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When I Am Afraid: A Step-by-Step Guide Away from Fear and Anxiety
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 A Step-by-Step Guide Away from Fear and Anxiety explains and applies the concepts from the book Running 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.
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 A Step-by-Step Guide Away from Fear and Anxiety explains and applies the concepts from the book Running 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.
98 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 31, 2008
42 people are currently reading
449 people want to read
About the author
Edward T. Welch
95 books460 followersEdward T. Welch, M.Div., Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and faculty member at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF). He has counseled for thirty years and is the best-selling author of many books including When People Are Big and God Is Small; Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave; Blame It on the Brain?; Depression: A Stubborn Darkness; Crossroads: A Step-by-Step Guide Away from Addiction; Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest; and When I Am Afraid: A Step-by-Step Guide Away from Fear and Anxiety. He and his wife Sheri have two daughters, two sons-in-law, and four grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 15, 2019
Loved the practical instructions that this book offered! "After you regain your spiritual footing and remember that the kingdom is about God rather than your own success, you fix your thoughts on today.."
April 5, 2013
The Overview
When I Am Afraid is the companion study guide to the book Running Scared also by Ed Welch. In 7 well organized lessons it helps you apply what you've learned reading the book or stands alone as a comprehensive study of fear.
The Readability
It is very easy to use, especially as an individual study, and is a good blend of going deep and being easy to grasp. Some chapters are longer than others, but on average you could work through one in 30 minutes.
The Highlights
The questions that are asked in this study was the number one highlight for me. They are not "feely" questions but rather though-provoking questions that make you apply what you have and are learning. Another highlight is that you don't have to use it with the book to benefit from this study - it stands alone very well.
The Downside
There are a few theological points that I personally don't agree with, but the format of this guide allowed me to still learn a lot without compromising my personal beliefs on what "the Kingdom of God" means today. While it can be used for group study, it didn't flow as well as I had hoped it would. It involved a lot of reading in the group time. You could read through the chapter before hand, but then there wasn't really that much to work through. If you're looking for a short time slot to fill, this would be a great option. But for those looking for a study longer than an hour time allotment, this isn't the best option.
The Recommendation
I highly recommend this for personal study and would recommend for group use depending on the setting. For those who don't have time to read a thick book on the topic of fear this presents a great option for personal growth.
When I Am Afraid is the companion study guide to the book Running Scared also by Ed Welch. In 7 well organized lessons it helps you apply what you've learned reading the book or stands alone as a comprehensive study of fear.
The Readability
It is very easy to use, especially as an individual study, and is a good blend of going deep and being easy to grasp. Some chapters are longer than others, but on average you could work through one in 30 minutes.
The Highlights
The questions that are asked in this study was the number one highlight for me. They are not "feely" questions but rather though-provoking questions that make you apply what you have and are learning. Another highlight is that you don't have to use it with the book to benefit from this study - it stands alone very well.
The Downside
There are a few theological points that I personally don't agree with, but the format of this guide allowed me to still learn a lot without compromising my personal beliefs on what "the Kingdom of God" means today. While it can be used for group study, it didn't flow as well as I had hoped it would. It involved a lot of reading in the group time. You could read through the chapter before hand, but then there wasn't really that much to work through. If you're looking for a short time slot to fill, this would be a great option. But for those looking for a study longer than an hour time allotment, this isn't the best option.
The Recommendation
I highly recommend this for personal study and would recommend for group use depending on the setting. For those who don't have time to read a thick book on the topic of fear this presents a great option for personal growth.
November 29, 2024
what a great experience reading this book with a group of women at church! the content was sooo rich and practical regarding feelings that are so common in all of us. the author did a really great job!!! this is a book I’ll definitely read again.
“act on the grace God gives you today, and wait confidently for the grace God will give you tomorrow.” ✨✨✨
“act on the grace God gives you today, and wait confidently for the grace God will give you tomorrow.” ✨✨✨
January 6, 2024
Finally done! I was going through this with someone but then she got really busy so instead of waiting I finished it on my own 😅
October 26, 2019
I was tasked with reading this book for my biblical counseling therapy for my anxiety and it has been quite uplifting. God is not only good, but he is a constant. He is the source of my hope and joy and I must not forget that. Thank you, Lord for your Son and all He has given me in this life.
January 16, 2015
With When I am Afraid, Ed Welch of CCEF continues serving the church of Jesus Christ in the arena of Biblical Counseling. A companion volume to his book Running Scared, this seven-week workbook tackles the problems of fear, worry, and anxiety with a counselor’s mind and a pastor’s heart. As with all workbooks, the study is very interactive; each chapter is riddled with questions designed to elicit from the reader both information about his own fears and a response to what God says about them.
