The Living Waters Podcast

In today's episode, the guys discuss tips for healthy communication. To begin, they each share the areas in which they find communication most difficult. When it comes to disagreements, it is most important that we exercise understanding in the perspective of the other person. Without understanding each other, it’s nearly impossible to ever find a middle ground.  We should also always strive to convey our own perspectives in a way that is easy to understand. Communication is far more than just verbal, our expressions and body language matter too. Proverbs 15:28 reminds us “The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of  the wicked pours out evil things.”  As Christians, we are not to let any unwholesome or filthy language come out of our mouths. Our tongues reveal the abundance of our hearts. Thus, we should be very careful about what we say, because we don’t want to ruin our testimony by saying something ungodly. So many problems in life could be prevented if we took a moment to think before speaking. Similarly, we should converse with the goal of understanding, rather than making our own side heard. Because of our pride, our inner lawyer often wants to come out and defend or prove ourselves to whoever we are speaking to. Instead, we should be slow, humble, and approachable. We should also be tactful and determine whether it is the right time, place, and way for a discussion to take place. If a confrontation is taking place, we should always lead by giving a person the opportunity to confess. Asking questions rather than jumping to conclusions can save a lot of heartache.  We must remember that every word we speak will be accounted for on Judgment Day. In addition to this, good communication is the biggest key to a healthy and happy marriage, so we should communicate about our preferred communication with spouses and the people close to us. Finally, listeners are left with specific questions we should ask our spouses in order to grow in our communication with one another. Send us Fan MailThanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

In today's episode, the guys discuss how to know God’s will for your life. Of all the things Christian struggle with, this topic is likely at the top of the list. We all want to know God’s will and understand what He has in store for our lives. There is one extreme in which we feel that we need to seek out God’s will in everything, but when we are too hypersensitive we can become un-Biblical with our ways of pursuing knowing His will. On the other extreme, we might think that God doesn't pay attention to the small choices we make on a daily basis. To really be able to hone in, we should recognize that there are two kinds of God’s will: His secret will and His revealed will. The secret will is God’s sovereign rule over all things. His revealed will is what He has revealed to us through Scripture how He wants us to live our lives. We must really understand and obey His revealed will before we can know His hidden will.  The guys believe that the ultimate way to come to know God’s will is to do what feels right (within the bounds of Scripture) and love Him in the process. His true will is to go to all the world, preach the gospel to every creature, and do everything we can to serve the lost. We should seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all else will follow. As Christians, we should aspire to be so close to the heart of God that we are familiar with the sound of His heartbeat and the rhythm of how He works. Then, we should turn to the Word in which He reveals His thoughts and character. Finally, we will be prepared to go about our lives and pray as things arrive. God is bigger in the ways that He works than we think, and we need to have a heart of trust.  There are different callings for our lives. The first is the calling towards salvation, the second is that covenant calling in marriage. The guys unpack knowing whether he or she is “the one,” and the commitments of marriage compared to the mainstream fairytale view of marriage. As we walk with the Lord obeying his word and relying on His Spirit, we will find that we are given the mind of Christ in order to make the best decisions to honor His will. As the episode wraps up, the guys reiterate that God’s hidden will never contradicts His revealed will. Send us Fan MailThanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

In today's episode, the guys discuss the marvels of meditation. Christian meditation is a lost art form in our journey to become more like our Savior. Today, our society has an understanding of meditation that is mostly eastern and includes the idea of clearing your mind and becoming one with yourself. All throughout the Scripture, however, prayer and meditation are two sides of the same coin. God desires for us to spend time in His Word and meditating.  Before getting into what Christian meditation is, the guys discuss the purpose of it. Meditation is a method for us to become more like our Savior by filling our minds with God’s words and truth. For many people, there is a big gaping hole in the sanctification process for meditation. While we should meditate on the greatness of God and the promises of His word, we should also meditate on the subject of Hell to motivate us to reach out to the lost. Biblical meditation is not actually clearing our minds, but filling them with God. It can be used as a catalyst to set the tone for our entire day.  The common man sees everything the Christian man sees, but the Christian pauses to connect things to the Lord and unlocks transformation in their life. We should not be afraid of silent moments, but rather should welcome these times as an opportunity to better know God. The more you know God, the better you can accept uncomfortable situations and circumstances around you. When we meditate on the Scriptures, we talk to ourselves about them, churning over in our minds the meanings, implications, and applications to our own lives. In adoring God’s word, we are led to become more like Him. In closing, we are reminded that the practice of meditation is a muscle which we need to build up, so don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t click right away. The guys leave us with a few helpful tips for getting into a routine of meditation. Send us Fan MailThanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

