What if the fight in your home isn’t really about the dishes, the text, or the tone—but about authority and foundation?
Dr. Mark Teague joins us to map the unseen battlefield that takes aim at Christian marriages, and how to respond with clarity instead of chaos. Drawing from a working-class upbringing and decades in complex corporate roles, he shows why ancient principles—truth, order, and stewardship—still outperform modern self-help when the storm hits.
We walk through a simple but demanding framework: demons don’t negotiate with credentials, they yield to Christ’s authority—so take thoughts to the Word. The flesh won’t reform on command—so take it to the cross. That daily rhythm, rooted in Romans 8 and Ephesians 6, turns vague “spiritual warfare” into concrete practice.
If your marriage feels stuck in a cycle of repeat arguments, this conversation offers a path forward: commit to the union as sacred, solve problems together, bow to the facts, and live as stewards rather than sovereigns.
You can expect practical steps, straight talk, and real hope. Dr. Teague also shares where to find his book, A Working Man’s Guide, and resources to keep growing in faith and resilience at home.
To connect with Dr. Mark Teague or to purchase his book, visit his website: www.aworkingmansguide.com
If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs courage today, and leave a review to help more couples find a stronger foundation. Your story could be the spark someone else needs.
To download a free chapter of host Sylvia Worsham’s bestselling book, In Faith, I Thrive: Finding Joy Through God’s Masterplan, purchase any of her products, or book a call with her, visit her website at www.sylviaworsham.com
Transcript:
SPEAKER_00:
If you’ve ever struggled with fear, doubt, or worry and wondering what your true purpose was all about, then this podcast is for you. In this show, your host, Sylvia Warsham, will interview elite experts and ordinary people that have created extraordinary lives. So here’s your host, Sylvia Warsham.
SPEAKER_02:
Hey light bringers, it’s Sylvia Warsham. Welcome to Released Out Reveal Purpose. And today is Dr. Mark Teague. And he, I know, has a lot of wisdom to share with us regarding Christian marriages, Christian faith, and especially how he guides Christian men through the values that Christ has to share with us. It’s a topic that’s very near and dear to my heart, as this year God has had me in enormous amounts of training to submit to my marriage fully. Submission to me was not easy. I came from a Mexican background, and I saw my mother submit to my very demanding father as a child, and I unfortunately created certain beliefs in me about submission and surrender to God’s sovereignty and God’s will for our lives. In this year alone, he has been training me how to remove my pride from the equation, remove it by putting me through humility exercises and asking for repentance to people that I have offended in my life. And one of those is my husband. And that’s why when I read Dr. Teague’s faith sheet that he sent over for me to read, I started to immediately get a sense that he has a story of transformation that not only do I need to hear it, but people in marriages that are under spiritual warfare, currently under spiritual attack, and it usually occurs through the men. The men get attacked, they don’t realize they’re getting attacked. The women, even though they see it later, they try to stop, it won’t stop because we’ve already fallen into the track. So without further ado, Dr. Teague, thank you so much for joining us this morning on Released Out Reveal Purpose.
SPEAKER_01:
Let’s uh make their day better. Well, that’s why we’re here.
SPEAKER_02:
You know, I love that you’re here today. Because of the timing, as I shared with you prior to beginning the podcast, there was a major fight last night, and I woke up with a lot of revelation in my heart, and I started to jot down all my notes, and I saw how I fell into the trap of the desires of the flesh, which are stipulated in Galatians, in the book of Galatians. Um, in order to produce the fruit of the spirit of self-control and love and joy and peace, I’ve got to resist that. And the devil comes and attacks just as there’s a major breakthrough happening. So I know you have a lot to unpack for us today. So please share with us why this topic is so important for you to share with Christian men and an amazing story of transformation.
SPEAKER_01:
Thank you so much, Sylvia. You know, at the end of that transformation, and what brings me here uh with the book and with the information is I have a deep passion for the working class, uh, in particular the American working class. You know, America is essentially a working class nation. We always have been, we always will be. And when the working class thrives, America thrives. When the working class struggles, America struggles. So if we want a strong future as a nation, we need to start with a family, working class families. And let me get definitional for a second. Working class need you need to forget about money, about income. You use a literal definition. The working class is the class that is working. When you look at it that way, the principles are the same. We need to understand the principles, and they will bring us to success. Now, let me describe for a moment what brought me uh to that point of deep passion. Melissa and I, it’s a life journey. Melissa and I grew up uh very traditional. We grew up on farms and ranches in North Texas, a very traditional, classic American uh environment, uh strong uh values and the incentives are very straightforward. If you don’t work, you don’t eat. It’s very clear if you don’t get your work done, your revenue suffers quickly. Uh the feedback is immediate and visceral. So we married in 1986. Most and I grew up together. We have a picture of me attending her second birthday party when she turned two years old. We were high school sweethearts, and uh, we got married uh right out of high school for her, college for me, and started a family, had two kids in 1986 is when we married. And the farm economy was very tough, very difficult at that point. Cash flow was very tight. But we chose uh through that decision process to change careers. I went to graduate school, earned a doctorate in agricultural economics, went into the banking industry, built a career about 30 years there through starting, you know, starting uh entry-level jobs, and then all the way through to executive management. I wound up uh in a private equity and uh C-suite jobs. I was chief credit, chief operating officer, and that was a career path. Well, something happened along the way that was very transformational, transformative for me, and that is you go from that environment where everything is very straightforward, values are commonly accepted, the entire community has a very common set of values. You go through the corporate world, there is nothing straightforward. It is very convoluted, there’s every incentive you can imagine. And all of your audience working today, working jobs can relate to that. I can tell you that is a great contrast to what America was for a long time. If you go back to its rural uh roots, those things were very different than they’ve become uh these days. Well, Melissa and I lived across that