04-18-25 part 1: Eyes on Jesus: From Fear to Living Hope

1. Dying to Self—A Daily Resurrection

In a moving conversation between Dr. Spoon and a listener named Jan, they explore the struggle of surrendering completely to God. Jan expresses a deep desire to “die to self” so Christ can fully live through her, echoing Luke 9:23. Dr. Spoon affirms this with spiritual insight, acknowledging that dying to self is a daily, ongoing process—not a one-time event. It’s hard because it requires letting go of distractions, pain, pride, and even our own religious performance. But the reward is intimacy with Jesus, who doesn’t force His way in, but gently knocks, waiting for our hearts to open.

2. Focus: The Fight for the Mind

Drawing from the story of Peter walking on water, Dr. Spoon illustrates what happens when we take our eyes off Jesus and fixate on our circumstances. The winds of worry and waves of fear rise when our gaze drifts from the Savior. Isaiah 26:3 promises perfect peace for those whose minds are steadfast on God—but the enemy’s greatest tactic is distraction. Dr. Spoon unpacks how spiritual warfare often begins in the mind: if Satan can get us to fixate on the problem, we’ll forget the power and presence of the Problem-Solver.

3. The Fear of Death Has Been Broken

On this Good Friday broadcast, Dr. Spoon transitions to a powerful Gospel message centered on Hebrews 2:14–15. He explains that one of the primary missions of Jesus was to break the power of the devil and free us from lifelong slavery to the fear of death. For the believer, death isn’t an end—it’s a passageway to eternal glory. Jesus didn’t just defeat sin—He shattered fear’s grip. The resurrection ensures that for those in Christ, death is no longer a threat, but a triumphant transition. "No bones about it," Dr. Spoon says—Jesus isn’t in the tomb, and neither are we bound to fear.

4. Hope That Lives—and Lifts

Wrapping it all together, Dr. Spoon points to 1 Peter 1:3–4, highlighting the “living hope” we now carry because of the resurrection. Unlike false hopes built on worldly success or fleeting peace, this hope is alive, active, and anchored in Christ’s victory. It doesn’t ignore reality—it rises above it. Just as God was bragging about Job when Job felt abandoned, we often don’t know the full story of what God is doing. But we do know this: He hasn’t left. He hasn’t failed. And He hasn’t changed. In Jesus, our hope lives—and because of that, so do we.