Think Before You Speak

A ten-second pause can save you from a lifetime of fallout. We start with Proverbs and a simple practice that almost nobody wants to do in the moment: think before you speak. From there, I lean into the deeper question beneath our daily arguments, fears, and frustrations: are we willing to admit we’re fallen and need to repent, or do we keep calling evil “not evil” just to win the room?

We work through 1 Corinthians 7:2–6 with a plain, marriage-first focus on fidelity, self-control, and the danger of using intimacy as leverage. Then we read from Luke as Jesus is challenged with “By what authority are you doing all these things?” and we watch Him flip the trap back on the people trying to control the narrative. That leads into the vineyard parable and the “give to Caesar” moment, a sharp reminder that accountability can’t be negotiated away with clever questions.

Psalm 89 brings the steadiness: God’s unfailing love, covenant faithfulness, and power over every storm. I also share a Medal of Honor story and contrast the kind of character that builds a nation with the kind that tears it apart, then close with an excerpt from Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death” and why it still feels uncomfortably applicable. If you care about biblical truth, Christian worldview, marriage, faith and culture, and the cost of liberty, press play, share this with someone you trust, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

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Transcript

Proverbs And A Crime Headline

SPEAKER_01 0:06

Good sense is respected. A traitor person is headed for destruction. Wise people and even neck about their foolishness. Megan Boss, March 2025, Andy, Illinois. 37-year-old woman killed her body concealable in a bleach-filled garbage can for months by Luis Mendoza Gonzalez, an illegal immigrant from Mexico.

SPEAKER_00 0:45

There is no peace pause with followers of leftism or Islam.

Welcome And Opening Prayer

SPEAKER_01 0:56

Hey folks, this is Jesse Cope back with another episode of the American Soul Podcast. Hope y'all are doing well, wherever y'all are, whatever part of the day you're in. Sure do appreciate you joining me, giving me a little bit of your time and attention, a little piece of your day. I know you all have other things buying for your attention, so I will try and use it wisely. For those of y'all who continue to share the podcast with others and tell others about it, thank you. For those of y'all who continue to pray for me and for the podcast, thank you very much, very grateful for your prayers. Father, thank you for today. Thank you for you, Father, and your son Jesus Christ and your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your love and your mercy, your grace and your forgiveness of sins through the merit of your son Jesus Christ.

SPEAKER_00 1:43

Thank you that we can trust you, Father. Through all the heartache and pain. Whether it's enemies or even those who are supposed to love us and care about us and betray us. Thank you that we can trust you, Father.

SPEAKER_01 2:06

Understand you to destroy us to bring us home. To keep our souls safe.

SPEAKER_00 2:18

All the way home to you.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

Keep us off of the wide path that leads to destruction, other place. Forgive us our sins. Help us to love and forgive others as you have loved and forgiven us. Remember that the measure that we use is the same one that will be used on us. Be with our president, vice president, admirals, generals, senators, representatives, our leaders in the pulpit. Give them all wisdom and courage. Help them to rule in fear of you, to lead in fear of you.

SPEAKER_00 3:01

Help our husbands across the nation to do that in their marriages as well. Be with those listening to the podcast.

SPEAKER_01 3:12

Bless them, bless their families, comfort them, ease any anxiousness, worry, doubt, fear.

unknown 3:21

Yeah.

