285. Defeating Strongholds

This week we have a special episode of Hope Cast for you all!Richard and Marsha have been a part of Living Hope for years, and they are leaders in the DFW Friends and Family group.In this episode they speak on how to understand our friends and family who are struggling, as well as how to maintain healthy relationships with them and stay active and involved in their lives.

In this episode, Ricky and Bonnie talk about strongholds and how they often arise in our lives and how we tend to feed them, but, conversely, how we can, with God's power, work to defeat them in our lives. North Texas Giving Day is September 18th, but you can start giving now! Find out more at northtexasgivingday.org

This week, Ricky and Bonnie tackle explaining what defensive detachment is. If you start to relate to their description, do not get uneasy, but keep listening - they will continue to discuss how even one of them relates strongly to the description as well and tips to create balance in relationships and cultivate friendships that are healthy. North Texas Giving Day is September 18th, but you can start giving now! Find out more at northtexasgivingday.org

Ricky and Bonnie discuss the struggle of not feeling perfectly created by God as the gender and the expression of the gender He created us to be and how that encourages us to believe that our gender is a mistake. They discuss the truth that Scripture proclaims about God's perfect design and that He has made us as we are to be a reflection of His image and how to reframe our minds to align with this truth.

Ricky and Bonnie discuss here the importance of "taking every thought captive to obey Christ" as directed in 2 Corinthians 10:5. They talk about why it is necessary and some practical steps to follow through - especially when it comes to thoughts about sexual and relational desires that are not in line with what God has designed for His children.

We are excited to announce that the Institute of Biblical Sexuality, the training arm of Living Hope Ministries, has launched the Rooted Counseling: The Center for Relational and Sexual Wholeness. Ricky and Bonnie sit down with Leah Niccolls, the Director of Rooted Counseling to talk about what Rooted Counseling will offer and how this counseling center will offer unique assistance for those dealing with sexual trauma.

In this episode, Ricky and Bonnie discuss the pervasive issue of porn struggling even among ministers and people in spiritual leadership. They elevate proactive confession and accountability, as well as put forward practical ways to begin to heal and overcome this difficult struggle.

In this episode, Ricky and Bonnie focus on discussing hope for wives of same-sex attracted men who may have just found out about their husband's struggle. They acknowledge the emotional pain and struggle wives in this position are experiencing, but they also discuss the way forward and how to work through reconciliation, rebuilding of trust and intimacy, and how to respond to the struggle on the journey ahead.

Ricky and Bonnie discuss the difficulty facing wives who find out unexpectedly that their husbands struggle with same-sex attraction and need to seek somewhere to talk about it and wrestle with it. They discuss that the root problem is not caused by the wives themselves. They also testify to the stories of renewed marriages Living Hope has witnessed and how sexual sins are not that much different from each other, whether it is a heterosexual or homosexual struggle.

Ricky and Bonnie take this week to talk about taking caution and using boundaries when it comes to the increasingly more intelligent technology that is becoming a normal part of life, including how parents should be careful with how they let even their teens use technology.