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The Disciples Journal documents the everyday life of following Jesus, offering practical steps, insights, and encouragement to help you get closer to God. Join host Darin Starks as he shares personal stories, the experiences of others, and gospel-driven perspectives from the Bible, providing the guidance you need to walk with Jesus in your everyday life and stay focused on Him.
Episodes
Our Last Episode (Greatest Memories from Just Different)
What do you do when God asks you to release something you love so you can step into what He has next? Darin and Jordan reveal why they’re ending Just Different, reflect on the show’s greatest memories and lessons, and share what their trip to Tanzania taught them. If you have ever struggled to leave a meaningful season behind, this farewell conversation will help you trust God with what comes next
Lessons Every Christian Needs to Hear
What did God teach you through the year you just survived? Darin and Jordan reflect on their biggest lessons, defining experiences, and the ways God used an entire year to shape their faith and perspective. If you want to look back without losing sight of God’s purpose, this conversation will help you recognize what the season produced.
What to Remember When You Feel Like You're Not Enough
What if the insecurity making you feel unqualified is connected to the very calling God wants you to pursue? Darin and Jordan talk about inadequacy, unworthiness, and developing a healthier view of yourself so insecurity does not limit your obedience. If “I’m not enough” has become the reason you hold back, this conversation will help you see yourself differently.
What to Do When You Don't Know What's Next
How do you move forward when God has not shown you what comes next? Darin and Jordan talk about uncertainty, unclear decisions, and what trusting God looks like when you do not have a plan. If the future feels foggy and you are afraid of making the wrong move, this conversation will help you trust Him before you understand.
How to Stop Overthinking When Life Is Finally Good
Why is it sometimes easier to prepare for disaster than to accept that life is actually going well? Darin and Jordan discuss overthinking, sustaining peace, and learning not to sabotage seasons of freedom with fear. If you struggle to enjoy good things because you are waiting for something to go wrong, this conversation will help you let peace last.
Don't Go Back to What God Delivered You From
Why do the things God delivered you from sometimes begin looking comfortable again? Darin and Jordan talk about the temptation to return to old habits, identities, and bondage even after experiencing freedom. If you miss the old version of yourself or feel pulled toward what once trapped you, this conversation will remind you why you cannot go back.
FOMO Is Stealing Your Peace
What if the life you keep comparing yourself to is distracting you from the goodness of the season God gave you? Darin and Jordan talk about FOMO, contentment, and finding peace when other people appear to be receiving what you want. If comparison keeps making your current life feel insufficient, this conversation will help you recognize that you are not missing out.
How to Let Go of Regret (And Move Forward)
Is your memory strengthening your faith—or keeping you trapped in a season God already ended? Darin and Jordan discuss regret, nostalgia, and how constantly looking backward can steal the vision you need for what comes next. If you keep replaying the past instead of building the future, this conversation will help you stop living there.
How to Come Back to God After Falling Away
When was the last time you stopped long enough to ask whether your life still reflects your real priorities? Darin and Jordan talk about resetting your focus, removing distractions, and realigning your life with God when you have drifted. If your relationship with God has been crowded out by everything else, this conversation will help you get back on track.
You Don't Need a Dramatic Testimony for God to Use You
What if you have been dismissing your testimony because it is not dramatic enough? Darin and Jordan discuss why every story of encountering God matters and how comparison can make us overlook the proof of His grace in our own lives. If you have ever believed God cannot use your story, this conversation will remind you that your testimony still carries power.
How to Trust Again After You've Been Hurt
What happens when the people who taught you not to trust are no longer in your life, but the fear they created still is? Darin and Jordan unpack trust issues, the healing process, and how to open your heart again without ignoring wisdom. If past hurt is controlling your present relationships, this conversation will help you begin trusting again.
How to End a Relationship Without Destroying Each Other
Can a relationship end without bitterness, revenge, or destroying everything it once meant? Darin and Jordan talk about recognizing transitions, releasing people with maturity, and ending relationships in a healthy way. If you know a relationship has reached its end but do not know how to leave well, this conversation will give you a healthier path forward.
