This week has been another reminder that following Jesus isn’t always about doing something huge or dramatic. Sometimes, it simply looks like taking the next step when anxiety is telling you to stay where you are.

I’ve had a lovely coffee and lunch date with my Papa this week, which was a simple but meaningful opportunity to get out, spend time together and enjoy the moment. And by the time this post goes live, I’ll be on my way to something that, if I’m completely honest, has been making me quite nervous: going to see Bon Jovi live.

For someone who struggles with anxiety, the thought of going to a big event like this can give my mind plenty of reasons not to go. The anxious thoughts start coming:

What if something goes wrong? What if I can’t cope? What if I panic?

It would be very easy to listen to those thoughts and allow them to make the decision for me.

But I’m trying to do things differently.

Rather than allowing anxiety to rule my life, I’ve been taking those fears to God. I’ve been praying about them, reminding myself that I don’t have to face them alone, and choosing to take the next step even when I still feel nervous.

I don’t need to wait until I feel completely fearless before I move forward.

In fact, Scripture reminds us that we can bring our fears directly to God:

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”
(Psalm 56:3)

Looking back at last week’s reflection, I think this is where the lesson of Jesus being “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6) has become very real for me. Jesus doesn’t just show me the way in theory; He calls me to follow Him in the ordinary, uncomfortable and sometimes frightening moments of life.

Last week I reflected on trusting Jesus with the road ahead. This week, I’ve had another opportunity to actually walk that road.

I’m learning that courage doesn’t necessarily mean that the anxiety disappears. Sometimes courage is feeling anxious, putting those feelings into God’s hands, and taking the next step anyway.

I’m tired of letting anxious thoughts win. I’m tired of allowing fear to decide what I can and cannot do. And although I know this won’t change overnight, I’m beginning to see that, with Jesus beside me, anxiety doesn’t have to be the one in control.

This week, I’ve been learning what it looks like to choose Jesus over fear – one step at a time.

Bible Passage of the Week

This week’s Bible Passage of the Week is John 15:1-16:33, the third study in my current Good Book Guide through John 13-21. There is so much packed into these chapters, but one truth stood out to me particularly strongly: Jesus calls us to abide in Him.

Jesus describes Himself as the true vine and His followers as the branches. A branch cannot produce fruit by itself; it has to remain connected to the vine.

Jesus says:

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”
(John 15:4)

That feels particularly relevant to where I am at the moment.

I can spend so much time trying to manage my anxiety, control my thoughts and work out how I’m going to cope with whatever is ahead. But Jesus reminds me that I was never meant to do life in my own strength.

My job isn’t to somehow become strong enough on my own.

It is to remain connected to Him.

Abiding in Jesus Rather Than Relying on Myself

The image of the vine and the branches completely changes how I think about spiritual growth. A branch doesn’t produce fruit by trying harder or relying on itself. It bears fruit because it remains connected to the vine.

In the same way, I don’t need to manufacture my own spiritual strength.

I need Jesus.

When anxiety is loud, my instinct can be to take control. I want to figure everything out, predict what might happen and find a way to make myself feel safe. Yet Jesus invites me into something different: dependence.

He calls me to remain in Him.

That means bringing my fears to Him rather than carrying them alone. It means opening Scripture when my mind is racing. It means praying when I don’t know what else to say. And it means trusting that Jesus is enough, even when I don’t feel strong enough.

This doesn’t mean life will suddenly become easy.

In fact, Jesus makes it clear that His followers will face difficulties. But He gives us a promise that is far greater than a life without trouble:

“In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
(John 16:33)

Jesus doesn’t promise that following Him will mean a life without difficulties, anxiety or fear. Instead, He promises that He has already overcome the world.

That changes how I want to face the things that scare me.

Whether it is going somewhere that makes me anxious, facing an uncomfortable situation or simply dealing with the thoughts that race around my mind, I don’t have to face those things alone.

Jesus is with me.

And through the Holy Spirit, God has not left His people without help or comfort. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come to His followers as the Helper and would guide them into truth (John 14:16-17; 16:13).

That gives me another reason not to allow fear to have the final say.

Remaining in His Love

There is another important part of John 15 that I don’t want to overlook.

Abiding in Jesus isn’t simply about receiving comfort from Him. It is about allowing our relationship with Him to shape the way we live.

Jesus calls His disciples to remain in His love, obey His commands, love one another and bear fruit that lasts.

That challenges me.

I don’t want my life to be defined by what anxiety tells me I cannot do. I want it to be defined by Jesus.

I may still feel anxious. I may still have moments when my mind tells me to turn around or stay home. But I can take those thoughts to Jesus, remain in Him and take the next step.

Because ultimately, the branch doesn’t have to produce fruit through its own strength.

It simply has to remain connected to the vine.

And that is what I want to keep learning to do: remain in Jesus, trust His strength rather than my own, and take each day as it comes, knowing that He has already overcome the world.

