Road To Redemption
Road To Redemption
Overcoming Fear and Anxiety
Fear and anxiety touch all our lives, yet many of us—even believers—find ourselves trapped in their grip despite knowing God calls us to peace. In this heartfelt conversation, hosts John Martin and Valerie Peterson share their personal journeys with anxiety while offering practical biblical solutions for breaking free.
"I've had anxiety in my past, even anxiety where it was crippling me," John confesses, immediately creating a safe space for listeners struggling with similar experiences. This raw honesty sets the tone for an episode that doesn't simply offer platitudes but acknowledges the very real battle many face daily.
The hosts explore the fundamental spiritual dynamics behind anxiety—the tension between trust and control. Drawing from Scripture passages like Matthew 6:25-34 and Philippians 4:6-7, they reveal how God's word directly addresses our tendency to worry about tomorrow. Valerie shares a powerful insight: "I'll take life half hour by half hour. Sometimes even a day is hard to do," demonstrating that overcoming anxiety is often a moment-by-moment practice rather than an instant transformation.
What sets this episode apart is its practical approach. Beyond encouraging prayer, the hosts outline specific strategies: developing a daily intimate relationship with God, consciously inviting the Holy Spirit into daily decisions, renewing your mind through Scripture meditation, joining supportive small groups, and seeking professional counseling when needed. Each recommendation comes with personal testimony about its effectiveness, offering listeners not just theory but tested pathways to peace.
The conversation culminates with a profound observation about heaven—that we may one day regret all the time wasted in worry and fear when we see God's perfect plan revealed. This eternal perspective invites listeners to begin releasing anxiety today, trusting that the God who sees "the entire parade" of our lives is working even when we can only see today's circumstances.
Ready to break free from the cycle of fear and anxiety? Listen now and discover how to experience the peace that surpasses understanding, even in our increasingly uncertain world.
For more information contact us at
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Welcome to Road to Redemption, a show sharing powerful life testimonies, giving hope to those on their own road to redemption.
Speaker 2:Well, welcome. I'm John Martin, your host, and I'm here with our co-host, valerie Peterson. Valerie, hello, good morning.
Speaker 3:Is this cool or what, that we're here today all together? Yes, I've been excited about this show, john.
Speaker 2:I have too. We've been talking about it for a while, and today we're going to be talking about fear and anxiety and what we as believers can do to try to overcome this to the best of our ability. I think just being humans, we're always going to have some fear and anxiety. It's just natural. But the Lord does not want us to live in bondage and in fear and anxiety. It's just natural. But the Lord does not want us to live in bondage and in fear and anxiety. And in our world today, I just think we see so much of it, and even amongst believers and hey, I'm guilty of it. I've lived in fear, I've had anxiety in my past, and even anxiety where it was crippling me many years ago, and we just don't want to see people living like that. So that's why we really wanted to do this show today.
Speaker 3:And as you were talking, John, I was thinking of the one verse alone. I think it's 2 Timothy 1, 7. I don't give you the spirit of fear, but of power. Love, one translation, sound mind, another self-discipline. Is that a good word for us today? To start with, he doesn't give us. And can we look at it? Is there a spiritual element in it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, there is. It's just I think what it comes down to is trust and control. Do we trust God 100%, that he's going to take care of our problems, yeah, or are we trying to control our life and control the outcomes? So that's the balancing the act that we live is between trust, control and fear and anxiety. So I thought we would start off a little bit just by reflecting a little bit on what God's Word says.
Speaker 2:I wanted to start out just reading to our listeners from Matthew 6, 25, where it says Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink. Matthew 6, 25, where it says sow or reap or stow away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any of you, by worrying, add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about your clothes?
Speaker 2:See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Grow, they do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon, in all of his splendor, was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes, the grass of the field which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, you of little faith? So do not worry saying what shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or what shall we wear, For the pagans run after all these things, and yet even your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own, Amen.
Speaker 3:Such good verses Don't worry about tomorrow, don't look at tomorrow. What a remedy for fear and anxiety, john, to stay in this day. You know, there's times I'll say to clients or even in my own life, I'll take life half hour by half hour. I don't even, maybe can't make it the full day, because there's some things I'm worrying about or I'm anxious about or in fear about, and I'll say, lord Jesus, I'm going to hand you this for the next hour and then we'll revisit it. Sometimes even a day is hard to do.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is. I think what we wanted to do is just try to leave y'all with some things that we can do to help reduce fear and anxiety, because it's easy for us to just sit here and say don't do it. And yeah, that's easier said than done. But what are some things we can do to reduce it and almost eliminate it from our life? And it's a process. It just doesn't happen typically immediately, but some of the things that we wanted to share. Number one is to develop a personal, intimate relationship with God.
