I read this book with relatively high expectations. I hoped to find answers to some of my problems with fear -- the fact that fear drives me to a certain extent, and that I feel constrained by fear, especially when it comes to money. The promise of the book is that it will teach us how to live a life without fear, and it delivers on that promise to a certain extent. However, it falls short of being a life-changing treatise that alters my worldview completely. The book does address specific causes of fear, including money, and the answer is always to turn to Jesus in some way. The simple Biblical truth that this book addresses is that every fear (except the fear of God, which is another word for faith) can be lessened if we look to Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God the Father for answers. That truth is expressed gracefully, with style, and with compassion. Still, I am hungering for more truth on the nature of fear. Why does God allow us to be so ruled by fear? The author does touch on the fact that fear sometimes plays a useful role in warning us of dangers. But he doesn't delve deep into the psychology of fear, how rooted it is in our experience. In a way, fear is the only appropriate response to the human condition. Still, I wonder if that's purposeful -- that the author knows not to dwell too much on the deep-rootedness of fear, because his philosophy and advice is simple -- trust God, no matter what.
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