Faith Over Fear

Does it ever seem like God is silent when you're most desperate to hear from Him? Does it seem like others hear Him more easily than you? Do you worry you’re doing something wrong or that the silence you sense means He's upset with you for something? In this episode, author and speaker Susie Larson shares from her painful seasons of unanswered prayer and her relentless persistence when she sought healing for chronic lyme disease and sensed God "thundering" a reply in her chest. She explores how we can recognize God’s voice, respond when He seems silent and move from a transactional relationship to knowing His heart.

Susie and Jennifer also discuss the different ways God communicates, how fear and comparison can complicate our ability to hear Him and what we can do when we’ve sought God but still don’t sense His direction. Hear how knowing God’s character, remaining grounded in Scripture and learning to live loved can help us experience greater intimacy with Him.

Scripture Referenced: Psalm 103:1–12; Psalm 139:23–24; James 4:7–8; John 10:27; Jeremiah 33:3; Deuteronomy 29:29; Matthew 16:13–23; Ephesians 2:8–9; John 3:16; Colossians 1:13; 2 Corinthians 10:12

Resource mentioned: More Than You Can Imagine: What God Does When You Trust Him by Susie Larson  

Connect with Susie Larson:

On her website

On Instagram

On Facebook

Follow her work on Amazon

Find Jennifer Slattery:

On her website

Instagram

Facebook

Amazon

Subscribe to her free newsletter

 

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Have you ever wondered why God can feel distant even when you genuinely love Him and want a close relationship with Him? Past experiences of rejection, emotional distance or unmet needs can affect how we relate to others—and how we experience our relationship with God. Jennifer Slattery talks with author, speaker and Anglican priest Reverend Summer Joy Gross about attachment, anxiety and the fears that can leave us questioning whether God is truly attentive, responsive and engaged with us.

Summer shares how understanding attachment helped her recognize some of the fears beneath her own people-pleasing and anxiety and how God has been leading her toward greater security in His love. Together, she and Jennifer discuss the pressure to approach God correctly, why we don't have to chase Him or earn deeper connection with Him and how healing often occurs slowly, one encounter with God at a time. Discover how you can bring your full, messy self to God, receive His compassionate presence and increasingly experience the secure, unchanging love of the One who continually draws near.

Scripture discussed or referenced: Ezekiel 36:26; Psalm 46:10; Luke 15:3–7, 11–32; Psalms (David’s laments); Mark 10:13–16; Philippians 1:6; Isaiah 51:14

Resource referenced: Emmanuel Promise: Discovering the Security of a Life Held by God by Summer Joy Gross

Find Summer Joy Gross:

On her website

On Instagram

On Facebook

Find Jennifer Slattery:

On her website

Instagram

Facebook

Amazon

Subscribe to her free newsletter

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

What do we do with regret when we can’t go back and make things right? Sanctus Real lead singer Dustin Lolli joins Jennifer Slattery to share the grief, regrets and Holy Spirit-led lessons he learned through and after his father’s unexpected death and Dustin’s painful realization that unresolved hurt had created distance in their relationship. He discusses the complicated intersection of grief, regret and self-protection and what God has taught him about what he calls “defiant faith”: choosing the way of Jesus even when our emotions, circumstances or culture pull us in another direction.

Dustin also shares the hope he discovered as God began using his regret to change how he loves and responds to others. While we may not always get the opportunity to repair what happened in the past, God can give us opportunities to live differently moving forward. Through his songs “The War I’m In,” “Make a Way” and “Days Like These,” Dustin reminds us that healing is often a process, our pain doesn’t have to dictate our future and Jesus remains our source of hope when circumstances cannot be changed. He also shares what’s ahead for Sanctus Real as the band becomes increasingly intentional about ministry, family and using their music and stories to point people toward Jesus.

Songs discussed: "The War I'm In", "Make a Way", "Days Like These"

Scripture referenced or discussed: John 13:3–5, Matthew 5:39–41, Matthew 16:25, Romans 8:28

Find Dustin Lolli:

On Sanctus Real's YouTube channel

On Facebook

On Instagram

Find Jennifer Slattery:

On her website

Instagram

Facebook

Amazon

Subscribe to her free newsletter

 

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

What do you do when a relationship feels so broken you’re afraid it may never recover? Relational pain can trigger fear, shame and an urgent desire to fix things—reactions that can make already difficult conversations even harder. In this episode, Jennifer talks with pastoral counselor and author Chris Coursey about how God can help us navigate relational fractures with greater peace, clarity and compassion. Chris explains what happens in our brains when pain pushes us into “enemy mode,” why emotional safety is so important and how learning to quiet ourselves and reconnect with God can help us respond as our healthier, relational selves.

