was sold into slavery as a young boy, couldn't be no more than 18 years old.
ShaneaYeah.
WalterSo when you say that you want wealth, that's what you're asking for. And then when it was given to him, it was given to him to sustain the people. It was in the midst of a famine. So, I mean, that's a prime example of yes, God did everything that he told him he was gonna do because his brothers ended up bowing before him, right? But it was in the midst of a famine. It was in the midst of a famine that this all took place.
ShaneaYeah.
WalterIt was in the midst of a drought. I believe a seven-year drought, seven-year famine. So that shows you that that's just how God works. It don't. His ways are not like our ways, his thoughts are not our thoughts.
unknownNo.
ShaneaScripture tells us. I mean he sacrificed his only son. Most of us would not.
WalterAnd allowed us to make that decision. Because the Bible lets us know that he is the beginning, the end, and in between in revelations. So with that being the case, right, you are absolutely right. How God teaches us to operate within the fruit of the spirit may come across as being challenging or not making sense to us because we're put in the circumstances of allowing that, those muscles to grow.
ShaneaYeah.
WalterSo um, when you think of agape love, right?
ShaneaUm Kanye's. Uh, what was it? What's the name of that song? Was Shaka Khan? I have no clue. The very first song. Through the fire.
SPEAKER_04Mm-hmm.
ShaneaTo the Limits of the Wall.
SPEAKER_04Mm-hmm.
ShaneaThat song was popping, was playing in my head just now.
WalterA
Wilderness Refining And Costly Obedience
Walterrefining process. It's interesting that, you know, with Jesus, as soon as he received the Holy Spirit, he was immediately ushered into the wilderness to be tempted by the enemy and to fast for 40 days and 40 nights for food and water. As soon as he received the Holy Spirit. He didn't go somewhere and was like, oh, well, now I'm on vacation. Be eating everything I could ever eat. No, he went to basically, he was ushered into the Bible says he was ushered into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to come to the end of himself. And the Bible says that afterwards, the scripture lets us know that he left with power. So he went through a wilderness experience of denying his flesh what we would consider the basic necessities to survive. And from going through that encounter and going through that experience, the Bible says that he left with the power of the Holy Spirit. Fully active, because the Bible lets us know that he was given the Spirit without measures. That's how God operates. Could you imagine being on a 40-day fast from water and food? 40 days.
SPEAKER_01Some people do it.
WalterBut technically typically, right? When we look at our bodies, at what point do our body begin to shut down without food or water? Food and uh water deprivation?
ShaneaI think it's um a week. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04About a week.
ShaneaI think it's a week without water or something like that. Obviously, I think your body can go a little bit longer, but typically it's about a week.
WalterAnd this is important, everyone. Even the, you know, we we've touched on episodes about the wilderness experience. Don't do it unless God tells you to do it. Because earlier on, um, I went through that encounter, right? And I I dropped weight significantly because I was fasting. That's what I was thinking.
ShaneaThree three to five days without water.
WalterYeah.
ShaneaBut you could totally go three, five days without water.
WalterIt's not something that you can do unless you're under the influence, and the Holy Spirit gives you that uh strength to kind of walk through it. For real. Because my wife was looking at me back in the day, telling me I looked sickly. But that power was it. There was some stuff that hit differently.
ShaneaIt definitely hit for sure.
WalterSo
Agape Love With Truth And Boundaries
Walterum, but when you when we think of agape love, right? Uh biblical love characterized by intentional, self-giving concern for another person's true good. Uh, God's love demonstrated through Christ, right, is the supreme example as John 3.16 or Romans 5 and 8. Uh, it extends to even towards those who do not deserve or reciprocate it. And I think of Jesus on the cross when he said, Um, Father God, forgive them for they know not what they do. So he gave his life for everyone, whether you accepted him or not as your savior, he still gave his life for you. And um, agape does not literally mean unconditional love, right? Although the biblical agape can be unconditional in the sense that it is not earned. It's agape can involve sacrifice, correction, discipline, boundaries, and truth because genuine love seeks what is good, not merely what makes someone comfortable. And we see that as we operate within our relationships with God, we, you know, he disciplines us because he loves us. We go through this pruning process, we go through this process of uh learning to give up one's own life. We go through this process of uh regeneration or sanctification or consecration uh or the wilderness experience. And this is it's very uncomfortable. These are extremely uncomfortable processes. We go through the process of having our mind renewed. What's what are you thinking about?
SPEAKER_01No, I'm just listening.
WalterYeah. So we we go through all of these different processes, and they're not easy going through those processes because we have been taught and conditioned to the famous saying that people don't like to say what it really is, but do as thou wilt.
ShaneaYeah.
WalterThat's what we're taught.
ShaneaWell, God is just producing fruit in you. And I mean, it's a lot to grow fruit or vegetables or whatever. I know I don't have a green thumb. I'm not gonna say I don't have one. I I have had trouble in the past.
WalterMake sure you're not blurring yourself out with your arm.
ShaneaWhat'd I do with my arm?
