Gary Wilkerson Podcast

A pornography addiction can feel like a hopeless trap. When we pray and pray for it to go away, we can get stuck in a cycle of despair when the addiction remains. This week, visiting speaker Nate Larkin talks about his own sexual addictions and how he eventually found freedom.View show notes: worldchallenge.in/gwpod35c Support this podcast

The United States is often called the richest country in the world. Often, as believers, we feel guilty about the money or nice things we own. Should we, though? Money is a resource that God chooses to give to us, as well as a blessing. If that’s the case, should we feel guilty about owning a nice house or car? Today Jim Palumbo and Gary Wilkerson discuss the answers and how we can have wisdom with our money.View show notes: worldchallenge.in/gwpod34c Support this podcast

In the wake of Jarrid Wilson’s death, it is more important than ever to be aware of mental illness and spiritual attack, particularly for pastors. In response, Gary Wilkerson discusses the unique nature of depression for church leaders. He also opens up about how people in the church can help their pastors.View show notes: worldchallenge.in/gwpod33c Support this podcast

Those in the church seem to suffer from anxiety every bit as much as those outside it. God’s work of salvation would seem to free us from fear and stress, but instead it often seems to do the exact opposite. This week, Gary explores the deeper reasons many believers struggle with anxiety, despite our faith.View show notes: worldchallenge.in/gwpod29c Support this podcast

What is shame? Is it that one thing we deliberately push away every time we think about it? If others knew about that one thing, are we absolutely certain they’d look at us differently? Why do we feel this way? How do we find freedom? This week, Gary Wilkerson talks about the answers to these questions and more. View show notes: https://worldchallenge.in/gwpod28pb Support this podcast

Many of us deal with bad habits. Some are easy to talk about. We joke about how we need to cut out those “comfort foods” or watch less television. Other obsessions feel deeply private and difficult to discuss, especially in church. Every addiction is planted in a deeper heart problem. Too often, the church has addressed sexual addictions by simply telling us to “stop” without digging deeper to the root of the issue. Today, Gary explores some of the fears and heart wounds that can lead to pornography addiction. | View show notes: https://worldchallenge.in/gwpod27pb Support this podcast

Our physical fitness and spiritual life affect one another in surprising ways. Unfortunately, this relationship has often been ignored or misrepresented in the church. This week Eric Cartier, Senior Pastor of Rocky Mountain Calvary, joins Gary Wilkerson to look at the gracious and good connection God has made between our bodies and our souls. View show notes Support this podcast

Money is sometimes seen as a taboo or touchy subject, but it affects nearly every aspect of our lives. It can open new opportunities or allow us to pass on blessings to our children and others. It can also bring out struggles faster than almost anything else. Investment Advisor and ministry worker Jim Palumbo joins us this week to discuss money and the spiritual impact it can have. View show notes Support this podcast

Many of us have struggles that we aren’t comfortable sharing with others. These secret sins seem so taboo that if we told anyone, they might stop speaking to us. Often these deep soul wounds manifest as anxiety or anger or other sins that affect our relationships with friends, family, and community. So how do we get to the root of these issues? How do we find healing from these sins that constantly seem to trip us up? View show notes Support this podcast

On Instagram, the hashtag “loveyourself” has been used around 42 million times. In modern culture, however, this idea is usually attached to a ‘me’ mentality. But is there such a thing as biblical self-love? Can Christians unselfishly practice self-care? Yes! Learning to love ourselves in a biblical, God-centered way is the best thing we can do for our relationships. Once we care for ourselves physically, emotionally and spiritually, then we are better able to love others in a godly way. View show notes Support this podcast

A lot of people say that they’re a perfectionist. Being hyper-critical of our situation, our friends, our work and ourselves is encouraged by our culture. Many would say this is what drives us to do better. But what if it mostly just drives people to exhaustion, anxiety, and depression? Perfectionism, never feeling like anything is good enough, always feeling like you need to do better and accomplish more, is like running on an endless treadmill. Worst of all, it’s motivated by fear. What if we were motivated by love rather than the fear of being less than perfect? View show notes Support this podcast