Speaker 3:And how do you do that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, how do you do that? Spend time with Him. Spend time with Him when you get up in the morning, First thing. Spend a significant amount of time, as much as you can, with Him in prayer and reading scripture, meditation and casting your cares to him, these worries and anxieties. If you do that every morning, your fear and anxiety will go down. There's no doubt about it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I love it. I want to add to that is, as we kind of talked off air John, are you thinking about what you think about as you leave that time with the Lord In a moment's time? Romans 12, 2,. We can be transformed by the renewing of it. Can we practice A strategy? Is practicing his presence with us throughout the day, that he is with us. He says in 1 Thessalonians 5, 16, pray without ceasing. What does that mean when we leave our time with him? Can we talk with him, dialogue with him throughout our given day? He wants us to communicate with him.
Speaker 3:It's not a monologue, right, it's a dialogue. It's pretty cool to think about.
Speaker 2:It is and it's. Just spending that time with him brings that trust up. It really does and I really think a lot of the reasons that there is so much fear and anxiety today is because we have all these phones and devices and we're wrapped up in so much busyness and social media and texting and all this stuff, that we're gripped up in the world and we don't have that time.
Speaker 2:We're not spending that intimate time with him in prayer and meditation and to develop that trust. So I really do believe. For me and, I think, many others, this personal, intimate relationship with God is the most important thing that we can do in our life, but also to reduce this fear and anxiety.
Speaker 3:And you and I talked off air, john, that, looking at relationships on earth, how do we learn we can trust somebody? Is by spending time with them, and that's with you sharing. Spend quality time with him in the morning. What happens when you get in the word, when you? You know I love the verse in Psalm 46, 10, be still and know that I am God. So often we're not still right. We are having our, we're looking at our phones, we're looking at our computers. Busy, busy, busy. I don't think our brains were designed for that. We've got to learn to be still before him and that's when we can hear his small, still voice.
Speaker 2:Amen. Yeah, and, like I said, I had anxiety. I don't know exactly what it was, but it definitely was anxiety like problems breathing, panic attacks, you know, want to go think into the ER, thinking I was dying, you know. Several times I know people have this. Oh yes, it's real.
Speaker 3:It's real, it's real.
Speaker 2:And I think with me, a lot of it is just overload. You take so much on and you have so much that you're mentally overloaded and it starts to come out. It's a mental thing. It's really not physical. I don't think so for me. The only thing I can really say as to why because I didn't ultimately get rid of it through medications and I'm not saying it's not okay to take medications, but it was really through God, through time, through spending intimate time with God and just relinquishing all that fear over to Him and trust. It did take time, but I don't have it anymore. I can't say that I don't get gripped up in fear and anxiety. Sometimes I do. Like I said, I think we're human, but it's not nearly what it was. So I can share that testimony.
Speaker 3:You know, I want to just say right now I remember in my life. I remember saying over and over again in Isaiah 26, three, thou will be in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee. And I kept on saying thou will be in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee. And I kept on saying thou will be in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee. And I was like Lord Jesus, why am I? I was a new believer. Why am I not in perfect peace?
Speaker 3:Well, I looked at the next verse in the Bible and John. It says because he trusts in me. So our trusting him in whatever we're walking through today is going to bring the peace right, kind of like what you're saying when we develop. Like I look at you know, when you met Christina, trusting her happened over time. It wasn't, it was a process, not an event. Well, that's how it is with our Heavenly Father and I just want to encourage believers today write down a list of remembrances of what he's done for you, because I think Satan can work overtime for us to forget all the miracles, the things that he has done. And if you're a new believer or you're like I don't really know about this start just spending time with Him, as John is saying so beautifully. Just spend time with the Lord in the morning, start there.
Speaker 2:Amen. And another thing is the Holy Spirit. When Jesus, he knew he was going away, he was going to be crucified, he told his disciples it's much better that I go, because I'm leaving the Holy Spirit. And that was that kind of they were like what? But it's true, he left the Holy Spirit. And that was that kind of. They were like what, but it's true, he left the Holy Spirit. And I think even a lot of believers today don't know really about the Holy Spirit. They've said it in the different things we say in our prayers. But the Holy Spirit is there. He's there for us right now and he is our great counselor, great advocate now. And he is our great counselor, great advocate. And so if we invite Him in to our day and ask Him to guide us and to bring us perfect peace, he will do it. But we have to invite Him in, we have to ask Holy Spirit, do this, come, he's there. And that's another thing we can tell y'all to do to ask the Holy Spirit to come and help you.
