Equipping Godly Women Podcast

Have a friend or family member living in sin, and can’t tell whether to speak up or stay quiet?

Maybe your grown kids have walked away from church, your husband has stopped praying, or your best friend is flirting with something you KNOW will end badly.

Ever swing between saying nothing and saying way too much? Staying quiet can feel like giving up on them. Speaking up can feel like it might cost you the relationship.

In this episode, I’m walking through six questions to ask before you say a word, so you know whether to say something, what to say, and when to leave it with God.

I’m also sharing a cliff, a toddler by a swimming pool, and the surprising backstories of the people in Hebrews 11 (hint: it changes how you see “bad” sinners).

If so, this one’s for you.

In this episode, we talk about:
• Why your own heart comes first, and how to tell if you’re concerned or just uncomfortable
• How to figure out if it’s actually a sin or something Christians disagree on (drinking, gambling, missing church)
• Why a brand new believer, a lifelong churchgoer, and a non-Christian each need a different conversation
• How much say you really have with your husband, adult kids, close friends, or a stranger online
• Five ways to respond that aren’t just “speak up” or “stay quiet” (including what to do after you’ve already said your piece)
• Why you’re not the Holy Spirit (and why that’s such a relief)

You can’t change anyone’s heart, and you were never meant to. You can pray, get honest about your part, and say what God gives you to say, then leave the rest with Him.

📖 RESOURCE MENTIONED:
Brittany Ann’s book: “Follow God’s Will” https://amzn.to/3dLfzLQ (affiliate)

🔗 STAY CONNECTED:
Website: https://equippinggodlywomen.com

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If a pastor or author you trusted said something wildly unbiblical, you’d probably catch it.

But what about false teaching that’s only a little bit off? A verse pulled slightly out of context, a saying you’ve heard your whole life, advice that’s almost right?

Those are the ones that slip right past us, because they sound biblical.

I grew up in church (my grandpa was a pastor, and we were there pretty much any time the doors were open), went to Bible college, and did Bible quizzing. So when my mother-in-law politely asked where a few things I believed were actually found in the Bible, my first thought was, bring it on.

That’s not quite how it turned out.

Chances are, you’re hearing about God from more voices than ever: sermon clips, pretty verse graphics, books, podcasts, and well-meaning friends and family. You don’t have to fact-check every word. You just need a radar that notices when something deserves a closer look.

In this episode, we talk about:
• Six signs a teaching might be a little off, from leaning on one verse to promising more than God actually promised
• Why a single verse on its own can point you the wrong way (with two verses that seem to say opposite things)
• Familiar sayings like "God won't give you more than you can handle" that sound like Scripture but aren't
• How to tell what the Bible actually commands from what's just a cultural expectation
• What to do when something doesn't sit right: pray, check God's Word, and ask good questions
• The Sunday a sermon had me ready to walk out of church (and why I never sent that email)

You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to notice when something sounds off. With a little practice, you’ll know when to dig into God’s Word for yourself, ask questions, or gently push back, and you can keep learning from the teachers you love with confidence.

📖 RESOURCE MENTIONED:
Brittany Ann's book: "Fall in Love with God's Word" https://amzn.to/47sWmqp (affiliate)

🔗 STAY CONNECTED:
Website: https://equippinggodlywomen.com

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Want to read your Bible more, but honestly don't feel like it? You're not alone, and you’re not a bad Christian.

Most of us assume the fix is more of all the things: Print the reading plan, set the alarm, try harder this time. But trying harder doesn’t work.

And it usually isn't a time problem either. (We find time to scroll our phones, after all.)

So if you're a busy Christian mom who never seems to have the motivation to read your Bible, this one's for you.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why "every single day, first thing in the morning" isn't a biblical command (yes, I went back and checked)
• How to figure out what time in Scripture can realistically look like in your season
• Five common ways we misread the Bible, like treating it as a rule book or an instruction manual, and why each one makes Scripture feel boring
• What the Bible actually is, and why that makes you want to keep reading
• A simple, honest prayer for the days you just don't want to
• What long-distance running (and getting my kids to eat broccoli) taught me about not quitting before it gets good

You don't have to guilt yourself into loving God's Word. Take the pressure off, start small, and give it a little time. The wanting to really does come.

