Fear becomes an idol when it takes the place where hope is supposed to live. When the darkness, the doubt, the failures, the lies of the enemy, and the grinding uncertainty of a hard season fill that space and squeeze hope out, fear is what's left. And a life without hope has stopped trusting that God is who he says he is. The specific fears I name for entrepreneurs aren't theoretical: I'm afraid of rejection every time I publish anything. I'm afraid of judgment, of not being qualified, of succeeding and then destroying it from the inside through pride or selfishness, and of God simply not coming through. Every one of those is daily. None of them have disappeared. What's changed is what I do with them: I take them captive. 2 Timothy 1:7 is the weapon: God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. And Hebrews 11:1 now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. The condition built into that definition is that you can't see it yet. Faith is the choice to be confident anyway.
Fear is different from the other idols in this series. Every time I turn on a mic, the anxiety is there: fear of rejection, fear of judgment, fear of not being qualified, fear of succeeding and sabotaging it from the inside, and fear of God simply not coming through. These don't go away. They show up every day. And the enemy uses exactly this to steal the one thing that makes everything else possible: hope.
The anchor for this episode comes from a women's Christmas dinner in 2015 or 2016, the darkest season of my life. Overdrawn accounts, a marriage in trouble, no direction, no confidence, no visible way forward. During a worship song, Hebrews 11:1 landed on me: now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. I repeated it over and over in my head. I couldn't see anything good. He said: there is something coming that you can't see yet. Be confident in it. That scripture carried me through a season where nothing else could. Change came slowly, then it changed everything. This episode closes the series with 2 Timothy 1:7: God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. That is the weapon.
- Fear and hope cannot coexist at full strength. When fear fills the space, hope shrinks. The enemy's strategy is not one dramatic attack but a slow draining: accumulated doubt, accumulated pressure, accumulated evidence that the thing you're afraid of might actually be true.
- The specific fears I name for entrepreneurs: fear of rejection, fear of judgment, fear of not being qualified, fear of succeeding and then sabotaging it, fear of God not coming through. These are not abstract. They are daily.
- 2 Timothy 1:7: God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. That's a statement about what's available. The spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in the believer. That is real power.
- Hebrews 11:1: now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. The condition is that you can't see it yet. Faith is the choice to be confident anyway. You don't need evidence first.
- Taking fearful thoughts captive is a discipline, not a feeling. It means redirecting from what you feel to what God's word says. The feelings change daily. The word does not. Train yourself to go to the more reliable source.
- The Christmas dinner in 2015 or 2016 was the darkest season of my life. Overdrawn accounts, a broken marriage, no direction, no confidence. God planted Hebrews 11:1 in me specifically in a season of silence. That scripture became something to stand on when the ground disappeared.
- This series isn't teaching. It's testimony. Ten ways I've personally failed to put God first, what it cost, and what he did through each one.
What is the idol of fear and how does it show up specifically for entrepreneurs?
Fear is the last idol in the series and it's distinct from all the others: it's not a good thing out of order. It's a bad thing given too much power. When the storm is loud enough, when the pressure is sustained enough, when the hard season has lasted long enough, hope starts to drain out. And when hope is gone, fear fills the space.
The fears show up every day. The enemy uses them as his primary tool: steal, kill, and destroy, and does it through the slow erosion of hope. Not through a dramatic attack but through accumulated doubt, accumulated pressure, accumulated evidence that looks like the thing you're afraid of might actually be true.
Fear becomes an idol when it's what you're actually living from. When the decisions you make and the things you hold back are determined more by what you're afraid of than by what God is asking you to do. When it displaces him from the center and puts itself there instead.
Faith is the confidence in what we hope for, it is assurance about what we do not see. And I was like, I don't see it, God, I don't see it, God, I don't see it. But you're telling me that there's something I'm going to see in the future, that it's going to come to pass, that it's going to get better, that it's not always going to look like this.
Amy Dardis, Episode 30How do you take fearful thoughts captive when the fear feels completely real?
I'm specific about the mechanics because I'm living this currently, not describing something I figured out years ago. I wake up some days feeling like I can't breathe, certain that nothing is going to work. Those thoughts feel completely real in the moment. They feel like information. And I have to choose in that moment to treat them as what they actually are: lies that need to be taken captive.
The tool I use is not a mindset technique. It's scripture. I ask: what does God's word say? Not what do I think, not what do I feel, but what does the Bible actually say? The passages I return to: lean not on your own understanding. Think about whatever is good, whatever is true, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable. I will fear no evil, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
2 Timothy 1:7 is the specific weapon for fear: God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. There is a discipline available, a choice to resist the fearful thoughts. And there's power available: the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. That is real power. It's not decorative language. It's a description of what's actually available.