After the outpouring of responses to our pastors and suicide episode a few months ago, Gary Wilkerson answers some of the questions that viewers sent in about the nature of depression. He also addresses some misconceptions surrounding suicide, particularly in the church. As Gary responds to viewer comments and questions, he also encourages believers with specific ways they can find healing for this kind of deep hopelessness. View show notes Support this podcast

Prayer is a central piece of the Christian life, but actually doing it challenges many believers. We often don’t pray when we have chances to do so. Not praying has been a common human issue for a very long time, but why does reaching out to God seem so hard sometimes? This week, Pastor Carter Conlon of Times Square Church talks about the incredible power of prayer, misconceptions about prayer, the strange difficulty and the true simplicity of prayer. View show notes Support this podcast

It’s easy to despair at the problems in the world, feel overwhelmed and ask, “Why doesn’t God save those poor people? Why doesn’t he do something?” Long-time ministry leader, John Bueno felt this way when faced with a seemingly overwhelming issue in El Salvador. The problem was so huge, devastating and pervasive that solving it appeared impossible. However, God led John to tackle this country-wide problem with small, simple steps and a faithful heart. This week, John joins us to share how God broke his heart and then opened an incredible opportunity for healing and redemption in this country he loves. Support this podcast

Evangelism taps into some Christians’ fears of not being knowledgeable enough or being shamed, but it also isn’t a priority for many others. The Bible, however, calls us to tell others the good news of Christ’s sacrifice. Every blessing God gives us and every trial he brings us through is a testament of his goodness not only to us but also to others. Once we begin to live in a rhythm of evangelism, we will see incredible blessings. View show notes Support this podcast

Deep down, every one of us wants to live a meaningful life, and we will feel truly alive when we are living out God’s Great Commission. Whether we bring God’s good news to our workplace or a distant mission field, this is our truest calling. This week Barry Meguiar joins Gary Wilkerson to talk about the joy of sharing our Christian faith with others. View show notes Support this podcast

Parents in the church can feel ashamed of having a prodigal child. They may have actually been condemned for their child’s suffering or wandering path. In this episode, Gary Wilkerson is joined by his wife, Kelly, and son, Evan, as they discuss how their family was ultimately able to draw closer to God as a result of Evan’s prodigal journey. While this time can be immensely painful for parents and families, God is always faithful. Gary, Kelly, and Evan talk about how God redeemed and healed their own relationships and lives through what seemed like a very dark period. View show notes Support this podcast

Doubt can feel like a dangerous fault line in the bedrock of our faith. This week, Gary Wilkerson takes a more measured look at doubt and its place in the Bible and our lives. How do we take care of our hearts so that when doubt springs up, it doesn’t hurt us? Is it possible to have healthy doubts and questions about our faith? Gary talks about how believers can use doubt as a tool to help our relationship with God grow.View show notes: worldchallenge.in/gwpod16bpb Support this podcast

Doubt can be hard for us to wrestle with, especially if we’re afraid that it means we’re losing our faith. If we open up to God about our fears, though, he won’t leave us to struggle alone. God promises to walk alongside us through every dark valley and give us a spirit of discernment as we examine our doubts. In this episode, Gary Wilkerson talks about how doubt can hurt Christians but also how it can be one of our most useful tools for understanding God better.View show notes: worldchallenge.in/gwpod16apb Support this podcast

Wellness is a huge part of how we evaluate ourselves. How happy are we? How healthy do we feel? How are the relationships in our lives? Many professionals and friends want to tell us what wellness should look like, but what does the Bible say? This week, Gary Wilkerson discusses how God designed us to need certain things in order to be healthy mentally, physically and spiritually.View show notes: worldchallenge.in/gwpod15bpb Support this podcast