99% of Christians Missed THIS
What if changing culture is part of the kingdom work God created you to do? Darin and Jordan discuss why Christians should be at the forefront of culture and how to use their gifts beyond the walls of the church. If you have separated your faith from your creativity, career, or influence, this conversation will challenge you to see all of it as kingdom work
How to Stop Letting Your Emotions Control You
Are your emotions informing your decisions—or controlling them? Darin and Jordan talk about understanding feelings, managing them wisely, and submitting them to God without pretending they do not exist. If your peace changes with every emotion, this conversation will help you feel deeply without being ruled by what you feel.
Most People Never Fulfill Their Calling. I’ll Show You Why.
What could God do through your life if fear of failure stopped making your decisions? Darin and Jordan unpack how fear limits purpose, keeps potential buried, and prevents us from becoming everything God intended. If you are tired of playing small because you might fail, this conversation will challenge you to live fully and die empty.
What Friendship With God Actually Looks Like
Does your relationship with God feel more like a set of duties than an actual friendship? Darin and Jordan explore what it means for God to be both Lord and friend, and how genuine closeness changes the way you pray, obey, and live. If you want more than surface-level religion, this conversation will help you build a relationship with God that feels real.
This Generation Is Not Too Far Gone
Have you started believing that this generation is too broken for God to redeem? Darin and Jordan talk about remaining hopeful in dark times and trusting that God never places a generation in a challenge He has not equipped it to face. If the state of the world has made you cynical or discouraged, this conversation will restore your confidence in what God can still do.
How to Find Your Identity in Christ
Who are you when the labels, achievements, and opinions of other people are stripped away? Darin and Jordan sit down with author and influencer Brittnay Weird to discuss discovering purpose and building an identity rooted in Christ. If you have been searching for yourself everywhere except in God, this conversation will help you return to the right foundation.
How to Stand Firm in a Culture of Compromise
How do you remain faithful when every environment around you is pressuring you to compromise? Darin and Jordan share practical ways to stay true to who God made you, protect your convictions, and stand firm when fitting in would be easier. If your faith feels strongest in private but vulnerable around other people, this conversation is for you
When in Transition, Keep in Mind THESE TRUTHS
What if the discomfort you feel is evidence that God is growing you, not abandoning you? Darin and Jordan celebrate one year of Just Different by sharing their biggest lessons about change, transition, and becoming who the next season requires. If life feels unfamiliar and growth feels painful, this conversation will help you move forward without resisting the process.
Signs You Are Chosen by God (And Don’t Even Know It)
What if the calling you prayed for comes with a weight you were not prepared to carry? Darin and Jordan sit down with Alexis Ada to discuss the cost of being chosen, navigating purpose, and accepting the responsibility that comes with God-given influence. If you feel called to something greater but overwhelmed by what it requires, this conversation will help you carry it with maturity.
When God Says Let Go: How to Move Into a New Season
What do you do when God is moving you forward but part of you is still grieving what was? Darin and Jordan talk about letting go of previous seasons, embracing what is next, and building your life on the only foundation that can survive every transition. If you’re struggling to release the past or trust God with a new season, this conversation will help you move forward without losing your footing
What Is Mercy? (And Why It Changes How You See Everyone)
How differently would you treat people if you never forgot how much mercy God has shown you? Darin and Jordan talk about God’s mercy and why remembering what we have been spared from should change the way we judge, criticize, and shame others. If you want to understand mercy beyond a church word, this conversation will help make it personal.
How to Share Your Faith Without Making It Awkward
When was the last time you actually told someone about Jesus? Darin and Jordan confront comfortable Christianity and talk about why sharing your faith is not an optional part of following Christ. If evangelism feels awkward, intimidating, or easy to avoid, this conversation will challenge you to take the gospel beyond yourself.