In today's episode, the guys discuss the evangelist George Whitefield. Whitefield was born in Gloucester, England in 1714 and died in 1770. At age 21, he was converted while studying at the University of oxford. Along with John Wesley and Charles Wesley, he was part of the Holy Club. For 5 years, Whitefield sought after salvation and became nearly ascetic to obtain favor with God. It wasn’t until Charles Wesley gave him a book by Henry Scougal that Whitefield was radically transformed into a brand new creature of Christ. He began preaching in London and Bristol before coming to the U.S. at 24 years old.  Whitefield is credited as being the impetus behind the First Great Awakening. He traveled from town to town on horseback to preach the gospel around America during a wicked time. He preached 30,000 sermons in his lifetime and was known to study the gospel while on his knees.  He was a person who was able to disengage himself from the fear of man and momentary comforts for what is more important. They key for him and for us is to realize all we have in Christ. The guys encourage all listeners to think about how differently we might move through life if we knew today was our last day on earth.   From the preaching of Whitefield and his contemporaries, we can glean and be inspired to love the Lord in a fiery way. As Christians, we have the entire history of the family of God as our ancestors. The same Holy Spirit that was in George Whitefield is in you, too. Since the Apostles, there has not been anyone who has preached as prolifically and effectively as Whitefield. One thing we can not do with heroes of the faith is venerate them. While we can look at them as heroes, we have to remember that they were also flawed and sinful creatures just like us. To do this, we must remind ourselves that we too have blind spots. Even with his flaws, however, we can be sure that Whitefield was a man who lived for Christ. Send us Fan MailThanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

In today's episode, the guys discuss loneliness. Statistics show that loneliness is likely to increase a person’s risk of death by 26%, is as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day, is worse for you than obesity. Loneliness and social isolation also put individuals at a greater risk of cognitive decline and dementia later in life. To begin, the guys define loneliness as being in a place with no sense of community or companionship. Loneliness and isolation tends to convince a person that they have no value or significance to anyone. It is possible to experience loneliness in a crowded room, or to be completely alone but not experience loneliness at all.  In Genesis, the first declaration made by God was that it was not good for man to be alone, and then he created Eve for Adam. Unfortunately, our isolated modern lives in western culture are designed for loneliness. In place of the community we need as people, our culture has created ineffective substitutes in online communities to fill this void. However, this environment only further isolates us as true companionship and commitment can not be achieved in online relationships. The guys share about times they might feel a tinge of loneliness in their own lives. Everybody out there is frantically trying to create community because we all feel lonely, but the guys point out that there is no substitute for Gospel community.  A big motivating driver for many of us is the fear of being fully known and not loved. This insecurity keeps us from experiencing community. The beauty of the Gospel is that Jesus, God Himself, was forsaken by the very people He came to love and safe. He endured this all for the promise that His children would never be forsaken by God. To be truly known and loved is what we need more than anything, it is a lot like God’s love. The cure to loneliness is remembering that we have Christ, have been accepted into the beloved and finding our true identity in Him. As Christians, we must ensure that we are not replacing the love of Christ with other things. Loneliness is simply a state of mind, and realizing that Christ is with us is the answer in this dark tunnel. For listeners who may be in a stage of loneliness in their life, the guys encourage you to let God be your refuge and cling to Him.  Thanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Send us Fan MailThanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

