Road To Redemption
Road To Redemption
Overcoming Fear and Anxiety - Part 2
The grip of fear and anxiety has tightened around countless lives today—even among believers. What does it look like to break free? Join hosts John Martin and Valerie Peterson as they continue their heartfelt, practical discussion on overcoming these powerful emotions.
"False evidence appearing real." This simple acronym for fear reveals how deceptive our anxious thoughts can be. Throughout this conversation, John and Valerie offer transformative strategies for shifting the seesaw of emotions—when faith rises, fear naturally falls. They explain how thanksgiving acts as spiritual armor against anxiety, sharing the powerful truth from Philippians 4 about bringing everything to God with gratitude. For those struggling with persistent worry, they distinguish between experiencing the emotion of fear versus living under a spirit of fear.
The hosts tackle difficult questions head-on: Why do traumatic experiences trigger anxiety years later? How can we identify the "why behind the what" of our anxious responses? When bad news arrives, what scripture can anchor our hearts? Their honest admissions about their own battles with fear create a judgment-free space for listeners facing similar struggles.
Most powerfully, they share Ralph Waldo Emerson's profound wisdom: "Do the thing you fear most and the fear will leave you." This courage to act despite discomfort—to do it afraid—often becomes the pathway to freedom. Whether you're paralyzed by anxiety or simply seeking greater peace, this episode provides both compassionate understanding and practical tools for standing steadfast when life feels overwhelming. Listen, apply these principles, and discover how to manage your emotions rather than letting them manage you.
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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:Welcome. We're back on Road to Redemption today. I'm John Martin, I'm your host and I'm here with Valerie Peterson, our co-host. So excited to be here with you, val.
Speaker 3:John, it's good to be with you. I've been really excited about this show today. It's going to be good.
Speaker 2:It is. We're continuing our conversation about fear and anxiety, the part two. So if you didn't get to listen to part one, go find that one. But it's just been on our heart a lot because everywhere we seem to go, even in the church, there is a lot of fear and anxiety and we just know that's not God's desire for us. As a matter of fact, he commands us to not fear, not worry. It's throughout the scriptures. So we just wanted to get back together and continue this conversation.
Speaker 3:So good. You know, when you were just talking, I was thinking about fear. Standing for false evidence appearing real Isn't?
Speaker 2:it true. Yes.
Speaker 3:False evidence just appearing real. And for those that are listening in today and that are walking in fear, we just want to give you some strategies to help you get through this season. You know, I think, john, sometimes some seasons there's maybe more of an open door to be in fear than others. Situational stressors in our lives can be difficult to be walking through. So you know, one thing I wanted to say, john, is that we are human beings. We are emotional, physical and spiritual beings. God wired us, made us, that way that we are going to have emotions, we are going to feel emotions. The issue is how can we manage our emotions so our emotions don't manage us? Yeah, so kind of we touched on a bit like you said our last recording that you do feel fear sometimes.
Speaker 3:I feel fear sometimes. The issue is what we do with that fear. That's important.
Speaker 2:Yes, exactly, and we talked about how it really comes down to trust and control, I feel like, because we're often we're trying to control our life and thinking we're in control and we really have to trust and that's the balancing act that we live. And we talked about some of the things we talked about just strategies, last week and we'll continue. This is developing a personal, intimate relationship with God, inviting the Holy Spirit in renewing our mind, getting into a small group and seeing a counselor. Those were some of the things we talked about that were just powerful ways that we can combat this. But, val, what else do you think we can do?
Speaker 3:Valarie Kreml. You know, John, as you were talking, I was thinking about the verse in Philippians 4 that I think we touched on.
Speaker 3:But it says folks be anxious for nothing. What does that really mean? I refuse to worry about a thing Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your request known to God, and the peace of God that far surpasses human understanding will keep your hearts and minds in him. What is the secret in that verse is, with thanksgiving, there's something about keeping a gratitude list and even if you don't have a lot to be thankful for, listener, can you write those things down, even if you have to start with. I can walk, I can talk, I can see and I can hear. Start and add to that list, because that verse is saying the way we can be anxious about nothing is by giving God thanksgiving. So as we walk through our day, thank you, father God, you're with me on the road. Thank you, father God, you're covering my children today. Thank you, lord, god, you're covering my marriage and protecting it. Thank you, father, god, that you're going before me into my job today. Thank you, Does that make sense, john?
Speaker 3:There is something about a thankful heart that combats fear and worry.
Speaker 2:Amen, because we have so much to be thankful for and it's easy to get all caught up in all our problems and fears and worries. But if we can focus on the gratitude list, focus on what we have to be thankful for and spend time with God, like we said last week, if you'll just get up in the morning, spend a half hour, hour, even five minutes in the Word in Scripture and just giving God praise and spending time with Him, I promise you your fears and worries will start to reduce. They just will. If you do this consistently, do it every morning, it will have an impact.