entire cycle. We lived across those changes. And what I found myself doing in that corporate world, in the work world, you need success, and you have to do it as a team. You have to bring people together to get them to uh bond around a common goal, put their differences aside, and get things done. Well, what I found myself doing was reaching back to those old-fashioned ancient principles, pulling them into today and applying them in a modern environment. And I would do that over and over. So I made notes, I jotted it down, and it turned into a book in the end. And it gave me a deep passion for the American working class. So that’s kind of the story that brought me to where I am is basically pressure. The pressure of life forces you to think, and you’re gonna fall back on something. So here, Sylvia, I want to get into the things that I truly believe your audience needs to know with the trials and the troubles that they face. It’s gonna be two things. Let me start with a question. The first thing is what do you stand on? What’s your foundation? Everyone needs to think very carefully about that. Everyone will have to make a choice. What’s the foundation? Because life is going to run right over you. It’s going to cheer you up and spit you out, and that’s going to happen whether you like it or not. Now there’s a dividing line here, and we have two vast growing groups of people in our country. People that accept that, that understand that, that life is a series of problems coming out my way. I need to just accept that for what it is. That’s reality. I need to develop skills and tactics and abilities to deal with that. And we have a group of people that say, I’m too good for that. I’m above that. Troubles and hassles and problems are beneath me. You have trouble in your marriage, get divorced. You have trouble with a friendship, stop it. Cut them off. You have trouble with family, stop talking to them, walk away. They’re not good enough for you. We have an entire class of people, Therapy Nation, the snowflake crowd, says, I should never be hassled. I should never be troubled. And if I get troubled, it’s somebody else’s fault. Well, I got news for snowflakes. Life is going to run you over. It’s going to bowl you over. And here’s the question you first need to ask: what do you stand on? What is your foundation? Some would say you need a North Star. You need a bedrock. Some would say, I am my own reference point. The atheist will say, I am my own North Star. To that, I say, good luck. Good luck, man. Because here’s the problem with that. One, I’m flawed. So if I choose myself as the standard, I’m just going to circle back around to my problems, to those flaws. That’s not big enough. That’s not strong enough. I need something deeper than that. I need something bigger than that. I need something that has permanence. I need something that was here before I got here, something that will be here after I’m gone. I need to stand upon that. So every person has to face that question. What is your foundation? What do you stand on? That will determine how you come through trouble. That will determine what you fall back on. That will determine how well you can stand and get things done. Once you accept life, accept life for what it is, and it’s a series of problems coming your way. Now you have a chance to succeed. You have a chance to get things done. You will build the skills to solve the problems and reap the rewards on the other side of that difficulty. That’s a life well lived. That is a thriving American working class. That is a thriving family. You accept life for what it is, you build the skills to get it done. Now you have a serious mind. You can achieve things, you can be relied upon. You know, that crowd that doesn’t accept the difficulties of life, they’re children. You cannot rely upon them, you cannot work with them, you cannot depend upon them. They’re immature, childish in nature. If we want to be serious about life and give ourselves a chance, you start with that. What is life? It’s a series of problems coming your way. You need to be able to build skills to face that, and it starts with your foundation. Now I will shout to the heavens, the foundation that I’ve chosen. I choose the God of the Hebrews. I choose the scriptures. That’s what I stand on. I find them to be adequate, I find them to be deep enough, strong enough. There’s permanence there. That’s what I choose. Now you can choose many different things. It’s our choice. We have that, we have that agency in front of us. That’s what I choose, and I’ll speak to that and uh uh and shout that to the heavens. That’s my choice. It has served me well. Now, Sylvia, I want to break for a moment. I’m going to go into uh next the most important thing that we all need to be aware of as we face uh this life of difficulty. But I want to break for a moment. Any questions or or comments around that?
SPEAKER_02:
I’m in total agreement with you in that the foundation I have picked has been Christ-led. Like I was thinking of the armor of God as you were speaking. That’s what was coming to the forefront of my mind. The sandals of peace, you’re standing on the foundation of the king of peace. But to produce the fruit of the spirit, you must resist the desires of the flesh. And there’s so many of them. That that other side, the fallen world side, where people are just divorcing and they’re choosing to separate from friends, and all that is the the side that is desires of the flesh. When you are spirit-led, you learn to combat the conflict that you encounter, and you’re not encountering conflict here on earth, you’re encountering conflict in the spiritual realm. Yes, man. Absolutely. The enemies coming at you. That those trials and tribulations that you face are always, almost always. He he’s done this from the start of time. Look at Adam and Eve. He tempted Eve, he tempted me last night, and I fell. I ate apple and I gave it to Adam, meaning Bonnie, my husband, and he took a bite. Yeah, yes, we got out of the will of God by being tempted by our past. That’s why I always tell my husband, guard your tongue, be careful what you say about me out loud, for he’s always listening.
SPEAKER_04:
Yes, ma’am.
SPEAKER_02:
And whatever you say about me, he will twist in your mind. And so that’s why I always say 2 Corinthians 10, verse 5, which is arguments and anything that sets itself up against it will demolish when we take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ. There you go. Okay, but I didn’t. I fell in the trap. And then instead of him holding the line and realizing, oh my gosh, she took the apple, she took the bait, let me not take the bait, he took the bait too. And that’s why the conflict ensued. And that’s that’s all he wanted.
SPEAKER_01:
He wanted to take it away. Yeah. He did what Adam did instead of what Adam should have done.
unknown:
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:
Which we do often.
SPEAKER_02:
Which we all do because we’re sinners, right? We’re not perfect, we’re not Christ, right?
SPEAKER_03:
So I my biggest thing was instead of taking the bait, instead of taking the apple, I could have easily used the word of God to strike and not be tempted.
SPEAKER_02:
But instead, I just it was late at night, my mind was tired, and I it was easy enough to get me.