📖 RESOURCE MENTIONED:
 Brittany Ann's book: "Fall in Love with God's Word" https://amzn.to/47sWmqp (affiliate)

🔗 STAY CONNECTED:
 Website: https://equippinggodlywomen.com

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Doing the bedtime prayers and church every Sunday, but quietly wondering if any of it will actually stick? You're not alone. 

You've probably heard the scary statistics about kids walking away from the faith in college. 

But the data shows it starts way sooner, often between ages 13 and 15 (and most parents have no idea it's happening). 

So I dug into why kids leave, why some stay, and what actually makes the difference. 

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why doing all the right Christian activities isn't enough on its own (and what matters more)
• The number one factor in whether kids keep their faith (hint: it starts with you, but not with being perfect)
• Why your kids need other strong Christian adults in their corner, and why that's good news for you
• How to connect faith to real life so it's not just a Sunday morning thing
• Simple ways to help your kids build their own Bible reading and prayer habits without a fight
• How to handle hard questions and doubts even when you don't have the answers

There are no guarantees, and it's not all on you. But you can give your kids the best possible chance at a faith that's real.

📖 RESOURCES MENTIONED:
• Brittany Ann's book: "Fall in Love with God's Word" https://amzn.to/47sWmqp (affiliate)
• Brittany Ann's book: "Follow God's Will" https://amzn.to/3dLfzLQ (affiliate)
• Dr. George Barna, "Raising Spiritual Champions" https://amzn.to/4iS8ybq (affiliate)
• David Kinnaman and Mark Matlock, "Faith for Exiles" https://amzn.to/3VCYUj7 (affiliate) 

📖 RESEARCH SOURCES:
• Lifeway Research, "Most Teenagers Drop Out of Church When They Become Young Adults" (2019): https://research.lifeway.com/2019/01/15/most-teenagers-drop-out-of-church-as-young-adults/
• Lifeway Research, "The Next Generation Is Leaving the Faith Earlier Than You Realize" (2023): https://research.lifeway.com/2023/10/04/the-next-generation-is-leaving-the-faith-earlier-than-you-realize/
• Institute for Family Studies, "Secularization Begins at Home" (2023): https://ifstudies.org/blog/secularization-begins-at-home
• Grey Matter Research and Infinity Concepts, "Evangelical Parenting" (2025): https://www.infinityconcepts.com/evangelical-parenting/
• Grey Matter Research and Infinity Concepts, "The Spiritual Journey" (2024): https://www.infinityconcepts.com/the-spiritual-journey/
• Barna Group, "Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church" (2011): https://www.barna.com/research/six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church/
• Barna Group, "Only 10% of Christian Twentysomethings Have Resilient Faith" (2019): https://www.barna.com/research/of-the-four-exile-groups-only-10-are-resilient-disciples/

⏱️ Timestamps:
05:21 Why Faith Is Mostly Formed by Age 13
09:15 The Real Reasons Kids Stop Going to Church
12:28 Modeling Real Faith (Without Having to Be Perfect)
14:32 Why Their Faith Doesn't All Rest on You
17:40 Making Faith More Than a Sunday Morning Thing
20:33 Helping Kids Own Their Faith Without Forcing It
22:24 When Your Kids Ask Questions You Can't Answer
24:39 Where to Start When You Feel Overwhelmed

🔗 STAY CONNECTED:
 Website: https://equippinggodlywomen.com

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Does it feel like your husband isn't measuring up as a spiritual leader? Maybe he doesn't pray at meals or lead family devotions, and you're quietly waiting on him to step up first. 

If so, this one's for you.

