The End of Anxiety: The Biblical Prescription for Overcoming Fear, Worry, and Panic

by Josh Weidmann

If God is All-powerful, Why Doesn’t He Eliminate My Anxiety? Instead of asking this, perhaps we should ask why God is allowing it in the first place. Join pastor and biblical counselor Josh Weidmann on a journey through Scripture and his own vulnerable stories of discovering God’s ultimate purpose in pain. The End of Anxiety is designed for individuals or small groups; each chapter begins with Scripture and finishes with practical steps you can apply for immediate relief. Your anxiety, fear, stress, and panic are not the end of you—but facing them could be the start of something great! “Read this, apply it, and find freedom from fear—forever.” Ray Johnston Senior pastor of Bayside Church in Granite Bay, California

Genres: Christian, Christian Living, Counselling

206 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 21, 2020

About the author

Josh Weidmann is married to his best friend, Molly, and has five children. He is the senior pastor of Grace Chapel in Denver, Colorado, and has been speaking and writing about the power of Jesus Christ for everyday life for two decades. He is a graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a certified biblical counselor. For more information, visit JoshWeidmann.com.

Reviews

[Keri · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit disappointed in this book, if I'm honest. To be fair, I'm extremely selective in the books I find helpful about anxiety, as many seem to swing to one side or the other on blaming spiritual or physical causes - and thus offering purely spiritual or physical solutions.

The author does come right out at the beginning and say he's not going to deal with any kind of physical causes or solutions to anxiety, but even then, I admit, I was still hoping for a bit...well, more well rounded of an approach, even purely biblically. Or perhaps his organization style just wasn't very clear or helpful to me...

I found plenty of admonishment rooted in Scripture - but it felt very incomplete, with repeated calls to trust God without getting much into WHY God is trustworthy - His character, His heart, His compassion and refuge for those who battle fear and anxiety. It felt more like a list of do's and don'ts and examples of people who struggled more than a true guide in helping us untangle the heart attitudes and warped beliefs that often exacerbate anxiety struggles.

The writing felt a bit all over the place to me, and I think it could have used a more thorough editing to make each chapter flow topically and make more sense as an arc. Also a pet peeve of mine: He described many of his own panic attacks and vague vignettes of anxiety struggles, but never reveals much of his own heart or the cause or triggers, or even many resolutions, which made it hard to find relatable or authentic beyond a basic surface level.

Overall: Maybe it was just me and where I'm coming from in my own struggle, but I did not find this very helpful. Perhaps it would make a good jumping off point to discuss in a counseling setting, but it was not incredibly useful as a stand-alone resource to me.

[Dylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is wonderful application and relatability in this book. I appreciate Josh because he makes himself vulnerable by sharing some of his brutally honest life stories that hit home. I highly recommend reading this book no matter what life stage you are in - life is going smooth as a cucumber or it is a train wreck.
5/5

Spoiler, Jesus Christ is the end of anxiety

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciated the overall message of this book:
“The end of our anxiety is not merely the ceasing of it; rather, it is finding the power of God within it.”
+
“My joy comes not by the relieving of my anxiety, but by seeing how God is working in my anxiety.”
…
We might not be able to eradicate all fear, worry, and anxiety this side of heaven. However, God is able to use these feelings to conform us to be more like Christ. This book offers many practical applications (counseling HW) and covers several aspects of anxiety, bringing the hope of Christ through Scripture to them all.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Establishes its excellent point: anxiety leads us to Christ, thus the “End” of Anxiety is Christ. However, one chapter teaches a secular, therapeutic model of forgiveness and misses true Biblical forgiveness. It’s bit curious, since the author points to Chris Braun and key biblical passages which clearly teach that forgiveness is NOT unilateral - it always requires repentance, and we are to practice forgiveness just “as” it is with God. If I recommend the book to counselees, I’ll have them skip that chapter. If we need to teach forgiveness, we’ll teach Biblical forgiveness.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author lays bare his own struggle with anxiety and perseverance to trust God and cling to truth. There isn't necessarily an end to anxiety in the way we think or want - it just goes away. The end is what the cheif end of mankind is - to glorify God - as well as our good in being conformed to the image of Christ.

[Tony Christensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me realize that I have suffered for so long (& am still suffering) from this disease so I can help others who suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. It isn't a magic pill by any means, but it does help understand the why (at least it did for me).

[Jessalynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book sm. Really got me thinking about the way I perceive things and my own reactions. A real eye opener.