SPEAKER_01:
You know, and it’s let me give you a framework for that. If there’s one lesson I could teach to believers, it would be this one. Let me give you structure around that. First of all, a little context. In the book that I write, uh it’s a working man’s guide, I write it in voice to the man. It’s like I’m speaking directly to the male. But the intended beneficiary is actually you ladies. Because if men need to step up into, we need to do what God has called us to do and be uh the men that God has made us to be. And when we do that, the first and foremost beneficiary is you ladies. You guys benefit the most. So we need to do our jobs. So let me give context. This is true for every human, believer and unbeliever, but it is particularly relevant and pertinent for believers. Now, back to what I said before, you have to have a foundation, you have to accept life for what it is, what’s coming your way, you need to be ready. Here might be the most important thing that a believer needs to understand. It goes like this when you get up every day, you face two opponents that are against you. You’re in a fight, you’re in a war, every single day without exception. They’re there waiting for you, and they’re stronger than you. Either one of them, you can’t beat on your own. And and and the combination of the two is overwhelming. Either one of them is stronger than you, but you need to understand that they’re there waiting for us. The first one, the demonic, spiritual personalities that are wholly given to wickedness, they’re there waiting for you. And you hinted at their methods. I want to lay it out in plain terms. Here’s their primary method plant thoughts, invoke feelings, influence action. That’s how they work. If I can plant a thought, they can invoke a feeling, a sentiment off that thought, and that can influence your action, what you do. And they are very good at that. That’s their strategy. They’re very good. Now, here’s a mistake we make with a demonic. We tend to infer uh human qualities to the demonic. So we understand people very well, and we understand the dual nature. Humans have a duality about us. We are capable of great good, we are capable of great wickedness. We both have the image of God and the fallenness and brokenness of sin within us. We can do either one, and you can see it every day around us. Altruism is right at our fingertips. We can be very generous, very kind, very uh supportive, or we can be cruel and selfish and vindictive. And we could do it all in the same hour. We can put it back and forth. We understand the duality of human nature. Here’s the thing. We intend to assume that demons have that too. The thing is, their nature is singular. It is not dual. There is nothing good in them. It is pure wickedness, pure deception. They have only the intent to destroy. That’s all they can do, and it’s all they do. And here’s a second thing that we don’t quite understand about the demonic. They care nothing about your credentials. They are unmoved by your achievements. You can stack all the letters and all the net worth and all the accomplishments behind your name that you want. It means nothing to them. They have no fear of you as an individual, as a person, because they know your nature and they know they can beat you. They know how to tempt, they know how to manipulate, and they know it works. They do it all the time. They’ve done it since the beginning of time. So they’re committed to that, their strategy works. With the demonic, there’s only one thing that works authority, power.
SPEAKER_03:
That’s it. You see, demons don’t care about you, they are unafraid of you, but they’re terrified of Christ.
SPEAKER_01:
Oh, yeah. He beat them on their terms and on their turf. He beat them. They’re terrified of him. So you only have one recourse with a demonic. That is the authority, the power, the word of Christ.
SPEAKER_03:
Here’s the strategy with a demonic. Thoughts to the word. Thoughts to the word.
SPEAKER_01:
It’s the only thing that works. You take your mind, you take it to the scriptures, that’s the only thing they recognize. The truth in the light of Christ, nothing else. It doesn’t matter how successful you get, it doesn’t matter what you achieve, it doesn’t matter who you’re around, it doesn’t matter how kind you’ve been the last 10 minutes. That means nothing to them. They only respond to authority, to power, and nothing else. So the only strategy that works with them are thoughts to the word, thoughts to the scripture. That beats them, nothing else does. Now here’s a second. Piece. And here in America, we have gotten terrible at this second strategy. We don’t want to recognize it, this second opponent and the strategy associated with it. We don’t like the implications, so we attempt to work around it. That second opponent is you, yourself. Yep. Flesh is still dead. You need to read Romans 8, read it very carefully, especially around verse 10. It clearly states that this body is not yet redeemed. We don’t like that idea. You know, if we could choose the gospel that we like in this country, it would be the prosperity gospel. That’s the one we really uh enjoy. Whom God loves, he makes rich. When you come to Christ, all your problems go away, everything’s going to be solved, you’re going to be healed, you’re going to be successful, all of your troubles fade away because I am redeemed. Well, we need to understand full redemption has happened in the spiritual realm. The spirit, the inner man, is fully redeemed. The mind is being transformed. This body is still dead. The body is still dead in the flesh. It is not yet redeemed. That is clearly stated in plain terms, Romans chapter 8, and in other places, we are waiting for that redemption. That comes at the second coming, not the first. The second coming of Christ is when full redemption takes place. So here’s the reality, the lay of the land. Every morning when you get up, you are facing demons and your own dead flesh. Now that should that sounds pretty grim. We should all look at that and say, what chance do we have? We actually don’t have much. You have demons that are expert and you can’t see them in terms of flesh. They have an advantage in that they live in the spiritual realm. They are committed to your destruction, and your flesh agrees with them. Your flesh wants to do exactly what they’re telling you to do. So what hope do you have?
SPEAKER_02:
So the sins of the flesh. Yes, that entire theme through the uh through the New Testament, the deeds of the flesh, the uh the Galatians 5.17, and anything that comes right before the Spirit, uh the fruit of the Spirit, right? Yes, I had that.
SPEAKER_01:
That is embedded in your nature. It’s not just some action. Oh, absolutely. That’s where you need to read Romans 8. So we have this duality within us. We are born again. We are sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit. That is the spirit of man. Here’s another hint. If you want to understand the Trinity of God, man is a trinity as well. We are spirit, soul, mind, and body. Soul and mind are kind of interchangeable terms. The intellectual side of man. You have the spirit, the inner man, you have the intellectual side of man, and then you have the flesh, this physical body. The inner man is born again when you come to Christ. The intellectual portion of man, your will, your thoughts, your intellect, is being renewed over the course of time as you walk as a disciple. The flesh, this body that we live in, it’s still dead. It’s still dead in sin. It is not yet redeemed. Romans 8 is completely crystal clear about that. So that’s the reality that you face as a human. Demons hate you, they want you destroyed, they can do nothing else. The flesh that you live in, this body is inclined to do exactly that. So, what’s the answer? Well, I just covered the answer with a demonic. The only answer is authority, the scriptures, the truth. I want to come back to that notion of authority in a moment. Here’s the answer with the flesh. There’s only one answer. It’s from God Himself. It must be killed, it must die. Death is the only answer to the flesh. Now, the good news is we don’t have to personally experience that death. Christ did that for us. But here’s what you do. We are atoned by his substitutionary death. Here’s what you do every day. You take thoughts to the word, you take flesh to the cross, and you leave it there. You gotta take it to the foot of the cross and leave it right there. Death is the only answer to this flesh that is dead in sin. The truth, the authority of scripture is the only answer to the assault of the demonic upon your mind and therefore your senses, your feelings, and your actions. So those two opponents wait for you every morning when you get up, they’re gonna be with you all day long. They should drive you to these answers thoughts to the word, flesh to the cross.
