June 7, 2026 — Episode #125
Content note: this episode includes discussion of emotional abuse within marriage and guidance for spouses navigating an abusive relationship.
Continuing their series on the biblical core values of marriage, Jerry and Becky Drace turn to the topic of submission, examining Ephesians 5:21-33 and clarifying that biblical submission is meant to be voluntary, not coerced.
They explain that a husband’s call to be the spiritual leader of the home only functions rightly when he himself submits to the lordship of Christ, and they share a story of a husband who demanded submission through control and meanness rather than love, discussing when a wife may need to seek help or leave an abusive situation. Becky recalls how their longtime family mentor modeled family devotions and taught their children to pray for Jerry by phone during his travels using a globe to locate him. The couple discusses the importance of fathers leading family Bible reading and prayer, drawing on Becky’s own experience growing up with a father who was a faithful “server” in church but not a spiritual leader at home. They also address how wives can pray for unbelieving or spiritually distant husbands rather than nagging them, citing Colossians 3:12 and 1 Corinthians 7:13-14, and offer parents and grandparents “red flag” indicators for evaluating whether a child’s romantic interest is spiritually grounded, such as whether he prays over a meal.
Topics discussed:
- Continuing the marriage series with the core value of submission (Ephesians 5:21-33)
- Biblical submission as voluntary, not coerced or authoritarian
- Recognizing and responding to emotional abuse in a marriage
- Fathers as spiritual leaders of the home versus being merely a “server”
- Praying for a spiritually distant or unbelieving spouse instead of nagging
- Their mentor’s globe prayer tradition for children while Jerry traveled
- Red flag indicators for evaluating a dating partner’s spiritual maturity
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