Your Personality Serves God's Purpose
What if the parts of yourself you keep toning down are some of the very things God gave you on purpose? Darin and Jordan talk about personality, passions, interests, and the pressure to censor who you are so other people feel comfortable or so you can fit a certain image. If you’ve been shrinking yourself to belong, this conversation will challenge you to become more honest about who God made you
One Sin That Weakens Most Christians
How much of your own life are you missing because you’re consumed with everyone else’s? Darin and Jordan talk about gossip, curiosity, and why constantly tracking other people’s lives can distract you from your own calling. If you want to stop feeding gossip and become more present in what God has given you to steward, this conversation is for you.
The Toxic Side of Helping People
Have you confused loving people with believing it’s your job to save everyone? Darin and Jordan talk about the savior complex, healthy availability, and why saying yes to every person who needs you can keep you from being present for the people God actually called you to. If carrying everyone else has left you drained, this conversation will help you release responsibilities that were never yours.
The Lie Every Christian Wants to Believe
What if “I don’t need anyone” is less about strength and more about being afraid to get hurt again? Darin and Jordan unpack the dangers of isolation, hyper-independence, and refusing help even when you need it. If doing everything alone has become your default, this conversation will challenge you to see what your independence may actually be protecting.
The Hidden Pride Most Christians Never Notice
What if the desire to be seen, praised, or recognized is quietly competing with your desire to glorify God? Darin and Jordan talk about pride, vanity, self-righteousness, and the subtle ways believers can use even good things to exalt their own name. If you want to examine whose approval you’re really living for, this conversation will challenge you to choose God’s kingdom over your own recognitio
What to Do If the Church Hurts You
What do you do when the people who were supposed to show you Jesus are the ones who hurt you? Darin and Jordan talk honestly about church hurt, judgment, condemnation, broken expectations, and what happens when pain makes you want to walk away from Christian community altogether. If church hurt has damaged your trust in people or your desire to gather with believers, this conversation will help yo
The SECRET to Getting Closer to God
What if the closeness you want with God requires giving Him access to the parts of you you keep hidden? Darin and Jordan sit down with Clarissa Rojas to talk about vulnerability, why it is essential in the kingdom, and what it actually looks like to open your heart to God and trustworthy people. If you want a deeper relationship with God but struggle to let your guard down, this conversation will
Stop Wasting Your Life and Become Who God's Called You to Be
What if wasting time is really wasting the purpose God gave you to spend your life on? Darin and Jordan talk about time as a God-given currency, why it matters how you use it, and what changes when purpose begins shaping your priorities. If you’ve been procrastinating, drifting, or treating your days like they’re unlimited, this conversation will challenge you to spend them differently.
What Is Grace, Really? The Truth Most Christians Miss
Can you love someone like Jesus without agreeing with them—or excusing what they did? Darin and Jordan sit down with Jon and Eric Diggs to talk about cancel culture, judgment, and why Christlike love is most visible when it’s extended to people we think least deserve it. If you’re trying to hold truth and love together in a culture that rewards condemnation, this conversation will challenge the wa
How Social Media Is Quietly Controlling You
Whose voice carries more weight in your life—God’s Word or the people reacting to you online? Darin and Jordan talk about social media, validation, and what happens when likes, comments, and other people’s opinions begin shaping how you see yourself and what you believe. If your peace rises and falls with what people think of you, this conversation will help you take back the authority you’ve hand
If You're Waiting on God, This Is for You
What do you do when God shows you where you’re going but still tells you, “Not yet”? Darin and Jordan talk about waiting seasons, preparation, and why delay doesn’t necessarily mean God has changed His mind about what He showed you. If you know what you’re believing for but can’t understand the timing, this conversation will help you see what God may be building in you before He gives it to you.