SPEAKER_02:
That’s why 2 Corinthians 10 5 is key to that. Thoughts to the yes, because you make it obedient to Christ. How do you make it obedient to Christ? Through his word. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01:
Bingo.
SPEAKER_02:
The flesh, yeah. But he’s been downloading all this to me all morning.
SPEAKER_01:
Every minute of every day, that’s what you face, and it’ll be again the same tomorrow. The day after that, remember, you never reach a place of achievement where demons are impressed by what you’ve done. They don’t care. It does not move them. We have a hard time with that in America. In fact, we have a hard time with two aspects of this. That I can’t handle demons on my own. You can’t. They don’t care what you’ve done. And that my flesh is still subject to sin and death. It is. I would challenge you, study the scripture carefully. It is the second coming of Christ. You can add to that, 1 Corinthians 15. Paul talks about the resurrection and the return of Christ. Read that carefully. Romans chapter 8, 1 Corinthians chapter 15, and there are a host of scriptures as well. And then Ephesians chapter 5 and 6, obviously, with the spiritual warfare. Very important passage there.
SPEAKER_02:
Well, the armor of God, the armor of God, the word of God is the sword.
unknown:
Right?
SPEAKER_01:
Let me tell you this: look carefully at the grammar in Ephesians. Paul uses a whole series of therefore. He’s setting up a logical framework in Ephesians. He makes one theological statement after another. And then he gets to the end and he says, and finally, we wrestle not with flesh and blood.
SPEAKER_04:
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:
But with principalities, power, spiritual forces in dark places. That’s his final point. His culminating point in Ephesians is the spiritual war that we’re in. And it’s amazing, you look at his logical sequence, he ends with that. He said, This is the last thing I want you to know. This is the culminating point. This is what you face. Okay? So we need to be prepared. And it’s an war of authority that we cannot win except through the truth and authority of Christ, and taking flesh to the cross and leaving it right there. If you pick it up from that uh the foot of the cross, you’re done. Because demons will always be there. They’ll always be there to tempt you. If you give them an ounce of flesh to work with, it’s over. You have no chance.
SPEAKER_02:
That’s why he writes in in Galatians to crucify the flesh.
SPEAKER_01:
Yes. Right? Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02:
Yeah. That’s right in the foot of the spirit and the and remember the words of Christ.
SPEAKER_01:
If anyone would be my disciple, let him take up his cross daily and follow me. Flesh goes to the cross. It’s the only answer. And as we walk through this life, we are to walk through this life by faith, and at the end we get full redemption, spirit, soul, and body. All portions of man will be redeemed, and then we enter into a new heaven and a new earth for righteousness to us. That’ll be heaven.
SPEAKER_02:
So the mind can be renewed, but not the flesh. Am I getting that correct?
SPEAKER_01:
Absolutely. Okay. Except through the resurrection power of Christ. And that happens with the flesh at his second coming. 1 Corinthians 15, read it carefully. It will clarify that for you in clear terms. You combine Romans 8 and 1 Corinthians 15 and many other scriptures actually. You mentioned several, but the main theme would be Ephesians 6, spiritual warfare, Romans 8, the condition of the flesh, 1 Corinthians 15, the path and the hope. This flesh is fully redeemed at the second coming of Christ, not the first. The only answer now is to take it to the cross and leave it there. You have no other just surrender and submit it to Him.
SPEAKER_02:
Yes to the Lord.
SPEAKER_01:
Yes.
SPEAKER_02:
Like every day, just submit to Him.
