Pour yourself a cup of tea. Let's spend a few minutes with Jesus together.
Have you ever noticed how weeds never seem to ask permission before they show up?
A few summers ago, I spent an afternoon pulling weeds from one of my flower beds. I thought I had done a pretty good job. Everything looked neat, tidy, and beautiful.
A week later, the weeds were back.
I remember laughing and saying, "Didn't I already deal with you?"
Apparently not.
As I knelt down for round two, I realized what had happened. The first time, I had pulled off the tops. This time, I had to dig much deeper. The roots were still alive, quietly growing beneath the surface.
It struck me that fear works much the same way.
Sometimes we deal with what everyone can see. We smile a little bigger. We pretend we're okay. We push through another day.
But underneath, fear is still alive.
It quietly whispers, "What if you fail?" "What if people reject you?" "What if things never change?"
Fear doesn't always shout. More often, it grows underground. And until Jesus deals with the root, we'll keep pulling the same weeds.
John 8:31–32
"If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Jesus didn't say that positive thinking would set us free. He didn't say pretending would set us free. He didn't even say trying harder would set us free. He said truth would.
That's both comforting and challenging. Comforting because truth always leads to freedom. Challenging because truth often asks us to look beneath the surface. Sometimes the greatest act of courage isn't facing what is around us. It's facing what is within us.
For a long time, I thought fear was simply part of my personality. After all I'd lived through, it seemed reasonable to expect the worst. Fear became familiar. It disguised itself as wisdom. It told me I was just being careful.
But Jesus has been gently showing me something different. Fear isn't always an emotion. Sometimes it's a belief. A belief that God won't come through. A belief that I have to protect myself. A belief that tomorrow is somehow outside His care.
When I believe those things, fear begins to shape my decisions more than faith does. And that's when it becomes a stronghold.
Strongholds aren't simply bad habits. They're lies we've believed for so long that they begin to feel like truth. The beautiful thing is that Jesus never tears down a stronghold by shaming us. He tears it down by replacing lies with truth.
That's why I keep coming back to Psalm 51:6: "Surely You desire truth in the inward being." God isn't looking for polished appearances. He's looking for honest hearts. The kind that say, "Lord, I think I've been believing something that isn't true. Would You show me Your truth instead?"
I've discovered that freedom doesn't usually happen all at once. It often begins with one honest conversation with Jesus.
Take a few quiet moments with the Lord and consider these questions:
1. What fear has been quietly influencing my decisions lately?
2. What lie might that fear be asking me to believe about God, myself, or my future?
3. What truth from Scripture is Jesus inviting me to trust instead?
Don't rush your answers. Sometimes God speaks most clearly when we slow down enough to listen.
Father,
Thank You for loving me enough to tell me the truth. You never expose my heart to condemn me. You reveal what is hidden because You long to heal what is broken.
Would You show me where fear has quietly taken root? Give me the courage to stop pretending and the humility to bring every anxious thought into Your presence. Replace every lie I've believed with the truth of Your Word.
Thank You that Your perfect love is greater than my greatest fear. Teach me to trust You one surrendered step at a time. Even when I cannot see what lies ahead, help me remember that You are already there.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Write down one fear you've been carrying. Now ask yourself, "What truth from God's Word speaks directly to this fear?"
Write that verse beside it. Carry it with you today. Every time fear begins to whisper, answer it with truth instead.
Fear grows in the dark, but truth always grows toward the light.
Until next time, pour another cup of tea, open your Bible, and remember: Truth is never given to shame you. It is always given to set you free.
If this resonated with you, let's keep the conversation going.
More S.O.B.E.R. Chats Explore Coaching— Pastor Jenn Dafoe-Turner
Spiritual Midwife • Christian Life Coach • Author • Speaker