What makes you anxious or dissatisfied? What are you afraid of? Do you fear what other people think of you, of what will happen to your children, of cancer or dementia, or perhaps the possibility of a failed personal relationship?

Often when we are anxious it is because we fear something – a person or a situation we cannot control.

A great source of help from the past we often ignore is the wisdom of the Puritans in applying the truths of the Bible to real life. The Puritans were a group of Christians who lived in England and New England in America in the 1500s and 1600s.

They strongly believed in salvation by grace through faith alone in Christ alone, and also in the sovereignty of God. Despite their reputation in the modern world, they sought to live a life of faith that was pleasing to God and they thought deeply about it.

Most Christian have heard of, and many of read the great Puritan allegory by John Bunyan called The Pilgrims Progress. But often Christians stop there and fail to avail themselves of other great resources.

One question often heard is, where do I start? One suggestion I have is to start with a little book by John Flavel titled, Triumphing Over Sinful Fear.

Triumphing Over Sinful Fear is short at only 124 pages and addresses the subject of fear and anxiety in our lives, and points us to the ultimate solution for this which is trust in God and Christ.

Although short, this book does not deny the struggles even mature Christians face in our lives, acknowledging that “the best people are easily overcome with slavish fear in times of imminent distress and danger.”

This book along with other short Puritan works were reprinted a few years ago as part of a new series called “Puritan Treasures for Today” published by Reformation Heritage Books.

The language has been updated slightly for modern readers and deals with real problems of life from a biblical and Puritan perspective. I have found them helpful personally and with others.

Triumphing Over Sinful Fear by John Flavel is for sale in the OBC Bookstore, online as an ebook, and is also available for download for free as a PDF file.