Speaker 3:You know, I was thinking it's so funny that God led you to those verses. He led me this morning to those verses in John 14, where his disciples were saying you can't leave. And Jesus was like I've got to go Because as I go to the Father, the Father will send the Holy Spirit to you. And I'm thinking, as we each walk out the door today, he goes with you, john Drew, he goes with you, he goes with me. And then I look at Psalm 16, john, and it says even in the nighttime hours I'll counsel you. When we wake up in the middle of the night that we can say, lord, what do you want me to know? Is there a reason I'm awake, counsel me. We have.
Speaker 2:Amen, that's so great hearing you, being a counselor, talking about that. But it's true, you know he's the great counselor.
Speaker 3:He's the greatest.
Speaker 2:And I think often we don't go to him enough. You know he's there, but we have to go to him. That's it, you know, but he wants us to be in a relationship with him and he exists in three persons Father, son and Holy Spirit. With Him, and he exists in three persons Father, son and Holy Spirit, and then Val. I think the other thing we wanted to touch on is renewing your mind.
Speaker 3:We've constantly got to renew our mind to God's promises.
Speaker 2:Constantly Meditate on these scriptures daily, as we said, to cast our cares on Him, and it's a daily thing. It might even be a minute by minute thing, but that's okay.
Speaker 3:And kind of, we talked off air. Are we thinking about what we think about? Because this is the battleground, Our minds are the battleground. So, Romans 12, 2, we can be in a moment's time, John, true, transformed by the renewing of our mind. I mean, I'm like sometimes, like Lord Jesus, you got to help me. I'm going to stop this thought and I'm going to replace it with your word. You know I love in Joshua 1, where it says be strong and courageous, think on or meditate on my word day and night and you'll be what. Think on or meditate on my word day and night and you'll be what. Prosperous and successful. Because where our minds lead, the rest of us follows. Our minds are powerful and Satan knows it. So, folks, be thinking about what you think about.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's so good. I know, val, when we were talking before, you said something about a vision of being in heaven, and do you want to touch on that?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I do. You know I've been watching a lot of videos, and you know, on ministers that have experienced heaven, so I've been real sensitive to wow, what's the difference, what's it like there? There and as I was praying and had my eyes closed, I really believe and saw that we are going to be. We are going to regret all the time we wasted worrying on things, all the time we wasted in fear. When we get to heaven and recognize really he is in complete control of our lives, we can, as you said, 1 Peter, 5, 7, cast pitch, throw all your cares upon him, for he cares for you. Can we do that today and can we recognize our worry and fear? John can be a waste of time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and there's no problem. God can't solve that he wants. He'll solve them all in his will and there's no problem that is beyond God. And I do feel in our world today a lot of people, they feel that their problems are too big and a lot of people contemplate ending their own life. A lot of people contemplate ending their own life. A lot of this has been going on where people have been doing that, and it's linked to mostly fear and worry, anxiety, money, health.
Speaker 3:Children.
Speaker 2:Children.
Speaker 3:Grandchildren.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but there's no problem that God can't solve. There's no problem that's too big for him. If we will start doing these things, if we will come into a personal, intimate relationship with him, start spending time with him, surrendering him, complete surrender, complete trust, giving up complete control of that situation, yeah, Because I don't know if you feel this way, but it's kind of like we see the parade of our lives through the people on the fence.
Speaker 3:We're seeing right now, today, and there may be for the listeners today, some real severe situational stressors going on. Remember, god sees the entire parade, he knows what's coming, he has in the unseen, he's working on each of our behalf. Can we trust that today we may not be able to see it yet, but can we trust that he is working on each of our behalves to bring forth what we're believing for and praying for?
Speaker 2:That's right, val, and a lot of people might be saying okay, continuously, how do we do this? And we've said spending time with God reading his scriptures, meditating on these scriptures, but also, I think a key component is getting into a life group. Sometimes they're called small groups. It's a life group of people that you can be around and you can make yourself vulnerable, that you can share with men or women to make yourself vulnerable, that you can share with men or women, that you can really receive some of the greatest healing of these fears and worries and things through these small groups.
Speaker 3:So good.
Speaker 2:And, as we say on Road to Redemption, get into a church, a Bible-believing church. Get into a church, but also get into a small group, and I really think that people that are struggling with these things, these small groups, can be a major breakthrough for you. Take that step and get into one today.