What I Learned This Week

As I’ve reflected on this week and on everything I’ve been learning through John’s Gospel, I’ve realised that God has been gently teaching me some important lessons about how I respond to fear and anxiety.

It’s one thing to read about trusting Jesus, abiding in Him and finding peace in His presence. It’s another thing to put those lessons into practice when anxiety is loud and my mind is telling me to retreat.

This week has given me opportunities to do exactly that—to take those anxious thoughts to God, remain connected to Jesus and keep moving forward rather than allowing fear to dictate my choices.

Here are some of the lessons I feel God has been teaching me this week.

John 15:1-17 – Abide in Christ

Jesus uses the powerful metaphor of the vine and the branches to redefine spiritual relationship and fruitfulness. Rather than viewing God’s people corporately or individually as the vine, Jesus declares Himself to be the true vine, with the Father as the gardener and believers as the branches.

This shifts our understanding of spiritual growth away from human productivity and control.

True fruitfulness comes through abiding – remaining continually connected to Christ through faith, trust and His Word. Jesus makes it clear that:

“Apart from me you can do nothing.”
(John 15:5)

That is both a humbling and freeing truth.

I don’t have to generate spiritual life through my own effort. I don’t have to become strong enough in myself. My role is to remain connected to Christ and allow Him to produce fruit in me.

This relationship also involves loving transformation and profound relational depth. The Father actively prunes the branches so that they can bear more fruit. Pruning can be uncomfortable because God’s ultimate purpose is not necessarily our immediate comfort, but our growth and fruitfulness.

Jesus also speaks of His followers not merely as servants, but as friends. He chooses and appoints them to bear lasting fruit.

As we abide in His love, keep His commands, love one another sacrificially and pray according to His will, we experience the joy that comes from belonging to Him.

For me, this is a powerful reminder that following Jesus isn’t about becoming independent of Him.

It is about becoming more dependent on Him.

John 15:18-16:15 – We Are Not Alone

In His farewell discourse in the Upper Room, Jesus prepares His disciples for His departure and for the reality of facing a hostile and unbelieving world without His physical presence.

Because the world is in rebellion against God, Jesus warns His followers that they should expect opposition.

But alongside that warning comes an incredible promise.

Believers are never left to stand alone.

Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit—the Helper, Advocate and Comforter—who would bear witness about Christ and guide His followers into truth.

The Holy Spirit would also convict the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgement.

This is important because Christianity was never meant to be lived through human strength alone.

Jesus knew His disciples would struggle. He knew they would face grief, opposition and uncertainty. Yet He promised that God Himself would be with them through the Holy Spirit.

That same truth encourages me when anxiety makes me feel as though I’m facing something alone.

I am not alone.

God has not abandoned me in the difficult moments.

Jesus has given His Spirit to His people.

And although temporary grief and tribulation are part of life in this fallen world, they do not have the final word.

Christ does.

John 16:16-33 – Jesus Gives Peace in the Middle of Trouble

The final section of this passage brings another powerful truth: Christian faith does not remove suffering, but Jesus gives us lasting hope in the middle of it.

Jesus prepares His disciples for His imminent departure, crucifixion and resurrection. He acknowledges that they will experience sorrow, comparing their grief to the pain of childbirth—real and intense, but ultimately giving way to joy.

Their sorrow would not last forever.

Jesus was pointing them towards what was coming: His death would not be the end. His resurrection would turn their grief into joy.

That gives us an important perspective when life feels difficult.

Our present circumstances are not the whole story.

Jesus also gives His disciples the privilege of approaching the Father in His name. Through Christ, we can bring our needs, fears and struggles directly to God.

And then Jesus finishes with those words that have stayed with me throughout this week:

“Take heart; I have overcome the world.”
(John 16:33)

The peace Jesus offers isn’t based on everything around us being peaceful.

It is based on who He is and what He has already accomplished.

How This Applies to Me

When I look at these passages alongside my own life, I can see just how much I need the reminder that Jesus gives us:

“Apart from me you can do nothing.”
(John 15:5)

For a long time, I tried to deal with life on my own terms. I tried to find ways of escaping difficult feelings, numbing what was going on inside me and looking for fulfillment in things that could never truly satisfy me.

It was only when I surrendered my life to Christ that I began to understand that I wasn’t meant to carry everything by myself.

My journey into sobriety was a big part of that realisation.

Giving up alcohol didn’t magically make everything better. In many ways, it exposed things I had spent years trying to avoid, particularly anxiety and difficult emotions. Without alcohol to numb those feelings, I had to learn to face them.

And I’ve realised that I cannot simply replace one form of self-reliance with another by trying to manage everything through my own strength.

I need Jesus.

That is where the image of the vine and the branches really speaks to me.

