Living IN Jesus Podcast

The Greatest Commandment

In Mark 12, Jesus reveals God’s greatest commandment given to humanity – to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Because this is what God most desires from people, this command should permeate every aspect of our lives. Yet it is all too easy to just get busy doing loving things for God and our neighbor without first understanding the how and the why.
In this episode, Ross O’Hair and Connie Brezina discuss how the greatest commandment is rooted both in God’s nature and the necessity for us to have a deep and meaningful relationship with our Creator.  When we fully understand God’s loving nature and how we are connected to God in Christ, we are set free…Free to love God and others the way God intended. 
Have a question or comment about this podcast? We want to hear from you. Email us at podcast@cftministry.org
Interested in more?  Get the Living IN Jesus study.
In need of individual counseling? Visit our website to schedule an online or in-person appointment.

Fear and Anxiety

Living with fear and anxiety can be incredibly challenging and debilitating. Our fears and chronic anxious thoughts can cast a dark shadow over every aspect of life, constantly weighing us down and restricting our ability to experience joy and fulfillment. Living with chronic anxiety not only erodes our mental well-being but also takes a toll on our physical and relational health.
While many of us struggle with fear and anxiety today, these struggles are not new to our time. Since the fall of mankind, fear and anxiety have plagued us all.  But should we just resign ourselves to having to live with them forever? The answer is no! 
In this episode, Ross O’Hair and Beau Brezina define fear and anxiety, share their personal experiences with anxious thoughts, and talk about how God empowers us to experience freedom by depending on Him and his truth.
Have a question or comment about this podcast? We want to hear from you. Email us at podcast@cftministry.org
Interested in more?  Get the Living IN Jesus study.
In need of individual counseling? Visit our website to schedule an online or in-person appointment.

Seeing Ourselves the Way God Sees Us

How does God see you? Does he like what he sees when he looks at you or is he always upset and frustrated with you?
These are good questions, and understanding the correct answers to these questions is crucial for comprehending both ourselves and also the status of our relationship with God. Knowing God's real perspective of us in Christ and embracing it as our own self-perception will significantly impact our thoughts, choices, and behaviors. In other words, we often think and behave out of how we perceive ourselves.
In this episode, Ross O’Hair and Tom Price discuss the transformative work of God in our lives through Christ, how God presently views us based on his work in Christ, and how we can begin to see ourselves the way God sees us.
 
Have a question or comment about this podcast? We want to hear from you. Email us at podcast@cftministry.org
Interested in more?  Get the Living IN Jesus study.
In need of individual counseling? Visit our website to schedule an online or in-person appointment.

Asking for Forgiveness

In the Bible, God instructs us to love and prioritize others and their needs. Sadly, we all have acted selfishly and made decisions to hurt and damage others. Apologizing and asking for forgiveness is God’s path toward restoring healthy relationships. By sincerely apologizing and seeking forgiveness, we demonstrate a genuine desire to make things right. We acknowledge our mistakes and ask for the opportunity to work toward healing and reconciliation. In this episode, Ross O'Hair and Ben Brezina explore the significance of making an apology when we have wronged others, the anatomy of a good apology, and how to overcome some of the barriers that keep us from acknowledging our sins and seeking reconciliation.

Needs and Desires in Marriage

Understanding the difference between inner needs and desires is vital in marriage. When we mix them up and don't grasp how God provides for us, it will lead to frustration and conflicts. God designed us to rely on Him for our inner needs such as love, respect, significance, and belonging. When we depend on God to meet our needs instead of looking to our spouse to be our provider, we can love them unconditionally in a healthy way by gifting them their desires. In this episode, Ross O'Hair and Beau Brezina discuss needs versus desires in marriage, and how relying on God to meet our needs enables us to love our spouse fully out of God’s life and strength.

Grace and Overcoming Addictions

Grace is God's unearned favor which he gives freely. God’s grace is a deep and often discussed topic, but it is also frequently misunderstood. Grace was God's plan to save the lost and connect us to God, but its significance extends even further. God’s grace also continues to provide believers with the desire and power to live in accordance with their righteousness. In today's episode, Ross O'Hair and Tom Price delve into the nature of God's grace and discuss how God’s grace also provides the power to overcome addictions and walk in freedom from sin.

Renewing Our Minds

At salvation, we experience a remarkable transformation—a new nature and new desires to do what is right. With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we receive both eternal life and spiritual power. However, the alignment of our behavior with our newfound identity in Christ doesn't happen instantaneously or effortlessly. Instead, the Holy Spirit guides us on a sanctifying journey, progressively reshaping our beliefs and actions by renewing our minds with divine truth. One by one, the Holy Spirit faithfully addresses any false beliefs which have empowered old fleshly habit patterns.
In this episode, Ross O'Hair and Jamie Pharis Pyles discuss this process of transformation and explore the intricate workings of the brain, emphasizing its innate capacity for reprogramming. Ultimately, it is God who orchestrates the sanctification process within us, yet we actively participate in our own transformation by deepening our knowledge of truth and nurturing our faith in Him and His Word.

Forgiving Others

God's forgiveness stands as one of the most profound gifts we have received.  However, in addition to forgiveness of our sins, God has also given us, as believers, a heart and desire to forgive others.  This gift is special because when we extend to others the same grace God has given us, we experience the peace and joy that comes from trusting God with our pain. In this episode, Ross O’Hair and Ben Brezina discuss the importance of forgiving others, how to forgive someone who has hurt you, and the God-given reasons behind participating in this powerful act of grace. 

Encouraging Others

God is an encourager, and he created us to be encouragers when we were made new in Christ. In 1 Thessalonians 5:11, the Apostle Paul instructs us to “encourage one another and build up one another.” By uplifting and supporting one another, we display the life of God and foster unity and harmony in the body of Christ. Our encouragement can serve as a catalyst for personal and spiritual growth, helping others recognize and utilize their God-given gifts and potential. In this episode, Ross O’Hair and Beau Brezina speak on the importance of encouragement and share some practical ways to encourage people in our lives.

Introducing Season 2

Season 2 of the Living IN Jesus Podcast begins next week.  It has been a while since Season 1 ended, but the discipleship counseling and training team at Christian Families Today has been working hard on a new Living IN Jesus video study. In this trailer, Ben and Ross discuss this video project and look ahead to what Season 2 of this podcast will offer.