Podcasts · Religion & Spirituality

Ask Pastor John

Desiring God

300 episodes

John Piper answering tough theological and pastoral questions.

Episodes page 1 of 6

  1. Happiness Myths to Avoid

    · 14 min

    Modern psychology defines happiness as “self-fulfillment.” But without God, our souls will always long for greater satisfaction and joy.

  2. When God Is Against Me

    · 13 min

    Can God act as a Christian’s enemy through suffering? Pastor John explains how God’s painful providences do not conflict with his enduring love for his children.

  3. Can My Pain Kill My Sins?

    · 11 min

    Does suffering kill the sin within us? Pastor John argues from 1 Peter 4:1 that believers die to sin with Christ so we can live to his righteousness.

  4. Trapped in a Meaningless Life

    · 16 min

    Loss can lead to despair over God’s plan for our lives. When we can’t perceive meaning in life, Pastor John counsels us to find comfort in God’s glorious purpose in Christ.

  5. Do Good People Get Hurt?

    · 13 min

    Does the Bible promise that believers will not be harmed for doing good? Pastor John explains the context of 1 Peter 3:13 and God’s sovereign wisdom in suffering.

  6. The Marriage Miracle That Takes Time

    · 13 min

    Loving our spouses for better or worse includes loving them through their spiritual apathy. Pastor John gives ten encouragements for the weary.

  7. When You’re Not Sorry

    · 12 min

    When someone confronts you wrongly, should you apologize? Pastor John encourages humility and reconciliation without giving in to emotional manipulation.

  8. The Gospel Before Jesus Died

    · 14 min

    Did Jesus preach the gospel before his death and resurrection? Pastor John calls us to a deeper understanding of God as Creator and King, and Jesus as Lord and Savior.

  9. The Perils of a Quick Fix

    · 12 min

    How can we witness to those who just want a quick fix? Pastor John presses home the shocking reality of eternity and the astounding love of Jesus.

  10. When I’m Too Weak to Be Productive

    · 12 min

    Can a disabled mother model the Proverbs 31 woman? Pastor John describes the gift of a heart that hopes in God’s steadfast love.

  11. Six Traits of a Forgettable Sermon

    · 13 min

    Rigorous exposition isn’t at odds with engaging preaching. Pastor John encourages pastors to work for creativity when technical, abstract sermons feel easier.

  12. Do We Need to Go to Church Every Week?

    · 13 min

    Gathering with other Christians is a crucial way to encourage and be encouraged in Christ. But do we really need to gather every week?

  13. The Joy That Sustained Jesus

    · 13 min

    Jesus endured unspeakable agony at the cross. Pastor John marvels at the force of his love sustained by expectant joy.

  14. The Barrier to Doctrinal Maturity

    · 13 min

    Is the Bible accessible only to readers with a high IQ? Pastor John reframes biblical maturity as a moral issue centered on our obedience, not our intellect.

  15. Daily Vigilance for Lifelong Productivity

    · 13 min

    Daily productivity requires often elusive focus and grit. Pastor John offers ten charges to live each day to the glory of God.

  16. Why Did Jesus Call Her a Dog?

    · 11 min

    Did Jesus demean the Canaanite woman he called a dog? Pastor John explains how Jesus’s test revealed her great faith — and her adoption as one of God’s own.

  17. When Walking Away Feels Good

    · 14 min

    Why should we follow Jesus when life seems easier without him? Pastor John responds to a man questioning the cost of daily obedience.

  18. How a Crushed Faith Comes Home

    · 12 min

    Deep suffering can drive us away from true hope and comfort. But our Father waits to gather us back to himself.

  19. When Nice People Face God

    · 15 min

    Does eternal punishment in hell bring God glory? Pastor John challenges the rejection of God’s judgment by pointing to his unmerited mercies and perfect righteousness.

  20. Can My Silence Cost Souls?

    · 14 min

    Why does evangelism matter when God has chosen whom he will save? Pastor John unpacks and rejoices in our role as God’s instruments.

  21. The Pleasure Trap

    · 14 min

    How can Christians avoid placing a relationship or hobby over a desire for God? Pastor John calls us to let earthly delights turn us Godward.

  22. Selfies in the End Times

    · 10 min

    Are selfies a sign of the end times? Pastor John looks beyond smartphones and social media to our society’s desire for deep satisfaction.

  23. Your Regrets Cannot Ruin You

    · 14 min

    Can past sins separate us from the love of God? Pastor John offers hope in God’s promised forgiveness for believers wrestling with crippling shame.

  24. Why a Crowd Got Resurrected

    · 14 min

    At Jesus’s last breath, a crowd of saints rose from their tombs in Jerusalem. Pastor John offers six reasons Matthew’s Gospel includes this event.

