Illness, political turmoil, inflation, job security—these realities and more have many Christians today locked in the throes of fear and anxiety about the future. Not all fear and anxiety is sinful, and yet there are times when how we feel is not in keeping with how God would have his people respond. How do you recognize and respond rightly to sinful fear and anxiety? What is the remedy for overcoming it? In this insightful and devotional book, Darrell Harrison and Virgil Walker consider those crucial questions through the lens of the sufficient Word of God.
Would probably be a great one to go through with a group or a friend! It’s short but addressed the topic well, and has good scripture memory and study or application questions with each chapter. ❤️
This book is short and readable, and yet so rich and encouraging. If you are dealing with fear and anxiety, the only true answer is Jesus Christ. Harrison and Walker unpack this truth with empathy, clarity, and fidelity to the Scripture.
“If the creator of life holds our very next breath, why would we be gripped and controlled by fearful circumstances that are beyond our ability to foresee or manage? Really the question comes down to whether we trust God to manage the affairs of life.” — Why are You Afraid? ⭐️⭐️ 2/5
There were a few good points made in this book, but honestly…I didn’t really get much out of it and had to dnf it come page 30. That being said—
Let’s begin.
This was another book I had to DNF.
What bugged me about this book is that there were too many quotes given from well known people on the subject of fear, and not enough of what the authors were saying in their own words about fear with the Word to back themselves up.
I’m not really a fan of books given to quotes from other well known speakers and pastors, I’d rather just read what someone says on a certain topic because the quotes don’t lead me much into the bible. It’s just what man says. I want to know what God says about fear. Tell me that.
The book didn’t feel drenched in scripture either. I was expecting more verses to back up what the authors were saying about sinful fear and healthy fear.
I found this book clung too much to the intellectual side of sinful fear instead of what scripture talks about fear, and how to overcome it. We make things so complicating when our God is so simple.
Overall: not my cup of devotion, but for those who like quotes, I’d recommend.
At the height of the pandemic, my father-in-law was speaking with a local Amish man. He asked if his family was fearful of getting the virus. The Amish man said to my father-in-law, “We have some fear, but we probably aren’t as fearful as others because we don’t have a TV to tell us to be.” If the past two years have taught us anything, it’s fear and worry abound. Fear, worry, and anxiety have always been something people struggle with, but we’ve had our eyes held open and forced to stare these things right in the eye for a concentrated and extended period of time. As Christians, how do we navigate this? Where do we look to comfort our souls, to get answers and gain peace? Is it sinful for us to have these feelings? Darrell Harrison and Virgil Walker have written a book addressing this topic. By compiling Scripture, thoughts from many Christians, and an element of introspection and devotion, it all culminates in Why Are You Afraid?
Darrell and Virgil state very early on their goal and hope of this book: “Our goal in this book is simply to provide some biblical precepts from God’s Word concerning sinful fear and anxiety and to encourage believers to take those principles to heart and apply them in their own lives. . . . That is our desire and prayer for this book, that God would grant us his wisdom so that we might be able to “advise” our brothers and sisters struggling with sinful fear and anxiety” (4, 5). I believe they achieved their hopes and goals in this book and led by example. They used their wisdom and the wisdom of other believers in the faith to advise and challenge the reader.
The chapter titled “Trust God” was my favorite. As someone prone to fall into sinful fear and anxiety, this chapter had great truths for me to reflect on. Not only that, it convicted and called for repentance on my part in certain areas of my life. I never felt like Darrell or Virgil came off as condescending or worded anything with a “holier than thou” tone. They have counselors’ hearts. They come alongside the reader as brothers in Christ who truly care and want to see the reader be more Christlike.
The chapter titled “The True Source of Peace” snuffs out the root problem of Christians dealing with sinful fear and anxiety. “Many professing Christians simply do not believe God’s Word is sufficient to help them in areas of their life” (57). They provide solutions from God’s Word, showing that it is sufficient. It is not the typical “Just remember these verses.” Instead they show us from the text of Scripture the root of our problem, how we got there in the first place, and how to remedy it. Darrell and Virgil are known for not mincing words. This chapter showed that and stayed true to their style of speaking in addressing difficult topics. I appreciate their style and approach to what God’s Word says and how it applies to our life.
Each of the eight chapters in the book concludes with discussion questions. They put each topic not only in our brains but also in our hearts. They do not allow this subject to be a mental ascent or head knowledge that we do not apply to ourselves. The questions are a call to action and self-reflection. They are a call to change how we think and feel about sinful fear and anxiety. This aspect is excellent for personal devotion, a small group setting, or a counseling supplement. This book can be used in many areas of Christian life.
All in all, I think this book was excellent. It is timely, something we should always be aware of and on guard against in our Christian walk. You should grab a copy for yourself, your small group, or your church library. This book is the first to be published by G3 Press and is scheduled for release on February 14, 2022. It is available for preorder at a special price. I would like to give a special thanks to Darrell Harrison, Virgil Walker, Scott Aniol, & G3 Press for the opportunity to read this book in advance and provide a review.
Once again my brothers from the “Just Thinking” podcast has shown us how relevant the HOLY SCRIPTURES are to our lives. GOD gave us the BIBLE as a roadmap or owner’s manual for life. But, we in our sin want to rebel and go our own way (Romans 1) and when we do it never works out. I know from experience, but also because the TRUE and LIVING GOD has said so in HIS WORD! Repent, turn from your sin and by grace through faith follow JESUS CHRIST. It’s not an easy road, but it’s the only road that’ll bring the joy, hope, peace, and love that you’re looking for!! Eternal love from an eternal TRIUNE GOD!!
This was the most amazing resource on every aspect of fear out there. It covers everything from trusting in God, to past events that could cause fear now, to the sufficiency of Scripture. In true Walker and Harrison fashion, they quite many theologians, and of course, many Scripture passages. I feel incredibly encouraged, and the length of this book makes it an incredible resource to come back to without feeling overwhelmed by information.
Excellent. Highly recommend. If you struggle with fear and anxiety this book will take the lamp of God’s Word to give comfort s” and peace, pointing you to the God of true, everlasting peace.
Reading this book is just like listening to the podcast. They put some tough thoughts and biblical insights on the reader that really make you examine your spiritual walk.