Pea Ridge Audio Podcast

We live in a culture that pushes us to constantly strive for more. There are two sides to this coin. And these two sides might not be as clear as we would like them to be. Can a person be content and still have a desire to strive for more? For the believer, motives are the key.

There are two instances in the Gospel of John that record Jesus speaking of living water. When we consider these, along with other biblical references that are similar, we can easily see that Jesus is teaching about the power of the Holy Spirit to give life. God will not force us to open ourselves to the flow of this living water. He invites us to make that choice.

God has worked in different ways to speak to different people throughout history. One common theme in all of these examples is this: those who heard the voice of God were paying attention to Him. Ask Him to help you identify the biggest distractions in your life and then with His help, replace them with His truth and wisdom.

Our calendars and to-do lists reflect what we value. In our culture, we tend to add things to our lives without considering what these will do to our relationship with God and our relationships with others. This summer, choose a slower pace filled with purpose and intention. Spend some time in the river of life.

God the Father nailed our sin debt to the cross as Jesus became sin for us. This first execution was carried out so that we could be reconciled to Him. A second execution takes place when we put to death our own selfish desires, but we can only do this in the power of the Spirit. When we do, we follow the Spirit as he leads us on the path of obedience.

We see God's patience, kindness and goodness through His plan of redemption. He has withheld his judgment so that people have a chance to repent. When we consider that no one deserves his forgiveness, his mercy is evident. And his generosity is seen through the gift of his Son and the gift of the Spirit.

As we begin to examine each type of fruit that the Spirit produces in the life of a believer, we see that God's love, joy and peace are given to us as we allow the Spirit to control us. We must remember that we cannot produce these on our own.

Paul wrote that the works of the flesh were obvious, but he still took time to list some of them. Understanding how these evil behaviors affect our relationship with God and others can help us see the seriousness of these sins and remind us to pursue Christ instead of our own selfish desires.

Paul wrote that believers are to "walk by the Spirit," and doing so will keep us from satisfying our own selfish desires. This week we turn to Matthew 7 and John 15 to gain insight from Jesus about this central truth that empowers us to live out our faith.

It is possible to know the ways of God without living in obedience to Him. Focusing only on the commands of Scripture without cultivating a change of heart will leave us trapped. When we submit to the Holy Spirit, he begins his transformative work that leads to producing the fruit of God's kingdom in our lives.

In the final message of the Restored series, the focus is on work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer and how He infuses the character of Christ. What happens when we trust Him to empower us to walk in humility, gentleness, patience and forbearance?

What is your main goal for your children? Our culture pushes us to focus on making sure our kids are successful and happy. If we set these as main goals, our children are likely to be selfish and end up feeling empty. Instead, we need to disciple our children to live and love like Jesus.

God created the marriage relationship. Though the entrance of sin into the world caused this relationship to be broken, it is restored by the power of Christ. Paul's instructions in Ephesians 5 reveal that the Gospel creates this beautiful partnership between a man and a woman ... one that reflects the relationship between Jesus and his followers.

There is probably nothing more misunderstood in our culture than the idea of romantic love. Most of us grow up believing that our quest for true love will end when we find that "special someone." We fail to realize what real love is, and so our search brings a great deal of pain. If we follow God's ways, we will navigate dating and singleness according to His wisdom and experience life and peace.

The redemptive work of Christ has a far-reaching impact. Even beyond one's personal relationship with God the Father, the reconciliation Jesus provides extends to our relationships with one another. All of this works together, as Paul explains in his letter to the church at Ephesus.

God’s plan of redemption came through the nation of Israel. In His grace He chose Abraham and made a covenant with him. He rescued Abraham's descendants from Egypt and gave them the amazing gift of His law. The law was limited by human weakness, but complete healing and forgiveness would eventually come through Jesus, who healed humanity with his love.

In a matter of moments, the first man and woman disobeyed God's command and found themselves separated from Him by sin. Their lives were shattered. The consequences were dire. Though it seemed all was lost, God's plan of redemption was already in motion.

In the first part of this series, Dan Londeree explores how God created man and woman in His image. There are two major implications of this: we are created for a relationship with God, and we are created for relationships with one another.

After the walls of Jerusalem had been rebuilt, Nehemiah and Ezra focused on reestablishing the law of God. As it was read aloud, the people began to weep. Nehemiah told them to celebrate instead, because as they returned to obedience to God, He would give them joy that would strengthen them. When we obey the Lord, He does the same for us.

There are moments in time that stop us in our tracks. We’re carrying on our daily lives, moving from one thing to the next, when something happens that affects us deeply. Something must be done. Something must change. Nehemiah's heart was broken for his homeland and his people. What breaks your heart? What is God leading you to do about it?

In Ephesians 4, Paul wrote to believers that we are "to put off your old self ... and to put on the new self ..." It's important for us to remember that we can only do this in the power of the Holy Spirit and in the context of Christian community. As we start 2024, our goal is to daily put on the self and live according to who we are in Christ.