7 Questions for Overcoming Fear

Adapting Ferriss's "Fear Setting" framework for a Christian audience

We are made in the image of God (see Genesis 1:26).

In his book Created to Dream, pastor Rick Warren suggests that “the ability to dream and create something out of nothing” (page 3) is one of the most important aspects of human nature. It’s how we most reflect our Creator.

Warren even connects dreaming with faith (page 6).

But when it comes to pursuing our dreams, too often we let fear stop us – not only from achieving our dreams, but from even starting on them.

We fear failure, rejection, ridicule.

We fear not being good enough.

And that amazing dream just seems so… daunting.

So, what can we do?

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Although the Bible is any Christian’s ultimate source of guidance and inspiration, we can often get helpful tips from both Christian and secular teachers and researchers.

In the fall of 2021, I had a divinely serendipitous month in which several things collided:

1. I memorized 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but [one] of power, love, and self-control” (which is now Living by Lamplight’s Memory Verse for this month).

2. I heard an interview with Ryan Holiday on the Afford Anything podcast (Episode 341, October 2, 2021).

3. I then read Holiday’s book Courage Is Calling.

4. The book reminded me of the “fear setting” framework of Tim Ferriss, in The 4-Hour Workweek.

5. I noticed several of my recent memory verses could provide a pretty good “spiritual pep talk,” and I wondered if I could create a Christian version of Ferriss’s framework.

And so, I did. I even wrote a version of this article for my church’s blog in January 2023. Writing posts for my church’s blog was one of the early steps I took toward fulfilling my long-time dream of writing.

Let’s look at a practical exercise that can help more of us get started on our Big Dream. The first step is to answer seven questions.

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1. What is it you want to do, but have been putting off because of fear?

Most of us have a dream: to write a novel, start a business, retire to an exotic location, or whatever. Or, we might believe we have a calling, such as serving as a missionary or becoming a pastor.

We’ve probably expressed our dream in these terms: “One of these days, I’m going to…”

Unfortunately, as Rick Warren says, “’One of these days’ is ‘none of these days.’”

But when fear tries to stop us from starting, we need to remember that the most common command in the Bible is, “Don’t be afraid.”

If we pray about it and believe it’s something God wants us to pursue (or, at least, He isn’t against us pursuing it), then we should remember the words of David:

Be delighted with the Lord. Then he will give you all your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him to help you do it, and he will. (Verses 4-5, TLB)

Of course, this verse shouldn’t be taken as evidence of the Prosperity Gospel. God doesn’t sign blank checks and give them to us to cash in. For example, take note of the emphasis on our relationship to God: “Be delighted with the Lord… Commit everything you do to the Lord…”

There are conditions presented in these verses.

But also recall 2 Timothy 1:7, “God did not give us a spirit of fear…”

God wants us to trust Him, and to go forth boldly. Plus, as we’ll soon see, there can be negative consequences for not pursuing our dream.

2. What is it costing you – emotionally, physically, financially – to postpone action?

Regret is a terrible – yet powerful – thing.

In Stumbling on Happiness, Daniel Gilbert reports that people overwhelmingly regret the things they didn’t do in life instead of the things they did (page 197).

In fact, all the regrets in Bronnie Ware’s The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying can be expressed as things not done: not living a life true to themselves, not expressing feelings more often, not staying in touch with friends, not taking more time off work, not allowing themselves to be happier.

What are the consequences of our inaction, of when we don’t pursue our dream? Solomon said, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick…” (Proverbs 13:12, EHV).

But notice the ellipsis there – that’s not the end of the verse:

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. (13:12, EHV; emphasis added)

Of course, first we should check to see if our dream is from God or not:

1. Pray about it.

2. Check that it aligns with biblical principles (e.g., opening a casino probably isn’t a godly dream).

3. Run the idea by other Christians (e.g., family, friends, church ministers, counselors, mentors).

If our dream passes these initial “sniff tests,” then we should start moving forward and looking for open doors.

Still, we might ask, “But what if things turn out badly?”

