Afraid.

Can a Christian be demon-possessed? Short answer: no. But that’s not the whole story.

In part two of this series, David and Steven pick up where they left off on why God allows Satan to keep operating, then go deep on what the enemy can and can’t do to a believer. David walks through seven levels of demonic involvement, from the subtle everyday ones most of us don’t even notice, all the way up to full possession, and explains exactly where the line is for someone filled with the Holy Spirit.

Along the way: what deliverance ministry gets wrong, the difference between possession and influence, why depression and oppression are real spiritual battles, and how standing together as believers changes the fight.

Missed part one? Go back and start there.

Got a question you’re afraid to ask your pastor? Submit it anonymously at afraidpodcast.com. New episodes every other week.

Why would a loving God let Satan keep operating in the world? And why does He allow him to go after His own people?

In Part 1 of our conversation on how Satan operates today, Steven and David dig into what the Bible actually says about the devil. He's a created being, not God's equal. He can't read your mind, he can't be everywhere at once, and his final destiny is already sealed in Revelation 20. Then we walk through six reasons Scripture gives for why God allows him to continue for now, from building our faith and keeping us humble to purging all rebellion before the eternal kingdom.

We also share some personal stories of spiritual attack and what happened when we called on the name of Jesus.

Next episode: Can a Christian be demon possessed?

Have a question you're afraid to ask your pastor? Submit it anonymously at afraidpodcast.com.

Should every Christian speak in tongues? And now that Jesus has redeemed us, can we say the real name of God without fear?

In this episode, Steven and David dig into two questions that seem simple on the surface but have a lot of layers once you start peeling them back. On tongues, they separate tradition from scripture, walk through the three examples in the Book of Acts, and break down the crucial difference between the public gift and the private gift that unlocks so many hard-to-understand passages in 1 Corinthians. They also tackle the myths, the counterfeits, and what to do if you want to receive this gift yourself.

Then they shift from the New Testament to the Old, and answer a listener question about the name of God. Is the fear around pronouncing Yahweh actually biblical, or is it tradition? What does "do not take the Lord's name in vain" really forbid? And does it matter whether you say Yahweh, Jehovah, Jesus, or Yeshua?

Have a question you're too afraid to ask your pastor? Submit it anonymously at afraidpodcast.com and we'll answer it on the show.

New episodes every other week. Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

Three tough questions, one thread running through them all: grace.First, how do you tell someone the truth of God's word without alienating them? Steven and David dig into a listener's real-life situation with someone pursuing gender transition, and how to speak truth and love at the same time, the way Jesus did with the woman at the well.Then, a heavy one for anyone who remarried after divorce: "The Bible says I'm committing adultery. Am I actively living in sin?" David unpacks what Scripture actually says about divorce, remarriage, and whether repentance means undoing your present marriage (spoiler: two wrongs don't make a right).Finally, can a Calvinist really be saved? David explains the doctrine, why he pushes back on it hard, and gives a surprisingly gracious answer to the question itself.Link to Soteriology - https://soteriology101.com/Got a question you're afraid to ask your pastor? Submit it anonymously at afraidpodcast.com. New episodes every other week.

What if you've done something God can't forgive? It's one of the most frightening questions a person can carry, and this week Steven and David take it head-on. The good news might surprise you: if you're worried you've committed the unforgivable sin, that worry itself is strong evidence you haven't.

From there they tackle two more listener questions. First, the Trinity: where the idea actually comes from, why the popular egg and water analogies fall short, and how one God can exist as three persons. Then angels: do they really walk among us, do we each have a guardian angel, and who is the mysterious "Angel of the Lord" in the Old Testament?

Three big questions, handled with care and straight from Scripture.

Have a question you're afraid to ask? Submit it anonymously at afraidpodcast.com. New episodes every other week.

Ever read the Old Testament and wondered how a God of so much wrath and judgment could be the same loving God of the New Testament? In this episode, Steven and David take that question seriously instead of brushing it off. They walk through God's unchanging character, why judgment in the Old Testament fell on corrupt nations while New Testament judgment turns more personal, and why the cross was actually the greatest judgment ever recorded.