Marriage Intimacy From 1 Corinthians

Who Gave You Authority

Vineyard Parable And Paying Taxes

Psalm 89 And Practical Wisdom

Book Recommendation And Support Requests

Another Crime And A Warning

Medal Of Honor And Immigration Contrast

Patrick Henry And No Room For Hope

Lord’s Prayer And Closing Blessing

SPEAKER_01 3:24

And guide my words, here, Father, please. And watch for our military, our law enforcement, firefighters, EMS. Your son's name we pray. Amen. Marriage verses for today. 1 Corinthians 7, 2 through 6. Each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband because of sexual immorality. The husband should meet his wife's sexual needs, and the wife should do the same for her husband. The wife doesn't have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise, the husband doesn't have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Don't refuse to meet each other's needs unless you both agree for a short period of time to devote yourselves to prayer. Then come back together again so that Satan might not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. I'm saying this to give you permission out of command. Permission to abstain. You don't have to abstain. How many marriages church in America today and Western civilization as a whole only abstain from sex for brief periods when they're devoting themselves to prayer? And that would be the status of our marriages in the church. Or why they are the way they are. Luke 21 through 26. One day, as Jesus was teaching the people and preaching the Jews in the temple, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. They demanded, By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right? Let me ask you a question first, he replied. Or was it human? They talked it over among themselves. If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn't do that. But if we say it was merely human, people will stone us because they are all convinced John was a prophet. So they finally replied that they didn't know. And Jesus responded, Then I won't tell you by what authority I do these things. When people on the left try and tell you things about the history of the nation, make sure that you remember that the onus, the weight of responsibility for proving something different than our founding, as if they found something new today is on them, right? Like marriage. It's not our job to defend marriage if suddenly it's somehow wrong and not just between one man and one woman. Or abortion. It's not our job to prove that abortion is evil. To prove that it's not, to prove that it's to prove that homosexual marriage is somehow positive. That we are a secular coexistence, black cultural nation. And they can't. But the pressure's on them. Now Jesus turned to the people again and told the story. A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and moved to another country to live for several years. At the time of grape harvest, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers attacked a servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed. So the owner sent another servant, but they also insult him and beat him up and sent him away empty-handed. A third man was sent, and they wounded him and chased him away. What will I do? The owner asked himself. I know. I'll send my cherished son. Surely they will respect him. But when the tenant farmers saw his son, they said to each other, Here comes the heir to the estate. Let's kill him and get the estate for ourselves. So they dragged him out of the vineyard and murdered him. What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do to him? Jesus asked. I'll tell you. He will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others. How terrible that such a thing should ever happen, his listeners protested. Jesus looked at him and said, Then what does this scripture mean? The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. Everyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on. The teachers of religious law and the lead priests wanted to arrest Jesus immediately because they realized he was telling the story against them. They were farmers, but they were afraid of the people's reaction. Watching for their activity, the leaders sent spies pretending to be honest men. They tried to get Jesus to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor so he would arrest Jesus. Teacher, they said, We know that you speak and teach what is right and are not influenced by what others think. You teach the boy of God truthfully. Now tell us, is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not? He sought through their trickery and said, Show me a Roman poem, whose picture and title are stamped on it? Caesar's, they replied. Well then, he said, Give to Caesar belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God. So they failed to trap him by what he said in front of the people. Instead they were amazed by his answer, and they became silent. Psalm 89, 1 through 13. I will sing of the Lord's unfailing love forever. Young and old will hear of your faithfulness. Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens. The Lord said, I have made a covenant with David, my servant. I have sworn this oath to him. I will establish your descendants as kings forever. They will sit on your throne from now until eternity. All heaven will praise your great waters, Lord. Myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness. For who in all of heaven can compare with the Lord? What mightiest angel is anything like the Lord? The highest angel like powers in all God. It's far more awesome than all who surround us through. O Lord God of heaven's armies, where is there anyone as mighty as you, O Lord? You are entirely faithful. You rule the oceans, you subdue their storm-bossed waves, you crushed the great sea monsters. Great sea monster, you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm. The heavens are yours and the earth is yours. Everything in the world is yours. You created it all. You created north and south, Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon. Praise your name. Powerful is your arm, strong is your hand. Your right hand is lifted high in glorious strength. Proverbs 13, 15 through 16. A person with good sense is respected. A treacherous person is fitted for destruction. Wise people think before they act. Fools don't. And even brag about their foolishness. Reminds me there was a young lady on the tennis team in college that she had a statement. She said, think, speak. I've shared it on the podcast before, but how often we would save ourselves so much trouble if we would just take 10 seconds to think before we speak. She used to mention that this for 10 seconds or even just five. Just think before you speak. And the other thing, folks, that's the real divide today in America is between those who do evil and pretend that it's not evil, and those of us who realize that we're fallen, that we fail, and that we need to repent. We need Jesus Christ. That's the divide. And it's irreconcilable, folks. You can't reconcile those two sides. Countryside, Book of the Wise. We read a little of this review yesterday. That's the first book in the Countryside series. It's middle grade fantasy, fiction, Christian fiction. If you're looking for something for your kids, grandkids, or if you enjoy it. This is from Mark Hatcher. This is a five-star review on Amazon. I was rather impressed with the mythos Cope incorporated into this book and the mystery and magic mixed with a Western feel kept me interested to the very end. I look forward to hearing countryside again in the future. Very happy to you. If you get a chance, check out the series. And if you enjoy the first or second book, if you would leave a review. Same for the podcast. If you're getting something out of it, if you would leave a review online. And if you have five or ten dollars, you can donate. That helps both the podcast and writing. So thank you very much. There's a link in the show notes so you can set up that monthly donation. Natalie Shatter, July 21, South Hall Park, London, UK. 37-year-old NHS worker was raped repeatedly and killed. The perpetrator was Mohammed 35, a Somali Muslim. Let that sink in, especially if you're in America today. Somali Muslim folks. And it doesn't change. It won't change. It's foolish of us to think that. Joseph Berger is our medal of honor for today, private U.S. Company, 2nd Minnesota Infantry, U.S. Army, February 15, 1863, Mulinsville, Tennessee. With a one detachment of 16 men who heroically defended a wagon in repulsed attack and saved. Accredited to Crystal Lake County, Minnesota, not awarded posthumously. September 11th, 1897, born April 18th, 1848, Austria or Triole. Died January 3rd, 1990 in St. Paul, Minnesota, buried 102 Tac 10, St. Paul, Minnesota, of Metal, Minnesota Military and Veterans Music in St. Paul's Minnesota. Again, folks, uh juxtapose, compare the immigrants here in the Medal of Honor section with the immigrants that we're getting in the section at the beginning of the podcast, uh, Islam. Whole different character. And also, are we willing to give so much to defend our country today? Are we worthy of it? If we're not willing to give what those before us have given to perpetuate liberty, to spread Christianity, do we even deserve it? We're gonna read one more little section of Patrick Henry's life or liberty or death speech from 1775. Uh, he gave that again before the St. Virginia Revolutionary Convention meeting at St. John's Church in Richmond, and it was on March 23rd, 1775. This is just a little excerpt. And what have we proposed to them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last 10 years. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing. We have picked up in every light of which it is capable, but it has all been in vain. Shall we report entreaty and humble supplication? What terms shall we find which have not been already exhausted? Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves. Sir, we have done everything that could be done to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned, we have remonstrated, we have supplicated, we have prostrated ourselves before the throne and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and parliament. Our petitions have been slighted, our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult, our supplications have been disregarded, and we have been spurned with contempt from the foot of the throne. In vain, after these things, may we indulge in the fond hope of peace and reconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope. If we be free, if we mean to preserve invalid those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending, if we mean not basically to abandon the noble struggle in which we've been cage, and which we pledge ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained, we must fight. We must fight. An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that has left us. I would just ask folks that you would go read this section for yourselves and think about followers of the left of Islam today in the United States of America, and read this in context there as opposed to the throne and the ministry in Parliament in Britain. And I think you will find that it is extremely applicable today. Our Father, whoever, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass us. And lead us not to temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom of the power and the glory of forever. Amen. God bless y'all. God bless your families, your marriages, your nation, wherever you are around the world listening. God bless America. We'll talk to you all again real soon, folks. Looking forward to it.