In Week 1, “Fear and Anxiety Speak Out,” Welch counsels us to discover our fears and then listen to what they are saying. Ultimately they are saying something about God Himself. Rather than turning away from God in fear, the reader is admonished to turn to God when afraid.
“The God of Suspense Reveals His Plans,” proclaims the title of Week 2. Welch illustrates from the Old Testament that God is the One who delivers at the eleventh hour. The author demonstrates that God does not give grace in advance, but instead specializes on just-in-time delivery. He calls this the “Manna Principle;” it’s there when you need it, but not before.
Weeks 3-5 address three of the more common triggers of worry, fear, and anxiety. Financial problems, death, and the fear of man each receive their own treatment as Welch continues to apply the Scriptures with the deft hand of a spiritual surgeon.
“The God of Hope Keeps His Promises” is the theme of Week 6. The summation of this week of study is that God promises to be with us in all that happens; He is near and He walks through the trials with us. God’s own faithfulness becomes our rock of refuge in time of trouble.
Welch wraps up his study with Week 7, “The Lord Reigns – Things Are Not the Way They Seem.” Though the disaster, sin, and sorrow of the world seems to be winning, the King is present and active. Welch uses Psalm 46 to reassure the reader that God’s sovereign control is exercised unfailingly on behalf of His children. One day His reign and justice will be seen by all.
The cover represents the book as “A Step-by-Step Guide Away From Fear and Anxiety.” Most of the steps Welch lists are cognitive ones that involve recognizing and relying upon the living God who is present with His People. If you are looking for a detailed check list of things you can do to defeat fear and anxiety, you might want to keep looking. Welch’s aim is far deeper: he wants to strike at the root of fear, which has to do with the heart-based perceptions of the reader. Welch proclaims a God who really is active and powerful on our behalf, who really is a provider and protector, who sees the end from the beginning and carries His people all the way through. I highly recommend When I am Afraid.
In Week 1, “Fear and Anxiety Speak Out,” Welch counsels us to discover our fears and then listen to what they are saying. Ultimately they are saying something about God Himself. Rather than turning away from God in fear, the reader is admonished to turn to God when afraid.
“The God of Suspense Reveals His Plans,” proclaims the title of Week 2. Welch illustrates from the Old Testament that God is the One who delivers at the eleventh hour. The author demonstrates that God does not give grace in advance, but instead specializes on just-in-time delivery. He calls this the “Manna Principle;” it’s there when you need it, but not before.
Weeks 3-5 address three of the more common triggers of worry, fear, and anxiety. Financial problems, death, and the fear of man each receive their own treatment as Welch continues to apply the Scriptures with the deft hand of a spiritual surgeon.
“The God of Hope Keeps His Promises” is the theme of Week 6. The summation of this week of study is that God promises to be with us in all that happens; He is near and He walks through the trials with us. God’s own faithfulness becomes our rock of refuge in time of trouble.
Welch wraps up his study with Week 7, “The Lord Reigns – Things Are Not the Way They Seem.” Though the disaster, sin, and sorrow of the world seems to be winning, the King is present and active. Welch uses Psalm 46 to reassure the reader that God’s sovereign control is exercised unfailingly on behalf of His children. One day His reign and justice will be seen by all.
The cover represents the book as “A Step-by-Step Guide Away From Fear and Anxiety.” Most of the steps Welch lists are cognitive ones that involve recognizing and relying upon the living God who is present with His People. If you are looking for a detailed check list of things you can do to defeat fear and anxiety, you might want to keep looking. Welch’s aim is far deeper: he wants to strike at the root of fear, which has to do with the heart-based perceptions of the reader. Welch proclaims a God who really is active and powerful on our behalf, who really is a provider and protector, who sees the end from the beginning and carries His people all the way through. I highly recommend When I am Afraid.
April 26, 2025
When I Am Afraid was a very practical and helpful read. As the book suggests, I think it would be even better in a group setting—or if you can show more restraint than I did, reading one chapter per week! Now, after going through it, I’m considering doing just that.
The book offered some unique insights that I haven’t encountered elsewhere, particularly the concepts of manna, hope, spies, and grace. You’ll have to read it yourself to see what I mean!
Either way, enjoy—it’s a book I’ll likely come back to again.
One of my favorite quotes from the book:
When you pray, you are coming before the King. You come with humility because He is, after all, the King, and you have nothing to offer Him. He gains no particular benefit by having you as His subject. In fact, you are costly to Him.
Even so, He invites you to come to Him with your burdens, and He asks you to cast them down before Him. At first, you might assume that His servants will carry them away—but the King Himself comes close to you and takes your burdens onto Himself.
