Apply Thine Heart or Be Destroyed by This Culture
Proverbs 23:12 is not a suggestion—it’s a line in the sand for men and women in an age of cowardice, comfort, and confusion.
“Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.”
— Proverbs 23:12 (KJV)
Everyone today wants to talk about identity.
The feminists scream about “living your truth.”
The reformed boys tweet out C.S. Lewis quotes while hiding behind their wives.
And the evangelical machine hands out participation trophies for people “on a journey.”
Meanwhile—the world is burning.
And the church is wondering why her sons are limp, her daughters are bitter, and her pews are full of victims instead of soldiers.
Let’s not play soft with it: The problem is rebellion.
And Proverbs 23:12 tells you exactly where rebellion dies.
“Apply thine heart unto instruction…”
Instruction is not vibes.
Instruction is not your feelings.
Instruction is not your trauma dump.
Instruction is submission.
You don’t get identity by scrolling TikTok.
You get it by submitting to the Word of God.
MEN: RULE YOUR HOUSE OR DIE A SLAVE
God gave every man a dominion.
If you’re breathing, you have a field to steward—your body, your household, your wife, your children, your testimony, your church.
If you don’t rule it with diligence and discipline, you are unfaithful.
And unfaithful men don’t just lose influence—they lose freedom.
You don’t lead?
Then someone else will.
Your wife. Your boss. The government. The devil.
A man who will not dominate his domain as a steward under Christ will eventually live as an indentured servant under the systems of Pharaoh.
And let’s be clear:
When a man fails to lead, his wife becomes the pack mule.
She doesn’t want to. She’s not built for it. But she will do it if she must.
Biblically and biologically, women were not created to carry the weight of headship.
That’s why we now have anxious wives, overwhelmed mothers, and bitter women who resent their husbands without even knowing why.
The reason?
Men abandoned their posts.
And instead of rebuking them, the church started singing “Reckless Love” and handing out coffee.
We live in a society where masculinity has been castrated—not by violence, but by comfort.
Not by Rome, but by Disney.
And every man who refuses to repent, take up his cross, and lead… will be led.
WOMEN: THE PROBLEM ISN’T CONFUSION. IT’S DEIFICATION.
Let’s kill another sacred cow:
Women today are not mostly confused. They are mostly rebellious.
This isn’t Iran. This is America.
And in America, feminism has deified women.
They’re told they’re always victims.
Always right.
Always “strong.”
And anyone who dares confront their sin is labeled a misogynist.
Meanwhile, their Instagram bio says “daughter of the King” while they post thirst traps and read horoscopes.
We’ve created a culture where women would rather be in the woods with a bear than trust a man.
Not because they’ve all been abused—but because they’ve been taught that masculine authority is evil and their own emotions are divine.
Even the “soft” rebellion gets platformed.
“I came from a dark past. I’ll never be that kind of Christian woman…”
That’s not humility. That’s victim voyeurism.
She wants pity, not repentance.
You want a picture of real feminine strength?
Go to Iran.
A woman leaves Islam, finds Christ, has acid thrown in her face, escapes her family trying to kill her, and now runs a small orphanage under threat of death.
She didn’t need a “safe space.”
She needed a Savior.
And when she found Christ, she didn’t ask the church to validate her trauma.
She bowed her head, submitted her life, and got to work.
The church didn’t give her identity. Christ did.
But once He did—the church welcomed her like family.
HOME ISN’T WHERE YOU CAME FROM. IT’S WHO YOU FOLLOW.
Western women keep saying they’re “trying to find home.”
But Thomas Wolfe said it best: You can’t go back home.
Home isn’t a feeling. It’s not your grandma’s house.
And it’s not the modern church, where everything is “welcoming” but nothing is holy.
Home is Christ.
And He doesn’t coddle rebellion—He crucifies it.
Paul didn’t romanticize anything. He said:
“I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” (Philippians 4:11 KJV)
That kind of contentment doesn’t come from therapy.
It comes from obedience.
And obedience begins when you apply your heart unto instruction.
FINAL WARNING
We’re not losing the next generation because the Bible is unclear.
We’re losing them because no one’s demanding they apply it.
We handed them identity without lordship.
Faith without repentance.
Church without headship.
“Love” without law.
And now we act surprised that they’re lost?
Brother, sister—God is not confused.
His Word is not silent.
“Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.”
Or perish in your own wisdom.
If this hit hard, share it.
If it made you mad, sit with that.
Truth doesn’t apologize for offending your idols.
Your feelings aren’t the standard.
God’s Word is.
Bravo. Powerfully written. I respect your raw delivery.
God created man(masculine) and woman (feminine) with very clear roles and a perfect design to enact those roles.
We allow our subconscious conditioning to shape us rather than forging our relationship with our Father (Creator) to help us be who he intended us to be. Subconsciously we can have our inherent masculinity/femininity skewed and distorted.
Being raised by a single Mother and and alcoholic Father who did not understand his own masculinity, I spent my early adulthood navigating life from a feminine essence. I had to learn the difference and consciously cultivate my masculinity within me. This was before I was saved. But with Jesus Christ we can pray for him to shape us as the Father created us to be.
Again, great article. Thank you 🙏
Thank you as always for your hard truths. I never do this but need prayers for a friend detoxing off Suboxone. He's very in love with the LORD and this is the last big hurdle to grt clean. His name is Steve. Thank you and God bless you. I hope this doesn't cross a line.