Ask Pastor John

How do I follow God’s lead in my daily decisions? I know he’s my shepherd, and that he’s leading me, but how do I know if I am following him?

To be a Christian is not only to trust Christ and treasure Christ, but to be indwelt by Christ. And that new identity transforms all our relationships.

God still answers prayers for physical healing today. But how should Christians evaluate the claims of so-called healing ministries?

We know that Jesus has purchased both our forgiveness and our physical healing at the cross. But what kind of healing can we expect in this life?

If all our sins are forgiven — past, present, and future — does ongoing confession show that we doubt Christ’s finished work?

If our sinful flesh was crucified with Christ when we first believed, why do we keep sinning like we do?

How do we make sure the good we do is not done in vain? Listen to Pastor John’s answer more than thirty years ago, just weeks after becoming a pastor.

When we look around at our world of horrific suffering, how can we keep believing in an all-good, all-wise, totally sovereign God?

Some self-denial exalts self and feeds sin, and some self-denial exalts Christ and kills sin. So how can we practice the right kind?

Every Christian battles excessive and distorted desires. And in Christ, God gives every Christian daily forgiveness, hope, and strength to keep fighting.

At the cross, Paul says, God “disarmed the rulers and authorities.” So what weapons are no longer in Satan’s hands?

How can Christians pursue education without being taken captive by worldly thinking? Pastor John reflects on Paul’s warning against “philosophy” in Colossians 2:8.

In 1938, a small publishing ministry began distributing gospel tracts. Today, that ministry has spread millions of tracts, books, and Bibles all over the world.

Paul says that God has reconciled to himself “all things” in heaven and on earth. Does that mean even unbelievers and demons will be saved in the end?

How should Christians respond to divisions in the church? Don’t make light of them, for they are tragic. And don’t make death of them, for they are predicted.

Under God, musical worship can mobilize the church to finish the Great Commission. The gladness of Godward singing sends lovers of Christ to the nations.

Scripture includes stories of angels talking with humans through dreams and visions. So should Christians expect, and even pursue, conversations with angels today?

When God puts the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, giving us a spiritual sight of his fatherly care in Christ, we can’t help but cry, “Abba! Father!”

The freest people in this world are those most in love with the next. If our hope is safe in heaven, we can afford to take risks on earth.

Colossians 1:23 says the gospel “has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven.” Does that mean the gospel has already reached the entire world?

If our final salvation rests on the condition that we persevere in faith, how can we know that we really will make it to heaven?

Unless we become mature in our thinking, we will regularly be blown about by the winds of subtle, clever, politically correct language.

In creation, God made Adam and all the animals from the ground. So why, when God made Eve, did he take a rib from Adam’s side?

All good gifts are from God, through God, and to God. But in his providence, those gifts often come to us through others, who rightly deserve our thanks.

Pastor John commends Tony Reinke’s new book — a panoramic, penetrating theology of technology, tethered to God’s infallible Scriptures.

How can Christians live faithfully in the day of Big Tech? In ‘God, Technology, and the Christian Life,’ Tony Reinke explores God’s relationship to the innovations of our age.

Does the story of David and Bathsheba suggest that Bathsheba was a willing partner in his adultery, or that David took her against her will?

God made some Christians to enjoy spending a lot of time alone. But what makes the difference between a Christian loner and a self-centered loner?

The God of the universe cares about every problem you have, no matter how small. And he wants to draw you up into purposes far greater than your problems.

Pull-tabs and scratch games incentivize risky, destructive behaviors, especially among those who can least afford to play.

What might it look like for a Christian with significant disabilities to live a productive, spiritually fruitful, God-glorifying life?

Should I become a preacher? Pastor John’s own road to the pastorate shows that God often makes preachers in unexpected ways.

If Scripture doesn’t obligate parents to leave a financial inheritance to their children, how might Christians decide what to do with their money?

God will never leave or forsake his children. But for our lasting good, he may sometimes hide his face and allow us to walk through seasons of darkness.

When we memorize and meditate on God’s word, we create a deep, transforming connection between the Bible, our minds, and our hearts.

The Bible describes idols as actual objects people worship, but today many use the language of “idolatry” more broadly. So what is an idol?

In our pursuit to be holy as God is holy, how do we move past our failures to obey without feeling condemned in the process?

The ministry of Desiring God is fueled by the prayers and financial gifts of God’s people. If you have been blessed by our resources in 2021, would you consider becoming a monthly partner? https://give.desiringgod.org/#monthly

God may use medicine to lengthen our lives, but he will always use habits of grace, like prayer and Bible reading, to sustain our faith in suffering.

We miss the miracle of what Christmas is if we forget why Christmas happened: God the Son became man — to die in our place.

Christmas is not just another bend in the river of redemptive history. Christmas marks the end of the river and the arrival of the ocean.

The Bible teaches both the absolute sovereignty of God and the genuine accountability of man. And nowhere are they considered contradictory.

No Christian consistently longs for God, which is one reason God gives us prayers like Psalm 86:11: “Unite my heart to fear your name.”

Those who live for joy in God now will possess joy in God forever. And until then, God pledges his protection over body and soul, through life and death.

Christians sometimes talk about giving God “some” glory, “more” glory, or “most” glory, but are those really biblical categories?

None of us has an infallible understanding of the Bible, but at what point does open contradiction of Scripture call into question someone’s profession of faith?

God, in his grace, does not keep us from trouble and pain. But he does order and measure our trouble and pain — and then uphold us through it all.

A love for excellence can easily grow into a hypercritical spirit. How can we resist the tendency to focus mostly on the failures of others?

John Piper’s ministry has been marked by rigorous attention to God’s word paired with deep delight in God’s word — a double emphasis captured in Psalm 119:97.

The story of Elijah on Mount Carmel shows that God rules over fire and rain, bulls and rocks — and even over every human heart.