Jamie Winship, Living Fearless: Exchanging the Lies of the World for the liberating Truth of God (affiliate link). Grand Rapids: Revell, 2022. 170 pages.
Jamia Winship was a police officer in Washington, D.C., and was then recruited to work for thirty years in the Muslim world.He has some amazing stories to tell about working with Muslims who experienced the truth of Christ. This book is built on the simple, fundamental tenet that people’s basic problem is that we have believed lies about who we are, and understanding our true identity in Christ can set us free.
Winship begins the book by describing what it was like to be trained by the toughest cop there was: the Troll. The Troll was rough, crude, and insulting. He made it as difficult as possible for people to complete their training. Winship survived and learned many lessons in the process about himself and God (15). At the end of every shift, the Troll would say, “Since I don’t think you’re going to make it, do you want to resign now?” (15). Through that difficult experience, Winship learned what it meant to “abide” (23).
Winship believes that abiding involves these four elements: Attention, Awareness, Annunciation, and Action (23). He explains that there are two primary forms of communication: Formulaic and Generative (26). Jesus always used Generative conversations. In those, the participants create a new conversation (26). Winship urges readers to escape the rut of using formulaic discussions and to seek instead to engage in generative interactions with others.
Winship argues that everyone has an identity in Christ, but many people never learn what it is. Winship discovered his identity was to be a “Militant Peacemaker” (29). He claims, “The gates of hell cannot stand against us moving in our true identity” (29). Yet he bemoans the fact that, “The sad part is that for most of you, it’s not going to happen because your false self—your fear, guilt, and shame—will shut down your creative and imaginative true self” (34). He urges, “The world needs what you have. The world needs the real you” (35).
Winship warns that “The enemy’s goal is to limit and narrow our thinking . . . We have an enemy who daily says, ‘Here’s why that’s not going to work’” (38). Winship tells some fascinating stories of conversations he has had with Muslims and non-Christians about their true identity that illustrate how intrigued people are with discovering their true self, not their own version of who they think they are but God’s version.
Winship has much to say about reaching Muslims for Christ. He notes that there are currently 69 worldwide movements of Muslims coming to Christ (40).
Winship offers hope in turning from your false identity to your true self. He writes, “Don’t apologize for your perceived reality; tell the truth about it. That’s confession. Remorse is not repentance” (48). He claims, “Most of us were told that our problem is that we do wrong things. But that’s not really the issue. The issue is wrong belief or believing what’s not true” (57). He adds, “Shame is a false identity,” yet many suffer from shame.
Winship notes that “God will only speak to us in truth. That means if we’re not willing to speak in truth, he’s not talking, or rather, he is talking, but we can’t hear him. These are the ground rules” (63). He continues, “It’s fascinating that the heart is really the information gatherer and the brain is simply the organizer and processor. The heart gathers information all the time” (64). He observes, “What is real to me isn’t always true, but what is true is always real (67). He suggests that “Deception cannot exist in the place where truth shines” (69). Winship argues that “God will only speak to you in your true identity. That’s the only way he’ll ever talk to you. Stop coming to him in a false identity. He’s not talking to a false you” (71).
Winship suggests, “Do you know what a leader is? It is anyone who wants to see something changed for the better” (73). I disagree on this point. I would counter that a leader is anyone who makes something better. Wanting something to be better doesn’t make you a leader. It might make you a whiner, a complainer, or a martyr. I suspect that the Israelites who were slaves in Egypt all wanted their conditions to improve. But that didn’t happen until God sent his appointed leader.
Winship relates how he had three rules for his children when they were growing up, primarily in Muslim nations: 1) honor all people; 2) always speak the truth; 3) give thanks in all things (115).
Winship cautions that “Christians today are getting their identity from friends and social media because parents are getting their identity from what they do, what they have, and what people think of them” (140). In trying to please others, Winship asks, “Why would I receive hostile critique from an angry person when I have the edifying, constructive critique of the Holy Spirit available to me?” (142). He notes, “Funny, how easy it is to hear the enemy but how difficult to hear the Lord” (148).
One statement he makes with which I might disagree is, “You haven’t missed anything yet in your life, not one thing” (159). He is speaking in terms of the difference between kairos time versus chronos time. He suggests you can still experience your kairos moments with God. I certainly agree that God can take you from where you are today to where he wants you to be, but I tend to believe opportunities can be lost if we are disobedient to God’s promptings in our life. Nevertheless, I am inspired by Winship’s bold faith in what God can do in the life of someone who truly believes.
This book isn’t long. It is an easy read, and it is jam packed with powerful truths. I have heard some amazing testimonies of how God has used this book and its message to transform people. It is amazing to hear how God is using these truths among Muslims. I might not agree with all his statements, but what he writes makes me think deeply. I believe identity is a huge issue today. A major problem is that people are trying to find their identity in the wrong places. This book may be timely. I encourage you to read it. It is the type of book you can put into practice immediately. Read it with an open heart. God just might do something special in you as you do.
Rating: 4