Speaker 3:And then I love, like we touched on, but Joshua 1. It doesn't say meditate on my word just in the morning, it says meditate on my word day and night.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 3:So, as you go throughout the day, you speak that one scripture verse that ministers to you for the day, underneath your breath, as you're walking around your let's say, your office or going to the restroom, just meditate and think on Scripture. And what does it do? It transforms us, right, folks? We want you to think on that.
Speaker 2:Amen.
Speaker 3:You know Ralph Waldo Emerson I'm going to shift for a minute here but he was a philosopher and he said do the thing you fear most and the fear will leave you. So some of you today may fear going for an interview, a new interview, because you lost a job, or fearing trying something new. And you were invited to do something, do it. Do it afraid, do it even if it's uncomfortable, because then the fear, as Ralph Waldo Emerson says, will leave you.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's so true. What about anxiety, val? I mean we have fear and anxiety, but they're different in a way. I mean, I think you can comment on this, but just anxiety is something that really can grip people up and it can disable people really, and I just know people suffer from this a lot today. As I said last time, I even had some issues with it. What are some thoughts you have on this, on anxiety?
Speaker 3:You know, I know I say this sometimes, but we cannot grow and change until we acknowledge. So. If we go to Psalm 139, it says I know when you sit, I know when you stand, I know your thoughts from afar. You're fearfully and wonderfully made. And then it goes on to say search me, o Lord, and look at the anxious ways within me Now, until we say, father God, what's the why behind the what? Why am I feeling so anxious? We really probably can't change. We think we're going to. I'm going to change, I'm going to not be anxious today, but if you can figure out why, some of our listeners may have experienced past trauma and so going into a similar situation brings tremendous anxiety, and so once you recognize, oh, this is why I'm feeling anxious around this situation it can be a stepping stone to talk to somebody, to journal about it, to hand it over to the Lord and say help me with this. Does that make sense?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it really does. That definitely resonated with me. I know people that they get in a similar traumatic situation and that situation brings that anxiety back and folks can't really not expect that not to happen. It's just going to happen. Being in the world, you're going to get put in situations, so you've got to know how to deal with that exactly. Yeah it's?
Speaker 3:it's kind of like what we said earlier how can you manage your emotions? So your emotions don't manage us, or you? So? So being aware, okay, going to that restaurant tonight I'm just making something up is going to be difficult, because maybe someone lost their child and they spent a lot of time with their child at that restaurant. This is not going to be an easy step tonight and I feel a lot of anxiety about it. Can you call somebody and say, hey, will you pray for me? I've got to go back to this specific place. That's hard to do. Does that make sense? There's something about identifying and acknowledging so that we can say Father, god, I need help here. I can't do this alone. Isaiah 41.10,. Behold, I am the Lord, your God, who takes you by the hand. Okay, you're going to go with me into this situation, into this interview, into this gathering I have to be at, even if I feel very anxious. So, once again, doing it, even if it's uncomfortable. I know it's hard, but it's a step.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 3:And if we can remind ourselves the Lord, God never will leave us or forsake us, as he says in Joshua 1. He's going to go with us. We can trust. He's one step ahead of us as we go into whatever is hard to do.
Speaker 2:That's so good Val.
Speaker 3:You know I love the verse in Psalm 112.7. And I'll tell you through my life, this is a verse I've really hung on to and it says I will fear no bad news. I stand steadfast, trusting in the Lord. We all receive bad news at times. This is a phone call, a medical report. That isn't good A phone call. A spouse has just lost her job. I'm just making things up, but these things happen. That verse alone has helped me through difficult times that I will fear no bad news. I am going to stand steadfast, trusting in the Lord in this given situation. Once again, as we talked about earlier, having those scripture verses that just give you strength and can help change the mindset from fear to faith.
Speaker 2:Wow, amen.
Speaker 3:What does God honor? He honors our faith in.
Speaker 2:Him.
Speaker 3:And sometimes it's hard when we get a bad report.
Speaker 2:Well, it's like a seesaw. You know it does it goes up and down. You know when your faith is up, the seesaw, the fear is down. You know, does it goes up and down? You know, when your faith is up, the seesaw, the fear is down. You know that's good yeah, and it goes up and down. It's. It's natural, we're human. It's not always going to be. You know we're in complete 100. Faith and fear is at zero. That's our goal, right? But that's not realistic.
Speaker 2:You know we're human that's it's it, but that's our goal is to have faith at 100% on the seesaw and fear all the way down at zero. That's our goal. But it's going to go up and down and I just think, looking at all these things we've been talking about, I don't think I know it's scripture, it's spending time with God and his word. That is the way to keeping our faith.
Speaker 3:I love John, how you go back to that. It's kind of like this is the foundation. Folks, there's something about spending time with him, being still before him, be still and know that I am God.
