Northridge Book Review: Overcoming Fear, Worry, and Anxiety

Overcoming Fear, Worry, and Anxiety by Elyse Fitzpatrick

ELYSE M. FITZPATRICK holds a certificate in biblical counseling from CCEF (San Diego) and an M.A. in Biblical Counseling from Trinity Theological Seminary. She has authored 23 books on daily living and the Christian life. Elyse loves to proclaim the good news of the gospel: That Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, perfectly obeyed all the Law in our place, suffered in isolation and agony as punishment for our sin, died, and then rose again, all for our justification. A frequent speaker at women’s conferences, she has been married for over 40 years and has three adult children and six really adorable grandchildren.

Summary:

“God knew fear, worry, and anxiety would be very real problems for us, and He provides an abundance of clear and practical help in the Bible. You’ll find much comfort and encouragement within these pages as you learn from the examples of other women like you-women who have discovered that it really is possible to have a peace-filled confidence in every circumstance of life.” Elyse Fitzpatrick, back cover.

Author’s promise to readers:

The author states that she shares how you can “identify the real source of your fears and worries; find specific strategies for overcoming anxiety; learn how to replace worry with joy; rest secure in God’s protective care of your life.”  Elyse assures that these strategies, learning and security come only from a life rooted in the gospel and total dependence on Jesus Christ.

Strengths of this resource:
Elyse shares very real and relatable stories of women’s struggles and provides very specific and practical steps to take to learn how to trust God and the Bible as a source of tangible help in the midst of worry, anxiety and fear.

Weaknesses:

It was written in 2001 so some examples may seem a little outdated, but that doesn’t take away from the effectiveness of the strategies in any way.  The examples are primarily focused on women, but men can still learn from the principles, truths and strategies offered.

Who should read this book and why?

This book is HIGHLY recommend for anyone (male or female) struggling with fear, worry or anxiety OR anyone who loves someone who struggles in this way (which pretty much means we can all read this!).

Review written by Nancy Simmonds, Biblical Counselor