You know how anxiety and fear feels, your stomach drops, your neck tightens, your whole body tenses, but do you know what to do when anxiety fills your days and troubles your nights? You've probably already tried a few strategies, like denial or working harder, and noticed that they aren't a permanent solution. If you are tired of dealing with anxiety and worry on your own, then this guide is just for you. As you go through each set of meditations, anxiety will gradually yield to hope, peace, and rest. Of course, this is a lifelong process, but going through this devotional guide, either on your own or with a small group, will kick-start the process and bring lifelong change.

This devotional guide and small group resource is suitable for teenagers, young adults, and adults who want to learn how to replace fear and worry with trust in God. It has been used effectively in individual discipling/counseling relationships and in churches and ministries as a small group study. 

When I Am Afraid: A Step-by-Step Guide Away from Fear and Anxiety explains and applies the concepts from the book Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest in the context of an interactive devotional and small group study guide. The study guide is divided into seven weekly meditations and includes space for participants to record their responses as they work through them.

Author

Edward T. Welch, MDiv, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and faculty member at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF). He earned a PhD in counseling (neuropsychology) from the University of Utah and has a Master of Divinity degree from Biblical Theological Seminary. Ed has been counseling for over thirty years and has written extensively on the topics of depression, fear, and addictions. His biblical counseling books include Shame Interrupted; When People Are Big and God Is Small; Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave; Depression: Looking Up from the Stubborn Darkness; Crossroads: A Step-by-Step Guide Away from Addiction; Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest; When I Am Afraid: A Step-by-Step Guide Away from Fear and Anxiety; Side by Side: Walking with Others in Wisdom and Love; and A Small Book about a Big Problem: Meditations on Anger, Patience, and Peace.

Endorsements

"In true kingdom fashion, Welch takes things that are likely to cause us to stumble, to fear, and give up, and challenges us to see how God uses them to make us more like Jesus. He reminds us that freedom from fear and anxiety is not a one-time experience, but rather a daily ongoing process. He has written in a manner suitable for cross generations."
-Charles Dunahoo, DMi, Coordinator of the PCA Christian Education and Publications Committee, author of Foundations and Authority

 "Ed Welch guides us skillfully through the minefield of our fears and anxieties about money, death, and fear of man to our God who promises to never leave us or forsake us. After reading, I was convicted, encouraged, and resolved to trust God and his promise to be with me instead of giving in to my often nameless fears."
-Rose Marie Miller, Missionary; Bible teacher; author of From Fear to Freedom and Nothing is Impossible with God

"I don’t consider myself a fearful person, but Ed gently captured my heart in the first lesson where he showed me how much I really do fear and explained what those fears are saying. But Ed didn’t leave me there; he offered hope. He showed me the way to glorify God in my fears and to replace the despair of anxiety with the joy of my salvation."
-Jack Delk, Pastor for Covenant Member Care, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, MN

"This book is good food for the soul. Gather a few friends around your kitchen table and read and think together—an excellent resource for home groups or adult classes in the life of the church."
-Mark Davis, MDiv, Shepherding Pastor, New Life Presbyterian Church, Glenside, PA