Speaker 3:You know, john, we cannot change and grow until we acknowledge when we have safe people around us, people that we may have to learn to trust, and we start opening up. Do you notice? How those fears and things aren't as strong Because we know, oh my gosh, these people are going to pray for me, they're going to be with me through this journey. It's powerful, like you're saying, to have people surrounding you, and if you're listening in today and say I don't have it, it's time to get it.
Speaker 2:A lot of people are in grief too, just overall from losing loved ones, and most everywhere now they have the grief small groups.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 2:I would say most. Every city in America has these grief small groups that these people are walking through similar situations, and I would just encourage you to seek that out. If that's something that is going on in your life, seek out a grief group. They're there, and we were going to say too just with fear and anxiety. Going to a counselor is a great thing too, and, valerie, that's your line of work. Do you want to comment on that?
Speaker 3:You know something? Yes, I do. If you are seeing a counselor or questioning, should I see a counselor? If you are seeing a counselor or questioning should I see a counselor? I'm going to remind you, talking to somebody objective is an indication of strength, not weakness. It's easier for all of us to go in the same old patterns of living, so why not step out and take that risk? There's something about talking things through and getting feedback from a professional that can be extremely helpful in our lives, definitely.
Speaker 2:I agree. So these have been some great things, folks. Fear and anxiety, they're real. All of us deal with it. I mean, it's something that's part of all of us. But God does not want us to live in fear and anxiety. He says it over and over in the scriptures do not fear, do not worry. So we got to stop it or reduce it significantly and start trusting, living in trust in Him.
Speaker 2:And how do we do that? We develop a personal, intimate relationship. We invite the Holy Spirit into our life. We renew our minds daily, we're going to get into a small group and we're going to seek out a good counselor or even life coach. A lot of people do that too Counselor, life coach someone there to talk to.
Speaker 3:There's something about accountability, right Someone that you can be accountable to. Do not do life alone, do not go through life, and if you're someone listening today and you're dealing with tremendous fear and anxiety, step out and talk to somebody.
Speaker 2:Amen, god, this has been a great discussion. It was kind of funny when I was coming to do the show this morning. I told Christina what we were doing the show on and I said I bet you're laughing that I'm doing a show on this because I've definitely been one to deal with this a lot, you know, because I'm a detail or I'm a deep thinker and I think deep thinkers tend to struggle with worry and fear. But I can say that mine has been significantly reduced and these things have helped me. I still have a lot of work to do, but I'm excited and I hope we've helped some people.
Speaker 3:I hope so too. Can I add one thing?
Speaker 2:Sure.
Speaker 3:I just want to say God's word is his word and he says in Jeremiah 1.12 that he watches over his word to perform it. I don't know about you, john, but there's something for me to hang on to certain scriptures, no matter whatever I'm walking through, and I put them in my pocket, I pull them out and I read them again. That brings me comfort because it's his word. He says he's not a man that he should lie or the son of man that would change his mind. Will he speak and then not act? Will he promise and then not fulfill?
Speaker 2:Well in.
Speaker 3:Matthew 24, it talks about that. You know what is it going to look like in the last days Wars, rumors of wars, pestilence, covid, bizarre weather patterns. Now I'm not saying Christ is going to return tonight, but we're seeing signs. We've got to discern and we've got to be village, we've got to be aware and we've got to be steadfast in knowing, but knowing, but knowing he could return soon and so. But what can happen is it brings more anxiety for people because they're seeing these patterns, seeing what's going on over, let's say, in the Middle East. And that's where we got to stay grounded in the word. We've got to stay grounded in having peers that are going to speak into our lives, because we are living in not easy times. And in those verses it's talking about believers and it says because of these things, people's love will grow cold. We've got to encourage each other so our love for the Lord, our love for each other, will not grow cold, right?
Speaker 2:That's awesome. I love that because we don't know.
Speaker 3:We don't know when he's going to return.
Speaker 2:But we need to live every day for the Lord and do the most we can with every day and not be fearful about the future. Plan the best we can, sure, but don't be fearful.
Speaker 3:So good, it's pretty powerful.
Speaker 2:It is.
Speaker 3:Folks, grab the word and stand on it and believe that he's going to answer you.
Speaker 2:Amen. Well, before we close out, I just want to read one more scripture that we had for y'all today, from Philippians 4. It says Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again rejoice. Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember the Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything, tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Amen, yeah, amen. Well, it's been a great show.
Speaker 3:It's been an awesome show.
Speaker 2:Till next time.
Speaker 3:Till next time.
Speaker 1:You've been listening to Road to Redemption, sharing powerful life testimonies, giving hope to those on their own road to redemption. If you have any comments or questions, we would love to connect with you. You can reach out to us at destinyradiolive. Thank you for listening and we'll see you next week on Road to Redemption.