Transcript

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Hi, welcome to the Christian point with Zack and Linda, and today’s hot topic is on managing fear and anxiety. And today I’m here with my husband Zack McConnell and we’re here in Texas. And have you ever been paralyzed by fear? Well, who hasn’t? We’re going to talk about that today. Plus, we’re going to talk about how the enemy uses fear and anxiety to keep us from reaching our destiny. And we’re also going to talk about faith over fear and how to walk in our faith in our daily walk with the Lord. And fear is really a liar. And we’re going to talk about that today. Okay, so something that gets me so fearful is walking on our country drive, and I run into a six-foot-long snake, and it just totally that just paralyzes me. Over the years, I have learned to stay calm, but it does get made. So stay with us as we’ve just had this discussion on managing fear here on the Christian point. Welcome to the Christian point podcast, where we’re all about growing your relationship with God. As lifelong Christian believers, your hosts Zack and Linda McConnell explore topics that affect your world. Together, they are relearning and redirecting our path as we walk through struggles hangups, sins, and purpose. The Christian point is a lively discussion that will help equip you with tools to provide focus and encouragement from a biblical perspective. Always remember, Christ is the point. Now here are your hosts, Zach and Linda. Welcome to the Christian point. And thank you for listening today. We look at God’s word, and we take today’s hot topics, and we’re going to talk about a topic really, that a lot of people deal with. So today’s hot topic is on fear and anxiety, which is at an all-time high. Do you know what the number one fear is? And by the way, it’s not zombies? Well, and if it’s not zombies, then I’ll have to go with the research and the number say that fear number one is public speaking. Okay, so I’ve got a funny joke. And then I’m going to tell you that their top seven fears, so they say that more people are afraid of public speaking than they are if steaks like you were talking about, but that’s kind of hard to be true, right? Because you don’t see people walking around the jungle and say, Oh, my gosh, it’s a podium, you know, in Romina lately, you know, a snakes pretty scary when you find one on your path. But most people fear of public speaking, it’s a very scary thing. If I begin to understand that one, number two is also there. And this one relates to me a little bit. And that’s a fear of heights, right. And, you know, high ticket may not my wife, Linda, it doesn’t, but it does meet. And then we have number three, which is bugs, and then followed by drowning, flying death and loneliness. And those are the top seven fears in the US, right. And I remember going on zipline with friends, and one of our friends had a real fear of heights like USAC. And he really struggled to take that first step. When we got on the ropes course in the zipline. He just did not want to move forward. Yeah, that’s very true. I get it. But anyway, you know, in fears, there are good fears. And there are bad fears and anxiety. And I mean, fear can be a friend or it can be a foe. So how do we know the difference? And what do we do? I think the number one thing in weight to differentiate between the two is that feared debilitating? You know, is the fear tormenting you? Is the fear destructive, right? So, if it has any of those impacts on your life, you know, that’s not from God, right? God doesn’t sin, those kinds of emotions to us. And keep in mind, it’s the number one way the enemy holds us back. It’s through fear into anxiety. So absolutely these fears and anxiety, they’re not from God, they’re from the enemy. And so that’s how you can know when you’re facing that kind of fear in that situation. And you’ll know if it’s from God, not from God, it’s from the enemy. But a lot of times that fear, it really holds on to us, it holds us back from living our best lives. Because God He’s calling us to be strong, courageous, and we need to know that he will hold us by His righteousness hand, and take us through anything. So as Christians, I think the most important thing we have to tell ourselves is not to fear and be anxious. And God didn’t give us a spirit of fear. He gave us enough power and love and in a sound mind and you know, I love that fear. It’s a liar, because it can debilitate us. It’s because that’s what the enemy wants to do, to get us off crack and to steal our destiny away from us in our path along with God. He wants to keep us

