The meaning of self-control is as profound as it is simple. With it we're able to choose how we'll think, feel, and act towards other people. Without it, other people will be able to choose how we'll think, feel, and act towards them.

This week Brian and Katie Hess unpack the power of self-control, and how it brings with it the ability to love the way God loves.

Have you ever wondered why God created both the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? In this episode, we explore the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis, and take a biblical look at God’s design for relationship, freedom, and the human will—and how it all connects to the way we lead and love our kids.

You’ll learn:

• Why the existence of love requires the freedom to make a choice

• The deeper meaning behind the two trees in the Garden of Eden

• How God parents us through love, not force

• Why true obedience only grows in the soil of connection

Check out our children's book, What Does God Say About Me? Declarations for Kids, From A-Z

Words have power — not just emotionally, and spiritually, but neurologically. In this episode, we explore how the words we use impacts brain development, emotional connection, and relational safety. Whether you're a parent, spouse, educator, or friend, understanding the science of words can transform how you communicate and connect.

In this episode we covered:

• The forming of neural pathways

• How words affect our relational connection

• How to repair relational bonds when our words are damaging

• Why our day-to-day language matters more than we think

Click here to check out our children's book, What Does God Say About Me; Declarations for Kids, from A - Z

The shift that needs to happen in the life of every Christian is from worship of self to worship of God.

The values that the culture of the world is built upon are inwardly focused and selfish. By default, the world will teach you to be the lord of your own life and seek the fulfillment of your desires.

The values of God's Kingdom, on the other hand, are outwardly focused, seeking to love and serve others. Life in God's Kingdom will lead to the lordship of Jesus.

Join Brian and Katie as they continued the conversation on discipleship and why we need to be reoriented from the ways and values of the world toward those of Jesus and His Kingdom.

It's one thing to view Jesus as your Savior. It's another thing to view Him as your Lord. To accept Him as our Savior is to trust Him with what happens when we die. But to allow Him to be our Lord means trusting Him with what happens while we live.

Join Brian and Katie Hess as they continue the conversation on both the importance and general lack of discipleship to Jesus in many churches and homes today, and why we must be intentional in our pursuit of formation in Christ.

In many parts of the world, words like "Christian" and "disciple" have nearly lost their meaning. For countless believers, actively practicing the ways of Jesus is optional and typically reserved for the few "radical" Christians.

But this mindset will only lead to a weak and powerless church consisting of people who believe in the existence of God while lacking love, power, and authority.

In this episode, Brian and Katie discuss what it truly means to be a disciple (apprentice) of Jesus and share some practical ways to bring discipleship into your home.

Many sincere Christians quietly carry the same question:

If Jesus has saved me, why do I still struggle with the same patterns, sins, and frustrations?

In this episode of Spiritually Formed, Brian and Katie Hess explore why so many believers feel stuck between what the gospel promises and what they actually experience in their lives.

Often the problem isn’t a lack of sincerity or desire for God—it’s an incomplete understanding of the gospel itself. Many Christians have been taught that salvation frees us from the penalty of sin, but they’ve never been shown how the grace of God also begins to free us from the power of sin.

We talk about why justification happens in a moment, but transformation is a process—and why trying to change ourselves through sheer effort often leads to cycles of frustration, shame, and exhaustion.

The good news is that the gospel isn’t just about getting us into heaven someday. It’s about the life of the Kingdom of God beginning in us right now.

If you’ve ever wondered why your life doesn’t seem to reflect the new life Jesus promises, this episode will help you understand what God is doing in the slow work of transformation.

Most of us are our own worst critics, often thinking of ourselves as flawed and unlovable. Before long, we begin to assume that God must agree with our self-evaluation.

But is that actually true?

In this episode, we how what we believe God thinks about us shapes our identity and our spiritual lives. When we assume that God is disappointed in us, our pursuit of change becomes driven by shame and insecurity. But when we begin to see ourselves through the lens of the gospel—as new creations in Christ and beloved sons and daughters—transformation begins to flow from love rather than the attempt to earn it.

Learning what God truly thinks about you may change the way you think about everything.