J. D. Peabody - Perfectly Suited: The Armor of God for the Anxious Mind

J. D. Peabody has always loved stories, and his career has been spent improving his ability to write and tell them. For nearly two decades, he wrote in the context of advertising and public relations agencies, where he gained an appreciation (or at least a tolerance) for being edited. He then switched fields entirely, attending seminary, helping start a new church and learning the discipline of writing for weekly sermon deadlines.

Along the way, he tried his hand at writing poetry and song lyrics, which met with some success and taught him the difference between connecting emotionally and just being clever with words. He published articles that required attention to word count. He also wrote multiple screenplays that honed his sense of dialogue and plot development.

J. D. is a native of the Pacific Northwest, where he lives with his wife, who offsets the perpetually gray skies.

Perfectly Suited is his first book for grown-ups. He is also the author of the childrens novel, The Inkwell Chronicles: The Ink of Elspet .

Learn more about J. D. and his books at
www.jdpeabody.com

This is the book I needed in my back pocket when I first was diagnosed with anxiety. Packed with wisdom, practicality, and truth you can hang onto, this book will be one you reference often and recommend to others. J. D.s story is a must-read for anyone who has ever battled with an anxious mind or wondered, Where is God? in the midst of their own mental storm.

Hannah Brencher

Author of Fighting Forward and Come Matter Here

J. D. Peabody offers a wise, kind, and deeply biblical understanding of what happens in the brain, body, heart, and soul of one who wrestles with anxiety. To be human is to fear. J. D. helps us understand and embrace how our body engages the process in a manner that will enable us to receive the presence of God as our comfort and ally.

Dan B. Allender, PhD

Professor of Counseling Psychology

The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology

This book is medicine to the soulnot just an important book but a very comforting and even paradigm-shifting book for all who think that God is on the side of winners. Christ is our armor! What better news can we have in our anxious lives?

Michael Horton

Westminster Seminary California, host of the White Horse Inn podcast and author of Core Christianity

Ive been hearing sermons and studies on putting on the whole armor of God my whole life. But honestly, Ive never known what it actually looked like to apply that idea to my everyday living. Perfectly Suited opened that door for me, and has given me an eminently practical, honest revelation on the topic. J. D.s ability to transparently use his own mental health struggles as a backdrop helps him to use concepts and stories that for me, were at once both enormously encouraging and quietly convicting.

John Mays

Co-founder/Sr VP, Centricity Music

This book will be an excellent addition to the literature on Bible based treatment of anxiety disorders. Written by a man who knows its two subjects extremely well, the Bible and anxiety. Enthralling vivid descriptions of what its like to suffer through and find ways out of obsessional fears.

Ian Osborn, MD

Author of Can Christianity Cure Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?

Perfectly Suited is an impeccable fit for anyone who's ever had a run-in with anxiety. J. D. Peabody encourages us to put on the armor of God not as a quick-fix for this mental, emotional, and spiritual challenge, but as part of a holistic, lifelong journey with Jesusthe one who walks beside us each step of the way.

Courtney Ellis

Author of Happy Now and Uncluttered

Author and pastor J. D. Peabody offers compassion, advice, and Biblical perspective to those who struggle with deep anxiety. Through honest reflections on his own struggles with OCD, Peabody becomes a beloved companion to all of us who find that our anxieties interfere with our relationship to God and our capacity to embrace Gods infinite love for us.

Alice Fryling

Author of Aging Faithfully: The Holy Invitation
of Growing Older

Jesus grace is more than a proposition to be agreed with. It is meant to be lived out in freeing, healing ways. In Perfectly Suited , J. D. Peabody gives us a wonderful gift in this direction. Combining his ability to write engagingly with a disarming personal transparency, he takes us on a journey into the practical, life-giving implications of grace. Along the way he helps us to understand the strategic strength of our spiritual armor in whole new ways.

Dr. James Bradford

Lead Pastor, Central Assembly of God, Springfield, MO

THE ARMOR OF GOD
FOR THE ANXIOUS MIND

Perfectly Suited: The Armor of God for the Anxious Mind
2022 J. D. Peabody

Published by Aspire Press
An imprint of Tyndale House Ministries
Carol Stream, Illinois
www.hendricksonrose.com

ISBN: 978-1-4964-6594-8

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE , copyright 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version). ESV Text Edition: 2016. Copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

Book design by Cristalle Kishi

Portions of this book first appeared in the article Praying for My Basal Ganglia on Plough.com, February 8, 2021.

Excerpt from Psalm 108 is the authors translation; emphasis in Scripture quotations is the authors.

Excerpt from Postludium by Tomas Transtrmer, translated by Robin Fulton, from The Great Enigma , copyright 2006 by Tomas Transtrmer. Translation 2006 by Robin Fulton. Reprinted by permission of New Directions Publishing Corp. SALES TERRITORY: U.S., its territories and Canadian rights only. For British Commonwealth (excluding Canada) and Republic of Ireland rights: Tomas Transtrmer, New Collected Poems , translated by Robin Fulton (Bloodaxe Books, 2011). Reproduced with permission of Bloodaxe Book, www.bloodaxebooks.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Peabody, J. D., author.

Title: Perfectly suited : the armor of God for the anxious mind / by J.D.

Peabody.

Description: Carol Stream, Illinois : Aspire Press, [2021] | Includes

bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021049518 | ISBN 9781496465948

Subjects: LCSH: Anxiety--Religious aspects--Christianity. | Spiritual

warfare.

Classification: LCC BV4908.5 .P38 2021 | DDC 241/.4--dc23/eng/20211130