This question came up again and again in our latest reader survey, from wives with quieter husbands, wives in unequally yoked marriages, and even a mom worried about her daughter's family. 

That's why, in this episode, we're going straight to Colossians 3 and Ephesians 5 to see what Scripture actually says about husbands leading (and what it doesn't). 

Spoiler: a lot of what we expect from Christian husbands isn't in there.

I'm also sharing what spiritual leadership really looks like in my own marriage, including the two times my husband vetoed me (and why I only listened once).

In this episode, we talk about:
• What the Bible actually asks of husbands and wives, and which "rules" come from culture instead
• Why you don't have to wait for your husband to go first before you read your Bible, pray, or go to church
• What it means that you're not your husband's Holy Spirit (and why that's such a relief)
• How submission works when God is above your husband, not the other way around
• A simple prayer for when you want something for your family and your husband isn't on board yet
• How to spot the quieter ways your husband is already leading your family

If you've been carrying the weight of your husband's faith along with your own, you can set down what God never asked you to carry. Give your husband some grace, keep growing in your own faith, and start noticing the leadership that's already there.
 
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Website: https://equippinggodlywomen.com

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Between the spilled juice, the buzzing work email, and the kids who need Mom for all of the things, does prayer time with God always end up on the back burner? 

Good news. You're not failing at prayer. You just need a different plan for this season.

I get it. I'm in a season of very little sleep myself right now, up way too late with a toddler, up way too early to work. There is no serene, quiet-coffee, sit-down prayer time happening in my life at the moment. 

And that's okay. Because prayer was never meant to require perfect stillness. It just means talking to God, and you can do that anywhere, anytime, no matter how busy your life is.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why prayer doesn't require a quiet, uninterrupted "prayer closet" moment to actually count
• How to turn your worries, your ruminating thoughts, and your daily triggers into instant prayers
• Simple ways to make God part of your day without adding one more thing to your to-do list
• What Scripture actually says (and doesn't say) about "praying continually"
• Why a rushed 30-second prayer in the car counts just as much as a long one
• How to build a prayer habit that fits a season with zero extra time to spare

📖 RESOURCES MENTIONED:
 Brittany Ann's book: "Fall in Love with God's Word" https://amzn.to/3dLfzLQ (affiliate) 
 Stormy Omartian's website: https://www.stormieomartian.com/
 Brooke McGlothlin’s website: https://brookemcglothlin.net/

🔗 STAY CONNECTED:
 Website: https://equippinggodlywomen.com

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Ever lie awake praying about a big decision, begging God for an answer, and hear... nothing? You haven't missed your window with God, and He hasn't moved on to someone easier to reach. Hearing His voice isn't a mystical gift some Christians have and you don't, it's a skill you can actually learn.

In this episode, I'm walking through my go-to telephone analogy for hearing God's voice: He's calling, but are you picking up? We'll talk about how to tell the difference between your own thoughts, the enemy's lies, and God's actual voice (spoiler: at first they can all sound the same), plus real stories of how God has spoken to me over the years, some dramatic, most of them quiet and easy to miss if I hadn't been paying attention.

In this episode, we talk about:
• Why God's silence usually isn't a "no" (and what it might actually mean)
• The three places your thoughts can come from, and how to start telling them apart
• Why hearing from God gets easier with practice, not spiritual maturity points
• Real, ordinary ways God has spoken to me, through scripture, circumstances, and quiet nudges
• What to do today if you've prayed before and heard nothing

You don't have to keep waiting for a voice dramatic enough to prove God is real. He's speaking. This episode will help you learn to recognize His voice, and trust what you're hearing.

📖 RESOURCE MENTIONED:
Brittany Ann's book: "Follow God's Will" https://amzn.to/3dLfzLQ (affiliate)

🔗 STAY CONNECTED:
Website: https://equippinggodlywomen.com

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Do you ever feel like other women just "get" the Bible in a way you never will? Like everyone else has some spiritual fluency you missed out on? 

