Advertise on podcast: Living The Word Podcast

What do you do when someone you love walks away from the Lord? In this 50th episode of the Living the Word podcast, we explore the heartache, challenges, and hope that come with having a lost child or loved one. Through the parable of the lost son in Luke 15 and Pastor Matt’s personal testimony of wandering from the Lord and being drawn back to Him, we examine what it means to be lost both inside and outside the church. Together, we discuss the pain Christian parents experience when their children reject the faith they were raised in, the importance of setting loving but firm boundaries, and the difference between speaking truth and trying to force someone to change. We also address the guilt parents often carry, the need for humility and forgiveness, and the reminder that no parent is perfect and no amount of persuasion can bring someone to saving faith. Salvation is the work of God, and our hope rests in His grace, sovereignty, and unfailing love. If you have a son, daughter, grandchild, sibling, or friend who has walked away from the Lord, this episode offers biblical encouragement and practical wisdom for loving them well while trusting God to work in their hearts. For more information visit our website at: livingwordhouma.com Connect with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lwchouma Instagram: www.instagram.com/lwchouma/

In this episode, we take a look at gambling from a Biblical perspective. From casinos and sports betting to prediction markets and gambling apps, we explore why gambling is so appealing, especially in a culture where it is easier and more accessible than ever. What drives the desire to get rich quick, take risks, and chase the adrenaline rush? What are the dangers when gambling begins to affect finances, marriages, families, and personal responsibility? Most importantly, what does the Bible teach us about money, risk, greed, contentment, and the pursuit of wealth? Join us as we define gambling, examine its growing influence in our culture, and begin applying Biblical principles to this growing concern in our culture today. For more information visit our website at: livingwordhouma.com Connect with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lwchouma Instagram: www.instagram.com/lwchouma/

How do we make decisions that honor God? In this episode, we explore biblical decision making and what it means to discern God’s will in our everyday life. We discuss the difference between God’s revealed and sovereign will, the danger of relying on feelings or “signs,” and how Scripture, prayer, wise counsel, and God’s providence should shape our choices. From marriage and finances to the everyday decisions we make, learn how God’s Word can transform the way we think, shape what we value, and guide how we live. For more information visit our website at: livingwordhouma.com Connect with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lwchouma Instagram: www.instagram.com/lwchouma/

Why are we so drawn to conspiracy theories? And as Christians, how should we respond when speculation, fear, and “insider information” compete with the truth of God’s Word? In this episode, we talk about why conspiracy theories are so compelling, the dangers of going down endless rabbit holes, and how chasing unverified claims can affect our time, relationships, testimony, and discernment. Most importantly, we ask: Are we grounding ourselves in truth or getting distracted by things we may never be able to prove? The world is full of competing truth claims. Our minds need to be renewed by something more reliable than the latest video or viral theory. 00:00 Introduction 05:36 What is a conspiracy theory? 06:21 Why do we like conspiracy theories? 10:58 Popular conspiracy theories 20:19 What are some dangers of conspiracy theories? 35:23 How must Christians respond to conspiracy theories? 39:26 How do we help those caught up in conspiracy theories? For more information visit our website at: www.livingwordhouma.com Connect with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lwchouma Instagram: www.instagram.com/lwchouma/

For more information visit our website at: livingwordhouma.com Connect with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lwchouma Instagram: www.instagram.com/lwchouma/

The gospel message is the most important message to ever have the privilege of preaching. The reality of the gospel is the most compelling truth there is to communicate. The good news is that God, because of His great love by which He loved us, even when we were dead in our sins, made us alive together with Christ. When we, by faith alone and because of the grace of God, place our belief and trust in Jesus as our Lord, we are brought back from the dead. This Gospel message needs to be clear every time the Word of God is preached so that it bears fruit in the lives of believers. For more information visit our website at: livingwordhouma.com Connect with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lwchouma Instagram: www.instagram.com/lwchouma/