Speaker 2:It's powerful, it's so true, and just the fear and anxiety. There should be no shame with that, because I'm telling you, everybody has dealt with it. Even some of the most prominent pastors, leaders, ministers have been gripped with fear and anxiety. But it's to bring it to light, though. To keep it hidden and not bring it to the surface. That's not not good. We've got to bring it to the light and say, okay, we're going to come at this, we're going to get this to where we're walking in freedom from fear and anxiety.
Speaker 3:That's it. I went to a great seminar and the minister said what is the difference between the emotion of fear and the spirit of fear? And she used the analogy the emotion of fear and the spirit of fear. And she used the analogy. The emotion of fear is like when you're walking down a path and a poisonous snake suddenly pops out and you go and step back. The spirit of fear would be you never would walk down that path again.
Speaker 2:Isn't that a powerful?
Speaker 3:analogy.
Speaker 2:That's good.
Speaker 3:And so folks recognize in your own life is there something or things that you're not doing, that because something happened that maybe was scary or traumatic, so you're not taking the risk and stepping out again. Can you take the risk, right, guys? Going back to Ralph Waldo Emerson, do the thing you fear most, and the fear will leave you, amen.
Speaker 2:Amen. Well, Val, is there anything else that you wanted to share with our listeners on this timely topic of fear and anxiety?
Speaker 3:You know, john, you'll probably close with this, but I'm going to say it. Folks, you need accountability. We all do. We all need someone in our lives that's going to go shoulder to shoulder and that you can call and say, hey, I need prayer. You can get together with them and just talk through things. There's something about talking through, talking about our fear with someone trusted a life coach, a counselor, a mentor. Folks, find somebody. It can bring such healing and it can help you figure out the why behind the what. Why maybe you're dealing today with a lot of anxiety, why you're dealing with a lot of fear? Figuring it out will help you to move forward in dealing with it. Amen.
Speaker 2:Amen. Would you mind reading that verse again that you read last. That just really spoke to me and I think our listeners would like to hear that. Psalm 112, 7.
Speaker 3:I will fear no bad news. I stand steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Can you imagine getting a painful report or a phone call or someone come up to you and say something that was and you spoke that back? I will fear no bad news. I will stand steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
Speaker 2:That's so strong, wow. Well, and the thing that we all need to remember is that it all works out. I mean, god works out everything for his plans, his purposes, and all these fears and anxieties that we have, they're really, they're for not, you know, because it's all going to work out, it's going to be okay, we're not going to go without a meal and he's going to take care of us. So we just need to remember that, that it all is going to work out, it's going to be fine. But we need to have these tools and strategies because these emotions are going to come up. So we've got to have the ways to stay firm and get our faith on that seesaw up to 100%.
Speaker 3:And remember to stay in today. I'm going to say it again, we talked about it last time, but stay in this day, stay in this hour. If you're dealing with a lot of fear and anxiety, you know, matthew 6, folks don't look at tomorrow. Tomorrow will have enough issues of its own. Stay right in this day. And when your mind starts going to the future, when we start thinking about the future, it opens the door to fear. So just reel your mind back in and stay right in this day.
Speaker 2:And, like you said, val, stay in gratitude, have that gratitude list, get up every morning in your prayer time and throughout the day and tell God everything that you're thankful for. Just keep repeating all the thanks. Yes, I know that will help. Well, why don't we close in prayer just for any of those that are really dealing with this? Heavenly Father, lord, we just thank you for this conversation today, lord, and we just we lift up all those listening and the loved ones of those listening that have struggled with this fear and anxiety, lord, and we just ask, in your most precious name, jesus, that you bring healing to those that are suffering from this. You bring healing and breakthrough, breakthrough, lord, in these areas to where all of your children that have struggled with these fears and anxieties, that they just be broken off from them. In your mighty name, jesus, we just say that these children of yours will be set free and healed and will walk in great freedom and faith and great faith in the days ahead. We just thank you for it, lord, for blessing them, and we know we're going to hear many testimonies of people that have been healed from fear and anxiety. In Jesus, in your mighty name, we pray Amen, amen.
Speaker 2:As we close out the show today, we always like to leave with our real three pillars of road to redemption. Is that first? We just encourage you to get into the Word of God, to start reading the Bible. Get a Bible If you can. We recommend get a hardbound Bible, but use the Bible app. If not, just get into the Bible but use the Bible app. If not, just get into the Bible, start reading it every day. If you'll just open it up and start reading the Bible, we promise it's going to bless you so much. And second, get into a Christ-centered church and just go. Just start going. You're never going to find the perfect church, but just get into a Christ-centered, bible-believing church and go. And lastly, get into a small group, a group that you can do life with, be accountable with, and we promise you this group will bless you so much. Thanks for listening.
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.