Faith (Episode 5 - Archive)Faith (Episode 5 - Archive)
Relational Recovery
Wes Thompson and Austin Hill talk about faith, fear, and trust, using biblical stories to reflect on recovery from unwanted behaviours. The conversation focuses on relying on God and community when life feels stuck or impossible.
6:28•9 Jul 2026
Faith, Fear, and Trust: What Really Carries You Through Recovery?
Episode Overview
- Faith is defined as reliance upon and trust in God, especially when circumstances look bleak.
- Fear and shame often push people into hiding, which blocks honesty and healing in recovery.
- Scripture’s repeated "fear not" is grounded in God’s presence, not in personal strength.
- The Exodus and Red Sea story is used as a picture of God acting even when rescue seems impossible.
- Learning to trust God and safe people is described as essential, because without trust "we’re not going to make it."
“"Fear not… it’s not like fear not because you’re strong. It’s fear not because I’m with you. You’re not alone."”
How do people find hope in the darkest times? This conversation from Relational Recovery centres on faith, fear, and why trusting God and others can feel so risky when you're trying to change your life. Host Wes Thompson and co-host Austin Hill talk honestly about how fear and shame push people into hiding. Using the story of Adam and Eve, they describe how distrust in God leads to withdrawal and secrecy: when we’re scared, we hide.
That theme runs straight into recovery, where opening up about addiction or unwanted behaviours can feel terrifying. The heart of the episode is summed up in a repeated reassurance: "Fear not… it’s not like fear not because you’re strong. It’s fear not because I’m with you. You’re not alone." For anyone feeling isolated in recovery, that line hits hard.
Faith here isn’t presented as a quick fix, but as "reliance upon and trust in God", especially when life looks bleak rather than blessed. The hosts turn to the Exodus story to paint a vivid picture of this kind of faith. They talk through the high of leaving Egypt and the crash of standing at the Red Sea with an angry army closing in.
That tension mirrors what many in recovery feel: early excitement followed by serious obstacles, temptation, family conflict, or relationships that still haven’t healed. As Wes puts it, you might feel like asking, "God, why did you bring me out here just to let me die?" Yet the key message is that God "does what he says he’s going to do, even when it doesn’t look like it could happen". Faith, then, is needed most when nothing seems to be working.
The episode keeps circling back to this: if you can’t learn to trust God and safe people, "we’re not going to make it". For anyone in recovery who feels stuck between their past and an uncertain future, this conversation may help you ask: who and what are you actually trusting today?
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