Fear is something we all experience but struggle to deal with. Fears can even rob us of living a full life and experiencing joy and goodness in the here and now. Many of us even get caught in a perpetual, seemingly never-ending cycle of fear. We long for peace. We wonder how we can experience the peace God promises when we’ve prayed and pleaded but anxiety still runs high or fear paralyzes us. Some of us even experience shame from others, citing a lack of faith in us.
If you resonate with any of this, if you wrestle with little fears in your day to day life, if you find fears consuming you, if you feel stuck in a fear cycle and long to break free, Breaking the Fear Cycle: How to Find Peace for Your Anxious Heart by Maria Furlough is for you.
Maria Furlough knows what it’s like to battle anxiety and fear and be overwhelmed by them. Through a great tragedy in her life, she was forced to confront one of her greatest fears. But before then, Maria shares about her day to day struggle throughout many seasons of her life with fears that held her captive, many that young women and moms will relate to. Maria is a battle worn woman of faith who has experience with fear and facing it head on with Jesus. In doing so, she has also learned how to find peace for her anxious heart.
You’ll find a place free of shame in the pages of this book, but also a voice that speaks boldly and lovingly in a way that will likely bring about conviction concerning your fears and draw you even closer to God’s truth.
From my own personal experience of having had to confront the same fear as Maria, the death of my child, and wrestling and walking with God through it, I can attest to the truth and wisdom that Maria has gained and shares in this book. She shares Biblical truths we need to return to time and time again–because sometimes fear is relentless. And just when you’ve confronted one fear and found peace, another appears, and so you must go back to the truth and walk the way through to finding peace again. That’s where this book met me. In a new season, stuck in a cycle of fear of a different kind. Different fear, same process. No matter what your fear is or if you’re even afraid to name your fear, this book is for you.
With transparency and an ability to balance the honest and ugly ways fear can manifest itself in our lives with a lightheartedness, Maria has written a story that welcomes you as you are and invites you into this journey with her and continually points you back to the truth we find in God’s Word. And like I said, this book isn’t just fluffy faith talk, these words have been lived out and experienced. Furthermore, Maria writes with a simplicity and practicality that offers you a tangible hold on the steps you can take to go from a heart filled with fear to a heart resting in God’s promises, a heart filled with His peace.
Furthermore, I’m not sure I’ve read another author who is quite as concerned for her reader as Maria. At the end of each chapter, Maria offers a prayer for you followed by a set of questions for reflection. Each step of the way, Maria’s words and questions are an invitation extended to you like a gentle hand outstretched to hold yours as you bravely enter into this soul work. She knows the journey to freedom is worth it, and she wants to equip you and walk with you.
Thank you Maria for giving us a glimpse into your heart and share all the lessons you’ve gleaned through your journey. You’re honest and vulnerability are a blessing. God is using your book to break us fear!
Go check out this book to find out how you can live with an expectant heart when you’re stuck in a fear cycle!
Favorite words:
“It is our choice whether we will rule over our fear or we will let our fear rule over us” (p. 22)
“When fears come, when life happens, when we don’t know how on earth we are going to survive, we do well to speak the promises of God” (p. 96)
“In our humanness, we feel robbed that God’s promises don’t flat our promise that he will protect us from the things we fear. But when we allow the promises of God to penetrate us to the core, we can take our focus off what we don’t know and hone in on what we do know” (p. 96).
*I am part of Revell Reads blogger review program and received a free copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.
Your turn… Leave a comment and share or take some time to reflect on your own:
What fears do your struggle with? Can you name them?
What fears have you overcome and broken free from?
What practices or scripture have helped you overcome your fears?
If you’ve read this book, did you find it helpful? What did you like or dislike about it? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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Kristin, yes! Thank you for noticing my love and prayer and concern for the reader. With every page I prayed for freedom, true freedom! Your words are thought out and beautiful and I am grateful for faithful sisters like you committed to share the word God has done in you. I am sorry we share loss stories, it is Club that none of us want to be in. But praise be to God that all your seasons just draw you in closer to a faithful and fervent Father. Much love to you sister!