When Numbness Steals Your Marriage: Breaking Free from Apathy | S.H.A.M.E. SERIES // 19

Have you ever walked through a season where you genuinely didn't know how the story was going to end? Maybe it was your marriage. Maybe it was betrayal, grief, a diagnosis, or a loss that left you wondering, "Lord...how much longer?" In this final episode of our Psalm 34 Summer Series, we're looking at one of the most comforting promises in Scripture: "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18) We'll talk about why hardship isn't evidence that God has abandoned you, what David really means when he says, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous," and how God's presence often becomes most real in our darkest seasons. I'll also share part of my own story of walking through one of the hardest seasons of my marriage and how I experienced God's faithfulness when I couldn't see how things would ever be redeemed. If you're carrying disappointment, unanswered questions, or the weight of a painful season, I pray this conversation reminds you that your story isn't over. God is still near. He is still faithful. And He is still in the business of redeeming what feels broken. Scripture: Psalm 34:18-22 👉🏻 CONNECT WITH MICHELLE 💰 Save 10% with Budget Besties Simplified Budget System - use code MICHELLE☕️ Buy Me a Coffee - Love the podcast, consider supporting RIP IT OFF 📖 Naked & Unashamed: A 31-Day Journey - save 10% with code SAVE10 💌 Free Download: 5 Lies Christian Women Believe About Sex & Marriage ⭐ Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts - Help other Christian wives find healing and biblical truth about intimacy. 📲 Instagram: @ripitoffpodcast 📩 Speaking & guest inquiries: [email protected]

Can you pray faithfully for your marriage and still unintentionally damage it with your words? In this episode, we're continuing our Psalm 34 summer series by looking at Psalm 34:11-14, where David shifts from talking about trusting God to something incredibly practical: our speech. We'll talk about why words create the atmosphere of a marriage, the difference between being a peacemaker and a peacekeeper, and why pursuing peace doesn't mean avoiding hard conversations or becoming a doormat. If you've ever found yourself reacting out of frustration, speaking with criticism or sarcasm, or wondering how to communicate in a healthier way, this conversation is for you. God cares deeply about our marriages, and that includes the words we choose every single day. Let's learn how to pursue peace, one conversation at a time. Scripture: Psalm 34:11-14 👉🏻 CONNECT WITH MICHELLE 💰 Save 10% with Budget Besties Simplified Budget System - use code MICHELLE☕️ Buy Me a Coffee - Love the podcast, consider supporting RIP IT OFF 📖 Naked & Unashamed: A 31-Day Journey - save 10% with code SAVE10 💌 Free Download: 5 Lies Christian Women Believe About Sex & Marriage ⭐ Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts - Help other Christian wives find healing and biblical truth about intimacy. 📲 Instagram: @ripitoffpodcast 📩 Speaking & guest inquiries: [email protected]

Have you ever found yourself thinking: "If my husband would just change..." "If our communication improved..." "If our intimacy was better..." Then everything would finally feel okay. But what if your deepest disappointment isn't actually about your marriage? In this episode of Rip It Off, Michelle continues the Psalm 34 summer series by unpacking one of the most quoted—and often misunderstood—passages in Scripture:

When stress hits, where do you run first? To worry? To control? To your friends? To distractions? Or do you run to God? In this powerful episode of the Psalm 34 Summer Series, Michelle challenges listeners to examine their first response to life's hardest moments and reveals why where we run often exposes what we're trusting most. Episode Summary Psalm 34:4 says, "I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears." It's a familiar verse, but Michelle uncovers a truth that's easy to miss: David didn't say God delivered him from all his circumstances. He said God delivered him from his fears. As David fled for his life, uncertain of what would happen next, he chose to seek God before seeking relief. That's a challenge many of us desperately need today. Whether we're facing marriage struggles, financial stress, parenting challenges, grief, or relational conflict, our natural instinct is often to look for immediate relief instead of seeking God's presence. In this honest conversation, Michelle shares personal stories about worry, fear, control, and the temptation to solve problems in her own strength. Through Psalm 34, she reminds us that God isn't always removing the struggle—but He is always meeting us in it. If you've ever found yourself chasing certainty, obsessing over outcomes, or feeling overwhelmed by circumstances you can't control, this episode offers a gentle invitation to shift your focus from finding relief to finding refuge in the Lord. What You'll Learn in This Episode

What if the words you speak every day are revealing exactly where your heart is placing its trust? Not the words you say at church. Not the words you say when everything is going your way. The words that spill out when you're frustrated, overwhelmed, disappointed, or afraid. In this convicting episode, we continue our Psalm 34 Summer Series and uncover what David's powerful declaration teaches us about praise, perspective, and the condition of our hearts. Episode Summary Psalm 34 opens with a bold statement: "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth." It's a verse many of us know by heart, but have we stopped to ask ourselves if it's actually true of us? In this episode, Michelle dives into Psalm 34:1-3 and challenges listeners to examine what is continually coming out of their mouths. Are we rehearsing God's faithfulness—or constantly replaying our frustrations? Are we magnifying our problems—or magnifying the Lord? Through personal stories about financial stress, marriage struggles, grief, and everyday worries, Michelle unpacks how our words often reveal what we're truly trusting. David wasn't writing these words from a comfortable season of life. He was running for his life, afraid and uncertain. Yet he chose praise before the breakthrough ever came. This conversation is an invitation to stop measuring God's goodness by your circumstances and start anchoring your heart in His unchanging character. What You'll Learn in This Episode