SPEAKER_01:
That is the every moment of every day, and that’s the only chance you have. There is no other answer. You can’t get good enough, you can’t redeem it. It’s hopelessly dead, hopelessly lost. The cross is the answer. We are to do that by faith in this life. We are to walk that path out by faith, putting our trust in our Savior, and at the end of this life, either we die or Christ returns, he will fully redeem that body. We will get a new body, a spiritual body at that point that carries us into heaven. But this one is judged. It is deficient. It is broken, hopelessly broken. The world is broken right to the core, right down to the DNA. This body is broken. The universe is broken right down to its core. The only hope is redemption. We get that redemption now by faith. We get it in full when Christ returns. That’s the down payment. That’s the daily nature of this. Now, Sylvia, here’s a point that is incredibly important and relevant to the story you just told me. When you’re facing the demonic, the only thing that matters is authority. That’s the only thing they recognize. Nothing else, only power. They care not about you and what you’ve done. Americans like to think I could do enough, I can win in the spiritual realm as well. You’ve already deceived yourself. You can’t do it. Okay? Here’s the thing. There are essentially in the New Testament only two restrictions related to gender. Just two. One is the elder role in the church, the formal teaching of Scripture, the formal leadership role in the body, and the head of the household. It’s clear in Scripture that’s a male role. Now here’s the thing: that has nothing to do with relative worth, relative value, relative standing before God. It has nothing to do with uh first place over second place, subservient over uh uh dominated. It has nothing to do with that. It’s only related to the opponent that we face, our enemy, because that’s all he recognizes is authority. Look at these sequence in Ephesians. Paul is going through a clear uh delineation of theology, the revelation of Christ. He gets to the family, he talks about the head of household, the male, the female, and then what comes next? Spiritual warfare. That is not an accident, that is a very clear line of thinking. The reason we need the proper submission of female to male, it has nothing to do with males being better or more valuable than females. That is not it at all. It’s because of who we face. It’s the opponent that we face. He only recognizes proper authority. And so when you break that line of authority, you just kick the door wide open for him to come in with his mischief to do what he does best. Plant thoughts, invoke feelings, influence action. And that’s what has happened. So now contrast what we’re talking about with typical mindsets in the American church. We think my flesh is just fine. In fact, I worship it. I’ll put most of my net worth into it, I’ll put most of my income into it. I worship this body, I think it’s fabulous. It’s dead in sin, headed for judgment. That’s the reality of it. Okay? And we want the prosperity gospel. We want a gospel that tells us everything is great, everything is fine. I put my faith in Christ, everything is good after that. The true gospel is that Christ hanging on the cross, saying, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? He took on human desperation. He embraced it, he walked right into it. He was not ashamed of it. He didn’t walk away from it. He walked right to it and he did it for us. He did it on our behalf. We’re called to follow in that example. That was his next to last statement on the cross. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? He followed that with the last statement of Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. Trust. Trust. That took him from Thursday night to Sunday morning. Thursday night, the Garden of Gethsemane, and all the pure hell that he went through until his death, and then he was buried, and he was in the stronghold of Satan. And then Sunday morning came. You see, Satan had Christ right where he wanted him. Christ willingly walked into that on our behalf. Satan held him. He had him rejected by his people, he had him condemned as a heretic and a convict. He had scattered his entire following. There was nothing left. They were all gone, they were terrified. There was nothing left of the ministry that he had built and the movement that he had built. And he was in the stronghold of Satan. Because what happens when someone dies and they’re separated from God and covered in sin? They go to hell, that’s where they go. And Ephesians 4 was pretty clear about that. The lower parts of the earth, Paul says. And I could expound on that, but I’ll say some of that. The lower parts of the earth, and then he ascended. So God looked down. Satan had him right where he wanted him, except he didn’t get account for something. The sin that he was covered in was not his sin, it was ours. Our sin. God looked down upon that and looked at his faithfulness and looked at his trust, and he raised him from the dead. And he set him at the right end of God forevermore to be our intercessor and our high priest. So we are following that path. We need to understand when we get up every day, just as Christ did, he faced the demonic and he dealt with sin by never committing it. He never fell into sin. So his flesh was pure. Well, we come from the standpoint we’re born as sinners. But what we do is we understand the demonic thoughts to the scripture, the authority of Christ. We take flesh to the cross every day and we leave it there. And we understand the importance of authority. When it comes to male and female relations, those two restrictions in the New Testament are set for that reason, because of the authority that we had Christ exactly where he wanted him. You had a man who had built a movement, the kingdom of God. Satan had taken that to run. He had hatched a plan and it worked very well. He had the scribes and Pharisees condemn him as a heretic. He had the Romans condemn him as a criminal. His followers were terrified. They were scattered. The movement was over. So when Christ died on the cross and went to the grave, his movement was done. Satan had him right where he wanted him. Christ died as a man separated from God, covered in sin. He went to Satan’s stronghold, like every person goes when they die separated from God, covered in sin. But here’s the thing that Satan didn’t account for. When Christ was in that place of being covered in sin, it wasn’t his sin. It was ours. It was our sin. He took it upon himself as a sacrifice. So God looked down with his faithfulness, with his purity, with his mission, and with his trust, and he raised him from the dead and set him at the right hand of God forevermore to be our high priest and our intercessor. So we follow along in that, but we like to lose track of the fact that A, I cannot beat demons on my own. I do not have the ability to do that. It’s only authority. And this flesh, there’s only one answer. Instead of worshiping this flesh, instead of exalting it and making it the pinnacle of all of our work and achievement, you take it to the cross and you leave it there every day. That’s the proper walk. Now, when it comes to the uh the authority issue in male and female, you only have those two restrictions in the New Testament. The head of household is a man. The elder bishop role in the church, that is a man. The nature of marriage and the nature of the church, the relationship of Christ and his bride, are symbolic. Marriage is a symbol of that relationship with Christ and his bride. The truth is, marriage is the closest thing to heaven that we’re going to experience in this earth. The depth of fellowship, the depth of intimacy, the depth of oneness, the communion that goes on inside of a marriage, that is indicative of heaven itself. That’s the nearest that we will experience it on this planet is marriage as to what happens in eternity in the heavenly realm. So we need to develop that marriage. We need to treasure it. We need to hold it sacred. But there’s that rank of authority because demons don’t care about what you’ve done. They don’t care about how strong your marriage has been. They’re coming back with their same plan, their same approach. They are going to plant thoughts, invoke feelings, influence action, create all the carnage and the damage that they can. And if they find any ounce of flesh available to work with, they will ruin you. That’s how they operate. So our daily task is thoughts to the word because of authority. Flesh to the cross because of judgment. Take it to the cross and leave it there. That is our walk as a disciple. Now, in those matters of authority, like I said before, and it bears repeating, it has nothing to do with the relative worth. We’ve made it into a subjugation dominion issue. God never did that. It has nothing to do with men being better than females or one gender being superior to the other. That is not the case. It is about authority. Is it about the opponent that we face? We face an opponent that does spiritual uh wickedness, opponent of spiritual weakness, that wants us destroyed every day. So if you don’t line up in authority, you kick the door wide open, and uh he will find a way to find your flesh and to take you to a place of run.
SPEAKER_03:
And he did last night.
SPEAKER_02:
The flesh was the discord for me. I made a comment that was in direct contradiction to what my husband was revealing, and that opened the door for him to walk in, and he did. He walked in fully and then just started to invoke those thoughts that provoked those feelings that influenced the reaction or the action.
SPEAKER_01:
Here’s the good news, Zambia, for you and for all of us. Redemption. Redemption is always at hand. Renewal. Renewal the minds. Of the minds. Renewal. God is about renewal. God doesn’t want anyone to face judgment. He takes no pleasure in that. He wants us to walk fully in his presence, to head toward that heavenly home. And so you and your husband can start over.
