Battling Unbelief: Defeating Sin with Superior Pleasure (Crossway, 2026) by John Piper
No one sins out of duty. We sin because it offers some promise of happiness. That promise enslaves us until we believe that God is more desirable than life itself (Ps. 63:3). Only the power of God’s superior promises in the gospel can emancipate our hearts from servitude to the shallow promises and fleeting pleasures of sin.
Pastor John Piper shows how to sever the clinging roots of eight common sins that ensnare us: anxiety, pride, shame, impatience, covetousness, bitterness, despondency, and lust. Delighting in the bounty of God’s glorious gospel promises will free us for a less sin-encumbered life, to the glory of Christ.
God’s Purposes in Our Pain: 10 Ways God Uses Suffering for Our Good (Crossway, 2026) by Kenneth Berding and Keith R. Krell
Why does God allow His children to suffer? While we may not always learn the cause of a specific trial we face, Scripture does address the question “Why?” with two compelling words: so that. God’s Word promises that God’s purposes will prevail in and through our suffering.
God’s Purposes in Our Pain examines 10 powerful statements from 2 Corinthians that highlight how God transforms our suffering. Written for Christians struggling to understand why they experience grief, this book explains how suffering prepares us to strengthen others, rely on God’s provision, display the life of Christ, glorify God for His grace, and more.
Each chapter is dedicated to an individual purpose and features illustrative stories and examples from Scripture, as well as reflection questions. Accessible and pastoral, this book helps us gain an eternal perspective as we endure pain and deepen our trust in the God who raises the dead.
Real Life in a Fallen World: Lessons from the Book of Ecclesiastes (Founder Press, 2026) by Thomas K. Ascol
The author writes: “A tendency that I find within myself, and I have seen often in others, is to think of life in mutually exclusive terms. It is either wonderful with no room to acknowledge the negatives or else terrible with little reason for hope and joy. Ecclesiastes shatters both perspectives. Solomon does not take second place to the most jaded pessimist when assessing life’s futilities.
“He is, after all, the one who has given us the phrase, ‘vanity of vanities, all is vanity.’ Yet (surprisingly to those who have never really studied his book), he also repeatedly encourages us to pursue real joy. That is because he understands that the real source of abiding joy is found not in this fallen world, but in the God whose world it is and whose creatures we are. Knowing this God sets us free to live in His world, with all its disappointments and pains, with genuine contentment and hope. That’s the message of Ecclesiastes.”