It doesn’t seem right that your King and Father would take your worries upon Himself. Yet there is no reason to feel guilty. Your King has always been the one who pursued you first, and He always will be. All He asks is that you respond by praising Him and telling others about His greatness.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time, casting all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”
— 1 Peter 5:6–7 (personal translation)
The book offered some unique insights that I haven’t encountered elsewhere, particularly the concepts of manna, hope, spies, and grace. You’ll have to read it yourself to see what I mean!
Either way, enjoy—it’s a book I’ll likely come back to again.
One of my favorite quotes from the book:
When you pray, you are coming before the King. You come with humility because He is, after all, the King, and you have nothing to offer Him. He gains no particular benefit by having you as His subject. In fact, you are costly to Him.
Even so, He invites you to come to Him with your burdens, and He asks you to cast them down before Him. At first, you might assume that His servants will carry them away—but the King Himself comes close to you and takes your burdens onto Himself.
It doesn’t seem right that your King and Father would take your worries upon Himself. Yet there is no reason to feel guilty. Your King has always been the one who pursued you first, and He always will be. All He asks is that you respond by praising Him and telling others about His greatness.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time, casting all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”
— 1 Peter 5:6–7 (personal translation)
January 12, 2024
Whether you think it should be translated “give us enough bread for tomorrow” or “give us enough bread for today” this book is such a helpful reminder that the Lord will give us exactly what we need at exactly the time that we need it - no more, no less.
As you read this you’ll find there is so much freedom in not worrying if we’ll cope in the future with whatever awful situation we dream up - even if the worst were to happen, the Lord will give us all we need.
It’s a workbook, so there’s exercises to do which may or may not be helpful.
So much gold in the word of God. Strength for each day.
As you read this you’ll find there is so much freedom in not worrying if we’ll cope in the future with whatever awful situation we dream up - even if the worst were to happen, the Lord will give us all we need.
It’s a workbook, so there’s exercises to do which may or may not be helpful.
So much gold in the word of God. Strength for each day.
August 6, 2021
When I am Afraid taught me about anxieties I didn’t even know I had. It brought to light my fears and then equipped me with the truth needed to fight them. Truly life-changing, I will bring some of Welch’s writings with me forever.
April 25, 2023
Ed Welch is typically a hard read for me, but I did this study with a study I disciple who struggles with anxiety and was just as much challenged and encouraged. Favorite takeaway: God gives the manna/grace we need to get through today, not for tomorrow!
December 29, 2018
Absolutely LOVED this book.
June 5, 2020
Helpful!
February 4, 2021
Super helpful. Welch is the go to for me for Biblical approaches, centered on Christ, for common life problems.
June 6, 2021
A really helpful, practical guide for overcoming anxiety.
November 17, 2023
This book is small but mighty. Read it through once and now am going back and following it how it was written (to span seven weeks).
April 5, 2024
A great and gentle reminder of God's care and provision, with questions sprinkled throughout for reflection and application.
May 28, 2024
Wednesday night bible study ending May 29, 2024.
June 11, 2025
Great workbook, suitable for multiple ages and levels of Christian maturity. Would recommend for a small group especially with multiple ages and levels of teaching.
January 13, 2017
“When I Am Afraid” with Welch's inductive style is perfectly crafted to create healthy space for engagement and processing either alone or in a small group setting.
The book is called “When I Am Afraid” but it just as easily could have been called “When I Am Anxious” and it is through that latter lens that I found that the book was particularly helpful for my own struggles with anxiety. “To be human is to be afraid” (5) Welch reminds us. In fact, fear itself isn’t necessarily sin.
In Chapter 1, “Fear and Anxiety Speak Out,” Welch counsels us to discover our fears and then listen to what they are saying. Ultimately every anxiety and every fear says something about what we believe about God. My heart betrays my mind in these moments. I might believe the right thing intellectually about God, but in moments of anxiety, I can functionally move to a place where my heart believes that I, not God, need to come through in a difficult situation.
In Chapter 2, Welch says that it is clear that the God of the Bible is one who delights in delivering at just-the-right moment. While our hearts move to the future, God wants to shift us to the present. “Anxiety and worry are always off in the future,” Welch says, “They are scouts on the frontier. They run ahead and spy on the enemy” (20). But moments of desperation are neutral. They can “lead you in abject terror, or they can be times when the loving Father teaches you some of the most wonderful lessons about your life” (19). How will I respond in these moments? Will I have eyes to see that God actually intends and directs these moments for me, just as he did with the Israelites and the Manna to, in his just-in-time delivery, provide right when I need it and no earlier. Is my heart willing to walk into being shaped by trust in these moments?