SPEAKER_02:
Okay, so what is the prayer that would be the appropriate prayer for what I discussed with you earlier?
SPEAKER_01:
Okay. Well, let’s talk about action first and then prayer second. The action is one, understand that daily reality. That’s context. So what I’ve uh taught and described here, that sets the context for a believer every day. An unbeliever faces as, well, it’s just that they’re they’re doomed. They’re on the other side. They’re on the wrong side of it all. As a believer, we’ve taken a stand. Therefore, spiritual forces are going to come after us. An unbeliever, they already have them. They just want to hold them. They don’t want to provoke them. They don’t want to uh they want to just stay right where they are. They have them where they want them. A believer has taken a stand. We’re going to do good, we’re going to advance God’s kingdom. So they’re coming after you. So understand the true heart and nature of that conflict, that thoughts to the word, flesh to the cross, that needs to be the first thing that you’re thinking about and working on through the day. Now, when you get into particular challenges like this, you guys created this problem together. You’re going to have to solve it together. There’s no way around it, okay? That’s the nature of marriage. You do it together, you work on it together. So I would put uh, you know, I’m gonna defer to my wife. I’m gonna give her as an example. She is a master at having ideas and making me think they were mine. How she does that, I I stand amazed. But she does. So we wound up doing exactly what she wanted to do, and I thought it was my idea all along. She’s a she’s uh amazing at that, and uh uh and it works very well. But I can say this, uh Sylvia, without uh knowing your husband at all, we’ve never met, it’s uh having no uh intimacy there at all. You’re gonna do it together. It’s gonna happen as a unit. You’re gonna solve the problem, work through it. There will be a number of apologies, there will be a number of uh things worked through in terms of uh, you know, I would say this too, the three magic words when you’re dating are I love you. The three magic words when you’re married are work it out. That’s how it goes. You work it out, and uh you have the same goal in mind, you’ve had a disagreement, you’ve had something that that cut deep, you’re gonna spend time together, you won’t solve it on your own, he won’t solve it on his own. You’ll have to come together and solve it together. There’s there’s no doubt about that.
SPEAKER_04:
Okay.
SPEAKER_01:
And I would say do what it takes to get that done. It uh, whatever uh apologies you need to make, whatever uh uh sacrifice of pride and an ego you have to make, uh put that to the side and say, we’ve got to work this out and and give it enough time. It’s uh men need a little more time. Once a male ego’s been bruised, give them a little space uh to to heal up, and uh uh that’s that’s necessary. You ladies are a little quicker to get to forgiveness than men are. We’re a little slower, but you ladies are a little quicker to forgive.
SPEAKER_02:
How long does it take? I’m curious. Maybe maybe it’s per person.
SPEAKER_01:
Two or three days is uh is not unusual. It uh in the same daylight uh segment is usually too quick. Give them a little space, and uh you need a little time maybe to sleep on it. It uh uh but uh just give a little space and give a little room, show some respect, show some regard, and uh uh you know a lady’s for need, and uh this is uh Paul makes this clear in Ephesians, and if I remember out, it’s chapter five, the very last uh verse. He he summarizes the nature of the marriage relationship, and he says, Husbands love your wives even as yourself. Wives see to it that you respect your husbands. He encapsulates in that the core need of the opposing gender. You ladies at your core need love. Men at our core need respect. Those are the two driving forces, and they’re different. You ladies need to know that you’re loved, you’re cared for, you’re protected. Men need to know that we’re honored and respected. And that’s a core need, and then they aren’t the same. In fact, that’s a source of a quite a bit of conflict, is we assume that that other party needs the same things that I do. They’re actually different needs across the genders. So you can you can train yourself to meet that need of honor and respect of your husband, and he needs to be training himself to meet that need of love and protection for you. If you feel like you’re loved and protected, you’re good. You’ll work through anything. That’s fine. Our home is is safe and intact, I’m safe and intact. If your husband feels honored and respected, he’s the same way. I’ll work through anything, whatever. It’s uh we can take it on.
SPEAKER_02:
But it it but it requires both people doing it at the same time, or does one have to do it first?
SPEAKER_01:
Well, somebody’s gonna need to lead, and that will be custom, but in the end, you’re gonna come together, and you’re going to uh that’s what the marriage union is about. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. The whole point of marriage is the union. So when two people marry, it’s no longer about this person, person A or person B, the husband or the wife. It’s about the union itself. And that is probably the most foundational idea in marriage that we’ve definitely forgotten and left behind. That is a commitment to the marriage itself as a separate standalone unit. That no matter what, it’s the marriage that matters. And that has to come from both sides, for sure. Now, in terms of reconciliation, somebody will need to step out and lead. The other party needs to come along. You’re going to agree, and the main thing you’re going to agree on is the marriage is what matters. It’s the union. That’s what matters. That’s your first and foremost principle of marriage: that it’s no longer two people, it’s one unit. You become one. The expression of grace, the expression out of that marriage between you and your husband will be unlike any other. You’ll have your own way of doing things. You’ll have your own methods, your own habits, uh, and it comes out of this problem-solving process. You work through problems together. It you create a special voice, a special expression that is just yours. It’s unlike anybody else. Melissa and I have our habits. My wife and I, we have our habits on how we work through things. We don’t do it just like anybody else. There’s nobody else that goes through problems the way she and I go through problems. That’s true for every single marriage. And that’s the way it should be. A ton of techniques can help you, but all that’s doing is giving you means to come together and solve problems together. So that first principle principle of marriage is commitment to the marriage itself. That must be sacrosanct. That’s holy, that’s holy ground. A commitment to the marriage itself, not the individual in the marriage. It’s the two individuals committing to the unit of marriage itself. It’s sacred, it belongs to the Almighty, that’s his. The second principle is solving problems together. You work through issues no longer one at a time, no longer on your own. You work through problems as a unit. You do it together. You find your solutions that way. If you do those two things, you will have a lifelong marriage, and it will be very happy, very productive, virtually impervious to problems. You will face every problem together, you will work through it together, you will find a solution together, and you’ll be stronger on the other side of that.
