The way of Jesus leads us to a deeper, fuller life. This was true in the ancient world where Jesus first lived and taught, and it’s still true today. But what does it mean to actually practice the way of Jesus in today’s complex, secular world? In this podcast, join John Mark Comer and other guides as they explore this important question through practical teachings and conversations. At Practicing the Way, we are here to help you journey to a deeper life with God.
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"The question isn't, 'How do you get through life without being hurt?' Not gonna happen. The question is, 'When you are hurt, how do you deal with it?'" When we forgive, we first need to release the person who hurt us. But our journey doesn’t end there. We also need to learn to forgive ourselves, the unfairness of life, and finally, learn to release the feelings of anger that we have toward God. This week, John Mark challenges us to address our hurt and provides guidance for us to walk in forgiv...
Do you ever feel stuck in prayer? As if there is a wall between you and heaven? In this teaching, John Mark shows us different ways that fasting can be used in combination with prayer. Using examples from the Scriptures, he shows us five different ways that people fast and pray: to repent, to grieve, to cry out to God in a crisis, to ask God to relent, and to know God's mind when making decisions. John Mark concludes by reminding us that this practice, like all the practices, is about building o...
Why should you fast? In modern society, fasting as a spiritual practice is almost unheard of, even among Christians. So why does Jesus assume that his followers will fast? (Matthew 6:16-18; 9:15-16). In this teaching, John Mark discusses the what and the why behind fasting. First, he shows that fasting helps us break free from "slavery" to food, feeds our flesh and starves the spirit, and allows us to "pray" with our bodies. Then he outlines what fasting is and what it isn't and what that means ...
Our God-given dreams are how God leads us and guides us into our identity and calling, to be who God made us, and to do what God made us to do. But dreams can be difficult to live with because there is always a gap between the dream and its fulfillment. In this teaching, John Mark lays out a theology of biblical dreams by exploring the story of Joseph. Through it, John Mark shows that God's fulfillment of our dreams is different, harder, longer, but also better than we can imagine. By remaining ...
We are all being formed into someone. For us, as apprentices of Jesus, how do we become more like Him? In this teaching, John Mark tells us that our apprenticeship to Jesus needs to be stronger than the stories we believe, our habits, our relationships, and our environment. Then he lays out how teaching, practice, community, and the Holy Spirit can help us counter these influences. John Mark closes by equipping us with tools and practices to help us be intentional in our spiritual formation with...
We are all being shaped. The question is, what is shaping you? This week, John Mark challenges us with this question as he unpacks how our beliefs, habits, relationships, and experiences all shape the person that we are. Rather than passively let these influences shape us, we are called, as apprentices of Jesus, to be intentional with our beliefs, habits, relationships, and experiences as we seek to curate our lives to grow in our love for Jesus. Key Scripture Passages: Ephesians 4v1-24; Galatia...
In the journey to discover your identity and calling, a transformation from who you are now to who you are becoming in Christ needs to take place. During that "inward journey," you have to come face-to-face with your sin. In this teaching, John Mark gives insight into how to navigate this journey. First, he walks us through the "layers of sin" and shows us how to address our sins at their roots. Then, he equips us with some tools to help us face our sin, including a short teaching on the Enneagr...
Who am I? Somewhere in our hearts, we all are seeking the answer to this question, trying to find security and worth. In this teaching, John Mark teaches us about who the Bible says we are. Jesus found his identity from Heaven, but we often find our identities from earthly things: in what we do, what we have, what we want, or even what others think about us. But the Bible says that not only is our identity rooted in Jesus and what He did on the Cross, but it is also rooted in our future with Him...
Discovering our identity and calling is one of the key tasks of apprenticeship to Jesus because what we believe about our identity and calling has ramifications for who we become and what we do with our lives. And while the journey of discovery can be scary and difficult, the Scriptures and millennia of Christian tradition show us that it is essential. In this teaching, John Mark lays out the biblical basis for the practice of discovering our identity and calling. Then he explains what this jour...
We are all called to spend our lives abiding (John 15:4). Paul called it "praying without ceasing;" Brother Lawrence called it “practicing the presence of God." Jesus claimed that there is a strong connection between abiding and joy. In this teaching, John Mark gives us key insights to practicing this joy-filled lifestyle. First, John Mark challenges us to slow down, open our lives to the flow of the spirit, and practice the presence of God. Then he shows how the practice of fixed-hour prayer ca...
What do you do when your prayers are not answered? In Jesus' teaching to His disciples in John 14-17, He tells them three times that whatever they ask for in His name will be done. So how do we make sense of Jesus’ promise to answer prayer with the reality that we all have unanswered prayers? In this teaching, John Mark goes through the various types and reasons for unanswered prayer in the Bible and explains how "laments" in the Psalms can serve as an example for how to bring our unanswered pra...
Last week, John Mark walked us through Jesus teaching us how to pray. This week, we learn why we pray. In this teaching, John Mark covers Jesus' teaching and parable on prayer in Luke 11 to show that Jesus sees prayer differently. He believes that prayer is a way to collaborate with God to create good in the world. John Mark also challenges our preconceptions of prayer by talking through Jesus' command to ask with shameless audacity and don't stop asking. The episode concludes with some practica...
How should we pray? For most of us, prayer is a weak point in our apprenticeship to Jesus, and it's hard to do in the digital age. But Jesus made prayer a consistent part of His lifestyle, and it didn't seem to be a chore for Him. In this message, John Mark breaks down the practice of prayer. After defining prayer and explaining why it is so hard for many of us, John Mark explains what the Lord's Prayer teaches us about the attitude Jesus's had toward prayer and how we can press into prayer not ...
