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Hope in the Night - Domestic Abuse and Aging
October 21, 2026 · 57 min
Hope in the Night-Domestic Abuse and Aging
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Hope for the Heart is a worldwide biblical counseling, coaching, and caregiving ministry founded by June Hunt in 1986. We’re passionate about helping people
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Aging Gracefully with Purpose 0:19 From the Hope Center in Plano, Texas, this is Hope in the Night, late night talk radio offering Biblical hope and practical help on the air for over thirty years. I'm Tom Petrovsky here with author and0:31 speaker, June Hunt. We're a ministry of hope for the heart. To find out more about our ministry, go to hope for the heart dot org. There, you can listen to previous Hope in the Night programs and make0:43 one time or recurring donations. We also have free resources which will give you a sample of June's most popular books. If you'd rather text us, just text the word free to seven zero nine one0:55 nine, and we'll send you a link and get you signed up. June, what would you like to share with us tonight?1:02 Well, I'm I'm going to share something, about my mom. I adored my mother and how well I remember,1:15 discussing the topic of aging with her. Her name is Ruth. My first name is Ruth. I'm Ruth June Hunt. And, I invited her to be1:27 on our radio program, years ago because I always cherished, not only my time with her, but because she she1:38 beautifully illustrated1:41 what1:41 it means to age gracefully. And, as we shared laughs and discussed god's purpose for aging, she said something that surprised me.1:53 She said, all my life, I've looked forward to old age. I've never heard anybody say that. And and I said, really? And she said, I really2:05 have. I just looked forward to it, and now I'm here. But it's a little different from what I anticipated it would be.2:18 In what way? I asked. Well, she answered, I really loved the picture that I had in mind of when I would get old,2:30 of sitting in a rocking chair, writing poetry, reading, and and things like that. But I tell you, joy comes... Real2:42 happiness comes from giving to others. No matter what age we are, so long as we can do something for someone else,2:54 we get our mind off of ourselves, and that's the best thing in the world you can do. And I thought, how interesting. I loved her perspective,3:07 and this is the true biblical perspective from Acts twenty verse thirty five. The Lord himself said, it is more blessed3:19 to give than receive. You see, aging is not about settling in and slowing down and, just,3:32 re... Retreating, but it's about serving others. And as god extends our years, we can spend time to continue to seek his will.3:45 Many things change as we age, yet the lord's purpose for us remains the same. So I value what the apostle3:56 Paul said. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now, as always, Christ will be exalted in my body whether by4:08 life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and die is gain. That's Philippians chapter one. So living for4:20 Christ, that needs to be our focus. Even when life becomes limited, even when we are not able to do all we once could do, there is4:32 not one person who can... Who cannot still be used by God to enrich the life of another. Only God knows how he will use your4:44 elder years in the lives of others. It could be in the life of a young person or in the life of a family member or even a friend.4:55 Realize your heavenly father has always had a purpose for you. He unconditionally loves you, and he holds your future in his hands.5:08 God knew before you were born what difficulties would come with age. Health would decline. Loved ones would pass away,5:21 but you still have purpose. God has a purpose for you, so don't give up on living. Honor god with5:33 all your might, throughout all your days, and live life to the fullest. This honors the lord and brings dignity to your own5:45 life. Remember his promise. I will be your god throughout your lifetime until your hair is white with age. I5:57 made you, and I will take... I will care for you, and I will carry you along and save you. This is Isaiah forty six verse four.6:09 Ultimately, Christians need not fear advancing years, or they drove as they draw closer,6:22 not to death, but we can draw closer to Christ. As we advance and mature in age, I pray that God will bless6:33 you and give you hope and enable you to finish strong. I think that's the key to realize no matter what, no matter your6:45 age, God can use you and is willing to use you in the lives of others. That's my thoughts for this morning and for6:57 this evening.7:00 If you struggle with stress and anxiety, you're not alone. Maybe you're dealing with a conflict at home or you're exhausted from work or just dealing with circumstances beyond your control. You might even7:12 wonder, where is God in this? And does he even care? That's why we created our new Bible study. It's called Cast Your Cares, and it's a ten week Bible study on anxiety and the7:24 God of peace. Cast Your Cares explores the stories of people in scripture who faced fear, doubt, and overwhelming circumstances, and yet God met them right where they were with7:36 compassion and grace. So whether you're battling worry or longing for peace, this study is an opportunity to get to know the God who wants to carry your burdens. Cast Your Cares releases December twenty7:48 second and is available for pre order now. So visit hope for the heart dot org forward slash cast, or text the word cast to seven zero nine one nine to learn more.Biblical Response to