The Living Waters Podcast

Difficult people can reveal more than our patience; they can expose what is happening in our own hearts. Ray, Mark, and Oscar, joined by John Harris of Living Waters Europe, begin by looking at why Scripture directs us to examine ourselves before focusing on the faults of others. The guys discuss Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s observation about the line between good and evil running through every human heart, then talk about not attending every argument and receiving corrections with humility. Proverbs 19:11 provides the framework for being slow to anger and willing to overlook an offense.
The conversation moves into how selfishness can make all of us difficult, especially in marriage and family. Drawing from Timothy Keller, the guys consider looking for the small piece of truth in an accusation instead of immediately defending every point. John shares an encounter with a man who challenged him about the Bible and admits that he became focused on winning an apologetics argument until his wife reminded him to be nice. Once he changed his approach and remembered that the man needed Jesus rather than another argument, the conversation changed and the man eventually walked back to church with him. 
The guys then turn to going no contact with difficult family members, contrasting that instinct with Scripture’s call to honor parents and maintain relationships. They acknowledge that abuse and genuine toxicity can require boundaries, but also stress that ordinary relationships are messy and that Christians should expect to sin against one another and be sinned against. The discussion connects family and church community with humanity’s need for relationships and considers how easily abandoned relationships can deepen loneliness. The guys then discuss setting boundaries without becoming doormats.
The gospel changes how Christians handle difficult people by reminding them how much patience and grace God has already shown them. The guys explain that remembering Jesus loves the person in front of us keeps the goal from becoming winning an argument, while wisdom helps us know when to respond with humor, give someone time to cool down, or recognize when a conversation is no longer fruitful. They share how even hostile encounters while preaching can become opportunities to reach others. The discussion closes in Romans 5, where Christ’s death for sinners and enemies reminds believers that they can extend patience and love to difficult people because God first extended that same patience and love to them.
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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!
 
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 Comfort
Emeal (“E.Z.”) Zwayne
Mark Spence
Oscar Navarro

What does it look like to have confidence that is rooted in God rather than in ourselves? Ray, E.Z., Mark, and Oscar explore righteous confidence by considering why dependence on the Lord is a good foundation. The guys contrast biblical confidence with the world's message to believe in yourself, discussing expressive individualism and the anxiety of looking inward. They turn to Martin Luther's understanding of an alien righteousness, emphasizing that his confidence came not from his own performance but from the righteousness of Christ given to him. David's confrontation with Goliath then provides a picture of confidence rooted in knowing that God is able to deliver His people.
Ray shares a story from his years preaching in the square, when he became friends with a gang and later found himself preaching to prisoners after footage from his film was used as evidence in a gang fight. His confidence in preaching the gospel in that prison came from knowing that the authorities were backing him, illustrating the confidence Christians can have because of what they have behind them in Christ. The guys then turn to Jeremiah 9 and John 17, discussing the importance of knowing the Lord and how He uses weak people so attention remains on Christ.
That foundation leads directly into confidence in gospel witness. The guys consider why Christians can still struggle to speak about the gospel even when they know its power and testimonies. They discuss spiritual warfare and obstacles including rejection, anxiety, and insecurity. Ray uses a waitress confidently approaching a table as an illustration of Christians confidently bringing the message of eternal life. The guys emphasize the quality of the gospel seed rather than the skill of the person sowing it and distinguish confidence in the Lord from self-confidence. They return to God's omnipotence and the grace He gives for each day.
God's pattern of removing human strength becomes the focus as the guys discuss Elisha's servant seeing the horses and chariots of fire and Israel's deliverance. They consider C.S. Lewis's observation that pride can keep people focused on themselves in all areas of life. They then turn to the greatness of God and confidence in knowing Him and approaching Him as a child. They reflect on Christ becoming man to redeem sinners, God's love at the cross, and the certainty that God wins. They close with God's promises to strengthen His people. The guys encourage Christians to return to the foundation of  knowing who they are, who God is, and who they are in Him.
Send us Fan Mail
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!
 
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 Comfort
Emeal (“E.Z.”) Zwayne
Mark Spence
Oscar Navarro

What happens when the things of God become so familiar that they no longer leave us in awe? Ray, E.Z., Mark, and Oscar explore the danger of becoming spiritually unimpressible and the difference between knowing the truth intellectually and truly tasting the beauty and glory of God. The guys discuss how secularism and the world’s focus on looking inward can disconnect people from wonder, using the image of seeing a model of the Matterhorn rather than experiencing the real mountain. They consider how Christians can know about God without being genuinely captivated by who He is.
The conversation then turns to how believers can gradually lose their sense of awe. The guys discuss how routines, entertainment, and seemingly harmless habits can cool a believer’s love for the Lord. They also consider how weakness can become a catalyst for spiritual power, noting that recognizing it should drive believers toward dependence on God. The guys examine the danger of becoming rich in knowledge while losing zeal for Christ and the lost, emphasizing that spiritual maturity should produce a growing desire to make God known rather than simply accumulating information about Him.
From there, the guys examine how modern technology and constant novelty can leave people spiritually and emotionally numb. They discuss doom scrolling as something that can function like a drug, creating a desire for increasingly sensational experiences and even pushing Christians toward overstimulating forms of worship and Christianity. The guys contrast this with slowing down, becoming more connected to the Lord through the embodied life of the church, and experiencing the goodness of God in the world around us. They consider how believers can keep the cross from becoming background noise by intentionally meditating on the Lord and remembering how He has transformed them.
How do Christians recover awe and allow it to shape their lives? The guys emphasize the priceless treasure believers possess and the importance of becoming people who genuinely long for the Lord. They link renewed wonder to evangelism, explaining that a deeper love for Christ should fuel a greater desire to make Him known. The guys encourage listeners to examine whether the things of the world have become more impressive than the things of God and to return to their first love if they have drifted. They close by reflecting on the prodigal son and the Father’s readiness to welcome His children home, reminding believers that the answer to spiritual numbness is a renewed vision of God.
Send us Fan Mail
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!
 