Our families of origin and past experiences impact every human, both for bad and for good. In this teaching, John Mark explores the nature of blessing throughout the Bible and God's plan to bring blessing to the whole world, while showing how blessings are passed from one generation to the next. Because of the influence that we can have and our authority to bless, John Mark invites us to partner with God's plan by blessing our children, our friends, and our circumstances as a way to pass on good...
Our family of origin and past experiences shape our present. And past hurt and trauma don't go away on their own. They need to be dealt with, or these hurts and traumas will emerge in unhealthy ways as we try to cope with our pain. So how do we deal with our past so that we can move forward in our apprenticeship to Jesus? In this teaching, John Mark shows us why it is important to deal with our past in our discipleship to Jesus. After discussing common objections to dealing with your past, he ta...
Why is it so difficult for us to be alone with God? Many believers struggle to practice silence and solitude, and others outright avoid it. This practice often evokes discomfort because it forces us to address the hard emotions we'd often like to ignore, whether it's loneliness, anxiety, or fear. This week, John Mark discusses these issues. Through the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19, we find that this is a common experience, and we also find a roadmap for how to deal with our emotions with God in...
Do you ever feel like your life is too busy, your schedule is too jammed, and your soul is overly hurried? You aren't alone: our culture is constantly pressing us to move at unsustainable speeds. So how do we "unhurry" our souls? Is there a practice from the way of Jesus, a time-tested way of living, that would set us up to thrive right in the middle of all the chaos of modern society? In this teaching, John Mark introduces the practice of Silence and Solitude as the answer to a world filled wit...
John Mark Comer emphasizes that true spiritual rest comes from adopting Jesus' unhurried lifestyle, not just adhering to religious practices. He warns that hurry is the primary enemy of spiritual life, exacerbated by modern technology and culture, leading to widespread 'hurry sickness.' The episode challenges listeners to simplify their lives and embrace practices like Sabbath and simple living to align with Jesus' easy yoke, fostering genuine transformation and inner peace.
In Luke 9:23, Jesus tells His disciples "if anyone wishes to come follow Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me." In this episode, John Mark unpacks this Scripture, telling us that the cost of discipleship is to die to ourselves every day. Self-denial is not only challenging; it also runs against the prevailing cultural winds of self-fulfillment. But by overcoming our personal obstacles to discipleship and dying to ourselves, we can step into the abundant life that J...
Without the Holy Spirit, we will never be transformed to the degree we ache for and realize our full potential because willpower isn’t enough. This week, John Mark shows us the role the Holy Spirit plays in our transformation and the importance of partnering with Him in our apprenticeship to Jesus. Through this teaching, we learn about the person of the Holy Spirit and how walking by the Spirit brings the fruit that we long to see in our lives. Key Scripture Passages: 2 Corinthians 3; Exodus 34v...
Community is non-optional for disciples of Jesus. But in our modern world, it is easy to mistake our connectivity with community. In this teaching, John Mark communicates the importance of community and how we, as disciples of Jesus, are called to live life with others. But community is more than a command: it is the context where we are transformed, exposing what’s actually inside of us and encouraging us in our walk with God. John Mark finishes by giving practical guidance on how to practice c...
We know practicing the way of Jesus is important, but what exactly do we practice? In this teaching, John Mark drills down on the what and the how behind the practices of Jesus, drawing on the wisdom of the spiritual disciplines. The practices of Jesus, John Mark tells us, are ways to help us live out the lifestyle of Jesus. By “training hard” we can make it easier to be forgiving, kind, patient, loving, joyful, and more. But the disciplines go beyond that as they help shape our “loves” and orie...
John Mark Comer delves into the process of spiritual transformation, arguing that self-help is insufficient. He outlines how intentional formation happens through teaching and practice, explaining that teaching challenges false narratives and renews the mind, while practice reshapes habits and reorients the heart's loves. The episode offers practical steps for integrating these principles, highlighting that true change requires not just knowing, but actively doing and desiring the way of Jesus.
The end goal of our apprenticeship to Jesus is to do what He did. In this teaching, John Mark gives the historical background of discipleship and shows through the scriptures that Jesus’s intention was for His disciples to become like Him all along. By sharing some of his best practices, such as identifying your stage of discipleship, finding community, and starting with the basics, John Mark challenges us to live in the moment and become the embodiment of Jesus to the world. Key Scripture Passa...
“Who are you becoming?” Are we conforming to the world, or being transformed to become like Jesus? In this next installment of the Practicing the Way vision series, John Mark discusses the call of Jesus for His students to become like their master, as well as how teaching, practice, community, and the Holy Spirit combine to help us practice and live the way of Jesus. Key Scripture Passages: Luke 6v39-40; 2 Corinthians 3v18, Romans 12v1-2; Matthew 5-7; Galatians 5v13-26; Resources for this practi...
How do we abide? It seems straightforward, but we often struggle to put it into practice. This week, John Mark tackles this problem as we continue in the Practicing the Way vision series. In this episode, John Mark teaches about the importance of spending time with Jesus. Using key scriptures and church history examples to give a tangible vision of how to “practice the presence of God,” John Mark shows that through abiding, we have access to the peace and joy that Jesus promised as we adopt the ...
Have you ever wanted to have the abundant life of Jesus? In this new series, John Mark outlines the what, how, and why behind Practicing the Way. For the first episode, John Mark outlines the cultural context behind Jesus's identity as a first-century rabbi, and what that means for us as His followers as we practice being with Jesus, becoming like Jesus, and doing what Jesus did. Key Scripture Passages: Mark 8v34-36; Mark 1v16-20; Mark 2v13-14; Mark 3v13-14; John 15v1-8; Matthew 5-7 Resources fo...