Abiding in Christ means remaining connected to Him, especially when life is uncomfortable. It means bringing my anxious thoughts to Him instead of allowing them to consume me. It means praying when I don’t know what else to do, opening Scripture when my mind is racing and reminding myself of what God has already brought me through.

I’m beginning to understand that spiritual growth isn’t about me becoming strong enough that I no longer struggle.

It is about becoming increasingly dependent upon Christ.

Finding My Identity in Christ

That has also been important in the way I approach my same-sex attraction and singleness.

There are still moments when I wonder what my future will look like, particularly when I see people around me getting married and building the kind of life that I sometimes wish I could have.

There can be loneliness, unanswered questions and moments when I’m tempted to focus on what I feel I’m missing.

But John 15 reminds me where my identity and fulfillment ultimately need to come from.

Jesus doesn’t tell me that I will find complete satisfaction by getting everything I want from this life.

He calls me to abide in Him.

My identity isn’t ultimately found in my sexuality, my relationship status, my past mistakes or the things I struggle with.

It is found in Christ.

As Paul writes:

“It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”
(Galatians 2:20)

That doesn’t mean these things suddenly become easy.

Just as Jesus warned His disciples that they would experience sorrow, opposition and trouble, following Christ can involve difficult things. There are times when obedience is costly. There are times when I don’t understand why God has allowed certain struggles to remain.

But I’m learning that God’s goal isn’t necessarily to make my life comfortable.

He is shaping me to become more like Christ and producing lasting fruit in me.

Choosing Faith When Anxiety Is Loud

Even my anxiety is becoming an opportunity to practice this.

This week, I’ve had to face situations that my anxious mind has told me I shouldn’t do. Going out for coffee and lunch with my Papa was something simple, but the bigger challenge has been preparing to go and see Bon Jovi live.

A large event, crowds and the uncertainty of what might happen are exactly the sort of things my anxiety can latch onto.

But instead of allowing those thoughts to make the decision for me, I’ve been taking them to God.

I’m learning that being anxious doesn’t mean I have failed to trust God.

I can feel afraid and still choose faith.

I can have anxious thoughts without obeying them.

I can acknowledge that I’m nervous, pray about it and still take the next step.

Perhaps that is one of the biggest lessons God has been teaching me recently:

I don’t have to wait until I feel completely fearless before I start living my life.

Jesus never promised His followers a life without trouble. In fact, He said the opposite:

“In the world you will have tribulation.”
(John 16:33)

But He immediately follows that warning with the promise:

“Take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Notice that Jesus doesn’t say if trouble comes.

He says when.

Christianity isn’t a promise that life will never hurt, that anxiety will never return or that every struggle will disappear exactly when I want it to.

The promise is better than that.

Jesus has overcome the world.

So when anxiety tells me to stay home, I can take that fear to Jesus.

When loneliness makes me question God’s plan, I can take it to Jesus.

When I struggle with temptation or wrestle with unanswered questions, I can take them to Jesus.

When I remember my past and the person I used to be, I can remember what Christ has done.

I don’t have to manufacture my own strength.

I don’t have to figure everything out.

I don’t have to control what happens next.

I simply need to remain connected to the Vine.

And as I do that, I trust that God will continue to prune, shape and transform me – not necessarily into the person I would have created for myself, but into the person He is calling me to become.

My life is still a work in progress.

I still struggle.

I still get anxious.

I still have questions.

But I am no longer walking through those things alone.

I have Jesus.

And because I have Him, I can face today, take the next step and trust Him with whatever tomorrow brings.

Looking Ahead

As I look towards the week ahead, I want to keep things simple.

I don’t want to put pressure on myself to suddenly have everything figured out or to become completely free from anxiety overnight. Instead, I want to focus on what Jesus has been teaching me through John 15–16:

Abide in Him.

This week, I want to be more intentional about staying connected to Jesus through prayer and Scripture, especially when my anxious thoughts begin to take over.

Rather than immediately believing everything my mind tells me, I want to pause, bring those thoughts to God and remind myself of what is true.

I also want to keep practicing taking the next step, even when I feel anxious.

I don’t want fear to continue deciding what I can and cannot do.

That doesn’t mean ignoring my anxiety or pretending that I’m not afraid. It means refusing to let fear become my master.

Most importantly, I want to remember Jesus’ words:

“Take heart; I have overcome the world.”
(John 16:33)

I don’t know what the coming week will bring.

There may be moments when anxiety is loud, moments when I feel lonely, or moments when I struggle to understand what God is doing.

But I don’t need to know everything that is coming.

I just need to remain connected to the One who does.

So my goal for this week is simple:

Stay close to Jesus.
Give my anxieties to Him.
Keep taking the next step in faith.

I may not always feel brave.

I may not always feel peaceful.

But I can choose to trust the One who has already overcome the world.

And whatever comes next, I know I don’t have to face it in my own strength.

Jesus is enough.