The ability to discern the thoughts and motives of your heart (especially when experiencing intense emotion) is an essential skill for the believer. Recognizing thoughts and imaginations of the heart is a prerequisite of bringing them 'captive to the obedience of Christ'.

An important part of leaving and cleaving has to do with abandoning parental beliefs, lifestyles, values, and traditions that are not clearly delineated in the Scriptures. Unless both husband and wife agree, such extra-Biblical standards should not be automatically carried over from one family to another.

Living day in and day out with guilt over sin that has not been properly confessed and forsaken expends a certain amount of emotional energy it saps your emotional strength and causes you to become emotionally exhausted (i.e., depressed).