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isolated, he wants to keep us stuck. And you know, that’s why depression leads so many to staying in bed not going out and engaging in life. It not engaging in what God has called you to do. Right? Right. So we’ve got to think about this in terms of what about faith? Where does that faith play in? How do you think that faith comes in with fear and your battles, and it’s kind of like, you know, our friend when he’s stepping out, stepping off that zipline platform. So we know the Lord is our rock, and the word is the rock. So when you’re standing there with your knees shaking, you know, it’s like, okay, you’re about to have to step off in trust in Him, you know, and whether that’s a new job, or getting married, or whatever is happening in your life, or Absolutely, or having a child, it’s any number of moments in our lives. And you know, for me, I have to resist, I don’t fight fear, right? I resist fear. However, I really don’t like it when the church kinda condemns us for falling over into fear as opposed to faith. Because I also think of Gideon and judges, and it’s just so interesting, and God had so much mercy and patience for his fear. And he says, I need another morning, I need you God, I need to see it another morning, because I’m still not sure it’s you. And I always go back to that. And Gideon, he was such a fearful warrior, because God saw him from the end back to his beginning. And so I like to that to be an encouragement to people. And if you have a personality of fear, you know, that’s when you have to start resisting, and you have to stand upon that rock. And I like the word resistant. I mean, resist, it takes a lot. It takes a lot to resist, and you’re constantly renewing your mind to when I was standing next to that approaching large snake. And my mind was racing. Well, what if this happens, it really was a big snake.

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So I’ve got to find the scripture to renew my mind. So that those what ifs don’t take power over the real truth. And well, they can’t be double minded, and God is a stronghold, when we can’t let our fear be the stronghold. Right? And it can’t be what we see with our eyes, but what we know in our spirit, and we know God’s track record, and he’s not going to let us go unless it’s for something we’re learning. It is that relationship with God that we really need on a daily basis, because there are times when he calls us into things that scare us. And you know, people don’t like public speaking. And I was I was one of those people at one point. But clearly, God has taken that away from me. And part of that was stepping out into faith, right? Yes, exactly. And God called me to do it. So I’m going to do it. And I can have strength and the courage to move forward. And I am not going to let the enemy put me in that place of restriction. Yeah, now with heights, you know, I still don’t like heights lit up. But in real life, I know that the Holy Spirit will be with me no matter what, as long as I’m listening to him. If I’m stepping out in faith and stepping out into his safety, I know he’s going to catch me. And it’s that kind of, it’s that kind of game like that game, you play with your kids where they are falling backwards, and you catch them. And they know that they’re, that you’re there for them in you’re going to catch them and you’re that safety net. And when we’re talking about rational fears, again, a friend or foe, God wouldn’t call you to do something that you’re not capable of doing. So you know, that’s not from God, right? Both friend and foe, motivate us to get out there. And step out. We just need to know the difference. Just like this podcast, we felt God was calling us to do this. But there was an element of fear, right? Can we do this right now? Just 10 weeks in, we’ve got 1000s of listeners in the United States and regular listeners in Sweden, New Zealand, even the Russian Federation, that’s wonderful. Praise the Lord. Exactly. God makes this happen. God was Overcoming our fears, because we put our faith in Him. God put this on our hearts. And we didn’t know if we could do it or not. But God knew exactly. We just need to listen to him and not our fears, doubts and anxiety, right? Well, we’re talking about fear and managing anxiety and fear, and then healthy fear. And I know fear can be a friend or fear can be a foe. And we talked a little bit about gaining that mindset back of overcoming fear. And so let’s talk a little bit about the healthy fear because you know, people have all kinds of fear all bottled up. And so how do you advise fearful people and make this into a healthy fear versus a paralyzing fear?