In today's episode, the guys discuss the passing of Ray’s treasured friend and partner in the gospel: his beloved dog, Sam. The guys talk about grief, loss and how to weather the storm through the grace of God. Sam was a fluffy, white dog that would ride on a bike wearing red sunglasses. Many people would approach Ray because of Sam, and that would be his instrument to witness to people. Sam became so popular on social media, that many people commented on Ray’s instagram post about Sam, saying how sad they were about his passing. Sam at first was a hyper, crazy dog and Ray tried to get rid of him multiple times! After Sam calmed down, he became a docile, sweet dog that would patiently sit as Ray talked about the gospel to hundreds of people. Recently, Ray had to bring Sam to the veterinarian to put him down. Ray says the loss of his dog Sam has helped Ray grow closer to the Lord because instead of being by himself when he gets home, Ray is glad that the Lord is with him.  The guys then discuss how popular pets are, with now 70% of all households having a pet. During COVID, 23 million people adopted pets. Ray speaks about how dogs have unconditional love and complete trust in their master. They discussed this hypothetical question of whether you would save your dog or another person from a river if they were drowning, and a surprising amount of people said they would pick their dog. As much as we love and care for our pets, they are not as valuable as human beings. God names Adam and then lets Adam name the rest of the animals. God intended for us to be his representatives, to love, nurture and care for the rest of the world. Pets speak into a specific type of companionship and sing the glory of God. By having pets, we can honor God through the way we take care of them and use them for God’s will. Even though pets are wonderful, we need to not create idols in what we worship (animals) instead of who we worship (the Lord).  The guys then discuss the idea of whether or not dogs go to heaven. They talk about how heaven will be full of God’s image-bearers with animals, but maybe not necessarily our personal pets. They then say how it won’t actually matter if we have our pets in heaven or not. Heaven will be so good with being face-to-face with Jesus, that everyone else won’t actually matter to us. They also talk about how we should not console or comfort people by saying dogs or people are in heaven, but that we should ask what they would do or say if they were here. They discuss how grieving is really important and in the Bible, they would actually hire mourners to help people grieve. Grief is God’s way of healing us. You can’t let it pent up or hold Send us Fan MailThanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

In today's episode, the guys discuss what it means to walk in joy. To begin, they clarify the difference between happiness and joy. While happiness is fleeting and comes from circumstances, joy is objective and transcends circumstances. When Heaven is the prime object of our rejoicing, it is impossible for anything to steal our joy. A perfect example of this is in Luke chapter 10, when the apostles were rejoicing even though the demons were subject to them, because their names were written in Heaven. We can never know what tomorrow on this earth will bring, but we can rejoice nevertheless knowing that our salvation lies in Heaven. We must remember not to be governed by circumstances, but instead by what is written in God’s Word.  For anyone in our lives who may currently be experiencing immense suffering, the guys advise that we lend a listening ear and a helping hand to that person. This can be as simple as picking their kids up from school or dropping off a meal for them. Then, when the time is right, it is important that we give them the opportunity to speak up. Rather than asking someone if they have moved on yet, we should instead ask what they have done to move forward or how we may be able to help them along their journey. People need to be reminded that there are always others thinking about them and caring for them.  It is not only circumstances that can rob us of our joy. Sometimes, Ray shares, it can be for no reason at all. This is when we must be almost mechanical in pulling our soul up by its bootstrings and remembering all of the blessings we have in our lives.  It is easy to become distracted by the busyness of our lives that we forget that we have ultimately been adopted by God into the Kingdom of Heaven. We are reminded that the pathway to joy is through God’s presence and remembering our standing in the eternal. Through the blood of Jesus Chirst, we have been adopted by God as heirs to His Kingdom and are in need of nothing. We must fight for our own joys in life by pursuing the Lord and entering His presence. When we truly rejoice in our own salvation, we can’t help but want to tell others about that same thing.   Thanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Send us Fan MailThanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

In today's episode, the guys talk about envy and jealousy, as well as how to overcome them.  Both of these sins, which relate to the sin of covetousness discussed in a previous episode, lead from what may feel like a relatively non-threatening start to all manner of mischief and further sin.  In order to deal with them and the bad fruit they lead to, we have to start at the root.  The root of envy and jealousy is dissatisfaction with God and our lot in Him.  We fail to believe that whatever is not within God’s will for us is not something we need (or should ultimately even want).  We embrace “discontented longing for someone else’s advantages” (envy) or “unpleasant suspicion or apprehension of rivalship” (jealousy).  Saul offers an apt picture of jealousy as it grows and turns into evil action - in his case, attempted murder of David.  And envy, the guys explain, is opposition to the prosperity or happiness of others.  It is unhappy self-justification, and its antidote is finding satisfaction in the justification offered by God. After all, in Christ, we have all things!  What else is there for us to strive for?  We live before God, who sees our every thought and deed, and He is to us a sure hope.  Any other hope will surely let us down.  Turning to envy for justification and satisfaction ultimately makes us discontent with the good of others, haters of our neighbors, and our own tormentors.  Using envy, as people so often do, to motivate others and even to shape the behavior of our children, will damage us and cause these other people to stumble.  Allowing any jealousy but a righteous jealousy to dwell in us will, time and again, lead us to evil action.  But as believers, we need not behave as “mere men”!  We must be rooted in love, which doesn’t envy, and cry out to God to help us daily to live as those filled with His love.  Thanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Send us Fan MailThanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