SPEAKER_02:
That concept comes from 2 Peter, doesn’t it?
SPEAKER_01:
Yes, it does.
SPEAKER_02:
Yes, because I wrote it down this morning. That was one of the formulas that God gave me.
SPEAKER_01:
Yep. Second Peter starts in Genesis chapter three.
SPEAKER_02:
It starts where you’re adding from faith, you add knowledge. From knowledge, you add, right? That’s that one.
SPEAKER_01:
Yes.
SPEAKER_02:
Oh my goodness.
SPEAKER_01:
Now you’re doing it as a unit.
SPEAKER_02:
Well, yeah, but I have to convince him as a unit. Or is it it’s not even up to me to convince him, it’s up to God to transform him.
SPEAKER_01:
You know what you’re gonna find yourself doing as an individual?
unknown:
What?
SPEAKER_01:
Flesh to the cross. Now you’re a disciple, you’re ready to march. Now you’re ready to talk to your husband. Now you’re ready to visit with him. So we still only have one savior. There’s one thing that never happens in a marriage. You become each other’s savior. That is never true. In Christ, we are one. There is no longer Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female. We stand before God, but stand before our Savior, our priest as an individual. Now, you are accountable to God Himself for your discipleship. Your husband cannot save you. You cannot save him. You don’t save each other. That’s Satan’s trap. That’s Satan’s trap.
SPEAKER_04:
That’s his trap.
SPEAKER_01:
Your salvation is not in your husband. His salvation is not in you. You stand before Christ alone, needing grace, needing reconciliation. Christ is the only one that can save us. But he’s also the author of marriage. He marries his bride. He understands marriage completely. It’s his plan. Here’s something else, Sylvia, chew on this for a bit. There’s only one social institution that was instituted before the fall of man. Every other one, all societies, civil governments, uh social uh institutions, etc., came about after the fall of man for purposes of redemption to get us back to something civil. There’s one social institution that was implemented before sin entered this world in the Garden of Eden, and that is marriage. Marriage is not God’s redemptive plan. Marriage was God’s original plan. That’s what he had in mind for men and women before sin ever broke this world, was marriage. Now, what you’re doing through this process that you and I are discussing, that you’re mulling over, you’re getting back to that original plan. The original plan of God, which was for one man and one woman to join together in union and become one flesh, become one unit. Okay? Now we have to do that in light of the sin of mankind. Christ is the solution to that sin. You have to do that individually. You both go to Christ. He is your high priest, he is your savior. You don’t save each other. Christ saves each one of you individually so that now you can be a husband and wife unit and express the grace of Christ through that marriage. That’s what will happen in the end.
SPEAKER_03:
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:
I yeah, the timing of this is really interesting. It’s very, very interesting. I uh I I love his timing. I think he has a really interesting sense of humor. Yes, he does.
SPEAKER_01:
Yes, he does.
SPEAKER_02:
There was a comedian that we saw months ago in October that said, conflict is not your enemy. Conflict is when God reveals, it’s a vertical revelation. When you submit to him and you pray to him, he reveals through that conflict. There’s so many things he revealed in this particular conflict to me that are just the strategies that you’ve outlined for me. In the interm while I’m waiting, I’m assuming it’s what you said.
SPEAKER_03:
Let me see. I have all my notes here. No, it’s not it. Um it is oh my lord, what is it? It’s all right. Flesh to the cross and thoughts to Christ to the words to the word.
SPEAKER_01:
Thoughts to the word of Christ, his truth, his life, his word. So I flesh to the cross.
SPEAKER_02:
Pray and stay close to him during these next two, three days. Absolutely. And just no more words coming out of me at all towards him. Give him space, respect, and honor.
SPEAKER_01:
Yes, find a way to show your husband that you respect him, you grant him honor. He is the head of the household. You both stand before Christ uh for purposes of redemption and salvation. You’re going to make this marriage work as a biblical marriage. You will respect him, you will honor him, and you’re asking him to love you and give you protection. That is a very healthy, happy uh marriage. The woman is getting what she needs, the man is getting what he needs. You join together, it’s a unique expression of grace that happens in that union. It’s a divine thing. It truly is the closest thing to heaven man is ever going to see in this earth. A functioning, happy, biblical marriage. It’s a thing of beauty. Uh, the intimacy there is unmatched. And that gets to the sexual side of things. You know, the the truth is here’s another huge mistake in society. We try to separate love and sex. It’s impossible.
SPEAKER_04:
No, it’s the same thing.
SPEAKER_01:
Finely bladed rope, they’re they’re wound together so tight. They come together. Love and sex are never intended to be separate. They come together.
SPEAKER_04:
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:
But when you join those together in a proper, healthy marriage, it’s uh the the intimacy is corrupt.
SPEAKER_02:
It’s all three of us in one body.
SPEAKER_01:
There you go. That’s what I like that. I like that.
SPEAKER_02:
It’s the spirit, man and woman, like the husband, the wife, and God all in one.
SPEAKER_01:
Marriage belongs to God. He sanctioned it. It’s his, it’s not ours to defile. He gave it to us. It’s a gift, it was his original plan. We’ve done everything imaginable to dilute it, to defile it, to dumb it down. It all fails because it’s not ours. It doesn’t belong to us. It was given to us. So we got to use it properly as a steward. We are at when we do the things you and I have talked about, we are stewards. We are doing what God set us here to do. And that’s another myth that Satan uses. We think we’re sovereign lords. We can create whatever life we want here. We’re in charge. Well, just ask how in charge you are. How much can you guarantee? You can’t guarantee your next breath. You may not make the supper table tonight. You may not get up in the morning. That’s how much we can guarantee. But here’s what we control our thoughts and actions and words in the moment. I control that. So what I do and say right now, I’m in charge of that. That’s enough. That gives me the power of a steward. I have the authority of a steward. It is stewardship. It is not sovereignty. I do not control this world. I do not control other people. Just think about what can take your life. I could have an aneurysm. We could hang up this phone, Sylvia, and we never speak again because I don’t live to see bedtime. That’s hard reality. We have to accept that. That’s a limit on my sovereignty. I control what I say and do right now. And that is enough. I can do everything I need to do in all of life. I can be exactly what God made me to be by doing that. So if you’re a steward, you take that stewardship into this daily walk and into your marriage. You’re going to have pleasure and intimacy beyond description. Read the book of Song of Solomon. It tells you just how good it is.
