Just before we began a recent Zoom group coaching session, Coral shared a powerful question that quieted us:
“Can fear in our heads block us from the authority we have in the sonship of Jesus?”
She heard this question come to her mind one morning.
We later turned to Scripture and let Jesus show us…
From the Table to the Garden
We opened to Luke 22:14-30, where Jesus gathers with His disciples for the Last Supper.
We reflected…
He knows what’s coming.
He knows the betrayal, the fear, the abandonment.
And yet, He serves. He breaks bread. He speaks of His Kingdom.
He offers Himself before anyone understands what’s about to unfold.
We took communion together, over Zoom across multiple timezones and countries, letting that love soak in.
Then we continued in Luke 22:39-51, following Jesus into Gethsemane.
In the Garden of Pressure
It’s here, in the garden, that the question Coral asked comes full circle.
Because fear was present.
The disciples fell asleep instead of praying.
Judas approached with betrayal in his kiss.
Peter drew his sword, fighting in the flesh.
Fear was thick in the air. Confusion. Pain. Reactivity.
They had walked with Jesus, heard His teaching, seen the miracles…
But in the moment of pressure?
Fear led.
And yet—Jesus.
Here’s What the Lord Whispered to Me:
Human nature is to fight and betray.
God’s nature is to heal and pray.
(And no—I didn’t plan to rhyme, but wow, did that hit me deep.)
Peter lashes out with a sword.
Jesus reaches out and heals.
Betrayal is on the lips of a friend.
Jesus meets it with surrender, not defense.
The disciples panic.
Jesus prays.
So, Back to the Question:
Can fear in our heads block us from the authority we have in the sonship of Jesus?
Yes. It can.
Fear leads us to strive, defend, control, and self-protect.
But sonship—true authority in Christ—is rooted in trust, prayer, and peace.
When we try to fight like Peter,
we miss the authority that heals like Jesus.
Sonship Looks Like This:
- It kneels in pressure, rather than panics.
- It remembers the Kingdom, even when the cross is looming.
- It chooses healing over harm.
- It prays through the fear, not around it.
An Invitation for You
If fear is sitting too loud in your mind lately, pause.
Turn off the noise.
Sit with Jesus in the Garden.
Watch how He navigates betrayal.
Listen to His words.
Notice His posture.
Then ask:
“Jesus, what does my heart look like right now?”
And from that place of intimacy—not panic—you’ll let His love turn your heart back to sonship.
Let’s Pray:
Jesus, teach us to stay awake with You.
To not default to fear or fight,
but to live from the quiet power of knowing we belong.
Heal what’s been hurt.
Calm what’s been stirred.
And lead us to live and lead from the garden of trust, from our identity in you.
Amen.
Connect with one of us: www.coachinginfreedom.com
Merri Ellen Giesbrecht / www.merriellen.com
Following and Trusting : Encountering God Out of the Box 
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