Neil T. Anderson - Letting Go of Fear: Put Aside Your Anxious Thoughts and Embrace Gods Perspective

N o book is ever written in a vacuum. We are indebted to our parents, former teachers, friends, and fellow workers. They have all contributed to who we are and the contents of this book. We want to thank many who have prayed specifically for this project.

We also want to thank Harvest House for trusting us with the message of this book, and for the fine work of editing, designing, and marketing. It has always been a delight to work with you.

Thank you to all our brothers and sisters in Christ who courageously told us their storiessome of which are in this book, and all of which touched our hearts.

We want to especially thank our wives, Joanne and Shirley, for their encouragement and contributions. Joanne was the unofficial editor of the first edition, as she has been with all of Neils books. She is slowly slipping into the arms of Jesus as we write this second edition.

Finally, we want to thank our heavenly Father for calling us His children, Jesus Christ for giving us life and setting us free, and the Holy Spirit for leading us into all truth. We are indeed blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ephesians 1:3).

The normal guidelines for leading a group study apply to this book as well:

1. Encourage participants to come prepared by reading each chapter before the meeting.

2. Create an atmosphere of trust by using the first meeting to get acquainted. Spend some time getting to know one another. Share prayer requests and encourage the group to pray for one another.

3. As best you can, ensure confidentiality.

4. Encourage safe self-disclosure without judgment, but dont permit gossip about others.

5. State at the beginning that everyones participation is desired, but it is your responsibility as the leader to ensure that no one person dominates the discussionand that includes you.

6. There are no foolish questions.

7. Everyones opinion is to be respected.

After you have gone over the discussion questions, finish by leading them through one of The Steps to Freedom in Christ (Steps). Each of the first seven chapters is followed by one of the Steps, and the introduction is followed by an introduction to the Steps. Be sure to take the time to read this introduction in your group. The gospel is also explained and followed by a prayer for salvation. If you feel it is appropriate, have the group pray the prayer out loud together. If they are all believers, they will not a have a problem with that. There is also a prayer and declaration at the end of the introduction. Have them pray and make the declaration together out loud.

Each Step begins with a prayer asking God for guidance. These prayers should be said out loud together. After this, give participants several minutes to finish the Step on their own. This is an encounter between themselves and God. They can do it or not do it; it is up to them. Be sure to tell everyone that nobody will be embarrassed or asked to share personal and intimate details of their lives. If anyone is having difficulty with the Steps, talk with them privately. The Steps are not complete until the final Step in chapter 7.

V ery little training is required for mature and biblically literate pastors to lead an inquirer through The Steps to Freedom in Christ (Steps). It is actually a self-guided tour that people can process on their own. We have received emails and letters from people all over the world who have processed the Steps on their own. Dr. Wayne Grudem is the most-read systematic theologian in the world today and, in our estimation, a very godly man. In the forward for Neils book, Liberating Prayer , which includes the Steps, Dr. Grudem wrote:

After living more than 50 years as a Christian, and after teaching more than 25 years as a professor of Bible and theology, I took about two hours to work carefully through Neils seven Steps to Freedom in Christ and apply each step to my own life, reading each suggested prayer aloud. God used that process to bring to mind a number of thoughts and attitudes that He wanted to correct, and then to impart to me a wonderfully refreshing sense of freedom, peace, joy, and fellowship with Himself.

In most cases the leaders just show up, and God sets people free. However, there are difficult cases that require some training. The purpose of Freedom in Christ Ministries is to equip the church worldwide, enabling them to establish their congregations, marriages, and ministries alive and free in Christ through genuine repentance and faith in God. We are not a counseling ministry, and we will not do your discipling for you, but we will help you equip godly people in your church who can help others. We have offices and representatives around the world who will offer that kind of training for a select few in your church. Our office in the United States has an online university that people in your church can enroll in to become part of our Community Freedom Ministries (see www.ficm.org). There are hundreds of such associates who are part of CFM in the United States and Canada. We require three of Neils books be read by those enrolled: Victory Over the Darkness , The Bondage Breaker , and Discipleship Counseling . Having these trained encouragers in a church takes a huge load off the pastor.

For the congregation, we offer a basic discipleship course that explains creation, the fall, a Christian worldview, how to live by faith, mental strongholds, the battle for our minds, emotions, forgiveness, and relational perspectives. The course, entitled Freedom in Christ (Bethany House, 2017), includes a DVD, leaders guide, and participants guide and concludes with the Steps. This course has been translated into many languages (see www.ficminternational.org). Youth for Christ in the United Kingdom has partnered with our ministry to produce a youth version that includes a DVD, teachers guide, and two choices for a participants guide (junior high and high school).

The best possible scenario is to plant a church and offer the class for all new members. Imagine a church where everyone knows who they are in Christ and have resolved all known personal and spiritual conflicts. However, it is never too late to offer the class in Sunday school, fellowship groups, and home Bible studies. But it cant be a onetime offering, because every church has a constant turnover of people. The class should be continually offered for new members and converts.

Helping members of your church become established alive and free in Christ is a beginning, not an end. After the basic initial discipleship class, we recommend the Victory Series, which is a 48-week curriculum based on our identity and position in Christ. It progresses from being rooted in Christ to growing in Christ, living in Christ, and finally overcoming in Christ.

After the basic course, we have resources to help those who have lingering difficulties with depression, anger, fear, anxiety, legalism, broken relationships, and sexual or chemical addictions.

Core Material

Victory Over the Darkness has a companion study guide and DVD, as well as an audiobook edition (Bethany House, 2000). With more than 1,400,000 copies in print, this core book explains who you are in Christ, how to walk by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit, how to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, how to experience emotional freedom, and how to relate to one another in Christ.

The Bondage Breaker has a companion study guide and audiobook edition (Harvest House, 2006). With more than 1,400,000 copies in print, this book explains spiritual warfare, what our protection is, ways that we are vulnerable, and how we can live a liberated life in Christ

Discipleship Counseling (Bethany House, 2003) combines the concepts of discipleship and counseling and teaches the practical integration of theology and psychology, helping Christians resolve their personal and spiritual conflicts through genuine repentance and faith in God.