How to IMPROVE Your Relationship With God
Can you follow all the Christian rules and still miss a real relationship with God? Darin and Jordan unpack what people actually mean by “relationship over religion,” how the spirit of religion shows up, and the difference between personal preference and biblical principle. If your faith has started to feel more like performance than knowing God, this conversation will help you see what needs to c
The Truth About Spiritual Warfare (And How to Fight Back)
What if some of what you’re fighting can’t be defeated with ordinary solutions? Darin and Jordan break down what spiritual warfare actually is, what it isn’t, and how Christians can recognize the battle and fight from a place of truth instead of fear. If you’ve felt attacked, distracted, or spiritually worn down, this conversation will help you understand how to fight back.
Watch This If You're Spiritually Burnt Out
What do you do when you’re exhausted, overwhelmed, and completely out of strength? Darin and Jordan talk about burnout and what it means to find real rest in God when pushing harder is no longer working. If you feel like you’re at the end of yourself, this conversation will help you stop carrying everything alone and rediscover the kind of rest your soul actually needs.
This Is Blocking Your Connection to The Holy Spirit
What if the thing taking God’s place in your life doesn’t look sinful at all? Darin and Jordan unpack how work, school, relationships, social media, and even the places we run for comfort can quietly become idols when they occupy the throne that belongs to God. If you want to know what you may be worshiping without realizing it, this conversation will force an honest heart check.
What to Do When You're Angry at God
What do you do when something painful happens that you never deserved—and God feels silent in the middle of it? Darin and Jordan talk about trauma, healing, and the difficult process of wrestling with moments when it feels like God abandoned you or allowed something that doesn’t make sense. If pain has made you angry with God, this conversation will help you face that anger honestly without lettin
How to Heal From Heartbreak as a Christian
How do you move forward when your heart is still attached to what ended? Darin and Jordan talk honestly about heartbreak, the grief that comes with losing a relationship, and what healing can look like when you bring the pain to God instead of letting it define you. If you're trying to let go without becoming bitter or hopeless, this conversation will help you start healing with faith.
You Can't Grow Alone: Why Your Circle Matters
What if the people around you are one of the biggest reasons your faith is growing—or staying stuck? Darin and Jordan sit down with friends Emy Moore and Seth Weeks to talk about growing in Christ, learning from personal experience, and building a circle that shares both your beliefs and your level of faith. If you want to go deeper with God, this conversation will challenge you to stop trying to
What Putting God First Actually Looks Like
What if your desire to influence people for God slowly turns into a need for people to approve of you? Darin and Jordan sit down with Jon and Eric Diggs to talk about ministry, Christian influence, and keeping your heart centered on God when a platform puts other eyes on you. If you want your calling to stay about God instead of attention, this conversation will challenge who you’re really perform
Why You Keep Sinning and How to Stop
Why do you keep ending up back in the same sin after promising yourself—and God—that this time would be different? Darin and Jordan talk about the believer’s authority, the patterns that keep repetitive sin alive, and what it takes to stop living in the same cycle. If you’re tired of confessing the same thing without seeing real change, this conversation will point you toward freedom.
The Uncomfortable Truth About Christians and Therapy
Does needing therapy mean your faith isn’t strong enough? Darin and Jordan confront the shame Christians can feel around mental health and explain why struggling or getting professional help does not make you a second-class believer. If you’ve ever felt guilty for needing help beyond “just pray more,” this conversation is for you.
Biblical Love Explained (Why Most People Get It Wrong)
What if the version of love culture taught you isn’t the kind of love God is talking about at all? Darin and Jordan unpack the biblical definition of love and why feelings, attraction, and cultural messages can’t be the final authority for how Christians love people. If you want to understand what real love looks like through God’s eyes, this conversation will reset the definition.
Why We Started Just Different (And What We Never Told You)
What happens when you stop seeing the finished product and hear the story behind how it actually began? In this 25th-episode Q&A, Darin and Jordan open up about starting the podcast, what Just Different really means, and some of the questions listeners have wanted answered along the way. If you’ve ever wondered what shaped the mission behind the show, this episode pulls back the curtain.
How to Love Difficult People
What if the grace you’re grateful God gave you is the same grace He’s asking you to extend to someone difficult? Darin and Jordan talk about what it really means to love people like Jesus and why Christians don’t get to be selective about who deserves compassion. If hurt, frustration, or judgment has made someone hard for you to love, this conversation will challenge the way you see them.