Domestic Abuse 8:00 At Houston Christian University, our graduate program offers you the working professional, the curriculum to advance your career with the flexibility to keep your life focused, the personalized and affordable approach8:12 you deserve in the most desirable fields, all designed to take you where you want to go, but remain grounded in where you are. Let our sixty years of education experience8:24 get you there. Discover how at hc dot edu slash grad.8:30 God's word tells us to give thanks in all circumstances. But sometimes stress, busyness, or life's disappointments make it difficult to be thankful. That's why we created our new thirty one day journal called Growing In8:42 Gratitude. It's designed to help you slow down and notice God's grace in your everyday life and cultivate a heart of gratitude. We'd love to send you a copy as thanks for your gift to the ministry of Hope for the Heart.8:53 Go to hope for the heart dot org slash give or text the word give to seven zero nine one nine.9:14 Welcome back to Hope of the Night. If you have any questions about our topic tonight or would like to order resources, please reach out to our support team at one eight hundred four eight eight hope or text support to9:25 seven zero nine one nine. That team works during normal business hours and can assist you in finding and purchasing materials from our vast library of over one hundred topics. June, let's9:37 get to our caller tonight.9:39 Thank you. Well, Michelle, welcome back to Hope in the Night. It's been over a year, is... Hasn't it?9:50 Yes. At least over a year.9:52 Wow. Well, it's a wonderful thing to have you back. Thank you. How can we help you?9:59 I'm calling back because I'm under, a lot of, different circumstances, and, I really am in need of, some10:11 help, because I've, I've, my situation is much different in many respects. I,10:23 I I found the courage to, after, well, at that point, it was twenty three years of marriage. I I found the courage to,10:37 press press charges for domestic violence.10:44 Wow.10:44 And after twenty three years of keeping silent and putting on the facade, and and carrying on, I I10:57 found with God the ability to reach out for help.11:03 Yes. Yes. When the aftermath was11:07 not what I was expecting, but nevertheless, I found the courage to do it, and it took a lot of courage because I was very, very scared.11:19 Well, when you mentioned with11:20 you the last time I spoke with you because he was still in the home, and, I I didn't I didn't have the freedom to speak, privately like I was Yes.11:32 Spurred.11:35 But you've said domestic violence.11:39 Yeah.11:40 That's very serious. I want to just mention to you. The Bible says... This is in, Proverbs11:53 twenty two twenty four. Do not make friends with a hot tempered man. Do not associate with one easily angered.12:04 So people who are victims of domestic violence have the biblical right to move out of harm's way.12:16 Does that make sense, what I'm saying?12:20 Yes. Just to verify, did you see Proverbs twenty three twenty one?12:24 Twenty two twenty four.12:26 I beg your pardon. Okay. Twenty two.12:28 That's okay. Yeah. Twenty two twenty four. In fact, in Proverbs nineteen nineteen, it says, a hot tempered man must pay the penalty. If you rescue12:40 him, you'll just have to do it again. Now that's Proverbs nineteen nineteen. Yeah. A lot of people don't know these scriptures,12:52 but Proverbs is the book on wisdom in the Bible. And so when we and some people just assume that13:04 if some people say, well, if you're a Christian, you just have to put up with whatever. No, that's not what the Bible says. And that's why I wanted to be sure that you13:16 understood what the Bible really says when we... That's that's what we call looking at the whole counsel of God. The Bible says we are to look at the whole counsel of God.13:29 And so what I'm saying is this is a violation of God's will to13:40 have... To experience domestic violence, domestic abuse, and it is very, very difficult as you've already... You said13:52 twenty three years of domestic violence. Is that correct?13:57 The the first time the first time I pressed charges. Yes.14:02 Wow. Well, do you understand that that is not god's will for any wife to endure or anyone to endure?14:14 Because, again, the scripture says, do not make friends with a hot tempered person, a hot tempered man. Do not associate with14:26 one easily angered. So, God does not, he does not put us in a situation where14:40 abuse is, permitted. Abuse is always wrong in the eyes of god. I'm so14:51 sorry for the pain that you had for many, many years.14:58 I I was I was under I was under the understanding that because you were married in a church with God as, part of this... The the the the15:10 the the head... Bear with me here. We were in union with God as the head of our marriage, and we were the the partners15:22 in the marriage. And God was the head of the marriage that, there was a lot that, had to be taken taken,15:35 with the idea that, prayer and speaking, speaking counsel would come if you kept faith and and continue15:47 to hang in there?15:50 Well, I'm gonna be I'm gonna be very, specific. Mhmm. There is what would be best, what is best is16:02 for a husband and a wife, both or any individual to be yielded to the lord. But what you see is never16:14 is violence toward another person, much less a mate. It... It's never right in God's sight.16:26 There are many, many, many passages that are very specific against the issues of domestic violence.16:38 And I understand you... It... You were thinking, well, you entered into a Christian marriage. But, you know, I'm gonna mention to you a quote,16:51 by