WalterIt can try to focus on your hand. Um, but yeah, um that's very true.
ShaneaYou have to have the right soil, you have to have the right, you know fertilizer, you have to have the right seeds. Right water.
WalterIt's a process.
ShaneaYeah, it's a whole process. You gotta protect it from bugs and animals.
SPEAKER_04Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
WalterI mean, the growing process we I don't think we will ever have a an understanding of unless the Holy Spirit reveals it. It's just something that God does. You know, we, you know, he may use us to plant seeds. But the watering process and the growing process is is really him. And it's supernatural. Um, it's when Jesus had the the conversation with who was he speaking to? Was it Nicodemus? I think he was speaking to, when he was explaining to him being born again by way of the spirit.
ShaneaYeah.
WalterAnd he was essentially telling him, because Nicodemus was trying to have an understanding of it from a literal perspective. Uh, and Jesus was like, you know, this is something of the spirit. This is not something that you can gain an understanding of by looking at it or trying to approach it within the natural uh realm. You have to move into the spirit. You know, in order to understand things of the spirit, you have to be in the spirit, essentially. So when you think of um seed time and harvest time, that's something that is spiritual. Uh, you can look at how things grow from a natural perspective to have an understanding that it has to go through that same process. Uh, but how that uh unfolds within the spirit, that's a God thing. Only God can speak and there'll be light. And there, you know, we touched on this in previous episodes, but when he speaks, his word carries power. The words that he speaks carry life-giving power, i.e., Jesus, the words that he would speak time and time again, be healed. And when he would speak that, it would be power within those words to where it would send forth that healing. And so um, it's the same thing with the father. Uh, and you know, that's what it is. It just is. So, I mean, let's just be honest, sacrificial love is not easy operating from that perspective. But that's what God has called us to do. The thing that we have to remember is that it is a reminder that everything is done by way of faith.
unknownWhat?
ShaneaYou're cute.
WalterThis is random. This is random. We we handling business here. I appreciate you. You're cute as well with your sweatpants on. You sleepy? Okay. So, um you made me lose my train of thought.
ShaneaI know.
WalterWhat was I talking about before my wife interrupted me? As we're supposed to be operating within the spirit. I for I forgot what I was talking about. I really do. However, sacrificial love. Sacred Holy Spirit helped me, sacrificial love. Sacrificial love. Thank you, baby.
ShaneaYou're welcome.
WalterBut yeah, so I'll it'll come back to me. Anything
Loving Your Spouse By Faith
Walterelse you this is probably gonna be a short episode, straight to the point. Um, anything else you want to add? Anything else that's kind of sticking out to you as far as everything goes with this? We've touched on this before.
ShaneaYeah, that's why I didn't know where you were going.
WalterHe gave me John 3.16, he gave me Ephesians 5.25. And I mean, Ephesians 5.25, that alone preaches by itself. Um it is very challenging to say as a man that God has called for you to basically lay your life down in a world that tells you that you have to protect yourself. You know, and that from a scriptural, from a biblical perspective, or just from a kingdom perspective, it's like you're opening yourself up to whatever comes. Because we touched on this before, providing that example for men and what Jesus represents to the church. The church is filthy, the church is unfaithful, the church is unclean, um the church is imperfect, the church is full of sinners, broken people, um, and Jesus gave his life up for that, and he became the example for us, and he teaches us and he accepts us with open arms. So, excuse me. God has called for us to model this type of love. And that's what I was talking about before. Specifically, first men followed by women. Uh, we become the example, and that's what I was talking about before. Thank you, Holy Spirit. The only way that you can operate within this is by way of faith. That there's no other way that it's possible because if you try to approach this from a natural perspective, you would fail because we are imperfect human beings. So I think I touched on this before. One of the things that God always taught uh dealt with me on is as I love you, I have to love you through him. And so what God was literally saying is that this is only something that you can operate in by way of the spirit. You have to love from his spite. You know, people talk about um loving someone from their soul. That's not biblical. If we look at the fruit of the spirit, right, that's something that operates within the way of within the spirit by way of your spirit. And so we're supposed to be operating because we're spiritual beings, we're supposed to be moving based on the spirit leading. So when you think of love and all of these things, it's supposed to be a very spiritual thing. It's supposed to be a spiritual experience.
ShaneaYeah, so you're saying that when you have someone or people in a relationship or married, um, as the man, you have to be spirit-led. You have to live in the spirit realm in order to love your wife.
WalterYes. If you want to love your wife the way that God has called for us to love you all. Yes. Um it's impossible to do it without that. Because the reality is that we are dealing with imperfect beings.
ShaneaSo what you think is love is truly not?
WalterNo, it's very conditional. Why are you smiling?
ShaneaLove is blind.
WalterThe show?
ShaneaIt'll take over your mind.
WalterOh, yeah.
ShaneaWhat you think is love is truly not.
WalterIs that from the show?
ShaneaNo, it's from Eve.
WalterOh yeah. When she ate from the um the tree.