TikTok Theology Is Wrecking Your Faith
Could you actually explain why you believe what you believe if someone challenged your faith today? Darin and Jordan confront the danger of building your Christianity on clips, quotes, and secondhand knowledge instead of growing in real wisdom and understanding. If you want a faith that can survive hard questions, this conversation will challenge you to go deeper than Christian content.
What Biblical Friendship Actually Looks Like
What if the people closest to you are quietly deciding where your life is headed? Darin and Jordan talk about the power of community, the influence of your inner circle, and why the relationships around you can either pull you toward God’s purpose or away from it. If you want to grow into who God is calling you to be, this conversation will make you look differently at who gets close access to you
How to Set Goals That Align With God's Will
What if the best year of your life has less to do with what you accomplish and more to do with who you become with God? Darin and Jordan talk about setting goals, dreaming with God, and making spiritual growth the foundation for the year you want to build. If you’re ready to stop chasing plans on your own and start believing God for something bigger, this conversation will help you align your visi
The Hardest Lessons God Had to Teach Us
What if some of the lessons that change your faith can only be learned the hard way? Darin and Jordan unpack the biggest things God taught them about putting unhealthy expectations on people, understanding salvation as ongoing transformation, and realizing that grace doesn’t always remove consequences. If you want to grow from what God is teaching you instead of repeating the same patterns, this c
How to Desexualize Your Brain (as a Christian)
Why do so many Christians keep fighting the same battle with lust in secret? Darin and Jordan bring sex, lust, and pornography into the light, contrasting the way culture has distorted sex with God’s design for it and explaining why hiding what you’re struggling with keeps healing out of reach. If you’re tired of pretending the battle isn’t there, this conversation will help you start confronting
Can Christians Get Tattoos & Listen to Secular Music?
Are tattoos actually a sin—and what about listening to secular music? Darin and Jordan unpack some of the most common gray-area questions Christians wrestle with while challenging us not to reduce following Jesus to endless debates over what is and isn’t allowed. If you’ve ever wondered how to think biblically about these questions without turning faith into a list of rules, this conversation will
Doubt Is Destroying Your Faith? Here’s What To Do
What do you do when questions about God start shaking the faith you thought was solid? Darin and Jordan talk honestly about doubt, uncertainty, and the moments when God’s character, His Word, or His plan becomes difficult to trust. If you’ve been afraid that questioning God means you’re losing your faith, this conversation will help you face those questions without walking away.
THIS Is Blocking Your Connection to God
What if the good things God created have quietly become more important to you than the God who gave them? Darin and Jordan explore the difference between loving creation and worshiping the Creator, revealing how easily people, possessions, desires, and success can take God’s place in our hearts. If you want to uncover what truly has your devotion, this conversation will challenge you to put the Cr
How to Overcome Loneliness As A Christian
What do you do when you love God but still feel deeply alone? Darin and Jordan have an honest conversation about loneliness, isolation, and what it looks like to pursue real connection in a season when you feel unseen. If loneliness has been weighing on you, this episode will remind you that you were never meant to carry it by yourself.
The SECRET To Being ON FIRE for God
Has your relationship with God started to feel more routine than alive? Darin and Jordan talk about what it means to choose God for yourself and keep your faith from becoming something you simply go through the motions of. If you want to get your fire for God back, this conversation will challenge you to make Him your choice again.
If You’re Single and Have Lost All Hope.. Watch This
What if your season of singleness isn’t just about waiting for the right person—but becoming ready for the relationship you’re asking God for? Darin and Jordan talk about what it really means to embrace singleness and how to prepare yourself before the person ever arrives. If you’re tired of treating singleness like a holding pattern, this conversation will help you see what God may want to build
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others (Here's Why)
What if the person you keep comparing yourself to was never your competition in the first place? Darin and Jordan talk about comparison, insecurity, staying in your lane, and focusing on the person God has actually called you to become. If someone else’s progress keeps making you question your own, this conversation will help you stop running their race and start growing in yours.
