Healthy vs. Unhealthy Fears: From Anxiety to Awe

Our thoughts, habits, and environments shape who we are, leading to both healthy and unhealthy fears. Healthy fears, like fearing fire, are constructive, while unhealthy fears, such as fearing others who are different, are harmful. Fear is learned, so how do we unlearn unhealthy fear?

Our thoughts influence our habits, which shapes our environment.  So how do we replace anxiety in our life and relationships with awe and healthy habits?  By replacing fear with awe how to we reshape our priorities, and re-evaluate our unknown or perceived threats?  The Bible is a road map to teach us to respect the Lord at the beginning of our wisdom process, but that requires learning about and valuing God.  

We should not fear God in an abusive way but rather embrace awe in Him. This trust helps us heal and live abundantly without being held back by fear. Chris invites reflection on whether we are led by fear or conviction.

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Our thoughts, habits, and environments all help us become who we are.
And that leads us to healthy fears and unhealthy fears.
It is healthy to fear being burned by a fire.
It is unhealthy to fear others just because they are different.
Fear is a learned emotion.

(00:22):
So what have we learned?
Welcome to the HHP Podcast.
My name is Chris Franke and I am the Senior Pastor of HFF Church in Oklahoma City.
Join me and others from around the country as we talk all things Bible,
church and family. We may be right. We may be heretical,
but that's for you to decide. Drop a like, a share, a comment,

(00:46):
subscribe and let's get to it.
Our thoughts shape our habits. Our habits shape our environment.
For example, if you don't practice being on time,
if it isn't important to you and you don't think about it,
then you won't make adjustments in your habits to leave earlier.

(01:06):
If you're constantly late,
then your day is constantly a catch up. If you don't arrive early,
you might not get the job. Others might have to wait on you.
There might be issues in your relationships. The snowball continues.
Fear is a learned emotion. Emotions can bring great joy.

(01:28):
Or they can also bring great pain. The Bible tells us that fear,
or some would call it the awe of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Wisdom doesn't just magically happen. You must learn.
You don't just magic magically love the Lord or just magically gain
wisdom of him. You must first find value in him.

(01:50):
And then you learn, you feel, you grow,
you gain fear can also be debilitating.
We fear something because we don't know it,
or maybe it's because we can't control it.
Or maybe we perceive it as a threat. It can cause emotional trauma.
It can cause anxiety. It can cripple you from trying new things,

(02:15):
stepping outside of your box or even growing.
This isn't the fear that God had asked us to walk in.
He asks us to be in awe of him, not to be fearful as if he's abusive.
And then because we're in awe of him.
And so you are fearful of his presence,
but of being in awe of who he is

(02:38):
when we walk with him. And when we walk with him,
we learn to trust and through our trust,
we allow him to mold us and to make us into the new creation that only he
can only by his power, only by his spirit.
He asks us to cast off, heal from trauma with him,

(03:00):
to cast our anxieties on him and to walk with him
towards a life of abundance.
That life of abundance isn't a monetary thing.
It isn't that we're always just going to have joy or everything is just going to
be hunky dory,
but it is a life of abundance because we do get to experience things and grow in

(03:22):
things that maybe we wouldn't do on our own.
Most of the time we wouldn't, or if we would do them on our own,
we get to experience more of what is there because the Lord is
more. He owns everything. And through,
through him all things were created, including us.
It's part of why I love Jesus.

(03:44):
It's part of why I love to talk about his birth, his life, his death,
his resurrection and his ascension because he is all things and through him are
all things. And so if I find myself being fearful of something,
I have to stop and think, well,
if all things were created through him and I have direct access to him,

(04:09):
then why am I fearful? Well, sure.
I may not know something. I may not have an experience with something,
but I do have the one in which all things were created and he promises to do
good to me. He promises to be there for me.
He gives you the same promises.
Yet sometimes we allow our fear of something physical to hinder a calling or a

(04:33):
leading from the Holy spirit.
These are things that we have to constantly wrestle with.
Everything that happens in the physical has some sort of spiritual connection.
So in the end, I ask you the same thing. I consistently ask myself,
what leads you? Is it your fear or your conviction?
If this podcast has blessed you,

(04:55):
please consider supporting by visiting our website and making a donation for more
resources, blogs, podcasts,
please visit us at hff.church. Looking for a church home?
Join us for Saturday church in OKC every Saturday morning,
starting at 10 30.

(05:17):
you