Faith Over Fear Episode Summary

Guest: Mary DeMuth
Topic: The Freedom of Surrender: 40 Devotions to Let Go and Live Free

What if the peace you’re craving isn’t found in control, but in letting go? In this episode, Carol McCracken talks with author and speaker Mary DeMuth about her new devotional The Freedom of Surrender. Together, they explore what it means to release the hidden parts of our lives—our past, our relationships, our daily struggles, and our deepest worries—to a God who can handle them better than we can.

Mary shares how surrender became a life-changing spiritual practice, one that moves us from striving and fear into trust and rest. She offers honest insights about how to identify areas of resistance, what healthy surrender looks like, and why God often meets us most powerfully when we finally stop trying to manage everything ourselves.

Whether you’re carrying regret, trying to fix relationships, or simply exhausted from worry, this conversation reminds you that freedom begins where self-reliance ends.

Resource Referenced: The Freedom of Surrender: Forty Devotions for a Joyful Life in Christ by Mary DeMuth

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Discussion/Reflection Questions:

1. When you hear the word surrender, what emotions rise up first—fear, relief, resistance, or trust?
2. Mary talks about surrendering our inner life—our thoughts, wounds, and private battles. Which part of your inner life might God be inviting you to release today?
3. How can you tell when you’ve picked something back up that you once laid down before God?
4. What’s one relationship where you sense God asking you to trust His timing and work rather than your own effort?
5. Mary reminds us that surrender and freedom are connected. What would “living free” look like for you this week?
6. Which Scripture verse helps anchor your heart when surrender feels scary or uncertain?

Connect with Mary DeMuth:

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Do long waiting seasons leave you feeling anxious, disoriented and discouraged, particularly when they involve something for which you deeply long? Obviously, we can't "hurry" God along or "force His hand," but we can learn to wait in a way that strengthens our faith, deepens our relational intimacy with Christ, and prepares us for the very good plans He's forged uniquely for each of us. In this episode, Dove Award nominee, singer/songwriter Jamie Jangochian shares how God used her long battle with Lyme disease to bring about growth and reveal the new dreams He had for her. She also shares how to recognize the lies that hold us back, find inner healing through our interaction with Christ, and view our waiting seasons not as disappointments but divine appointments that prepare us for our next assignments.

Resource Referenced: Sacred Surrender: The Practice of Waiting Well with God

Reflective/Discussion Questions:

1. What resonated with you most in this episodes?
2. Why might God use waiting seasons to grow us, our faith, and our relationship with Him?
3. What do you typically find most challenging when it comes to waiting well?
4. When have you endured a waiting season that caused you to question God's goodness or His plans for you?
5. How did God use that situation to deepen your faith, clarify or expand your calling, or bring soul-deep healing?
6. Which of God's character traits can increase your faith during waiting seasons?
7. What is one action step God might be inviting you to take having listened to this episode?

Connect with Jamie Jamgochian:

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Find Jennifer Slattery:

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When faith and mental health collide, many believers feel caught between shame and silence. In this episode of Faith Over Fear, Carol McCracken talks with Chris Morris, author of Resilient and Redeemed: Lessons about Suicidality and Depression from the Psych Ward. Chris shares his raw and redemptive story of battling depression, walking through a crisis of faith, and discovering that God’s grace meets us even in the darkest places. Together, they explore how to dismantle harmful theology, find freedom through honesty, and experience hope that outlasts despair.

Resource Discussed: Resilient and Redeemed: Lessons about Suicidality and Depression from the Psych Ward

Discussion/Reflective Questions:

1. Chris talked about trying to “power through by sheer will” before realizing something had to change. When have you reached the end of your own strength and discovered the freedom of surrender?
2. Many people tie their identity to productivity or performance. How has God been reshaping your understanding of worth apart from what you do?
3. Chris described a “crisis of faith,” not a loss of faith. What’s the difference for you—and how have moments of doubt actually deepened your faith journey?
4. What are some “theological traps” you’ve encountered—beliefs that sounded spiritual but actually created fear, guilt, or shame rather than freedom?
5. Chris’s friends later asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?” Who in your life could you safely open up to about your struggles, and what would it take to start that conversation?
6. Paul’s story of the “thorn in the flesh” reminded Chris that God’s grace is enough, even when healing looks different than we hoped. How does that truth speak to your current season of pain or waiting?
7. What is one practical step God might be inviting you to take having listened to this podcast episode?

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