What do you do when hope is gone and there is no visible way forward?
My life was a wreck at that point. Overdrawn accounts. A marriage that wasn't working. No direction, no confidence, no visible path forward. During a worship song, Hebrews 11:1 came to me.
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. I repeated it over and over. I cried it out. I couldn't see anything good in my life. God was saying: there is something you're going to see. You just can't see it yet. Be confident in it. That's the move: not optimism based on evidence, but faith based on his character and his word.
That scripture is a promise. Something to stand on when the ground disappears. And I stood on it. Not because my circumstances confirmed it. Because it was true regardless of my circumstances.
For the person in that place: find the promises. Not the inspirational quotes. The actual words of God in scripture that apply to your situation. Stand on them. Repeat them. They do not return void. He is faithful, even when you can't see how.
What is the main lesson from the whole idols series?
The through-line that has run through all ten episodes in this series is always the same question: where is your hope? Business. Your own strength. Approval. Control. Advice. Pride. Ambition. Money. Comfort. Fear. Ten different ways the heart can quietly replace God with something else. But the diagnosis and the cure are the same every time.
The diagnosis: you've given something more power, prominence, and influence over your life than God. It doesn't have to be a bad thing. Most of the things in this series aren't bad things. They're good things in the wrong position. Business is good. Hard work is good. Comfort is good. These become idols when they occupy the place that belongs to God.
And the series itself is testimony, not teaching. These aren't the ten things you need to do to avoid idols. They're ten places I failed to put God first, what it cost me, and what God did through each one. The series exists so that other people in their cars or on their walks can hear that they are not alone in these battles, and that God is faithful through them.
Resources mentioned
- Ep 29 — The Idol of Comfort — Previous episode: what God strips away before he builds something new
- Ep 20 — Idols in Entrepreneurship: When Good Things Take God's Place — Series intro: what an idol is and why this matters
- Free Hiring Resources
Full transcript
I'm your host, Amy Dardis. And in today's episode, we are continuing on in our series of idols in entrepreneurship and business. And today we're diving into the idol of fear. An idol is an object or a concept that we give a higher priority than God. It's anything we rely on for blessing, help, or guidance instead of God. It's anything that consumes our heart, our thoughts, or our devotion more than God. And it's any good thing, or in today's case, definitely a bad thing, that we elevate to a position where we give it more power, more prominence, more influence in our life over God.
The question ends up being, where's our hope? Is our hope in God? Or when it comes to fear, the question is, have we lost our hope? Are we allowing fear and doubt to rule our hearts and minds? And it's because life comes at us and the storms come at us and the stress comes at us, and we can be going through a really uncomfortable, difficult season where God is trying to grow us, he is trying to stretch us and develop us, but it's dark, it's lonely, it's isolating, it's filled with looking at yourself in the mirror and seeing all of these things in your heart and really being wrecked by it, really being devastated by just the sin in your life or all the messes and all the mistakes, and just realizing how far from enough you are. And then that feeling, that mindset, it can start to take over and it can start to grip you, body and soul, and it can become consuming and it can become paralyzing. And then we sink into this hole, and it's hard to imagine ever getting out of it. And we start to lose our hope. We start to believe the lies of the enemy.
And we see the storm and we see the waves, and instead of getting out of the boat when God asks us to, we grip to it and we go down with the ship. And man, that's something I've wrestled with my entire life, but definitely my entire journey as an entrepreneur in such difficult seasons. There's been different sources of fear. There was starting and stopping so many different times because I was afraid, like afraid of failing, afraid that if I gave it all, if I poured my heart and soul into something, if I was truly authentic, then it wasn't going to be enough, that I was going to be rejected. Honestly, that fear grips me every day, every time I turn this podcast on. It is right there. The anxiety wells up. I'm terrified of the rejection. I'm terrified that I'm going to give it everything I have, and it's not going to be enough.
And then there's the fear of judgment, that I'm going to put it out there, and not only am I going to get rejected, but people are going to be like, what are you talking about, or this doesn't make sense, or you just live in la la land. And there is this criticism out there, there is this negativity out there. There are people who are going to hear this and think those things. They are going to judge me. And there is a fear of mine in that that has held me back, kept me from showing up authentically, kept me from saying the things I want the way I want to say it. There's the fear that I'm not qualified, that I don't have the experience or the credibility to talk about these things or to be listened to. And no matter how hard I try, I'm just never going to be smart enough, talented enough, good enough or qualified enough to make it happen.
And then there's the fear of actual success. Like there's the fear that it does work and that I'm not worthy, that I am not going to be able to handle it, that it's going to be too much for me, that it's going to eat at my pride or my selfish ambition is going to rear its ugly head and I'm going to destruct, I'm going to sabotage, it's going to fall apart from the inside out, and it's going to be because of me, because of my sinful nature. What if I don't abide in him? What if I veer off? What if I get distracted? What if I become selfish and hurt people and mess it up? Or there's the fear that God won't provide, that no matter how much I want him to, no matter how much I want him to open doors, there's always this fear that's like, what if he doesn't? What if he doesn't open those doors? What if he doesn't make a way? What if he doesn't part the Red Sea? When we stand there and have to make that decision to step out in faith, there is this voice that says, what if I fall and he doesn't catch me? And that's the enemy, that's our sinful nature, that's our human doubt creeping in.
And we have a choice to decide whether or not we're going to listen to those thoughts or we're going to take those thoughts captive, recognizing what is the truth, where is our source of truth? And it's like, okay, for me, I believe the source of truth is the Bible. I believe that I can trust in his word. I believe that I can stand on the promises of God. I believe I can stand on scripture and say, this is truth, like everything else in the world. My thoughts are not true, my feelings are not true. They are fallible, they are inconsistent. I cannot trust myself. And sometimes that terrifies me because I've been so inconsistent before. I've thought one thing one day and was completely sure about it. And then two weeks later, I'm like, nope, I had that wrong. And so I've come to know this about myself that I just can't be trusted. There are days when I wake up and I feel great and empowered and motivated and positive and peaceful. And then there are days when I wake up and I feel like the weight of the world is on my chest and I can't breathe. And I'm like, nothing's going to work out, no one's going to want this, no one's going to listen. And I have to choose in that moment to recognize what's happening. I have to take those thoughts captive, make them obedient to Christ.
And that's like I have to force myself to do that and to be like, okay, what does God's word say? He says, lean not on your own understanding. Trust the Lord with all your heart. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he'll show you what path to take. And God will help us soar like on wings like eagles. I will fear no evil. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, like I will fear no evil. Having to meditate on his word, having to know what his word is, having to be in the word to get through this season, to get through those really hard days, and to recognize like what I'm allowing into my mind, what I'm allowing to permeate there.
The Bible also says think about whatever is good, whatever is true, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable. Think about these things. Don't allow the worries and the stresses of this world. The Bible says do not worry. Like don't worry about tomorrow. Don't worry about what you're going to eat or drink or wear. And so I have to remind myself of these things in these moments and just go back to: this is what is true. And it's easy to get caught up in those things, especially when you're in a season where you look around in your life, it's not pretty.
I remember back in, I think it was like 2015 or 2016, I went to a women's Christmas dinner, and I was in a super hard season of my life. And I was there and there was a worship song going on, and I saw no way out. I saw no future, no path, no hope. This is when my life was a wreck. My husband and I were not on the same page, not doing well, our business was not okay. I was angry and bitter, struggling in every area of my life. I didn't know the first thing about business. I didn't know the first thing about myself. I was so lost and so frustrated and so angry, and I felt so stuck, and I had no answers. And during this song, I feel like this was like one of the first times I maybe really heard God speak to me. Like I'm sure he spoke to me before, but I remember that being a big thing where I was remembering Hebrews 11:1: now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
And it was almost like in that moment, God was like: that's what faith is. Like, I am telling you to be confident in what you hope for. I am giving you this promise, this word that things are going to change, that your life will not always look like this, that there is something to hope for, and that you can be confident, you can have assurance about what you do not see. And so this song is playing, and I have no idea what the song was at the time, but it was just over and over and over in my head. Like, faith is the confidence in what we hope for, it is assurance about what we do not see. And I was like, I don't see it, God, I don't see it, God, I don't see it. But you're telling me that there's something I'm going to see in the future, that it's going to come to pass, that it's going to get better, that it's not always going to look like this.
And that scripture carried me through. It gave me this anchor, this peace, this hope: I realize I don't see anything good in my life anymore, but I know God told me, he gave me this promise, he gave me this peace that I'm going to see change. I am going to see these circumstances change. And they did. In a season of tremendous darkness and isolation and anger and bitterness and disconnect and brokenness and financial distress, in this season that was so incredibly ugly, God poured into it and he changed it. Not all at once. But it started with just abiding in him. Just sinking my roots down into him and growing in him and letting him change my heart, letting him renew my mind, writing scripture on my heart, meditating on it.
And then little by little by little, every area of my life started to change. My family started to change, my marriage started to change, my business started to change, my own sense of purpose and worth and identity started to change because I started to find myself in him. And again, we're talking about years here of little changes over time, not like one big significant moment. Change and growth is subtle and it's slow. It's just the way that a plant grows: a seed is planted, and before we ever see the plant come up out of the ground, the roots start to grow underground. And we can't see what's happening, but those roots are incredibly important. And then we start to see it sprout up out of the ground, and then it gets bigger and bigger, and then it starts to produce fruit. It's this very slow, gradual process.
And as I've walked with God and gone through different seasons, I go back to this season so much because it was so fundamental in shaping my faith and my relationship with God. Really teaching me about what faith is: not just believing that God exists, not just believing that he died for my sins, but believing that he makes a way, believing that he walks with me through it all, believing that he has the power to heal, to save, to provide, to love and give grace and mercy. And that he's there in my life, in my relationships, in my family, in my home, in my business, orchestrating all of these things together. It's beyond what I can imagine, it is beyond what I can comprehend.
It's always coming back to this: where is my hope? And am I even hoping in something, and not getting to a point where I've allowed the lies, the darkness, the pain and the brokenness to wipe it out, to snuff it out. It's fanning that flame, keeping it alive, putting my hope in Jesus. And even in this past year, going through just an incredibly difficult season, I can go back to these other stories, these other times where I didn't see what God was doing then, but he saw me through, and I can see now all of the ways that these different pieces worked out and worked together. And I'm amazed by it. And so I know that whatever he's doing now is going to make sense. It doesn't make sense right now. But I know that it will. And even though I know that, still walking through a season where we don't see it, walking through a season where you look around and you see brokenness and despair and depression and anxiety and not enough money in the bank and the bills piling up, and it's like, God, are you going to come through? Can I trust you to come through?
There have been definitely like days this past year where I woke up and I just feel numb and feel lost and honestly have no idea what to do next. And even then, God saw me through. It was just one day at a time. Even now it is one day at a time. It's waking up and saying, give us this day our daily bread. Like, help me to be productive, intentional, purposeful, peaceful, joyful today. Help me to abide in you today, making sure I'm reading the Bible today, making sure I'm praying today, and just not thinking about tomorrow.
We do have to have self-control over our mind. And 2 Timothy says: for God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So God doesn't give us a spirit of fear. We have his spirit in us, and it is filled with power, love, and self-discipline. So there is a discipline there to control my mind, to control my thoughts, to resist the devil, to use the full armor of God, to be in the word, to be praying actively, not reactively but proactively, to have faith, to be confident in what he can do. And it's this spirit of power. The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us. He lives in us. He lives in me. He's alive. Like that is real power at work in our life. Beyond what we can really even comprehend how powerful it is. So it's like I'm not going to give in to this fear. I'm not going to give in to this doubt. And I need the power of God to help me fight that battle. It's an act of war. It's an act of faith. It's like a battle cry to say, I will put my hope in God. I will not allow my hope to be taken away from me.
And that ends up being just I think it's the fight for everything. And that's how we keep God first. That's how we have to fight all of these battles and these idols. And really that is going to wrap up this series on idols. It's not because I don't have any other ones, it's just when I sat down and really prayed about this series and these idols, those were the ones that God put on my heart to share. But it's just a reminder: anything can become an idol, anything that we give power, prominence, or influence over God in our life. And it's not something that we just figure out one time and then we're good to go. Like it is something where every day we have to be aware. We can't allow the enemy to distract us because that's what he's going to do. Just a slow distraction, just a little bit here, a little bit there. And more often than not, the enemy uses things that are good, not bad in and of themselves. So it's easy to kind of justify it, easy to kind of slide down this slope. But we have to bring our attention back to it: how much power, influence, and prominence am I giving this in my life? Even if it's something that it's just your own mind, it's just your own thoughts, it's just your own fear. How much control are you letting that have over your life more than what the truth says, more than what the truth leads us into? And just fighting every day to make God first, to put him first, to love him with all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our mind, with all of our strength, and to use that love and that focus on him to have the power and the love to be able to love other people in this life and through our business and through our families and through how we show up and how we serve and our giftings. That's what we're here on earth to do. That's what he's called us to do. So as always, you can learn more at clearauthenticbrands.com. That's all for today. See you next time.