ShaneaNo, Bruff Riders, Eve.
WalterI hope y'all can see I'm looking at the camera right now.
ShaneaWhat you think is love is truly not. I'm actually gonna do a um, I'm not even gonna speak on it. Um, I don't want to know modern trans spirits trying to take my stuff. Well, it's not my stuff. God gave it to me. So listen. I'm gonna do, I'm be doing, I'm going to be doing a series on Love is Blind.
WalterI just here's the thing. I just want to know. When she said Eve, I know I'm not the only one. And y'all can say this in the comments. I know I'm not the only one that thought about Eve, the original Eve. Ain't nobody was thinking about no rough ride or nothing.
ShaneaOh, you know, I get songs in my head.
WalterI was thinking about Eve, where it all begun. Where it all began, Eve.
ShaneaAdam and Eve. Those who know, no. Those who get it will get it. When I said it, they got it.
WalterBruh.
ShaneaAnd if they didn't get it, then that's okay too.
WalterI did not get it. I did not get it. And she talked about my dad jokes. I did not get it. I did not get it. But sure. And so, you know, we've touched on that before too. However, outside of God, your love is conditional.
ShaneaYeah, it's based off of like, you know, four love languages, or you scratch my back, I scratch your back. Um, but that's what, you know, is taught.
WalterEven when you think it's can it's unconditional, it's not.
ShaneaNo, because it's trauma-based most of the time. It's that ride or die loyalty mentality.
WalterAnd God has called for us to lay down our lives consistently. Jesus tells us all the time, pick up your cross and follow me.
ShaneaYeah, that doesn't mean you lay down and get stumped all over.
WalterNo, lay down your lives mean is that you give your life over to God. You're giving your life over to God. I'm trying to say it without saying it. Um, but you are spiritually, you are going through a crucifixion experience from a spiritual perspective.
ShaneaI mean, it's not a bad thing.
WalterYou're dying to self.
ShaneaYes.
WalterAnd so, and this is just scriptural, the Bible teaches us that it's not.
ShaneaIt just doesn't feel good because it's not like normal.
WalterYeah.
ShaneaSo, like, it when you're in a relationship or marriage, per se, as a man, the wife is doing all these things that other people would tell you um, you need to put her in her place. You can check her, you need to leave. But nobody says you need to pray about it.
WalterWell, or that's the challenge, and you know, specifically.
ShaneaWhat is God saying?
WalterSpeaking
When Scripture Gets Used In Toxicity
Walterspecifically to men, but this applies to women too. That I I would say, excuse me, tired. But the first thing is knowing without a shadow of a doubt that you are in the marriage that God has called you to be in. That's first. That's first before we do anything else. For men, that's first. Because if you're not where God has called you to be, you would have to pray and ask God to give you wisdom on how to approach that. Because, you know, we talk about women a lot on this channel. However, there are men out here who are suffering silently. And a lot of times it could be even more challenging for men because we are men, and we are taught to have this uh macho type mindset of like I'm a man, and we may even normalize things that aren't normal. Uh like what? Abuse, verbal abuse from you know, our wives, uh control, manipulation. Uh, we may think that that is absolutely normal, and it's not, or we may be afraid to speak up about it. And then you you it could be a struggle with the church because the church would teach you that that God has called for you to be in that marriage, and now we'll take Ephesians 5 and 25 and through 30, 30, and we will abuse this scripture and we will apply it into an extremely toxic situation and say, you're supposed to love that woman as Christ loves the church. And how did Christ show that he loved the church? He gave up his life for the church. So you'd give up your life and you're suffering in the name of God. And it's like, wait, hold up. Like, are you even where God has called you to be? Because now, you know, as we would say to women too, but the men as well, God is not called for you to be in a relationship like that.
ShaneaYeah.
WalterAnd
Abrupt Wrap Up And Prayer Request
WalterI think we have to end because we have some stuff going on in the background. Got a little one that we gotta check on. But we would say, uh, we're sorry for ending so abruptly, but we're gonna have to end here, and we will continue this in the next episode.
ShaneaAlrighty.
WalterI think that's what we need to do. Okay, I don't want to re-record this. We got some good stuff.
ShaneaAll right. Let's do it.
WalterSo see you guys next week. We will see you next week. We're sorry, we apologize, but we're attending to some family stuff too. Um, we pray that this has been a blessing. I think we got through all of the main things we needed to get through anyway.
ShaneaYeah, we'll touch on some more next week. And God always gives us something that ties into the week before, so.
WalterAnd we're gonna try to do better about getting this done more often.
ShaneaIt felt pretty good today.
WalterIt did.
ShaneaSo well, love you guys.
WalterYeah, we do. We appreciate you all be praying for us. And yeah, hopefully this has been a blessing to you all. Apologize for having to stop mid uh thought, but we got some family stuff to tend to. So we're gonna attend to that.
ShaneaAll right.
WalterKeep us in prayer as we keep you in prayer.
ShaneaAll right, bye, guys.
WalterAll right, bye.