This week’s episode is a little different. We’re pulling back the curtain on one of our BJDW Community Masterclasses, the kind of deep, beautiful, heart-level conversations we host each month with special guests to encourage our community gals on the journey to freedom.

We’re joined by Sharon Hodde Miller, author of Free of Me and Gazing at God, to unpack the root of insecurity, and why we often feel insecure when we’re standing on something shaky.

Sharon shares how our culture has taught us to treat insecurity by focusing more on ourselves… when the real freedom comes from shifting our gaze to God. She talks about why self-focus is exhausting, what true biblical self-denial looks like (hint: it’s not self-rejection), and how to spot when we’ve made something about us that was never meant to be.

If you’ve ever found yourself striving for validation, wrestling with comparison, or feeling “not enough” in your faith, parenting, or purpose, this conversation is going to offer you so much encouragement!. 🙌

💡What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why you sometimes feel insecure because you’re standing on something insecure
• The two causes of insecurity and why self-focus is often the hidden one
• What the Bible really says when people bring their insecurities to God
• The difference between self-denial and self-rejection (and why it matters)
• How “self-focus” often masks pain or unhealed wounds
• What to do when insecurity or comparison starts spiraling
• How to gently re-center your gaze on God instead of yourself

💌 Links & Resources:

☀️ Join the January 40-Day Alcohol Fast https://butjesusdrankwine.myflodesk.com/januaryfast

Books by Sharon Hodde Miller:

Free of Me: Why Life Is Better When It’s Not About YouGazing at God: Discovering the Freedom of a God-Centered Life

Sharon’s First Podcast With Us: Free of Me: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/but-jesus-drank-wine-other-stories-that-kept-us-stuck/id1661252590?i=1000651035959

🤝 Join our community: https://butjesusdrankwine.com/community

📖 Order your copy of Love Life Sober: A 40 Day Alcohol Fast to Rediscover Your Joy, Improve Your Health, and Renew Your Mind https://amzn.to/42l7z9C

📲 Connect on Instagram: @butjesusdrankwine

🎥 Watch on YouTube: Come hang out with us HERE !

The creators, hosts, and producers of the But Jesus Drank Wine podcast are not healthcare practitioners and therefore do not give medical, psychological or professional advice nor do they intend for the podcast, any communication on behalf of BJDW or otherwise to be a substitute for such. Additionally, the views and opinions expressed in any mention of and/or linked resources are those of the authors/owners of those resources and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the But Jesus Drank Wine podcast team or guests of the show.

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Have you ever wondered why traditional recovery works for some people—but didn’t quite fit for you?

This week, we’re pulling back the curtain with our friend and BJDW team member Heather whose journey to freedom started inside a rehab program that followed a 12-step model…and ended in a deeper, Jesus-led transformation.

Heather opens up about what she learned, what didn’t resonate, and how she found freedom—not just sobriety—through faith, community, and truth.

If you’ve ever felt out of place in traditional recovery, or wrestled with words like powerless and alcoholic, this conversation is going to set something free inside you.

📘 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• The parts of traditional recovery that helped Heather build early sobriety.
• The moments she knew she needed “something more” than meetings.
• Why labeling herself “powerless” didn’t align with her identity in Christ.
• How she integrated her faith into a secular recovery space—and what changed when she stopped compartmentalizing.
• The difference between sobriety and freedom (and why one without the other still feels stuck).
• The emotional sobriety piece that’s often missing in traditional models.
• How Jesus met her in unexpected places—from rehab groups to backyard birthday parties.
• Why community, not control, is what actually sustains transformation.

💌 Links & Resources:

Previous Episodes Mentioned:

Heather D’s First Episode: From High-Achieving to Healing, Heather Dillion’s Story

God Doesn’t Call You An Alcoholic, He Calls You His Beloved Daughter

☀️ Join the January Fast https://butjesusdrankwine.com/thefast

🤝 Join our community: https://butjesusdrankwine.com/community

📖 Order your copy of Love Life Sober: A 40 Day Alcohol Fast to Rediscover Your Joy, Improve Your Health, and Renew Your Mind https://amzn.to/42l7z9C

📲 Connect on Instagram: @butjesusdrankwine

🎥 Watch on YouTube: Come hang out with us HERE !

The creators, hosts, and producers of the But Jesus Drank Wine podcast are not healthcare practitioners and therefore do not give medical, psychological or professional advice nor do they intend for the podcast, any communication on behalf of BJDW or otherwise to be a substitute for such. Additionally, the views and opinions expressed in any mention of and/or linked resources are those of the authors/owners of those resources and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the But Jesus Drank Wine podcast team or guests of the show.

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.