In today's episode, the guys discuss the Kingdom of God. Many people either misunderstand God’s Kingdom or ignore it altogether. However, the idea of Kingdom is pronounced by the first chapter of the New Testament. A good starting point for understanding the Kingdom is to ask ourselves why Jesus lived. The most common subject throughout the gospel is the Kingdom of God. It was the ultimate paramount for everything Jesus taught and the reason he lived. Kingdom carries with it the idea of God’s reign. It can create a realm or people, but is not synonymous with those things. In its truest essence, the Kingdom of God is the reign of God manifesting itself in the Heavenly realm and through his people. A common thread found throughout the Scripture is of man trying to establish his kingdom over God’s Kingdom.  When we become a citizen of this new Kingdom presented by God, our value systems will drastically change. While man’s value system is motivated by fear and envy, in God’s system the only thing to fear is God Himself. This doesn’t mean that we should remove ourselves from the human world, but should do everything we can to allow righteousness to rule. When we find ourselves worried about things happening on earth, we should look up to God sitting on His throne to remind us that we are fighting a spiritual battle more than a physical one. Further, we should be careful in recognizing that the Kingdom of God is not just spiritual, it is also physica. It is not just where we go when we die. It is actually in the world making its presence known and penetrating our everyday experiences. We should see the earth in the same microscopic perspective as God sees it. The way God goes about bringing Heaven on earth is totally inverted from the way man brings about power, and we must trust in His way of doing things.   Thanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Send us Fan MailThanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

In today's episode, the guys talk about suffering and the question of why God allows suffering to occur.  This question is one of the most common objections raised to Christianity, and it entails a logical breakdown, as suffering is not about the reality of a creator, but rather indicates that something is horribly wrong with the created order.  The question is also raised by two different sorts of people: those who ask with a “gotcha” mindset, and those who have suffered and have a genuine desire to understand and believe.  The Bible answers both groups, holding the first under judgment, and meeting the second by speaking to the reality of suffering.  When we interact with people asking how a loving God could allow suffering, we must first ask why they are asking the question and what their baseline assumptions are.  With those asking out of a true desire to understand, we need to offer tenderness and compassion.  We then need to offer answers.  We don’t always receive specific explanations for why certain things happen (and so we must always meet suffering with faith!), but we do get a big-picture answer in the Bible.  Ever since man’s first sin, the world has been fallen and broken.  Christianity defines suffering in light of the fall, and is the only worldview to offer both a clear definition of and hope within suffering. When we count the cost and become Christians, we know we are not signing up for a life free of suffering.  There will be all manner of suffering for us until the day we see our Savior face to face.  But in the meantime, suffering takes on a new meaning for us.  It is an honor granted to us.  It tests our faith as a fire, conforms us to the image of Christ, reminds us that God’s ways are not our ways, and points us to the cross.  At the cross, God the Father allowed the brutal death of His Son, and Jesus willingly took suffering upon Himself.  In this climactic moment of suffering, we also see our final victory over suffering secured.  We look ahead to the end of suffering, knowing that the trials we endure now are - in light of Romans 8:28 - being worked together for our good and God’s glory.  We can worship with joy even through our suffering, and far from being a shallow or cheesy thing, our joy is a deep, sustaining confidence in the character of God.  We can also use suffering as an opportunity to evangelize, urging others to join us as we hope in God. Thanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Send us Fan MailThanks for listening! If you’ve been helped by this podcast, we’d be grateful if you’d consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro