Perfect love casts out fear: What does ‘perfect love’ actually mean, and can it really push fear out like a cannonball? Pastor Tom and Joshua take that bold line from 1 John and pair it with Isaiah’s promise of perfect peace to show how wholehearted trust rewires our hearts and minds. They trace real examples-newborn devotion, Christ on the cross, people meeting death without terror-and connect those images to daily practices: fixing your thoughts on God, serving others, and choosing fascination over flight. The episode also dives into brain-friendly counsel-how renewing the mind (Romans 12:2) helps truth lead emotion-and practical next steps to make space for faith to grow. If you’ve ever felt judged by spiritual language, you’ll appreciate their grace-forward explanation and pastoral stories that make theology feel safe and true. Perfect love is a posture and a power-discover how to step into it. Listen now.

Discussion Questions:

1. Share a small fear you had this week-how did you respond?

2. What stood out to you about the idea that fear and faith are on a pendulum?

3. Have you ever had a ‘face-the-wall’ moment like Hezekiah? What helped you through it?

4. What would radical honesty with God look like for you this week?

5. When anxiety rises, how can you practice ‘speaking truth to yourself’ before listening to emotion?

6. In what area are you currently working on a ‘plan B’ because of fear, and how could you redirect that energy toward God’s plan A?

7. How does the reality of your death motivate your priorities-spiritually, relationally, physically, and missionally?

8. Choose one takeaway from this episode (e.g., make a list of fears to lay before God, serve in a ministry) and share one concrete step you will take before next group.

Worry and anxiety are the silent weight many of us carry daily, and in this episode Dr. Tom Pound pulls apart Jesus' teaching in Matthew 6 to show how faith actually frees us from that weight. We explore the Greek word marimnao—how it can be a healthy care, an anxious distraction, or a crippling perpetual worry—and why Jesus tells us to stop living like pagans frantically running after needs. Tom walks through cultural drivers of modern anxiety (the pandemic, smartphones, and certain parenting messages), gives honest pushback about hard situations, and then points to a counterintuitive cure: seek first God’s kingdom. You’ll get practical steps for daily living—how to partner with God by doing your part without being consumed by fear—and the comforting reminder that each day has enough pressure of its own. Whether you’re trapped in chronic worry or want better tools to support someone who is, this episode offers compassion, truth, and actionable faith. Listen now.

Discussion Questions:

1. What modern factors Tom mentions (pandemic, technology, parenting) do you see affecting your life or your community's anxiety levels?
2. Read Matthew 6:25–34. What phrase in these verses stands out to you and why?
3. In what ways might you be 'running after' needs (epi zetaō) instead of 'seeking first' God’s kingdom (proton zetaō)?
4. If someone in the group admits they feel trapped by perpetual worry, how can the group respond with both compassion and practical help?
5. What is one concrete habit you can adopt this week to 'seek God first' in your present moment (morning prayer, Sabbath practice, attention management)?

Overcoming fear is presented not just as theology but as a doable habit in this episode of You Matter. Dr. Tom Pound and Laura King translate Pastor Tevis’s sermon into everyday practices: memorized truth-phrases for stressful moments (for example, "God has already given me all the time I need"), praying Scripture with your own name, using music to re-center your mind, and seeking wise counsel when fretting gets loud. We explore the emotional arc of Acts 16—from exasperation and humiliation to worship and rejoicing—and underscore that faith and fear compete for your focus. The conversation is honest and relatable, especially for parents and caregivers who know midnight moments well. Practical takeaways include preparing in advance (training your mind and heart), using gratitude as an interrupt, and committing to redirecting focus toward God when fear arrives. If you need encouragement on how to move from anxious thoughts to faithful action, this episode equips you with spiritual disciplines and real-life examples. Listen now.

1. What’s one small thing that helps you reset your mood when a stressful day turns overwhelming?
2. Read Acts 16:16–26. What stands out to you about Paul and Silas’s response while imprisoned?
3. Which phrase from the episode (“speak the truth to yourself,” “redirect your focus,” or a go-to prayer) resonated most with you and why?
4. Do you tend to think before you feel, feel before you think, or act first? How does that affect how you handle fear?
5. What is one scripture or short truth-phrase you could memorize to say in your next ‘midnight moment’? How will you practice it?

Surrounded by anxiety and shame? Overcoming fear means naming the lies fear whispers and giving them to God. In this episode, Dr. Tom Pound walks through five common insecurities—not being good enough, body image, fear of failure, relationship rejection/abandonment, and financial/career insecurity—and gives a Christian response rooted in Scripture. You’ll hear practical steps: become radically honest with God, write out your burdens, pray over your day, and try a simple breathing prayer Dr. Tom uses when cortisol narrows his vision. He also contrasts two biblical and historical leaders—Hezekiah and George Washington—asking whether different crises demand different actions, different personalities, or a cultural “work-first” American tendency to over-exert. The episode blends biblical insight, pastoral honesty, and actionable takeaways so you can stop letting fear speak for you. If you’re ready to lay down what’s weighing you down and rest in God’s care, listen now.

Discussion Questions:

1. Which of the five insecurities mentioned (not good enough, body image, fear of failure, rejection/abandonment, financial/career) do you remember struggling with first in life and why?
2. Which of the five insecurities is most prevalent for you today and how does it show up in your behavior or decisions?
3. How does John 15:5 (“apart from me you can do nothing”) reframe the fear of not being good enough for you?
4. Dr. Pound describes a breathing prayer—’God has given me all the time I need to do everything that needs to be done.’ Try it together and share what you noticed afterward.
5. In times you felt ‘surrounded,’ did you tend to adopt a Hezekiah approach (give it to God, rest) or a Washington approach (do everything you can, work through it)? Why?
6. Do you think ‘pray like it depends on God; work like it depends on you’ is helpful or harmful? Where have you seen that mindset cause harm or good?
7. What practical step will you take this week to ‘lay down’ one specific fear at God’s feet? (Examples: write a list, pray daily, tell a trusted friend.)
8. How can this group pray for each person’s specific insecurities this week, and what accountability will you set to follow up next meeting?

In this episode of You Matter, Dr. Tom Pound goes deeper on the story of Jonah and the fear that often keeps us from fully surrendering to God. Through personal stories, biblical teaching, and practical reflection, he explores how fear can show up as pressure, worry, anxiety, dread, and even avoidance. The episode highlights how Jonah’s story reveals both God’s mercy and the human tendency to think we know better than God. Dr. Tom also unpacks what it means to be called by God and how believers can respond with rapid, radical obedience.

Discussion Questions:

1. Where in your life are you feeling pressure that could turn into worry, anxiety, or fear if you do not attend to it?

2. When do you most often lose conscious connection with God, and what role does fear play in that?

3. Of the seven callings Pastor Tom listed — grow, give and serve, be an example, witness, experience inner healing, love, and forgive — which one challenged you most?

4. Are you afraid of what full surrender to God might cost you, and what would rapid, radical obedience look like this week?

What do you do when fear feels bigger than your faith? In this episode, Dr. Tom Pound and Mark Labutis unpack the second biblical pathway to overcoming fear: knowing God is with you and trusting Him to help you. Through stories of COVID isolation, fatherhood, spiritual warfare, and personal pressure, they explore how faith becomes practical in real moments of anxiety and uncertainty. Mark brings a grounded perspective on legacy, presence, and reframing fear through the promises of God.

Discussion Questions:

1. When have you experienced God strengthening, helping, or upholding you in a difficult season?

2. What does the story of Elisha and his servant in 2 Kings 6 teach us about unseen spiritual realities?

3. How can fear cause us to forget that God is present with us?

4. What is one specific fear you need to name, write down, and surrender to God?

In this solo episode of You Matter, Pastor Tom goes deeper into the topic of fear and the first biblical pathway for building faith that conquers it: worship. Using the story of Jehoshaphat, he explores how even godly people face terrifying circumstances, but fear does not have to define the response. The episode unpacks how gathering people, fasting, praying, and surrendering our battles to God can shift us from panic to trust. Pastor Tom also challenges listeners to reexamine the role of daily and weekly worship in their lives, not as a routine, but as spiritual warfare. If you are facing a battle, this episode is a reminder that you do not have to fight alone.

Discussion Questions:

1. What is one “battle” in your life right now that you have been trying to fight alone?
2. When fear shows up in your life, do you tend to isolate, seek control, pray, worship, or invite others in?
3. Dr. Pound talked about fasting as a way to seek God, gain clarity, and demonstrate seriousness. Is there a form of fasting that might help you refocus on God in this season?
4. What role does worship currently play in your daily life, and what would it look like to treat worship as a weapon against fear rather than just a Sunday activity?