Any authority that a preacher has should come from the authority of scripture. Any boldness that a preacher conveys should come from his undeniable belief in the Word of God. Any confidence a preacher conveys in the Word should be derived from a lived experience of transformation through the Scriptures. Preachers are to place their trust in the Holy Spirit. He is the only one who will draw the hearts of man to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. For more information visit our website at: livingwordhouma.com Connect with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lwchouma Instagram: www.instagram.com/lwchouma/

Of all the ways that God could have chosen to share His revelation of history with mankind, He chose words, and He chose to have those words written down so that all humanity in all times would be able to hear from God. In addition, He chose flawed humanity to not only document His infallible Word but to then preach it to the nations. The character and personality of the preacher impact his authority and are certainly used by God to impact His people, but no matter who the preacher is, it’s the Holy Spirit who is the catalyst in the work of salvation. For more information visit our website at: livingwordhouma.com Connect with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lwchouma Instagram: www.instagram.com/lwchouma/

Unfortunately, many preachers today seem to think that using the Bible for preaching is optional. The preaching is entertaining and personally focused, and people are more and more drawn to this type of preaching. This type of lifestyle preaching can make expositional preaching seem boring or irrelevant. Therefore, preachers who use an expository style seek to make not only contextual and historical clarity a main goal, but they also clearly show how the scriptures are relevant to the life of their congregation. God’s Word is what anchors believers, and it should be the main focus of every sermon. For more information visit our website at: livingwordhouma.com Connect with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lwchouma Instagram: www.instagram.com/lwchouma/

Preaching God’s Word is a heavy calling, one that mere man seems unfit to tackle. Yet, God uses men to speak to His people and to share His revealed Word through preaching. Biblical preaching is declaring a message for God, and in the New Testament, “herald” is used to describe what those who preached were doing. They were used by God to herald the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Biblical preaching is the exposition of scripture, the explanation of divine revelation. It is a serious calling to speak God’s Word to His church. For more information visit our website at: livingwordhouma.com Connect with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lwchouma Instagram: www.instagram.com/lwchouma/

Genesis gives us three primary purposes for God’s design for marriage. First, men and women mutually complete each other. God created a unique need in the heart of Adam, and Eve fills that need. She is his complement…his helper. Second, man and woman, as husband and wife, are to multiply and fill the earth, and in doing this, God’s glory is multiplied in the world. Third, marriage mirrors God’s relationship to us. We reflect God to the world in our marriages. Marriage is not just a cultural construct. Marriage beautifully represents God on earth. For more information visit our website at: livingwordhouma.com Connect with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lwchouma Instagram: www.instagram.com/lwchouma/

Life continually points us to more. Materialism is a real threat. Contentment in the world’s economy is hard to acquire. The Word of God is calling us to just the opposite of what the world suggests. In Christ, we find true satisfaction, true contentment. We are designed by our Creator to find our ultimate satisfaction in Him alone. Jesus Christ is our life. For more information visit our website at: https://livingwordhouma.com Connect with us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lwchouma Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lwchouma/

When God created human beings, He breathed into them the breath of life, and that means we are much more than material substance…we are spirit as well. Our spirits seek to worship because God created us to worship. Every person will worship, so will we use our spirit-filled bodies to worship God or will we give our worship over to worldly idols? What each believer needs is for God to give us breath again and again so that we give our worship to Him alone. For more information visit our website at: https://livingwordhouma.com Connect with us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lwchouma Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lwchouma/

The world offers us a myriad of options when it comes to our identity and purpose. As Christians we must deny what the world offers and ground ourselves in who we truly are…creatures made in the image of our God. We are created to reflect God in the world through attributes with which He has endowed us. When we deny the truth of our identity and look inwardly to determine who we are, we end up depressed, anxious, and deceived. The identity given to us by our Creator is the only sustainable human identity. For more information visit our website at: https://livingwordhouma.com Connect with us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lwchouma Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lwchouma/

The culture is filled with many loud voices that fight for our attention and challenge our devotion to God and His Word. Join us as we look to God's all Sufficient Word to anchor our lives during these difficult days. For more information about the conference visit our website at: www.livingthewordconference.com Connect with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lwchouma Instagram: www.instagram.com/lwchouma/