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 Comfort
Emeal (“E.Z.”) Zwayne
Mark Spence
Oscar Navarro

What do you do when an evangelism experience goes poorly and you walk away wondering whether you failed? Ray, E.Z., Mark, and Oscar unpack the discouragement that can follow difficult conversations, rejection, and moments when evangelism does not go as planned.
The guys begin with Mark and Oscar's experience on the pier, where poor conditions made the first hour feel like a disaster. Yet the night turned around with meaningful conversations, reminding them that a difficult start does not determine what God will do. Ray shares his history of hard interviews and tough open-air preaching, and explains why believers should expect setbacks rather than measure evangelism by success.
The guys then reflect on some of the hardest experiences they've faced while preaching the gospel. From physical aggression to accusations against their character, they discuss the many forms rejection can take and how quickly difficult encounters can become discouraging. These experiences lead to a broader discussion of persecution and how believers should respond when they suffer for faithfully proclaiming Christ. The guys point to the apostles' rejoicing when they suffered for Christ and emphasize that adversity can strengthen believers rather than prove their efforts were failures.
The conversation turns inward as the guys consider how discouragement can reveal misplaced expectations and dependence on self. They compare evangelism to sowing seed and emphasize that salvation is ultimately God's work, not the result of a perfect argument. They explore how rejection can weigh on a person and how easily discouragement can shift the focus away from the true goal of evangelism. The guys also address the temptation to feel discouraged when evangelizing alone and encourage believers to remain faithful even when the work feels difficult or isolating.
The guys discuss how the Great Commission is about faithful proclamation rather than controlling outcomes and how God can use conversations that seem ordinary or unsuccessful. They reflect on Paul's endurance and the promise that Christ is with His people as they proclaim the gospel.
The guys then turn to glad obedience, reminding listeners that believers are ambassadors who should continue even when they do not feel like it. Remembering Christ's mercy should overflow into joyful proclamation because there are souls around us who need life.
Christians are beggars who have found food and have been sent to tell other beggars where to find it.
Send us Fan Mail
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!
 
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 Comfort
Emeal (“E.Z.”) Zwayne
Mark Spence
Oscar Navarro

Is there a point at which a person goes too far for God to forgive them? Ray, E.Z., Mark, and Oscar explore whether anyone can truly be beyond God's reach, beginning with the fears that prompt people to wonder if they have crossed a line or lost their salvation. The guys point to the hope found in Christ and explain that being alive means God is not finished with you. They distinguish biblical hope from wishful thinking and emphasize that our hope rests on the resurrected Savior, not on circumstances or our ability to make ourselves worthy.
The conversation then turns to the gospel itself and to the mistake of thinking that salvation depends on how far someone has fallen or how well they can clean themselves up. The guys examine the prodigal son, the older brother, and a long list of deeply sinful people in Scripture, including Rahab, Moses, David, Manasseh, Peter, Paul, and the thief on the cross. Paul’s description of himself as the chief of sinners becomes a central example of God’s mercy. The guys explain that the history of redemption is filled with God saving wretched people for His glory and that even a desperate prayer for help can be an expression of genuine faith.
From there, the discussion moves into the passages that can cause Christians the most fear. The discussion then focuses more directly on the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. The guys explain why this should not be confused with a careless statement, a moment of anger, or even someone deliberately saying something blasphemous because they think they can somehow commit an unforgivable sin. The guys return to the distinction between temporary rebellion and a settled rejection of the truth, while emphasizing the importance of repentance. 
From there, the conversation turns to the person whose own thoughts, words, and past actions leave them wondering whether they are beyond forgiveness. The guys emphasize that even someone who has committed horrific crimes can find mercy through genuine repentance. The gospel is not about a drowning person receiving a life-saving device but about a spiritually dead person being given life by God. Instead, the guys point listeners to Christ's sufficiency and the power of His blood to cleanse sinners. They close with the restoration of the deeply sinful man in Corinth, where Paul urges the church to forgive and comfort him after he repented. Repentance becomes the great word of hope: no matter where someone is or how badly they have failed, they should turn to Christ, because there is hope in the Lord.
Send us Fan Mail
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!
 
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 Comfort
Emeal (“E.Z.”) Zwayne
Mark Spence
Oscar Navarro