Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:16):
Hi and welcome to the
Recovered Christian Podcast.
This is Suzanne, and todaywe're going to talk about fear.
If you look up fear in thedictionary, here is what it says
an unpleasant, often strongemotion caused by anticipation
or awareness of danger.
Hmm, is fear unpleasant?
That seems like not a strongenough word for fear.
(00:37):
Being hungry is unpleasant,having too tight of pants is
unpleasant, and we just finishedThanksgiving and I definitely
know what that feels like.
I'm not sure it comes to thesame level of emotion as fear.
The dictionary is right aboutit being a strong emotion.
Sometimes it can be completelyoverwhelming and paralyzing and
(00:57):
sometimes it can take over anentire life.
Fear is a natural human emotion.
We all experience it at somepoint and at some level.
Some of us are more prone tofear than others.
No matter how fear enters yourlife, it doesn't have to control
you In our journey of recovery.
Fear will likely be anunwelcome companion in the early
(01:20):
days, creeping in, triggeringdoubts, anxieties and
uncertainties.
Fear comes from the evil one.
Fear does not come from God,and the evil one wants to keep
you bound and chained in youraddiction and to Him.
Thankfully, you can break free.
God repeatedly encourages us notto fear.
In fact, the phrase fear notappears 365 times in the Bible.
(01:45):
Coincidence?
I don't think so.
You could read a verse aboutnot fearing.
Every day for an entire year, aconstant reassurance from God
for us to live without fear eachand every beautiful day.
Let's look at a couple verses.
Isaiah 41, verse 10, says Don'tbe afraid, for I am with you.
(02:07):
Don't be discouraged, for I amyour God.
I will strengthen you and helpyou.
I will hold you up with myvictorious right hand when fear
grips our hearts.
We can find strength in knowingthat God is always with us
Always.
He's never more than a breath,a thought away.
(02:28):
His presence gives us thecourage to face challenges.
We're not alone.
He promises to support,strengthen and uphold us with
His victorious hand.
I love to picture my sweetfather holding me up, supporting
me and taking care of me.
He is and he does.
Honestly, what more do I need?
(02:51):
Psalm 23, verse 4, says Evenwhen I walk through the darkest
valley, I will not be afraid,for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff protectand comfort me.
Psalm 23 is popular for areason it's a Psalm full of
comfort and promises.
In our journey we willencounter dark and challenging
(03:12):
times.
That's just part of the path.
We need to remember that God isnot distant.
He walks alongside us, offeringprotection and help.
Even in the darkest moments,his presence brings reassurance
and peace.
Should we be afraid when he isright there waiting to help?
Nope, we should not.
(03:33):
Joshua 1, verse 9, says this ismy command be strong and
courageous, do not be afraid ordiscouraged, for the Lord, your
God, is with you wherever you go.
God commands us to be strongand courageous.
His assurance of being with uswherever we go gives us the
confidence to face any situation.
(03:54):
God's presence empowers us tomove forward without fear.
He means what he says.
If he says he will be with uswherever we go, you can count on
it.
John 14, verse 27 says I amleaving you with a gift peace of
mind and heart.
And the peace I give is a giftthe world cannot give.
(04:15):
So don't be troubled or afraid.
Jesus offers us a unique giftof peace that transcends worldly
understanding.
When fear tries to disturb ourpeace, we can rely on the peace
that Jesus gives, a peace thatovercomes our troubles and
anxieties.
We need to let His perfectpeace calm us in every
(04:35):
circumstance and give us couragefor every challenge we face.
Second Timothy 1, verse 7 saysFor God has not given us a
spirit of fear and timidity, butof power, love and
self-discipline.
Fear doesn't align with whatGod has given us.
It does not come from Him.
He gives us power, love andself-discipline to confront fear
(04:58):
.
Instead of fear, we'reempowered to live boldly,
embracing His gifts in our dailylives.
When you have moments of fear,stop.
Ask the Holy Spirit to washpeace and comfort over you.
Ask to feel His presence in atangible way.
Don't let the evil one derailyou and lead you astray or,
(05:18):
worse, put the chains ofaddiction back on you.
There's no reason to be afraid.
God told us that 365 times andif God says it, you can believe
it.
Let's pray For God.
Thank you for the assurancethat we need not fear In moments
of weakness.
(05:39):
Remind us of your presence.
Grant us the courage to faceour fears and fill our hearts
with your peace.
Help us to live in the power,love and discipline you've
provided.
May our lives reflect trust inyou, despite our circumstances.
Be with us on our journey to arecovered life.
With you by our sides, we willnot fail in your comforting and
(06:03):
empowering name.
Amen, don't be afraid.
God is with us.
He's with me, he's with you.
He's just there waiting foryour call.
He promises His presence, hisstrength and His peace.
He gave us a spirit of powerand love.
Fear does not align with thegifts he has poured upon us.
(06:25):
He promises to walk with usthrough every situation, so let
Him.
Thank you so much for beingwith me today.
I pray you have a bold andbrave day, full of joy and
absent of fear.
I'll see you next time.
Thank you so much for listening.
(06:45):
I hope your bite-sized devotiontoday was very satisfying.
If you enjoyed this episode,I'd be honored if you'd leave a
review or a rating.
We are new, so every little bithelps me bring the word to the
world.
I'd love to get to know youbetter at our Facebook group,
the Recovered Christian.
I'll put a link to it in theshow notes.
(07:05):
So thanks again for being hereand I will see you next time.