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You’re, well, you really have to know the difference of where the fear is coming from. And I want people to identify first, is it coming from the enemy? Is it a lie that the enemy is telling you? Where it’s debilitating? Is it tormenting you. And I’ve seen one of my children personally was diagnosed with panic disorder earlier on in life. And through working through some of the issues of the past, through counseling and therapy. And through recovery, I was able to trust God and really understand what was what was coming from the enemy, and what was coming from God. And the Old Testament talks a lot about the fear of the Lord. And this is really a translation issue. And I think that comes up a lot, where people are confused that God was not given me a spirit of fear. And yet, I feel it means reverence. It’s honor. It’s everything I need you to tell me what to do. And I’m telling God, I’m broken here. So if I am in fear of the Lord, then I’m giving him reverence. And I am saying, God, I need you to lead me, I need you to tell me where to go next. And again, like I said, stepping out into that faith. And you know, this is a healthy fear we’re talking about. And it’s really wisdom, because you know, the Bible doesn’t mention any kind of healthy fear. The only fear the Bible mentions is reverential fear of God. But every other verse about fear is God commanding us not to fear that right. So anyway, the point is, we know, he tells us not to fear. So I think the things that we say are healthy fears are just wisdom. And just having that discerning, and honestly, you know, because, again, just think back to that platform. And next month, I’ll be stepping off on a huge platform, and I have to know that I’m going to step off, and God’s gonna protect me. And the fear, it’s the fear of the unknown, but knowing God’s track record in my life, and when I step off, I can step off a 40 foot plank, a 50 foot plank, I can step off 100 foot plank. So when I step off, and once it’s right, I’ll do it again. And again. Yeah. And that’s just wisdom, and discernment. And that’s what we want that relationship with the Lord, as we know, he’s not going to fail us. But the enemy wants to come in, like you said earlier, and keep us paralyzed and bound with fear, so that we cannot take that leap of faith, that acquisition is always against the father, that he’s not trustworthy. That’s what the evil winner wants us to think. So I think that safety, you know, is it’s God commanding us to do a lot of things. And so if you don’t have a relational trust with God, in in God, and in maybe it’s because it’s from your past, maybe you have an obstructed, obstructed by horrible events from a horrible upbringing or difficult situations later in life. I think it’s where Mercy comes in. When God looks you and says, okay, just like with Gideon, I know you think you’re small. And I know you think you’re incapable. And I actually love that about you, because you need to depend on me for this, right? We need to depend on God. And you’re going to lean in, and you’re going to listen. And so I think it has to be rooted in your relationship with God. Right. And I also think that fear really penetrates. And sometimes women have a history of abuse. And we have situations where we feel like we’re not strong enough, or we’re not smart enough, or whatever, enough to do it. But we need to see God as our protector, and we can already trust him. And he’s already worked it out. And if we can hold the, if he can hold that whole world in his hands, he can certainly protect us. And we’ll let him amen, amen. And since 2016, the use of anti depressants is just at an all time high, and it has jumped 65%. But the fear, needing help with drugs to help cope with it really that fear, it’s a learned behavior. And some people are born more fearful. And we just need to trust it. It’s a learned behavior, and we need to step out into what God has called me to do. And the littlest thing from the littlest thing have to go off to go talk to a person or maybe it can be a larger thing like this. We’re doing a weekly podcast. And you know, it’s that track record that God has met me on and continues to not always as I thought he would, but he promises that they’ve always had been true. And he’s always supplied that which he’s promised that he would supply and that increases my faith daily and it lowers that fear. And because we can say to Satan, no

