Ask Pastor John

A relentless pursuit of self-esteem can increase your confidence and soothe your emotions. And it can also ruin your Bible reading.

Hand-lettered verses on Instagram may comfort and encourage us, but they will never suffice. We need more than devotional tidbits to survive.

Comprehension, interpretation, and application — these three steps from Jen Wilkin have helped thousands of women dive deep into God’s word.

Long hair may be acceptable for men today, but that doesn’t mean we can ignore what Paul was saying to the Corinthians. Pastor John explains why.

How do we respect Buddhist priests? How about imams? Pastor John helps explain how to treat everyone with respect but still make our differences known.

Pastor John shares six tragic observations from a mainline church, and a helpful report card to check our tendencies to make assumptions about God.

Jordan Peterson has a bestselling book and a fast-growing following, especially among young men. What should Christians learn from him?

God could have prevented every disability we know today, but he didn’t. And he has ten thousand reasons why.

God wants his people to have serious joy. But at least three obstacles threaten the joy and the seriousness of this generation.

All people want to be a part of something larger than themselves. This is no accident. God designed you to join him in his goal of global glory.

We kill sin with superior promises. Pastor Piper shares his most-used promises and how they have served him over the decades.

When you wake up more interested in Twitter than God’s word, the battle is not lost. It has just begun. Fight to get into his word.

Whether we’re hoping for a job, a spouse, or something else, no one likes to patiently wait. But God transforms us in our waiting.

We’re needy people. But when life�’s going well, we often forget just how needy we really are.

In this life, our indwelling sin clouds our joy in God. But every Christian has the promise of never-ending, ever-increasing joy in God’s presence.

We all know that anger will only wound those around us. But its silent brother, sulking, can be just as deadly.

How do we not let a no from God squelch our joy in him? John Piper offers two anchors of hope to help us remain steady in the struggle.

A harvest awaits Christians in the gay community. Sam Allberry shares how he engages LGBT students with the message of Jesus.

You don’t need sex to be happy. Jesus never married, never had a romantic relationship, never had sex, and he was the most complete man to ever live.

Sam Allberry, who has been attracted to the same sex his whole life, gives an insider’s take on the current debates over sexual identity.

Does God want us to be happy or holy? How are holiness and happiness not at odds, but work together?

If Moses and Paul wished to be personally damned so others could be saved, didn’t they prioritize mission for others over joy in God?

We don’t receive Jesus in a saving way when we receive him as a ticket out of hell. He’s not a ticket. He’s a treasure — the greatest treasure.

When everyone gets grace, no one actually gets grace. Michael McClymond explains how universalism expels the biblical view of grace.

What is Christian universalism, and how should we respond? Michael McClymond, author of a new book on the topic, details the basics.

Do Christian Hedonists call people to experience a level of joy now that will be available only in heaven?

We often miss Christ’s beauty in his word because our hearts are out of sync. Pastor John explains how he prepares his heart to meet God.

We know God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. But is God at all glorified in those who reject him?

David Platt, like all of us, has past regrets and future hopes. Here’s what he would say to his 20-year-old self.

If our affections are the thermometer of our relationship with God, how can we remain stable through all our emotional ups and downs?

Security, comfort, and wealth aren’t the primary guides for our job decisions. God is. But how do we discern his will?

A bank account with seven, eight, or nine zeros is not necessarily sinful. But it is dangerous for hearts that easily treasure dollar signs.

An excessive self-focus leads to either discouragement or pride. So what steps can we take to conquer the curse of self-consciousness?

Wherever saving truth is hated, distorted, and muted, Satan is at work. Our best weapon against him is to tell and live the truth.

Caring for a disabled child often goes unthanked and unrecognized in this world. But God sees every sacrifice, and he will reward you.

Everything we need in life and death was bought by the blood of Jesus. We have nothing to fear — not even death.

The Bible doesn’t have a category for retiring from ministry. We may retire from a paid vocation, but never from loving and serving others.

Both drug users and Christians feel ups and downs. But the parallels end there. Pastor John gives five reasons why the experiences are different.

Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat — they allow us to say more words to more people than ever before. So how can we use them for an eternal purpose?

Worry gains us nothing. As soon as we discover we have a problem, God has already been working on it, and the solution is on the way.

Is the term “reckless” too reckless? Pastor John offers pastors, worship leaders, and congregations ways to think about the popular lyrics.

Our enjoyment of God is not only a response to God’s glory — it is the way we glorify him. Therefore, joy in God is not optional.

Eighteen years after OneDay 2000, Pastor John reflects on a sermon that roused thousands of young people to not waste their lives.

Is there an ideal sermon length? Pastor John gives five factors to consider when trying to decide how long to preach.

From alliteration and assonance to metaphors, imagery, and illustrations — what role does creativity, imagination, and rhetoric have in preaching?

Good sermons and good Bible reading push into a writer’s words, grammar, and logic to embrace all the glorious realities behind them.

After writing over fifty books, Pastor John explains his six-stage process, from gathering the initial idea to seeing the project come to life.

How does God’s sovereignty not make us robots? Pastor John explores the relationship between God’s sovereignty and the human will in seven steps.

True freedom from body hatred does not come from finally liking what we see in the mirror. It comes from being swept up in the greatness of God.

Enjoying God and loving our neighbors are not competing goals. True love is the overflow of joy in God that meets the needs of others.