Billy Graham. He said, eighty... Let me see. Eighty percent of...17:04 I've gotta get get my quote.17:06 K.17:08 It... It's... Oh, that eighty percent of people who are,17:24 it's like in in in the church who who profess to be Christians, are not authentic Christians.17:36 So what that means is that, you know, there there are people who think they are because they may claim to17:48 be a Christian, they may know the language, but that doesn't mean they've humbled their hearts and yielded their will18:00 to the will of the lord Jesus Christ. He is the lord Jesus Christ. Lord means master, ruler, owner. And, Michelle, what that18:12 means is that we all need to humble our hearts and receive him as our lord, meaning18:23 master, ruler, owner, giving him ownership of us. And those who commit domestic violence, that is in no way allowing the lord to be lord.18:36 But my point is authentic Christianity is when a person humbles his or her heart and receives Jesus as lord and18:47 savior. The the Bible says, believe in the lord Jesus Christ, and you'll be saved. So those who do not allow him to18:59 take control of their lives, well, there are a lot of people who will say I'm a Christian. I've talked to many... Well, I did. I... At one time,19:12 I was asked, June, are you a Christian? And I said yes because I had been a member of a... What is called a Christian church. Now there was no Bible in19:23 that church, meaning the Bible was not used. I went to Sunday school, but there was no Bible taught, so I knew nothing about the Bible. But my19:35 point is I was sincere because I thought I had been a member of a church. Well, you know, just because you walk inside,19:47 a a garage, that doesn't make you a car. Just because, you walk inside a stable, that doesn't make you a horse. Just because you go inside a church20:00 doesn't make you a Christian. A per... What makes us authentic Christians is when we yield individually, yield our will to the will of the lord Jesus20:12 Christ, humbling our hearts, receiving Jesus as our personal lord and savior, knowing that he literally20:25 died for us, that he... Jesus is god who took on human flesh, and he came to Earth for the purpose of20:36 dying for our sins, knowing that the Bible says that if we sin, our sin separates us from God. Well, he doesn't want us separated,20:49 and so that's why Jesus did this phenomenal act of grace. Grace means giving you a gift that we don't deserve. It's get... Or receiving a21:01 gift we don't deserve. So in truth, there are many people who are in church, but they are not21:12 saved, and they're not authentic Christians unless they've given their lives to the lord Jesus Christ, humbling their hearts. And,21:24 truly... And and and the result is the bible says as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God. So we're adopted into the family21:36 of God, and we are guaranteed that we will have a changed life. So there has to be a changed life, or else it's not authentic Christianity.21:49 Does this make sense what I'm saying?21:53 Yes. But to somebody who has, struggled to to try to be an authentic authentic Christian, so to speak, and22:05 and in my life, had had a lot of confusion. I can't honestly say if if I humble myself really to be a Christian,22:17 although since being saved, I have sought to to improve my life to be what I believe,22:29 well, to change habits, to to to, seek the Lord and and to improve my lifestyle, to stay away from ungodly things.22:41 Mhmm. But I didn't really grow in the word, but I have a lot of disabilities when it comes to learning disabilities, so I,22:54 had found it.23:00 No matter what you're facing, there is hope. Sometimes it's hard to believe that. When we face challenges at home, at work, in our family, or maybe a private struggle, it can be hard to see what God is doing.23:12 The good news is you're not alone. If you're facing a difficult life issue, we'd love to help. Give us a call at one eight hundred night seventeen to talk with June Hunt on Hope in the Night broadcast.23:25 You can talk with June about any issue, whether it's family, anxiety, anger, grief, or just the everyday stress of life. June would love to hear your story and offer help and hope23:37 through God's word. The Bible says, there is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. If you'd like to talk with June on Hope in the Night, give us a call at one eight hundred23:48 night seventeen. That's one eight hundred six four four four eight one seven. Sharing your story can be a blessing to you and others.24:00 Hope for the Heart is excited to announce that we are partnering with pray dot com to make hope more accessible. Now you can listen to Hope in the Night and the Hope Talks podcast anywhere, anytime,24:12 on any device through the pray dot com app. You will also find encouraging devotionals to help you grow in your walk with Christ. Download the pray dot dot com app today in the app store24:24 or text the word pray to seven zero nine one nine24:28 to learn more. Thank you for listening to Hope in the Night. For over thirty years, this program has been a place where people find biblical hope and practical help. We would love to hear24:40 how hope in the night has impacted you, especially if a conversation encouraged you or even if you were one of our callers. Just visit hope for the heart dot org slash story,24:52 or text the word story to seven zero nine one nine, and share your story with us.Show more In this video 0:00 Aging Gracefully with Purpose8:00 Biblical Response to Domestic Abuse25:00 Finding the Way Back to the Holy Spirit54:00 Addressing Elder Abuse and Practical Help
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