Episode 9 : Faith or Fear | Part 1
Bob and Jake start a new series about faith and fear. Understanding our heart’s reaction to life and why we become afraid leads us to name our fear before God and invite Him to love us, heal us, and set us free.
Show Notes
Guiding Scripture
“I was afraid because I was naked so I hid” (Gen 3:10)
Key Points
Genesis 3:10 is one of the most brilliant psychological phrases ever
Fear has to do with judgement - we hide because we are afraid we aren’t going to be received
We all have core desires
Faith and trust are synonymous
Fear is the experience of “it’s not going to be okay.”
Fear is the negative reaction we experience when we anticipate the loss of something good
Two core experiences of fear are: being empty and something bad happening
“Man, tempted by the devil, let his trust in his Creator die in his heart...All subsequent sin would be disobedience toward God and lack of trust in his goodness.” (CCC 397)
“They become afraid of the God of whom they have conceived a distorted image...” (CCC 399)
F.E.A.R - False Evidence Appearing Real
If we are going to be who we were made to be, we have to see reality as it is
The more secure we with God, the better able we are to face our fears
We often medicate our fears with control or addictions
In therapy, the rapport between the client and therapist is meant to image God’s care for his people
There is a difference between toxic fear and healthy fear
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:67-68)
St. Ignatius’ 13th and 14th Rule for Discernment offer very helpful and practical counsel for facing fears
Practical Application
Are you honest about the fears in your life? What do you believe about facing your fears?
Where do you struggle to trust God? What do you believe about Him that might be holding you back? Where did you learn that?
How do you try to fill the emptiness in your life? Tell the story of your relationship with that. Why is it appealing? Can you talk to God about it?
How are things with you and God these days? What role might fear be playing in your relationship?
Where did you learn the God you’re relating to? Is it the One, True God?
Who is someone in your life that has shown you the face of God?
Resources
“Hence the Philosopher says (Polit. i, 2) that the reason governs the irascible and concupiscible not by a despotic supremacy, which is that of a master over his slave; but by a politic and royal supremacy, whereby the free are governed, who are not wholly subject to command.” (Summa Theologica I-II. Q17. A7)
“...we fear nothing save to lose what we love and possess, or not to obtain that which we hope for.” (St. Augustine)
Rule 13 - “In the same way, when the enemy of human nature brings his wiles and persuasions to the just soul, he wishes and desires that they be received and kept in secret; but when one reveals them to one’s good confessor or to another spiritual person, who knows his deceits and malicious designs, it weighs on him very much, because he perceives that he will not be able to succeed with the malicious undertaking he has begun, since his manifest deceits have been revealed.” (St. Ignatius)
Rule 14 - “The fourteenth: likewise he conducts himself as a leader, intent upon conquering and robbing what he desires. For, just as a captain and leader of an army in the field, pitching his camp and exploring the fortifications and defenses of a stronghold, attacks it at the weakest point, in the same way the enemy of human nature, roving about, looks in turn at all our theological, cardinal and moral virtues; and where he finds us weakest and most in need for our eternal salvation, there he attacks us and attempts to take us.” (St. Ignatius)