Then they answer a deeply personal listener question: what does "fear of the Lord" really mean when a violent, frightening earthly father makes it hard to see God as good? David unpacks reverential awe versus terror, breaking generational patterns, and renewing your mind to see God as He truly is.

Have a question you're afraid to ask? Submit it anonymously at afraidpodcast.com. New episodes every other week.

Can women be pastors? And why do churches reading the same Bible land in completely different places on it?

In this episode, Steven presses David on one of the most debated questions in the modern church. They dig into the passages most often used to keep women silent, 1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Timothy 2, and ask what those verses actually mean when you stop reading them in isolation. Why does Paul give women instructions on how to prophesy just three chapters before telling them to "keep silent"? What does that silence really refer to? And what happens when your interpretation of one verse contradicts the rest of Scripture?

From Deborah and Miriam to Priscilla, Phoebe, and Junia, David walks through the many women God placed in leadership, prophetic, and teaching roles across both Testaments, and unpacks the difference between healthy God-given authority and the domineering kind Paul actually warns against.

In the second half, they turn to two listener questions about unequal relationships in marriage: Is divorce an option when a spouse won't submit to God? And is there hope when your partner doesn't believe? David works through what Scripture says about being unequally yoked, when a believer is and isn't bound to the marriage, and where grace meets hard commitment.

Have a question you're afraid to ask your pastor? Submit it anonymously at afraidpodcast.com.

What happens if you believe you're saved, but you're not? And once you are saved, how secure is that really?

In this episode, Steven and David tackle one of the most requested and most debated questions in the church: once saved, always saved, or can salvation be lost? Before getting into the debate, they slow down to ask a more foundational question: what does it actually mean to be saved? Drawing from Ephesians 2, Romans 10, John 10, Hebrews 6 and 10, and the parable of the sower, they walk through what genuine salvation looks like, why feelings aren't the measure of it, and why the same grace that saves you also keeps you.

They break it down into three categories: those who are genuinely saved but struggling, those who were never truly converted, and those who were saved but willfully renounced their faith. Along the way they unpack the difference between losing your salvation and choosing to walk away, why "willfully" is the key word in the hard passages, and how to hold the whole counsel of Scripture together instead of camping out in one ditch or the other.

They also answer a listener question: "I don't know if God is real. Am I just believing what I've been told my whole life?"

Have a question you're afraid to ask your pastor? Submit it anonymously at afraidpodcast.com. New episodes every other week.

You've prayed for healing. Maybe for yourself, maybe for someone you love. And it didn't come. So what do you do with "God had a plan"?

In this episode, Steven and David sit with one of the hardest questions a believer faces: why are some people healed and others aren't? David, who has lived with a chronic illness for years, doesn't reach for easy answers. Instead they walk through the real biblical reasons healing can be delayed or hindered, from timing and unforgiveness to spiritual opposition and the things we sabotage ourselves with. And they make room for the one answer nobody likes but everybody needs: the mystery file, the times we simply don't know, and how to keep trusting God anyway.

Stick around for two listener questions to close: how do you genuinely yearn for God's presence, and how do you quiet fear and rest in His love?

Have a question you're afraid to ask your pastor? Submit it anonymously at afraidpodcast.com.

These are two of the heaviest questions the Afraid Podcast has received, and Steven and David don't shy away from either one.

First, they tackle a question that weighs on the hearts of so many families: if someone dies by suicide, do they go to hell? David shares from deep personal experience, having wrestled with suicidal thoughts himself for years before coming to faith. Rather than offering a simple yes or no, he walks through what scripture actually says about salvation, mental health, and the grace of God in our darkest moments. He also looks at some surprising biblical figures who cried out to God to end their lives, including Elijah, Moses, Jeremiah, Job, and Jonah, and what God did for each of them.

Then they turn to a question that has tripped up believers and skeptics alike: why would a loving God send anyone to hell at all? The answer might shift the way you think about it entirely. Because according to scripture, God isn't sending anyone. He already sent the way out.

Both questions. No easy answers. Just honest, grounded conversation rooted in the Word.

If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out. In the US, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7. International numbers are linked below.

Have a question of your own? Submit it anonymously at afraidpodcast.com.

International Suicide Support numbers: https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/