Arlyn Lawrence writes in "The Other Great Commission?":

Carrie was a casual acquaintance from church—an outgoing person with a quick smile and ready words of encouragement. But something in my spirit discerned that all was not as it seemed on the surface. She was, in fact, a single Christian woman who was in a compromising sexual situation. I had been watching from a distance and quietly interceding for her for some time when I distinctly felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to talk to her about it.

So I arranged to meet Carrie for coffee on a Saturday morning. In prayer, the Holy Spirit had given me one word to ask her about: fear. After chatting for a few minutes, I took our conversation to a deeper level. "Carrie," I said, "I've been praying for you lately. I think I am hearing the Lord say that you are trapped by fear about something. Is that possible? Am I hearing correctly?"

Carrie did not take long to react. She was indeed very afraid, she admitted. Finances were tight, almost desperate, for her. She did not know if even her basic needs would be met, and she was afraid of being alone. These fears had been growing and were nearly consuming her. She had been trying to cope with everything on her own—a pursuit that was carrying her further and further from God and from peace of mind.

While the emotion of fear is a normal human reaction to danger, the sin of fear is a fleshly response to circumstances that seem beyond our control. I gently pointed this out to Carrie. When I suggested that she confess these things to God, she agreed wholeheartedly. First, she confessed her sin of fear to the Lord—her lack of trust in his provision and presence and her quickness to turn to earthly substitutes. Then, without my saying a word, she tearfully confessed to God her temptation to enter into an immoral relationship because of the security it would provide.

I then took the opportunity to pray for her: to pray for the Father's comfort, love, provision, and presence to be poured out on her. There was still practical follow-up to be done, to be sure. But it would be easier because the hard work of restoring Carrie's heart had already been started through prayer.