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Today, Satan, I have a bigger God. Yes, amen to that. We do have a bigger God. And it is if we choose to accept and to think about God instead of the enemy. So with that said, you know, there’s always those two conversations going on in our head. And so we have to choose to think about what we’re thinking about, you know, stay happy. And don’t be double minded. That’s right, because we bring about what we think about, you know, a lot of people call that in the secular world world, the law of attraction, but it actually started with God, you know, he said, In Job, the thing I feared has come up, come upon me. So the goal is to think on God’s promises, God gave us fear, and flight, or fight. So we’re able to take ourselves out of dangerous situations. But it’s a good tool, if you don’t know how to use it and address it correctly. But it’s also a very negative because it has an effect on our bodies, because of the stress and anxiety. You know, it’ll take a toll on our health. It releases adrenaline and cortisol, which tends to make us gain weight. So we want to really keep healthy mindset, and go to the promises and go to God’s words, to stay grounded, and say, okay, the enemy is trying to speak in this ear. But I want to hear what God has to say, in when it says yes, and a lot of times, it’s hard, if you’re being double minded. Another thing I love is Romans 828. So we all know that all things, you know, work for good for those who are called, and who love the Lord. Absolutely. And in the morning, we have a choice. We can get up in the morning, and we can walk by faith, or we can walk by fear. And we’re talking about God’s mercies are new every morning. And sometimes we’re afraid to go back because of the fear. And we’re afraid because we’ve messed up right and makes me think about Adam. And the first thing he did was head for the fig leaf, right? He felt guilty of that, because of the past, because of things that I’m still working through. And so God faithfully comes to find me and to sit today say, basically, where are you now? And he knows where you are, and you’re hiding unnecessarily. But there are many times that we feel like God’s not going to specialize in fixing our mistakes, right? But he does. And so I think it’s important again, it’s his mercy that he just sheds upon us. And certainly you don’t, as a Christian, we’re not speaking to make mistakes to test God’s faithfulness. But as a father, he says, I know your inner parts, like I love them together, right? So I know what you need when you need it. And again, like you said, if you just will step out, and fear is really a poverty mindset. And yeah, it tells us we can’t trust God. And it kind of makes us the Lord and the God instead of saying, Your to God, God, I’m trying to be in control, right. And then it says, In Galatians, five, verse one, it says, Stand firm, and do not let yourself be burdened. And I just love that the Lord died to set us free, and we are free, amen. So for those out there struggling with fear, let’s just give this to them. So Allah, this first John for verse 18, it says, For there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out all fear. And another version says, it drives out all fear. So let’s, let’s give our listeners some steps. And you can chime in or how to walk it out or so we’re not walking in fear on a daily basis, but we’re walking in faith, and we’re walking in power, and we’re anointed and Jesus. And I do believe the devil has had women bound and chains for years. And God’s getting ready to set women free and empower them to heal, and let go of the shame that might have been from the past. And so we need to decree the Word of God daily. And we need to use affirmations that are important to you, that makes sense to you, that focus on what God’s Word says and take baby steps. And maybe you’re afraid to walk outside. So sometimes somebody’s afraid to go to the gym. So what I do is I just tell them, Go get their gym clothes on. Now get in the car, now head to the gym and buy before you realize that you’re on your way and you’re taking these baby steps one by one, and you’re trying to face your fears. Like you can also face your fears of heights. So do it in small steps, steps and we face our fears knowing that God is holding our hands and he’s okay to say take a step and I’ll take it with you. And he’ll hold our hand. And so you realize that it’s our mind playing games because the enemy is trying to

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come up against us. And all we have to we just have to have the mind of Christ, right? So just take these baby steps with Christ in hand. Yeah, you know, what, what I would say to you is spin as much time focusing on the word as you can, you know, only 3% of the church reads their Bibles daily, right? So you don’t have a rock to stand on if you’re not in the Word. And if you don’t know what he says about a particular issue, we’ll read, right. So there’s very practical steps, like he said, baby steps that you can take. But I think it has to begin in that relationship of getting honest. Take off the mask. I’m not supposed to be afraid, because the Bible says I’m not supposed to be. And you showed up in you’re just like, I’m here, and I’m scared, is all get out. Just help me Lord, and direct me in the word where I can count on you. And do it with a friend sometimes, just what you want to get back from God, by reading into his word, because he didn’t dry up the river until Joshua walked into it. He didn’t part the Red Seas. When Moses went to the edge. Sometimes Lord gives us some big challenges. It just like Nike says, Just do it. And even it’s if it’s with some fear. But it’s not that kind of fear. It’s the good fear, the fear that says it might be big and scary. But I’m right here with you. And I’m not saying don’t take that step, the Lord is saying, push forward in his word, and building his kingdom. I think renewing your mind is also big and foremost, it also knows that you are against the enemy. The in that fact is absolutely real. The enemy, the enemy is against us. Your feelings are here, they’re attached to a lie. And if they’re tormenting you, they are attached to that lie. And that enemy has told you over and over again. So you’ve just heard it too many times, we have to break that chain in that pattern. So fear is just like a warning light on your dashboard, saying, hey, there’s a lie that you can get, get rid of. If you go into the word in, renew that lie with the truth and replace it, so that you can be saying, Oh, this feeling is happening. But it doesn’t have to be the truth. It’s just a feeling possibly a lie. Right? Right. And feelings will lie to us. The enemy will lie to us our emotions every day can lie. So thoughts will lie. So we have to go back to the Word of God, and have a scripture for everything that you’re fearful of that day. So I have this daily routine idea for you. And it’s,