Chris also shares practical strategies for helping others feel seen, heard and understood, recognizing when past pain is influencing present conflict and seeking God’s perspective when fear and shame distort our own. For additional encouragement, download Chris’s free Taking Your Relational Temperature resource and check out his book, The Joy Switch: How Your Brain’s Secret Circuit Affects Your Relationships—and How You Can Activate It, which explores how to strengthen your relational brain and remain connected during conflict and stress.

Connect with Chris and his team:

On the Thrive website

On Instagram

On Facebook

Find his content on YouTube

Follow his work on Amazon

Find Jennifer Slattery:

On her website

Instagram

Facebook

Amazon

Subscribe to her free newsletter

Free resource: Trusting God with What You Can't Control: 5 Days of Increased Peace

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

When we fight for control, it's rarely because we have an insatiable desire to play boss. Most often, fear is driving our behavior—especially when we’ve experienced situations that left us feeling powerless, uncertain and deeply wounded. After those experiences, we naturally want to do whatever we can to avoid landing in a similar crisis or painful spot. And so, we might overthink, try to fix other people or work harder to secure a particular outcome, while believing we’re simply being responsible and caring. So how can we recognize when healthy responsibility has crossed into control?

In this episode, Jennifer Slattery talks with bestselling author Lysa TerKeurst about her latest release, Making Peace with What I Can't Control, and the fears that can drive controlling behavior and how to respond differently. Lysa shares how to distinguish responsibility from control, recognize the role our perceptions play in fear and focus our energy on what we actually can manage. She also discusses trusting God when we don’t understand what He’s allowing, remembering His past faithfulness and releasing outcomes into His capable hands.

Resource referenced: Making Peace with What I Can't Control: Find Relief from the Exhaustion of Overthinking, Trying to Fix Others, and Wanting to Figure It All Out

Free resource: Trusting God with What You Can't Control: 5 Days of Increased Peace

Scriptures referenced: John 16:33; Galatians 5:22–23

Connect with Lysa TerKeurst:

On her website

On Instagram

On Facebook

Follow her work on Amazon

Find Jennifer Slattery:

On her website

Instagram

Facebook

Amazon

Subscribe to her free newsletter

 

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

When we experience intense pain and hardship, our view of God can shrink.  When circumstances overwhelm us, prayers seem unanswered and our suffering endures for any length of time, we may fear God isn't actually big enough to handle what we’re facing, or loving enough to do something about it. Singer, songwriter and author Tim Timmons, whose story is shared in MercyMe's Imagine 2, knows what it means to live with those types of questions. After receiving an incurable cancer diagnosis and being given five years to live more than two decades ago, Tim has learned to bring his grief, questions and uncertainty honestly to God.

In this episode, Tim and Jennifer discuss what it looks like to trust a God who is bigger than our understanding and meet Him within the tension of pain and hope. They explore the intimacy that can develop through honest wrestling, why acknowledging grief doesn’t diminish faith and how shifting from “working for God” to joining Him can change the way we approach each day. Wherever life feels confusing or painfully unresolved, God remains present, attentive and at work.

Scripture referenced: Genesis 32:22–32; Matthew 5:44; Matthew 16:24–25; Matthew 22:37–39; Mark 12:30–31; John 5:17; Romans 8:28; Malachi 1:6–14

Resource Referenced: Waking Up Again: A Journey of Grief & Gratitude

Connect with Tim Timmons:

On his website

On Instagram

On Facebook

Find Jennifer Slattery:

On her website

Instagram

Facebook

Amazon

Subscribe to her free newsletter

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

You may know the Bible says God loves you and still struggle to feel His love deep in your soul. Shame, regret, painful relationships and years of experiencing conditional or transactional love can make God’s everlasting, unchanging love difficult to receive. In this special Scripture-focused episode, Jennifer Slattery shares passages that have helped her more fully understand and experience the depth of God’s love.

Through verses from Jeremiah, Ephesians, John, Romans and 1 John, Jennifer explores what Scripture reveals about a love that existed before our failures, remains secure when we stumble and cannot be severed by hardship or suffering. She also invites listeners to take a 30-day Scripture challenge, praying Ephesians 3:16–21 each day and asking God to help His truth reach the wounded, fearful or shame-filled places that have difficulty receiving His love.

Scripture discussed:

Jeremiah 31:3, Ephesians 1:4–5, John 15:9, Romans 8:31–39, Romans 8:1, 1 John 1:9, John 3:16, John 10:10, Ephesians 3:16–21

Find Jennifer's discussion of John 15:9 on the Your Daily Bible Verse HERE.

