Today I am extremely excited to feature an interview with author and speaker Grace Fox! Author of Moving from Fear to Freedom: A Woman’s Guide to Peace in Every Situation, I jumped at the chance to have Grace on as a guest writer. In her interview you’ll learn more about her book, as well as practical ways you can overcome fear in your own life. You won’t want to miss the many insights she has, so stop by her website as well at www.gracefox.com.
Please check back next Monday for a special guest post from Grace, and keep a lookout for my review of Moving from Fear to Freedom.
And now, here’s Grace!
Moving from Fear to Freedom:
A Woman-to-Woman Conversation
Has fear kept you awake at night? Has it hindered you from saying yes to a new opportunity? Has it caused you to make impulsive choices you later regretted? If so, you’re not alone!
Fear is a big deal for many women. If left unchecked, it can prevent us from fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives. So, what’s the answer? How can we move beyond fear into freedom?
Grace Fox, author of four books including Moving from Fear to Freedom: A Woman’s Guide to Peace in Every Situation, shares the answers in her newly released DVD and study guide titled Moving from Fear to Freedom: A Woman-to-Woman Conversation.
Q: Fear seems to be an ever-present theme throughout the Bible. Describe the difference between healthy and unhealthy fear.
A: Healthy fear steers us toward wise decisions and actions. It promotes self-preservation. For example, we look both ways before crossing the street for fear of getting hit by a car. In contrast, unhealthy fear hinders our ability to fully embrace life. It causes sleeplessness, steals our peace, and can literally make us sick.
Q: How does destructive fear stunt our emotional or spiritual growth?
A: Destructive fear—the fear of rejection, for instance—might keep us from admitting to someone that we’ve been physically or sexually abused. Without receiving the help we need to deal with those issues, we never experience freedom. Our struggles might seriously hamper our ability to truly love and receive love in a marital relationship.This is just one example among many of how our emotional growth is affected.
Spiritually, fear can cause us to say no to God-given dreams or assignments because we’re afraid of personal inadequacy or financial insecurity. If we never step out in faith, then we never experience God’s ability to equip and provide in amazing ways. Spiritual growth comes when we say yes to God and “do it afraid.”
Q: Your small group resource contains seven sessions. The first is an overview of fear. The next six look at six key areas where women face their greatest fears. What are these? And what was the top fear women expressed?
A: The top fear expressed was the fear for our family’s well-being. I can relate to that! The other five sessions discuss the following specific fears:
fear of personal inadequacy
fear of rejection
fear of facing the ghosts of our past
fear of the storms of life
fear of an unknown future
Q: You faced a frightening situation with your newborn daughter. Tell us about that. How did you overcome your fear for her well-being?
A: My husband and I lived in Nepal for nearly three years in the 80s. Our second child was born there with hydrocephalus (too much water on the brain). She needed immediate surgery to relieve pressure from her brain, but that surgery was unavailable in Nepal. That meant an immediate return to North America. Trouble was, the international airlines refused to issue me a ticket because I’d had a Caesarean delivery and was now considered a medical high risk. As a result, my husband took our baby back to North America when she was three days old. I remained in Kathmandu not knowing whether she’d be alive when I returned six days later.
How did I deal with my fear for her well-being? I cried out to God for help. He answered with the lyrics of the hymn, “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” Those lyrics didn’t promise that everything would be fine, but they reminded me of God’s promise to be faithful no matter what. I let those lyrics wash through my mind, and as they did, they calmed my fears. That’s the shortened version of the story!
Q: You suggest we need to place our focus on God and not on fear. In practical terms, how do we do this?
A: Several strategies that I’ve found helpful…
Write Scripture promises on 3×5 cards and post them where we see them often. Readers can visit my website for a free downloadable of Scriptures about overcoming fear.
Memorize Scripture promises and meditate on them throughout the day and as we fall asleep at night. We are transformed as our mind is renewed.
Fill our homes with praise and worship music.
Spend time in God’s word on a regular basis, not just when we’re in a panic. The more we do so, the more familiar we become with His promises and the better prepared we are to face our fear-filled circumstances when they come.
Talk to the Lord throughout the day. Invite Him into the mundane. Practice His presence. The more we get to know Him, the more we’re able to trust Him in the face of fear.
Q: Most of us feel inadequate at times. You suggest we cannot use our inadequacies as an excuse for not participating with God’s purposes. How do we get past this?
A: We get past our fear of inadequacy by admitting we have it! Then we need to retrain our thinking to focus on God’s adequacies rather than our inadequacies.
Tell God how we feel. “Help! I don’t think I can do such-and-such!”
Tell a trusted friend and ask her to pray for us.
Move forward. Do it afraid and expect God to equip you.
Q: Where can I buy this study?
A:
Christian bookstores, www.amazon.com, www.christianbooks.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, www.winepressbooks.com, and my website: http://www.gracefox.com/books/moving-from-fear-to-freedom-a-woman-to-woman-conversation-guide/I offer group and ministry discounts.
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Grace Fox lives in Abbotsford, BC. She’s the author of four books, a DVD-based Bible study, and hundreds of articles published in magazines including Focus on the Family and Power for Living. She’s also a popular speaker at international women’s events and the national co-director of International Messengers Canada, a mission agency that promotes creative short-term and career service opportunities in Eastern Europe.
www.facebook.com/gracefox.author
