Many Christians struggle with feelings of anxiety and worry. This is a struggle I know well. Feelings of failure, shame, and regret rob our joy in the Lord and cause God’s people to lift our eyes not to Christ, but to ourselves. How are we do to deal with these issues in a God-honoring way? Thankfully Dr. Timothy Z. Witmer, a seasoned pastor and professor has written Mindscape: What To Think About Instead of Worrying. His book is an extended reflection on Philippians 4:6-8.
Dr. Witmer takes key words from Philippians 4:6-8 and explains them in an easy to understand and practical way. He does this with a view to help the reader not only understand what these texts mean but also to help them renew their mind in the Lord. Learning new truths, or even being reminded of old truths isn’t enough. The Bible calls God’s people to know in the sense of doing by the grace of God. God’s people have the Spirit of the Risen Christ in them through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowers God’s people to make much of Jesus. The Holy Spirit convicts God’s people of their sin and points them to the finished work of Jesus. We need the medicine that Dr. Witmer is prescribing in Mindscape, because we so often forget these truths especially in the midst of difficult times.
The author not only exegetes the text and illustrates what it means for our lives today, but he also helps the reader to learn to think in new ways as a result of the text. Over the years I’ve read a few books on anxiety and worry but what seems to be missing is an emphasis on the gospel. Yes, principles are important but God’s people need to know how the finished work of Christ empowers them to live a new life, including new ways of thinking and living out the truth. God’s people desperately need to learn how to not look back to the good old days but embrace the new normal that is their reality and face it head on by the grace of God. The good news is God has given His people a gift through of Dr. Witmer that will help them do just that.
Maybe you’re struggling today with anxiety or worry, or some other issue. Mindscape is a tool in the hands of the Lord that will help you to address these issues in your life. As you read this book you’ll be instructed in the Word of God, which is to inform your experience of God. In my experience instead of emphasizing the truth of the Word of God often times, Christians mistakenly emphasize their feelings/experience above the Word of God. Mindscape reorients our circumstances and trials on the Word of God by calling God’s people to be a people who know and obey the Word of God. As a result of knowing and obeying the Word, new vistas of understanding will occur as the Lord illuminates His Word to His people. This is ultimately what Mindscape does so well, and why I recommend this book to you. This book will help not only those who struggle with anxiety and worry, it will help every Christian to think rightly about thinking on what is true, pure, just, lovely and commendable from God’s Word. I highly recommend this book and believe it will help every Christian at every stage of their Christian life to think rightly about their lives in light of the gospel from the Word of God.
Buy the book at Mindscape: What to Think About Instead of Worrying
, WTS, or from New Growth Press.
Title: Mindscape: What to Think About Instead of Worrying
Author: Timothy Z Witmer
Publisher: New Growth Press (2014)
I received this book for free from New Growth Press for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
