Fear is a terrible business advisor. It rarely announces itself as fear. Instead, it sounds reasonable:
“I’m just being careful.”
“I need to think about it a little longer.”
“Now probably isn’t the right time.”

But sometimes what looks like caution is really fear — fear of failure, rejection, criticism, or what other people will think.

In Episode 002 of Better Bible Business, Paul Erickson looks at Proverbs 29:25 — “The fear of man bringeth a snare”—and explores how fear can quietly distort the decisions Christian business owners make.

What if your job isn’t to protect your reputation at all?
What if your job is simply to be faithful—and trust God with the outcome?
In this episode, we’ll look at:

• Why fear often disguises itself as wisdom
• How the fear of man entangles our decision-making
• Why discomfort and genuine danger aren’t the same thing
• What raising your prices can teach you about fear
• Why your reputation ultimately belongs to God
• How faith frees you to stop endlessly tweaking and start acting

You don’t need certainty or perfection before you move forward. You need faith. You need obedience.

Think of one decision you’ve been delaying.
What are you actually afraid of?
Then take one step forward—not because you feel ready, but because you trust the One who is always ready.

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SOURCES & FURTHER READING
2 Timothy 1:7
Proverbs 29:25
1 John (all 5 chapters)

Transcript

[00:00:00] Intro Voiceover: You’re listening to the Better Bible Business Podcast with the world’s greatest host, Paul Erickson. Is that good, Dad?

[00:00:13] Paul Erickson: Howdy, friend, and welcome to Better Bible Business. I’m Paul Erickson. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever known exactly what you should do in your business, but you just didn’t do it?

[00:00:27] You delayed, you hesitated, you second-guessed, not because you lacked skill, not because you lacked opportunity, but because something inside you said, “What if this goes sideways?” My friend, that voice has a name. It’s fear, and today, I want to show you why fear is one of the worst advisors you can listen to in business.

[00:00:50] In fact, I’d go so far as to say fear doesn’t just make business harder, it makes your decision-making unreliable. Let’s take a few minutes and think clearly about this. Every Christian business owner lives with this tension. Fear says, “What if this goes sideways?” And faith says, “Well, what if we trust in the Lord?”

[00:01:13] And most of the time, if we’re honest, we only listen to one side of that conversation, right? Fear doesn’t usually show up as panic. It usually shows up as, “Hey, I’m, I’m just being careful,” or, “I need to think about this more,” or, “Now’s probably not the right time.” But what is really happening? We’re not avoiding work, we’re avoiding commitment.

[00:01:41] Because once we decide, then we own the outcome, right? Yes. So let’s strip this down. What are we really afraid of in business? Is it failure? Sometimes. Well, maybe more than sometimes. Is it losing money? Occasionally, but more often than not, it’s something deeper. We’re afraid of what people will think.

[00:02:08] We’re afraid of being judged, afraid of being misunderstood, being seen as inadequate, or being found out, what some people call imposter syndrome. And there’s a single word for all of that: reputation. For example, Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.”

[00:02:34] Did you notice that word snare? A snare isn’t a wall. A snare is a trap. The Hebrew word for snare in that verse also means bait or a lure used to capture, uh, an animal in a net or a noose. And like an unsuspecting animal, we don’t see it until we’re already caught in it, and that’s what fear does in business.

[00:03:01] It doesn’t stop us outright, but it entangles us, and we start overthinking, delaying, tweaking instead of deciding, and all the while, we think we’re being wise. But the reality is we’re being trapped So here’s the question that changes everything. Who owns your reputation? Now, if we’re honest, most of us live like we do because we try to protect it.

[00:03:33] We try to manage it. We control how we’re perceived, or at least we try to control that. But here’s the truth. Your reputation was never yours to begin with. It belongs to the Lord. Now, think about that for a moment. Doesn’t that change your role entirely? Your job is not to protect your reputation. Now, I understand about having a business ethos, but that belongs to God.

[00:04:02] Your job is not to protect your reputation. Your job is to be faithful. God’s job is to handle the outcome. First John four eighteen says, “There is no fear in love. Perfect love casteth out fear because fear hath torment.” Fear has torment. I mean, torment, that’s a strong word. That’s important. This isn’t just about discomfort.

[00:04:34] It’s about internal pressure, constant, nagging, exhausting pressure. And what removes that? Not more information, not more planning. Perfect love removes that internal torment, which means this isn’t a personality issue. It’s really a trust issue. Focus on the love of God. The book of First John is only five chapters.

[00:05:02] Read First John every day for a month. I know it’ll be a blessing to you. But let’s make this practical for your business. Say you’re considering raising your prices. Fear says, “What if I lose clients?” Okay, let’s follow that through. Ask yourself, “What’s the worst thing that could happen by raising my prices?”

[00:05:24] Sure, some clients may leave. Some people think you’re too expensive. You feel rejection for a while, but that’s not destruction. That’s discomfort, and those are not the same thing. What we often call risk is really just fear of discomfort. Here’s something you’ve probably already e-experienced if you’ve been in business for any length of time.

[00:05:52] The client’s looking for a deal Are also the clients that tend to drain you. Isn’t that true? They’re high maintenance. The clients that trust you though, those clients, they respect your work. They give you room to operate. You actually enjoy working with them, and they with you, which means you do better work.

[00:06:15] They get better results, and everybody wins. So raising your prices doesn’t shrink opportunity, it clarifies it. Let’s bring this together. Fear is a terrible business advisor because it tells you to protect something that God already owns. You don’t need certainty or perfection to move forward. In fact, perfection is often the enemy of complete.

[00:06:43] What you need is faith, and you need obedience. Better Bible Business, this podcast, is a perfect example. It was delayed for years, years, because of all the excuses that I just mentioned. It was something I knew that God wanted me to do. Finally, by faith, I gave it to the Lord, and I obeyed, and here we are.

[00:07:11] It’s like planning a trip to the moon. Don’t wait for the moon to move closer, because it never will. Build a rocket and go. Now, let’s get real with something simple you can do this week. Think about one decision you’ve been delaying, just one. Ask yourself, “What am I actually afraid of?” Am I protecting my reputation or am I trusting God with it?

[00:07:41] And then take one step forward, not because you feel ready, but because you trust the one who is always ready. Something else you can do this week is a search in your Bible for the phrases fear not or do not be afraid or do not fear, and that depends on your Bible version that you’re using. Notice how many times it’s mentioned.

[00:08:08] Spoiler alert, it’s a lot. The Lord addresses in his word so many times this topic of fear and, and fear not because he knows how much we wrestle with fear. And notice what frequently follows that phrase, “For I am with you.” Christian, as you entrust your business to the Lord, he will walk with you through whatever challenges there are.

[00:08:35] It’s his promise, and, and it’s a precious one. My friend, thank you. Thank you for taking time to listen today, and I pray it’s been a blessing to you. If so, please subscribe and then go grab my completely free gift, the seven-day Biblical Entrepreneur Devotional. It’s seven short daily readings sent to your inbox that will realign your heart, head, and business with God’s heart in one week.

[00:09:01] The link is in the show notes below, or visit betterbiblebusiness.com/7days today. And remember, be smart, be good, be humble, be active, and we’ll see you in the next episode.

[00:09:18] Outro Voiceover: Thank you for listening to the Better Bible Business Podcast with your awesome host, Paul Erickson. Awesome? Really, Dad? Anyway, you can subscribe to this podcast and social media channels at betterbiblebusiness.com. So smash that like button, hit subscribe, ring the bell, and follow on social media. All right, Dad.

[00:09:39] Five bucks is five bucks