That’s the fear talking. As Ryan Holiday says, “Fear always votes for hesitation, it always has a reason for not doing and so it rarely does anything” (page 65).

What we need to do is face our fear head-on.

Photo by Toni Pomar on Unsplash

3. What is your nightmare scenario – the worst thing that could happen if you pursued this dream?

Both Tim Ferriss and Ryan Holiday connect conquering fear to defining it. And what better way to do that than to think through the worst things that could happen?

Ferriss quotes Seneca, who long ago recommended doing a little experiment:

Set aside a certain number of days, during which you shall be content with the scantiest and cheapest of fare, with course and rough dress, saying to yourself the while, “Is this the condition I feared?” (Page 42)

Basically, Seneca realized he could survive in conditions of poverty.

Similarly, the apostle Paul occasionally found himself involuntarily participating in Seneca-like experiments. Here’s what Paul discovered:

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (Philippians 4:11-12, NIV)

Take some time to write down your nightmare scenario in detail before moving on. Could you get fired, end up homeless, lose your retirement savings?

Don’t hold back. Define that nightmare scenario in excruciating detail.

4. How could you start to repair the damage, or alleviate the consequences, of your nightmare scenario occurring?

In other words, pretend your nightmare scenario actually occurred – what would you do next? How would you get things moving back in the right direction?

In one of his messages, Chip Ingram provided three questions to help us overcome depression. They are also useful in overcoming nightmare scenarios:

1. What can I control? (For one thing, you can always control your attitude.)

2. What can I do to get through today? (That is, identify needs and prioritize your actions.)

3. What hope do I have for tomorrow? (Remember that God is sovereign.)

We should also remember that God wants us to step out in faith, and that He knows we’ll sometimes step out in the wrong direction and things won’t go well. When that happens, it’s important to trust God:

And we know in all things God works for the good of those who love him… (Romans 8:28)

God doesn’t promise that everything that happens to us will be good, but He does promise that He can make something good come out of whatever happens.

Perhaps we felt God was nudging us to start a business, but it failed. Well, we learned some valuable lessons – lessons that can help a future venture succeed. We can also use our experience to help someone else who wants to start a business, or to comfort someone whose business has failed.

God can use anything for good – even our past sins can make us more forgiving of others, or can allow us to minister to people who are currently caught up in the same type of sin.

So, even if we reach for our dream, fail, and absolutely crash, we can take comfort in knowing that God will still be able to make lemonade out of life’s tartest lemons.

5. What are the more likely outcomes of pursuing your dreams – both positive and negative, both temporary and permanent?

In other words, since our worst-case scenario is unlikely to happen, what are the more likely alternatives?

For example, we might not lose our job, our house, our life savings, and end up homeless during wintertime in New York City – but we might lose a $25,000 investment and six months of work.

Of course, we might succeed. We might create a business that gets off to a slow start, but after a year or two it replaces our current income and allows us to quit our job.

We should consider the range of results, from pretty bad failure to homerun success. Then we can start zooming in on the most likely scenarios, and think them through.

It’s worth remembering a few Proverbs:

Intelligent people think about what needs to be done here and now. Fools are always dreaming about faraway places. (Proverbs 17:24, ERV)

All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” (NIV)

It’s time we stop daydreaming and start acting.

6. What is the first step you need to take to get started on pursuing your dream?

In the book of Proverbs, Solomon says,

Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes. (19:2, NLT)

That is, we need to develop a good Action Plan before jumping into our new venture. For example, Jesus recommends we count the cost of a project before we start it (Luke 14:28-30).

But what if we’re not sure how to proceed?

First, think about what the apostle James tells us: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (1:5-6, NIV).

If your dream is God-given, then He will help you figure out how to proceed; just ask Him.

Second, remember this sage advice: “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed” (Proverbs 15:22, NIV). We can ask people we trust for advice.

We can then break big dreams into smaller, achievable goals. Think about the “SMART goals” framework. A goal should be:

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Relevant

Timed

“I’m going to lose weight” is measurable, but it isn’t specific. “I’m going to lose 100 pounds this month” is measurable and timed, but it isn’t achievable.

