Fearless Living

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the US, affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older (18% of the national population). That’s a staggering statistic!

Unfortunately, anxiety and fear affect way more than 18% of the American population. At the hands of this high-paced, high-stressed society, almost all Americans struggle with some form of fear or worry in their lives. That is why I want to review and recommend a tremendous book on the topic of this specific emotion: Fearless by Max Lucado.

Amazon.com offers this summary of the book:

"Each sunrise seems to bring fresh reasons for fear.

They're talking layoffs at work, slowdowns in the economy, flare-ups in the Middle East, turnovers at headquarters, downturns in the housing market, upswings in global warming. The plague of our day, terrorism, begins with the word terror. Fear, it seems, has taken up a hundred-year lease on the building next door and set up shop. Oversized and rude, fear herds us into a prison of unlocked doors. Wouldn't it be great to walk out?

Imagine your life, wholly untouched by angst. What if faith, not fear, was your default reaction to threats? If you could hover a fear magnet over your heart and extract every last shaving of dread, insecurity, or doubt, what would remain? Envision a day, just one day, where you could trust more and fear less.

Can you imagine your life without fear?"

That is Lucado’s goal: to give you a biblical foundation for conquering fear in your life. Trust me, I recommend this book because it has been tremendously helpful in my own experiences! I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder two months ago; in a search to find books that tackled the problem of anxiety from a biblical worldview, I stumbled upon Fearless, and instantly decided that I needed to give it a read.

In the book Lucado presents a powerful perspective of fear, and what role it should play in our life. Ultimately, he points out, that God is good and in control of everything – therefore we can find peace and security in trusting the Lord. Faith is truly the key to overcoming fear. His explanation of fear in light of God's sovereignty impacted me in a profound way.

Without a doubt, I highly recommend Fearless; it receives Two-Thumbs-Up from All Nicked Up! Whether you struggle with an anxiety disorder or have trouble with the general worries of life, allow Fearless to be a guide in establishing a biblical understanding of fear and faith.