Here's the truth: Understanding Scripture isn't a gift some women have and you don't. It's a skill, and you can absolutely learn it.

In this episode, I'm breaking down why the Bible can feel confusing even when you're reading it faithfully (hint: it's not your faith, it's missing context), and walking you through the exact process I use to study Scripture for myself instead of always reaching for someone else's conclusions.

In this episode, we talk about:
• Why the Bible can feel confusing, even when nothing is wrong with your faith
• The difference between exegesis and eisegesis (and why it protects you from misreading Scripture)
• A simple, five-step process for studying any passage or topic on your own
• How to use commentaries, concordances, and multiple translations without losing your own voice in the process
• Why you don't need a Bible degree to trust your own read on God's Word

You don't have to keep waiting for someone else to hand you the answer. You already have what it takes to understand your Bible for yourself, and by the end of this episode, you'll know exactly where to start.

📖 RESOURCE MENTIONED:
Brittany Ann's books: "Follow God's Will" https://amzn.to/3dLfzLQ (affiliate) and "Fall in Love with God's Word" https://amzn.to/3fcgJAn (affiliate)

🔗 STAY CONNECTED:
Website: https://equippinggodlywomen.com

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Tried another Bible reading plan and fallen off track again? 

If every failed attempt feels like more proof you don't love God enough, I want to stop you right there: That's not what's actually happening, and this episode will show you why.

So many of us have been handed a pre-made Bible reading plan, told to stick to it through sheer willpower, and then quietly assumed we're the problem when it doesn't work. 

In this episode, I'm walking through my own Bible reading journey (spoiler: it has looked completely different in nearly every season of my life) and I'm showing you how to build a Bible reading routine that's actually designed around your real, busy life instead of someone else's.

In this episode, we talk about:
• How often you need to read the Bible (what Scripture actually says, not just what you've been told)
• The real reason your Bible reading plan keeps falling apart (hint: it's not a discipline problem)
• Why you need to consider your current season and preferences before building a plan (and how to do that)
• A simple five-question framework for creating a Bible reading routine you'll actually stick with
• Why falling off track doesn't mean you have to wait for a "clean slate" to start again

You are not a failure, and you don't love God any less because consistency feels hard. You just need a plan that was actually built for your real, chaotic, beautiful life. And that's exactly what we're building today.

📖 RESOURCE MENTIONED:
Brittany Ann's book: "Fall in Love with God's Word" https://amzn.to/3dLfzLQ (affiliate)

🔗 STAY CONNECTED:
Website: https://equippinggodlywomen.com

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Somewhere between the laundry, the carpool line, and the bedtime routine, have you quietly started to believe your life doesn't matter that much right now? 

You're not forgettable, and you don't have to wait until the kids are grown to start living out your God-given purpose.

In this episode, I'm walking through some of the biggest lies we believe about calling: that only certain kinds of women get one, that yours is on hold until this season ends, or that if you haven't figured it out by now, you've already missed your window. (Spoiler: None of that is true, and I'll show you why straight from Scripture.) We're also picking apart Ephesians 2:10 and what it really means that you were created on purpose for a purpose.

In this episode, we talk about:
• The biggest misconceptions about God's calling on your life (and why they're keeping you stuck)
• Why your calling isn't "on hold" until the kids are older
• The difference between a big, visible purpose and a quiet, faithful one, and why both count
• Seven simple questions from Follow God's Will to help you figure out what's actually yours to carry right now
• Why God already knew every part of your current season before He called you to it
• You don't need the whole plan today. You just need the next small step, and the confidence that you're already valuable, because God created you on purpose for a purpose.

📖 RESOURCE MENTIONED:
Brittany Ann's book: "Follow God's Will" https://amzn.to/3dLfzLQ (affiliate)

Katie Orr's Website: https://katieorr.me

🔗 STAY CONNECTED:
Website: https://equippinggodlywomen.com

Support the show