I have to start by saying I haven’t read a Max Lucado book in about a decade.  I always enjoyed the ones I read, but I have to say they started sound a lot of like.  I felt like I was reading mostly the same thing over and over.  I think this had to do more with the writer’s style than content.  With Fearless, I began reading and instantly could hear Lucado’s voice behind.  That’s a good thing, but not necessarily a great thing.

Having said that, this is a book that is full of great Biblical wisdom for growing fearless in our life.  I love the title because it is something I aspire to be.  The subtitle of the book gives the point of the book: “Imagine your life without fear.”  Specifically Lucado looks at the fear of:

  • Not mattering;
  • Disappointing God;
  • Running out;
  • Not protecting my kids;
  • Overwhelming challenges;
  • Worst-case scenarios;
  • Violence;
  • the coming Winter;
  • Life’s Final moments;
  • What’s next;
  • That God’s not real;
  • Global calamity
  • God getting out of my box.

With practical application and insightful wisdom Lucado tackles each of these fears.  Essentially you could say there is something int he book for everyone.  I don’t know anyone who doesn’t or hasn’t wrestled with one of these fears.

Here’s some quotes to chew on:

It’s not the absence of storms that sets us apart. It’s whom we discover in the storm: an unstirred Christ (8).

Fear corrodes our confidence in God’s goodnes (9).

Fear may fill our world, but it doesn’t haven’t fill our hearts. It will always knock on the door. Just don’t invite it in for dinner, and for heaven’s sake don’t offer it a bed for the night (13).

Jesus loves us too much to leave us in doubt about his grace (37).

Putting your worries into words disrobes them (85).

A healthy church is where fear goes to die (87).

God owns it all. God shares it all (109).

With trademark Lucado style, you get a shotgun blast of wisdom that is poignant, timely, quotable, but not necessarily in depth.  If you are looking to explore any one fear in depth you will be frustrated, but if you are looking for a primer on a wide range of fears we face and how to face them with faith-filled courage then you have found the right source.

For me the book was a good reminder of the promises we have in Christ to face “all things through Christ who gives me strength.”