Let me know what you thought of this bonus episode. If the response warrants, I'll do more of these in the future. (Likely once or twice a month.)

Find Jennifer Slattery:

On her website

Instagram

Facebook

Amazon

Subscribe to her free newsletter

 

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Have you ever worried that you’ve disappointed God? Maybe you know intellectually that He loves you, yet past rejection, painful relationships or years of striving have made His delight difficult to experience. Bible teacher and Awaken Delight author Stephanie Rousselle shares how her own childhood wounds and performance-driven thinking created a disconnect between what she knew about God and what she could receive from Him.

Jennifer and Stephanie discuss the difference between knowing God loves us and living as if that truth is real. They explore why our failures don't surprise God, how confession can deepen rather than threaten our connection with Him, and how receiving His forgiveness and delight can free us from shame and exhausting spiritual striving. Discover how God can bring His truth into our wounded places and teach us, over time, to rest more securely in His love.

Resource referenced: Awaken Delight: Satisfying Your Soul's Longing for God

Stephanie also has a free gift for you! An in-depth 5-day email devotional to awaken your delight in God especially when life feels full of fear) AND a giveaway prize just for Faith Over Fear listeners! Find out more here:  https://www.gospelspice.com/faithoverfear 

Scripture discussed or referenced: Zephaniah 3:17, Romans 8:1, Mark 9:24, Psalm 34:8, Matthew 22:37–39 / Mark 12:30–31, Hebrews 12:2, Luke 15:11–32

Connect with Stephanie Rousselle:

On her website

On Instagram

On Facebook

Follow her work on Amazon

Find Jennifer Slattery:

On her website

Instagram

Facebook

Amazon

Subscribe to her free newsletter

 

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

When life takes a devastating turn, our pain can begin telling us things about God, ourselves and our future that simply aren’t true. Author and pediatric nurse practitioner Jackie M. Baker understands this firsthand. After losing her son Sebastian to suicide, Jackie faced profound grief, questions about what she could have done differently and the painful realization that she couldn’t control the choices or outcomes of those she loved. In this episode, she shares how God taught her to release control, challenge the lies grief whispered and trust Him when life looked nothing like she had hoped.

Jackie and Carol also discuss the unexpected losses many of us grieve—from relationships and careers to health, dreams and expectations—and how suffering can distort our identity and trap us in regret. Jackie shares practical ways God carried her forward, including Scripture, prayer, supportive relationships and daily routines, and explains why moving forward doesn’t mean forgetting what—or whom—we’ve lost. Most importantly, she reminds us that even when we can’t see light ahead, God remains with us in the darkness, offering a hope rooted in His presence rather than a particular outcome.

Featured Book: Messy Mourning: Hope for Mothers Grieving the Loss of a Child by Suicide

Bible Passages Discussed or referenced:

• Genesis 22:1–18 , Matthew 7:24–27, Hebrews 13:5, Philippians 4:8, 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 

If this episode resonated with you, you might find "Cultivating Hope to Endure Hard and Fear-Evoking Seasons" encouraging. 

Today's Guest, Jackie M. Bake,r is an author, pediatric nurse practitioner, wife and mother whose life and faith were profoundly impacted by the loss of her son, Sebastian, to suicide. Drawing from her personal experience with grief and her professional healthcare background, Jackie encourages others to find hope and move forward through life’s most painful seasons. She is the author of Messy Mourning: Hope for Mothers Grieving the Loss of a Child by Suicide and is passionate about helping hurting people recognize they aren’t alone and discover strength and hope in Christ.

Connect with Jackie M. Baker:

On her website

On Instagram

On Facebook

Follow her work on Amazon

Find Carol McCracken:

On her website 

On Facebook

On Instagram

 

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Have you ever felt relatively sure God was leading you toward something, only to have it turn out nothing like you expected? Maybe an opportunity disappeared, something you worked hard for failed or you waited so long that you’ve begun wondering whether you heard God correctly or did something to forfeit the call. In this episode of Faith Over Fear, Carol talks with Andy Lee, author of From Failure to Faith, about the difference between God’s call and the expectations we attach to it.

Drawing from Joshua 1:9, Carol and Andy discuss how disappointment, limitations, closed doors and waiting can cause us to question our calling and measure success by results God never promised. You’ll learn how to separate what God actually said from what you assumed He meant, recognize when a change of direction might be needed and how trust Him when the journey looks different than expected. Ultimately, Carol and Andy invite us to consider a better question: What does faithfulness look like from here?

If this episode encouraged you, you might also enjoy: "Courage to 'Do the Thing' with Rebecca George"

Connect with Andy Lee on:

Her website

Instagram

Facebook 

Follow her work on Amazon

 

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.