As we enter a new year, many people are searching for faith over fear, looking for a Christian perspective on anxiety, uncertainty, and how to trust God when the future feels unclear. A new year brings fresh possibilities—but it also brings questions about health, finances, relationships, world events, and personal purpose that can quietly stir fear beneath the surface.

In this powerful New Year episode of Designed 4 More, Dr. Tim Jennings and Brett Durbin explore what it truly means to choose faith over fear—not as a slogan, but as a way of thinking, living, and trusting. This conversation goes beyond positive thinking and addresses the real psychological and spiritual forces that shape how we respond to the unknown.

You’ll discover that fear is not just an emotion—it’s a survival response that can hijack decision-making, distort perception, and shrink our vision for the future. Faith, by contrast, is not denial of reality; it is alignment with truth. When faith is grounded in God’s design, it brings clarity, courage, and peace even when circumstances remain uncertain.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

✅ Why fear feels so powerful at times of transition and change

✅ How the brain processes uncertainty and threat

✅ The difference between blind optimism and authentic faith

✅ How fear subtly influences decisions, habits, and relationships

✅ Why trust is essential for emotional and spiritual health

✅ Practical ways to retrain the mind to respond with faith

✅ How choosing faith reshapes hope, resilience, and purpose

💭 How These Topics Affect You Daily

As the calendar turns, many people feel pressure to “get it right” this time—new goals, new habits, new expectations. But fear often sneaks in disguised as caution, control, or perfectionism. It whispers questions like: What if I fail again? What if things fall apart? What if I’m not enough?

When fear leads, the mind narrows its focus. You play it safe. You delay decisions. You settle for less than what God designed you for. Over time, fear can quietly become the lens through which you view the future—robbing you of joy, creativity, and spiritual confidence.

Choosing faith over fear doesn’t mean ignoring challenges; it means interpreting them through trust instead of threat. Faith allows you to step forward without having all the answers. It helps you respond rather than react, hope rather than panic, and grow rather than retreat. This episode equips you to begin the year with a renewed mindset—one rooted in courage, peace, and purpose.

• Fear & the Brain – The amygdala reacts quickly to perceived threats, often overriding logic and long-term thinking. Learning to calm this response restores clarity and wise decision-making.

• Uncertainty & Anxiety – Studies show that fear of the unknown triggers more stress than known difficulties. Faith-based trust reduces anxiety by restoring a sense of meaning and safety.

• Neuroplasticity & Choice – Repeated faith-centered responses form new neural pathways, strengthening emotional regulation and resilience.

• Hope & Motivation – Hope activates the brain’s reward and planning systems, increasing perseverance and optimism for the future.

The new year doesn’t require perfection—it requires direction. Fear keeps you stuck in the past, replaying what went wrong. Faith invites you forward, trusting that growth happens one step at a time. God never intended fear to be your guide. He designed faith to anchor your mind, steady your heart, and open your future.

You don’t have to know everything to move forward. You simply have to trust the One who does.

You were Designed 4 More—more courage, more peace, more purpose, and more faith than fear.