Episode 98: Do not be afraid

SUMMARY
When fear collides with obedience, what happens next? Olivia and Milo unpack Joseph’s story in Matthew 1:18–25, revealing how God doesn’t remove our risks, instead He meets us with love, purpose, and a call to faithful courage.

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INTRODUCTION
In this Christmas episode, Olivia and Milo reflect on Joseph’s dilemma in Matthew 1:18–25—when obedience invites confusion and loss of control. They uncover how God meets our fear not by easing our risk but by reframing it through divine purpose, grace, and mission. A deeply human and hopeful conversation.

BIG IDEA: God meets our fear not by removing risk, but by providing purpose.

TEXT: Matthew 1:18-25 (ESV)

IDENTIFYING WITH JOSEPH’S DILEMMA
Joseph’s fear captures what it means to face a moment when obedience collides with social cost and personal confusion.

Identifying with Joseph’s fears:

• Taking Mary — The fear of stepping into something misunderstood or socially costly.

• Losing honor — The fear of losing credibility, reputation, or acceptance in community life.

• Disregarding the law — The fear of violating norms, expectations, or “the way things are done.”

Every Christ follower will know the tension that arises when…

• Obeying God appears foolish to others

• Our obedience upends carefully planned stability.

THE ANGEL’S INSTRUCTION TO JOSEPH

1. Command: Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.
   Fear is acknowledged, not dismissed. God doesn’t shame Joseph for fear; but he does challenge the hold it has on him.
   

2. Insight: The child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
   God gives Joseph insight into divine purpose. The unknown becomes believable when reframed by revelation.
   

3. Promise: She will bear a son.
   God assures Joseph of a future that will unfold under His providence, not Joseph’s performance.
   

4. Calling: You shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.
   God gives Joseph a role in redemptive history, grounding courage in mission — not mere stoicism.
   

5. Fulfillment: all this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet
   God has placed Joseph in a larger story that is bigger than any life he could have manufactured on his own.

HOW TO RESPOND WHEN FEAR PRESSES IN

1. Name the fear. Joseph’s fear was relational, reputational, and legal. Naming our fears helps expose their power.
   

2. Listen for Divine wisdom. God’s word reframed Joseph’s crisis into calling. Scripture continues to reinterpret our fears through God’s promises.
   

3. Act in faith, not full clarity. Joseph’s obedience preceded full understanding. Trust often comes through motion, not mastery.

4. Anchor courage in mission. When obedience connects to God’s redemptive purpose, we find strength beyond self-preservation.

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Theme Music by Caleb Prasad

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