  25. Does God Owe You?

    · 14 min

    What’s the relationship between our good deeds and God’s reward? When he empowers us to obey him, he loves to celebrate the beauty of his grace.

  26. Doomscrolling Done Right

    · 15 min

    How does God intend for us to deal with tragedy in the news? Pastor John offers six reasons why suffering should drive us to repentance and action.

  27. When Your Boss Expects You to Lie

    · 10 min

    How do we respond when an employer expects us to compromise the truth? Pastor John offers counsel for keeping an uncompromised faith in the workplace.

  28. Surviving Financial Panics

    · 14 min

    How can we fight anxiety through financial panic and stress? Pastor John offers five truths about God’s character to calm our hearts and minds.

  29. If Jesus Returns Tonight

    · 12 min

    How would we use our time if Christ were coming back tonight? Pastor John gives ten transforming ways to live while waiting for the second coming.

  30. Why Good Men Fail God

    · 13 min

    King Asa worshiped God almost all his days, but he drifted in his old age. So, how should we respond when sin corrupts good men?

  31. Should You Marry Her Anyway?

    · 12 min

    Does past sexual sin ruin a future marriage? Pastor John counsels a confused young man to trust God’s redeeming love for repentant sexual sinners.

  32. God’s Plan for Your Prayers

    · 12 min

    If God is sovereign, why should we pray? Pastor John encourages us to seek God with confidence in his power and plan for our lives.

  33. When Your Pastor Feels Distant

    · 15 min

    How can the pastor of a growing church care for each member? Pastor John encourages shepherds to care tenderly for the flock and depend on God’s mercy.

  34. Breaking Prayer Ruts

    · 13 min

    How can we shift our prayers from rote repetition to an awareness of God’s larger purposes? Pastor John models praying Scripture back to God.

  35. Obedience Will Never Ruin Your Life

    · 12 min

    How can Christians act in obedience when they face a life-changing cost? Grace can sustain us through the painful consequences of following God.

  36. Why God’s Protection Still Hurts

    · 14 min

    How can we reconcile the pain we feel in this fallen world with God’s promise to keep us from all evil? Pastor John applies Psalm 121 to this life.

  37. Sovereignty and My Murdered Friend

    · 12 min

    Even great evil serves God’s eternal purposes — yet God also gives us precious promises to comfort us in the midst of our pain and grief.

  38. How to Save a Marriage

    · 17 min

    To redeem relationships, we need humility — but how do we get that kind of sacrificial heart? Looking to Christ and his cross strips away entitlement.

  39. Zeal For God Gone Wrong

    · 11 min

    How can Christians tell the difference between true and false zeal for God’s name? Pastor John examines Jehu’s tragic history in 2 Kings.

  40. Preaching Outrage

    · 14 min

    Should pastors expose every fresh cultural outrage from the pulpit? Pastor John encourages pastors to condemn sin without being consumed.

  41. Defeating Daily Anxiety

    · 11 min

    When we face day-to-day pressure and stress, Jesus’s teaching steadies our hearts and minds. Pastor John offers eight truths to fight anxiety.

  42. The God Who Gives You Worth

    · 10 min

    Is God’s pursuit of his glory and man’s pursuit of our joy a selfish transaction? Pastor John insists on keeping our joy in God connected to God himself.

  43. Kill Your Ego, Find Your Joy

    · 10 min

    Every recognition and reward we receive is a gift of God’s steadfast love, poured out so that we might magnify the glory of his undeserved grace.

  44. The Secret Superpower of Silence

    · 13 min

    How does Jesus’s silence before his accusers teach us how to suffer? Pastor John offers encouragement for Christians facing unjust treatment.

  45. The Freedom That Kills Regret

    · 10 min

    True freedom means our desires align with God’s; we want what he wants. Pastor John answers three questions from Galatians about Christian liberty.

  46. The God Over Dice

    · 13 min

    What do we mean when we say God is sovereign? Pastor John traces God’s sovereignty throughout the Bible and draws out two big, soul-steadying truths.

  47. Don’t Wait for the Pain to Stop

    · 13 min

    We don’t need to wait for painful seasons to end before we feel joy again. By God’s grace, we can hold sorrow and joy in the very same heart.

  48. Why Your Mind Cannot Die

    · 17 min

    If consciousness is part of the soul, what are the implications when the brain degrades and dies? Pastor John speaks to consciousness in both life and death.

  49. When Obedience Is Evil

    · 12 min

    How should Christians respond when an authority asks them to sin? Pastor John encourages believers to respect earthly institutions without compromising God’s word.

  50. Delighting in a Holy God

    · 14 min

    God’s children are set apart as saints, given the privilege of sharing in Christ’s moral beauty. Pastor John explains how God’s holiness draws us to him.

Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them. Explicit shows are for adult profiles only, and children’s profiles hear only children’s shows. More about this list.