In a time in History where people have many things to fear, Max Lucado delivers a dose of wise counsel and biblical truth to help treat fear at its root. While Fearless deals with specific fears fueled by headlines in the local papers(such as terrorism and the global economic crisis), it also deals with generalized fears and anxieties(such as fear of failure or abandonment).
Ultimately, Lucado says in Fearless that the secret to conquering life’s fears begin and ends in Jesus Christ. Without Jesus, we are hopeless to conquer fears. Thankfully, Jesus wants every single person to know him and find peace through knowing him. Only by trusting Jesus will our fears be stilled and our striving cease.
Max Lucado has such a comfortable way with words. His stories are thoughtful and provoking, yet easy to read. He has a comforting way about him, even as he discusses difficult life and death situations he does so with care and compassion always pointing back to the truth in the Bible. He even candidly shares his own personal experiences throughout the book… his heart problem and subsequent surgery, the death of his brother, his daughter’s upcoming marriage… and how keeping his eyes fixed on Jesus and keeping an eternal perspective helped him find peace during the storms of life. Reading this book was almost like discussing these topics over coffee with a friend. Lucado doesn’t sugar coat life’s fears but he does use scripture to put these fears into proper perspective. He even addresses the hurt and desperation that comes following a tragedy where one would be tempted to believe that fear is righteous… “what makes no sense in this life will make perfect sense in the next.”
For me personally, I don’t have a lot of fearfulness when it comes to the job market, the housing crisis, or terrorism. My fears manifest in a much different way, a more personal way. If I am being honest my fears have more to do with whats going on in my mind and my thought life, how I worry and stress over things that I shouldn’t or how I tend to be “controlling” because of my own internal fears. Max Lucado’s “Fearless” helped me to understand how to really, once and for all, turn my fears to God and let him take control.
Some of the common fears Lucado addresses in “Fearless” are”
Fear of Not Mattering
Fear of Disappointing God
Fear of Overwhelming Challenges
Fear of What’s Next
Fear the God is Not Real
and more…
This book was full of great Bible verses and quotes, and I mean write this on an index card and stick it on your bathroom mirror, computer monitor, car dashboard, kind of quotes. I will leave you with a few, hopefully you will read the MAX quotes and the JESUS quotes and connect with something there that will compel you to read this book. We do not have to be afraid, Jesus Christ killed fear on the cross. Put your trust in Him and he will help you through fear to courage, faith, and belief.
Here are some of my favorites:
MAX Quotes
“Fear never wrote a symphony or poem, negotiated a peace treaty, or cured a disease. Fear never pulled a family out of poverty or a country out of bigotry. Fear never saved a marriage or a business. Courage did that. Faith did that. People who refused to consult or cower to their timidities did that. But fear itself? Fear herds us into a prison and slams the doors. Wouldn’t it be great to walk out?”
“Fear corrodes our confidence in God’s goodness.”
“Fear at it’s center is perceived loss of control. When life spins wildly we grab for a component of life we can manage: our diet, the tidiness of the house, the armrest of a plane, or, in many cases, people. The more insecure we feel the meaner we become. Why?…. because we feel cornered.”
“When fear shapes our lives, safety becomes our god. When safety becomes out god we worship the risk free life. Can the safety lover do anything great? Can the risk-averse accomplish noble deeds? For God? For others? No. The fear-filled cannot love deeply. Love is risky. the cannot give to the poor. Benevolence has no guarantee of return… the worship of safety emasculates greatness. No wonder Jesus wages such a war against fear.”
“Nothing fosters courage like a clear grasp of grace.”
“Feed your fears and your faith with starve. Feed your faith and your fears will.”
JESUS Quotes
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. (Matthew 10:28-21)
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear… Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life…So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ … But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:25-34)
Don’t be afraid, just believe and your daughter will be well. (Luke 8:50)
Don’t let your hearts be troubled, trust in God, and trust also in me. (John 14:1)
“Why are you frightened? Why are your hearts filled with doubt?” (Luke 24:38)
“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars but see to it that you are not alarmed” (Matthew 24:6)
Everyone who looks to the son and believes him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:40)
Perfect love expels all fear. (1 John 4:18)
From the Publisher
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?
AnnieLaurie Walters 
i so need to read this.