We need to have the right type of goal: “In order to improve my health, I am going to lose 15 pounds over the next twelve months by exercising three days a week and eating a whole food, plant-based diet.”

This goal is Specific and Measurable (“15 pounds”), Achievable (just over one pound per month), Relevant (“In order to improve my health”), and Timed (“in the next twelve months”).

After creating our Action Plan, we need to consider things from another angle and develop a Fail Plan. That is, consider the failing scenarios we identified above. For example, if we want to start a new business, what would we need in case it fails?

Well, we would need a cushion of cash to get by until we can find a new job. So, now we know we need to save up an emergency fund of 6-12 months’ expenses before quitting our current job to pursue our dream.

Saving that fund now becomes Step 1 of our Action Plan.

There is one more thing we need to prepare before we start: our mindset. In Atomic Habits, James Clear talks about the importance of our self-perception. For someone trying to quit smoking, there is a big difference between saying, “No thanks, I’m trying to quit” and, “No thanks, I’m not a smoker” (page 32).

So, to become the type of person who can conquer our fear, we need to change our identity. Instead of thinking, “I could never do that,” we need to start thinking, “I’m exactly the type of person who could do that.”

To help us adopt this new mindset, we need to score some early wins – and they don’t have to be very big ones. When it comes to building up our confidence, Jane McGonigal notes in SuperBetter, “Frequency of success matters more than the size of the success” (page 217).

We need to set some easy goals early on that will help boost our confidence and get us started down the right path.

With the development of a Action Plan and the safety net of a Fail Plan, then there’s only one more thing to do: start.

Photo by Nicolas Hoizey on Unsplash

7. So, what are you waiting for?

It shouldn’t be because of fear. At least, not anymore. We’ve identified that fear, and developed plans to counteract it.

And don’t try this old excuse: “Now isn’t the right time.”

In The 4-Hour Workweek, Tim Ferriss, the man behind the original version of these questions, flat-out states, “The timing is never right” (page 33).

You’ll be busy next week, next month, next year.

Plus, the Bible warns against procrastination:

If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. (Ecclesiastes 11:4 NLT)

The time to act is now. Create your Plans, and then put them into action.

Earlier we talked about changing our mindset. Let’s work on changing one other element of our thinking: our perspective.

Ryan Holiday suggests we turn our fears around:

If fear is to be a driving force in your life, fear what you’ll miss. Fear what happens if you don’t act. Fear what they’ll think of you down the road for having dared so little. Think of what you’re leaving on the table. Think of the terrifying costs of playing small. (Pages 55-56)

Or, as Ferriss says, “Inaction is the greatest risk of all” (page 47).

We should also remember that Jesus often suggested that our faith impacts what God can do in our lives:

Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” (Matthew 8:13, NIV; emphasis added)

Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you.” (Matthew 9:29, NIV; emphasis added)

There is a season for everything – a time for waiting on the Lord, and a time to take a step of faith. Unless God has given you a clear word to wait, why not take the first step and see if He will open doors?

We know that God values work. As Solomon once noted, “Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper” (13:4, NLT).

So, what are you waiting for?

Tell us what your Big Dream is in the comments! Let others encourage you along your way.

SOURCES

BibleGateway.com. [Used various translations.]

Clear, James. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. Penguin, 2018.

Ferriss, Timothy. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich. Expanded and Updated edition. Harmony, 2009.

Gilbert, Dan. Stumbling on Happiness. Vintage, 2007

Holiday, Ryan. Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors the Brave. Portfolio/Penguin, 2021.

Ingram, Chip. “The ART of Survival Series: An Attitude to Embrace.” Chip Ingram, YouTube, January 10, 2022.

McGonigal, Jane. SuperBetter: The Power of Living Gamefully. Penguin, 2015.

Pant, Paula. “Courage and The Consequences of Inaction, with Ryan Holiday.” Afford Anything, YouTube, October 2, 2021.

Ware, Bronnie. The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing. Hay House, 2019.

Warren, Rick. Created to Dream: The 6 Phases God Uses to Grow Your Faith. Zondervan, 2023.

©2025, Michael M. Baker, PhD