If You Can’t Hear God’s Voice (This is for You)
What if God isn’t silent—you’ve just never learned how to recognize His voice for yourself? Darin and Jordan talk about hearing God personally and why your relationship with Him can’t be lived through a pastor, preacher, or favorite Christian creator. If you’ve been wondering whether God is speaking to you, this conversation will help you start listening differently.
The Kingdom of God Is NOT What You Think (Most People Miss This)
What if following Jesus is about more than getting to heaven—what if you’re meant to help bring heaven into the world around you? Darin and Jordan unpack what the Kingdom of God is, why it matters, and the part every believer plays in it. If you’ve ever wondered what the Kingdom actually means for your everyday life, this conversation will give you a clearer picture of the work God has called you
When God Says No
What do you do when God’s answer is no and His plan costs you the outcome you wanted? Darin and Jordan talk about obedience, accepting God’s call, and surrendering personal preferences when following Him becomes inconvenient. If you’re struggling to trust God because His direction doesn’t match your desires, this conversation will challenge you to give Him your yes anyway.
How to Overcome Shame As a Christian
What if God has already forgiven you, but you’re still punishing yourself for what you did? Darin and Jordan talk about overcoming shame and guilt from past mistakes, forgiving yourself, and refusing to let yesterday keep you from moving forward. If your past keeps following you into the present, this conversation will help you understand the grace that lets you finally move forward.
How to Talk to People About Jesus
What if the clearest evidence of your faith isn't what happens at church on Sunday, but how you live everywhere else on Monday? Darin and Jordan unpack what bold faith actually looks like sharing Jesus, bringing your faith into schools and workplaces, and refusing to limit ministry to the four walls of a church. If you've wanted to live your faith more openly but haven't known where to
We Didn’t Believe in God, Until THIS Happened (Our Testimony)
We grew up in church, believed in God, and still reached a point where faith felt more like obligation than relationship. In this episode, Darin and Jordan share how women, basketball, approval, and other idols failed to fill the void—and the encounters with God that changed their desires, habits, purpose, and understanding of faith. If you've ever wondered whether going to church is the same
How People Pleasing Blocks God’s Plan for You..
Following God gets difficult when fitting in feels easier than standing firm. Darin and Jordan talk about fear of judgment, the pressure to compromise, and how grounding your identity in God's Word frees you from other people's approval. If you are tired of letting opinions control your choices, this conversation will help you stay faithful even when others do not understand you.
Do THIS to Get Closer to GOD
Getting closer to God does not require a perfect routine or hours of prayer; it begins with consistent, practical choices. Darin and Jordan break down how to build prayer gradually, read Scripture without becoming overwhelmed, die to selfish impulses, and choose community that supports your purpose. If you feel spiritually stuck or unsure where to begin, this episode gives you a simple path forwar
The Relationship You Need to Walk Away From
Chemistry can feel convincing even when a relationship is pulling you away from God and the person you are becoming. In this episode, Darin and Jordan talk about fruit over feelings, dating from loneliness, refusing to settle, choosing people who strengthen your purpose, and recognizing when love has become an unhealthy substitute for God. If a relationship feels good but something still feels wro
How to Let God CONTROL Your THOUGHTS
Your thought life affects your peace, habits, emotions, and relationship with God - but many Christians do not know how to surrender it. Darin and Jordan talk about taking thoughts captive, guarding what enters your mind, replacing unhealthy patterns, and becoming led by God's Word instead of every passing feeling. This episode offers a practical, honest starting point for anyone ready to win
Finding God’s Purpose for Your Life
Feeling stuck does not always mean you are lazy; sometimes it means you have drifted from the purpose and relationship with God that once made you feel alive. In this episode, Darin and Jordan talk honestly about merely existing, spiritual drift, shame, identity, other people's approval, ambitious faith, and preparing for what God has called you to do. If life has become repetitive and disconn
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