Chapters 3-5 engage some of the most common triggers of fear and anxiety: financial issues, death, and the fear of man. For me Welch confronting and naming greed inside of me (“Greed lives in every human heart” (30)) was needed. It is too easy for me to diminish or rename the ways in which financial issues cause anxiety by other names because of the draw to comparison (“my greed isn’t anything compared to that.”). And Welch places his finger on two important places in his chapter on the fear of man: our unwillingness to accept God’s unconditional love for us as foundational (how often in my heart do I want to be loved for who I am and not just that I am?), and on our shame (which isn’t just removed through confession, but through the active removal and transformation of Christ).
The final two chapters point us to remember the ways in which God has been faithful and has always kept his promises and then pointing us to the active rule of Christ today. He is the King, seated on the throne, despite the suffering, sin, and sorrow that are present in this world. There is no better place to end than to looking to Christ himself. How do we truly cut out the root of anxiety and fear in our hearts? By self-examination? Yes. But ultimately we must have our hearts reshaped by the reality of our God who loves us unconditionally, even uncomfortably, and is actively working on our behalf. He is sovereign. He knows the end and he will carry us to that glorious end by his power and grace. Praise be to our God who both knows the end and is near to us in walking that path.
The book is called “When I Am Afraid” but it just as easily could have been called “When I Am Anxious” and it is through that latter lens that I found that the book was particularly helpful for my own struggles with anxiety. “To be human is to be afraid” (5) Welch reminds us. In fact, fear itself isn’t necessarily sin.
In Chapter 1, “Fear and Anxiety Speak Out,” Welch counsels us to discover our fears and then listen to what they are saying. Ultimately every anxiety and every fear says something about what we believe about God. My heart betrays my mind in these moments. I might believe the right thing intellectually about God, but in moments of anxiety, I can functionally move to a place where my heart believes that I, not God, need to come through in a difficult situation.
In Chapter 2, Welch says that it is clear that the God of the Bible is one who delights in delivering at just-the-right moment. While our hearts move to the future, God wants to shift us to the present. “Anxiety and worry are always off in the future,” Welch says, “They are scouts on the frontier. They run ahead and spy on the enemy” (20). But moments of desperation are neutral. They can “lead you in abject terror, or they can be times when the loving Father teaches you some of the most wonderful lessons about your life” (19). How will I respond in these moments? Will I have eyes to see that God actually intends and directs these moments for me, just as he did with the Israelites and the Manna to, in his just-in-time delivery, provide right when I need it and no earlier. Is my heart willing to walk into being shaped by trust in these moments?
Chapters 3-5 engage some of the most common triggers of fear and anxiety: financial issues, death, and the fear of man. For me Welch confronting and naming greed inside of me (“Greed lives in every human heart” (30)) was needed. It is too easy for me to diminish or rename the ways in which financial issues cause anxiety by other names because of the draw to comparison (“my greed isn’t anything compared to that.”). And Welch places his finger on two important places in his chapter on the fear of man: our unwillingness to accept God’s unconditional love for us as foundational (how often in my heart do I want to be loved for who I am and not just that I am?), and on our shame (which isn’t just removed through confession, but through the active removal and transformation of Christ).
The final two chapters point us to remember the ways in which God has been faithful and has always kept his promises and then pointing us to the active rule of Christ today. He is the King, seated on the throne, despite the suffering, sin, and sorrow that are present in this world. There is no better place to end than to looking to Christ himself. How do we truly cut out the root of anxiety and fear in our hearts? By self-examination? Yes. But ultimately we must have our hearts reshaped by the reality of our God who loves us unconditionally, even uncomfortably, and is actively working on our behalf. He is sovereign. He knows the end and he will carry us to that glorious end by his power and grace. Praise be to our God who both knows the end and is near to us in walking that path.
January 19, 2017
Recommended by one of my best friends, this is a book I want to sit with whenever new worries arise (ummm, daily?). This mixture of biblical examples, Socratic method, a bit of humor, and brevity really worked for me. The biggest takeaway I received from the book is to change our perspective about fears to view them as opportunities to know God more, to trust Him, and to be attentive to grace, especially daily grace or "manna." (However, this book could certainly use a better cover--yikes!)
December 7, 2021
While this book was a tad bit repetitive, some of this book was incredibly helpful for dealing with anxiety!
May 17, 2013
Great! Has biblical backing for facing fears and anxiety. The main thing I took away was having the mana for today and not for tomorrow, trusting God in that moment and knowing he will provide for tomorrow when it comes
July 28, 2013
This no nonsense approach to worry challenged my thinking. We all have worries, but Welch provides scripture based reasons for how to address them. A necessary journey for anyone that struggles with worry, anxiety or life in any way. Great small group study.
January 21, 2015
Incredibly helpful in discovering the roots of much anxiety and directing the thoughts to the right place.
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