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it’s to not fear in start your morning. So that fear could come from a childhood trauma, it could be a big part of your life. So you don’t know it, you, you hear it, you don’t understand why it’s there. And so I found this technique, this idea, we’re we’re in front of the coffee pot in the morning, seven o’clock in the morning, nothing else is really going on in my mind, I take a sheet that’s up on the coffee pot. And it’s mantras say, I will not fear I’m courageous, I’m strong. I respect myself, and I’m respected by others. So start off the day with saying this and it ends with a verse. One of them being that God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but a power of love and of a sound mind. So you know, with that in your mind, from the get go, it just be very practical. Because then during the day, you start to encounter those situations that could make you doubt those things, they come back to you instantly. And this has really worked for my life. And that is I will not fear. So for me, that ends it. Because there’s just so much power in God’s word. And when you decree it, the angels have to respond. Right, right. In what you said about childhood. I just want to remind people that fear usually comes from a trauma that’s not been healed, and the loop of that trauma continues to play in our mind. So it’s a good time to seek out a coach a counselor in to address those things once and for all right? Yeah. And again, I I think fear can be a foe or friend and you have to know who Jesus Christ is because he’s never going to tell you he’s never going to forsake you. And never, he’s never gonna lie to you. And I know people who grew up with a lot of fear to the point that they would put chairs behind the doors when home alone, because they were so fearful someone was going to break in. And thankfully through counseling and through coaching, that fear and through the grace of God, that fears gone, but I mean, fear can be real, it seems so real. And we’re not here, up here saying it’s not real. We’re saying that God can help you overcome everything.

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fear you have, because that’s how much he loves us right, and to find us resting in Him and in His safety, because fear generally sprouts from a trauma, somebody’s had encroached upon their boundaries, maybe, again, sexual abuse, childhood abuse, whatever it could be. And so we have to say that if we’re ever going to be as safe again, and the enemy wants us to believe we’re not going to be safe, but the truth is, we are safe in the arms of Jesus. Yeah. And the younger it happens instinctually it takes more time, and it takes God coming in, and the Holy Spirit healing that in paying attention to it and counseling. Right, right. But there’s a hope that we just need to pray that the Lord will enlighten us so that we’ll know the truth. And the truth will set us free. Oh, absolutely. Well, we’ve had a great discussion on this topic of fear and anxiety today. And it does say in the Bible, do not fear that God is with you, and He will keep you safe, and He will protect you. And it’s a great verse on a great scripture on fear. And that’s Psalms 91. So I’d encourage you to go read Psalms 91. And just know that God loves you, and he wants a relationship with you. And he doesn’t want you to fear but he wants you to walk out in faith with him. So hey, guys, thanks so much for listening to the show today. So Zack and I are going to thank everyone for joining us. And I hope these messages spoke to you guys. We’d love to hear from you write a review, subscribe or share this podcast through Apple podcast, Google podcast, or go to the Christian point.com. And thanks so much for listening to the Christian point with Zach and Linda. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a review. And be sure to subscribe and share these episodes. We’d love for you to check out our website, the Christian point.com You can make a donation to help us spread this message even to more countries. And we encourage you to leave your testimony and give us a review. And we would love to pray over you. God’s blessings and peace be with you. And remember, until next time, Christ is the point. Thanks for listening to the Christian point. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, or visit us on the web at the Christian point.com. If you enjoyed the show, please share it with your friends on social media. Until next time, always remember Christ is the point

Transcribed by https://otter.ai