SPEAKER_02:
Just stick with scripture. It’s going to lead you to a light. That’s the gist of what we’ve been talking about. That’s the only thing that can that can destroy the enemy.
SPEAKER_01:
That’s our rock. That’s our foundation. That’s the force. He answers to that. He answers to that. You don’t have to go to that band of theologians, those great uh uh profound uh uh prophets, Black Sabbath, in one of their songs, uh they said the devil is never a maker, and they got it just right. They hit the nail on the head. Satan can only deceive, he can only manipulate and distort. He can never create, he can never speak to what is true, he can never take you down a path to light, to anything good. He is a deceiver and a destroyer and nothing else. God is a creator, he’s a maker, he innovates, he makes things new and fresh and amazing. Look at the world that he made. It’s an amazing place. It’s incredible. He made that for us. He made us to live in it and to fellowship with him. So uh yeah, you keep your mind locked into scripture, none of that, no facts, things that are true, they don’t come from Satan, they come from God. You have to have a reverence for facts. So if you’re a steward, one of the first things you do is you have a reverence for facts. You bow your knee to facts. You’re humble in that way, and you’re going to make decisions in a very different way. If uh you’re making decisions as a sovereign uh unit, you think you’re in charge, you’re going to rationalize. You’re going to choose up front what you like, and then you’ll toss facts to the side to suit your own purpose. If you’re a steward, you gather all the facts, you bow your knee to those facts, and then you work through to a decision. That’s a stewardship approach. A sovereign lord approach says, I’ve already decided what I want. I’m going to pitch facts aside and people aside as I like and get what I want. That’s the sovereign mindset that describes America in this modern world. We are meant to be stewards. We are not meant to be sovereign lords. So when you find yourself trying to dominate and take control, you’ve already left the truth. God put us here as stewards. It’s his plan, it’s his world. We live under his authority.
SPEAKER_02:
And you resubmit to his sovereignty.
SPEAKER_01:
Yes, ma’am.
SPEAKER_02:
We kneel down to it, and it’s guiding.
SPEAKER_01:
Yeah. We created being. That’s your first point of humility and submission. I did not make myself. I am made. I am created. I bow my knee to that and I walk by faith with the rest.
SPEAKER_03:
Yes, we do.
SPEAKER_02:
So let me ask you: if men wanted to reach you to work with you, or if we wanted to buy your book, how do we find you?
SPEAKER_01:
The best way is on the website, aworkingmansguide.com. It’s the title on the book. I’ve got one here. A working man’s guide, just drop the apostrophe at.com, and that’ll take you right to it. Aworkingmansguide.com. There’s contact there you can buy right off the website. You can go to Amazon as well, any of the mainstream uh uh retailers. But um uh that website is the best. Social media sites are tied to that. You’ll find those on the website as well. A lot of information there. That’s the best way to get in touch.
SPEAKER_02:
Okay, and any last words of encouragement for Christian men and women.
SPEAKER_01:
You know, I have such a deep passion for the American working class. I want to encourage everyone, as you settle that foundation and you stand on it rock solid, the benefits come. God does not ask us to serve him for no reason. He does not ask us to serve him in vain. He blesses us immensely, he gives us of his gifts and of his goodness, but he demands that we take our place. When we try to make ourselves in charge, the trouble is going to overcome us. So trouble is coming. You can’t decide that. You get to decide how you respond. If you take on that trouble as a steward of the Almighty, he will protect you and he will fight on your behalf. If you take on that trouble as a sovereign unit, you think you can handle it, you’re doomed. Without question. I would encourage all of your listeners with that truth. Take on life for what it is, do it as a steward. You were made by God for a reason. Accept that and walk in it. He will fight on your behalf, he will come to your aid and your rescue in that circumstance. If you try to do it on your own, you have no chance. It’s not like, well, I might succeed. No, you have no chance. Those two opponents will wreck you. The demonic is stronger than you. Your flesh is stronger than you. You can’t beat either one. You face them every day. Understand the context, approach it accordingly. That’s what I would say. God bless your listeners. Uh I uh wish them well.
SPEAKER_02:
Thank you. We’ll take your blessing every day, all day. Um, and to the listeners that release out reveal purpose, I just want to remind you uh about Matthew 5.14 to be the light. Yes, ma’am. Step into your light as Dr. Teak has stepped into his willingly. He has become a steward of God’s will and sovereignty. And I can only hope that I’m on that path, and that by the end I will be in full submission to everything, putting flesh to the cross and thoughts to Christ and to his word, and making them totally obedient to him. And that’s the only way we’re gonna be to defeat the conflict that we face, and we know that that conflict is not of this world, so we’ve got to fight and put on his armor every single day. So thank you, Dr. Teak, for joining us today and for this powerful testimony.
SPEAKER_01:
And it’s a pleasure. Thank you so much. You’re an excellent host.
SPEAKER_02:
Uh it’s been my honor to host you here, sir.
SPEAKER_03:
And I wish everyone listening to have a beautiful, blessed day. Bye now.
SPEAKER_00:
So that’s it for today’s episode of Release Doubt Reveal Purpose. Head on over to iTunes or wherever you listen and subscribe to the show. One lucky listener every single week who posts a review on iTunes. We’ll win a chance to grand prize drawing to win a twenty-five thousand dollar private VIP day with Sylvia Worship herself. Be sure to head on over to sylviaworsham.com and pick up a free copy of Sylvia’s gift and join us on the next episode.