Faith Over Fear

Panic attacks can leave us gasping for breath, desperately praying for peace, and perpetually bracing ourselves for the next unexpected attack. If that's you, you'd probably do about anything to break free from these deeply unsettling anxiety bursts. Today's guest, Wendy Speake gets it! But Christ showed her a way out! What if something as simple as prioritizing praise could lead to lasting peace?...

Have you ever felt like everyone else experiences a deeper connection with God than you do? You pray, read Scripture, and seek Him, yet struggle to sense His presence or experience His love beyond an intellectual understanding. This can leave you wondering if you're doing something wrong or if something within you is preventing you from drawing closer to Him. But what if past wounds, shame, and se...

What do you do when you genuinely want to follow God's will but aren't certain what He's telling you to do? Maybe you've prayed, sought wise counsel and searched Scripture, yet you're still afraid of making the wrong decision. Or perhaps you believed God was leading you in a particular direction, stepped forward in obedience and encountered unexpected obstacles that left you questioning whether yo...

When God seems silent, especially during painful or frightening seasons, we might wonder if He's distant, disappointed in us or simply doesn't care. And when anxiety fills our minds with worst-case scenarios, sensing His presence can feel even more difficult. In this episode of Faith Over Fear , author and speaker Judy Dunagan shares how God met her during a season of intense fear and reminded her...

Have you ever worried you misheard God or that one wrong decision could take you outside His will? Maybe you're facing several good options, struggling to know which direction to take or stuck in an exhausting cycle of second-guessing. Bible teacher and author Erica Wiggenhorn joins Jennifer Slattery to share a personal experience of seeking God's direction during a painful family season and what...

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 s...

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...

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 interse...

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,...

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...

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, know...

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...

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 an...

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...

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 o...

When responsibilities pile up and the people and circumstances you care about feel dependent on you, it can be easy to slip from faithful diligence into anxious striving. We work harder, plan further ahead, and try to control outcomes, often without realizing fear is driving our efforts. In this episode of Faith Over Fear , Jennifer Slattery talks with Bible teacher and bestselling author Dr. Tara...

When life feels uncertain, our minds often race toward worst-case scenarios. But Scripture repeatedly directs our attention away from shifting circumstances and back to the unchanging character of God. In this episode, Jennifer Slattery sits down with theologian Dr. Malcolm Yarnell to explore how God's attributes—His presence, sovereignty, goodness, and faithfulness—provide a secure fo...

Many of us fear that our deepest wounds will permanently define us and we'll never again experience joy. A betrayal. A divorce. A devastating loss. A season that changed everything. We wonder: Will I ever be okay again? Will I ever trust again? Will I always carry this pain? In this honest conversation, Carol sits down with her pastor, Jim Kinder, to discuss what healing really looks like and how...

Life feels okay. So why do you still feel overwhelmed? Maybe you're constantly on edge. Maybe your body won't relax. Maybe you find yourself carrying the weight of heartbreaking headlines, other people's pain, or experiences you thought you'd already moved past. If you've ever wondered why you feel exhausted even when nothing seems "wrong," this conversation will help you understand what may be ha...

What do you do when someone who hurt you never apologizes, never changes, or never acknowledges the pain they caused? For many of us, that's where forgiveness becomes most difficult. We know we're supposed to forgive, but we wrestle with questions like: Does forgiveness mean what they did was okay? Do I have to reconcile with someone who continues to hurt me? How do I let go when the wound still f...

What do you do when the assignment God places before you feels far bigger than your strength? Whether you're facing a difficult conversation, an overwhelming season, a ministry opportunity, or a step of obedience that feels impossible, fear can convince you that everything depends on you. But Scripture paints a very different picture. God never calls us to rely on our own sufficiency. He invites u...

Sometimes relationships remain painfully stuck despite our prayers, countless conversations, forgiveness and every effort to make things better. When someone we love continues in unhealthy patterns, we can find ourselves replaying every interaction, questioning our decisions and wondering if we simply haven't tried or prayed hard enough. Or, we might question our perspective, wondering if we're be...

Why do difficult relationships trigger so much fear, frustration and anxiety? In this episode of Faith Over Fear , Carol McCracken sits down with Bible teacher and author Kathy Howard to discuss how walking with the Holy Spirit transforms the way we handle conflict, misunderstandings and relational tension. Together, they explore why our instinct is often self-protection, how to trust God when con...

Some relationships leave us feeling anxious, emotionally drained and unsure how to move forward. We want to love well, extend grace and remain faithful to God's call, yet we often find ourselves carrying burdens that were never ours to bear. In this episode, Jennifer Slattery sits down with pastor, author and biblical counselor Brad Hambrick to discuss what healthy boundaries are, what they aren't...

In this opening episode of our new  Faith Over Fear  series,  Relational Peace: Loving Others Without Losing Yourself , Carol sits down with Bible teacher and author Becky Harling for an honest conversation about the subtle ways we lose ourselves inside relationships. Together, they explore how fear, people-pleasing, overfunctioning, and the pressure to keep everyone happy...