Angela welcomes author, speaker, Bible teacher, and biblical life coach Dawn Ward to discuss Hebrews 4:16 and what it really means to come “with confidence” to the throne of grace. Dawn shares the heart behind her ministry, Faith to Flourish, and her new book From Guilt to Grace: Hope and Healing for Christian Moms of Addicted Children. Drawing from her own story of growing up with an alcoholic father and then parenting sons battling addiction, Dawn explains how God used this verse to move her from fear, control, and performance into rest, trust, and practical dependence on God’s grace in times of deep need.
Episode Highlights
- Context for Hebrews: a pastoral letter written to Jewish believers facing intense persecution, tempted to turn back to old religious patterns instead of holding fast to Jesus as their great High Priest.
- Why it matters that Jesus is the “great high priest” who has passed through the heavens, suffered, and been tempted in every way—and how that makes Him uniquely able to sympathize with our weakness.
- A rich look at Hebrews 4:16: coming with confidence (not arrogance, not shame) to the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need.
- Dawn’s personal story: growing up with verbal abuse and alcoholism, becoming performance-driven and controlling, then having two sons struggle with addiction—and how her old coping patterns collapsed under that weight.
- How God used this verse (and the broader themes of Hebrews 3–4) to invite Dawn out of unbelief, out of “fixing and rescuing,” and into resting, trusting, and focusing on Jesus rather than on circumstances.
Practical tools she now uses and teaches: “stop, drop, and pray” before reacting; pausing before sending the text or making the call; repenting quickly when she acts out of old patterns; and learning to climb into the Father’s “lap” rather than trying to manage everything alone.
Great Quotes from the Episode
- “I knew grace as saving grace…but grace that strengthens us and helps us in our time of need—and we live that grace every day—this verse has become a life verse for me.”
- “Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens…hold fast to our confession. He’s not like any other priest out there.”
- “Boldness is confidence in the outcome and in the promise and in the Person who’s making the promise.”
- “I wasn’t living in God’s grace. I was living in this works mindset that believed, ‘If I pray harder, if I read enough Scripture, I can fix all of this.’”
- “Jesus was saying: I’m working on them. I’m dealing with what’s going on over there, but I want to put my finger on the areas of your heart that are broken.”
- “For the Marthas out there, it’s natural to jump into first-responder mode. But sometimes there’s more power in saying, ‘Lord, what do You want me to do—if anything? My eyes are on You.’”
Scripture Mentioned
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