4MAT Book Review 1
4MAT Book Review:
Untie the Fear Knots
Alisa Starks-East
School of Behavioral Sciences, Liberty University
4MAT Book Review 2
Summary
Author, Dr. Ken Nicholas, Liberty Press, (2010) wrote Untie the Fear Knots… of Your
Heart. In this short read, Nicholas sets out to encourage the reader, not to allow their hearts,
minds, bodies and spirits to be tangled and tied up in fear. At the end of each chapter, he leaves
the reader of section for personal evaluation, practical application, and prayer meditation of the
covered material.
Dr. Nicholas starts out by introducing the readers to the underlying theme of the book
which resonates, how to transform “Fear Knots” to “Fear Not’s.” He explains the emotion fear
itself is not the problem. It is what we do with it. He goes on to pose the question, “Will we
redirect its power or let it tie us in knots?” He then goes on to teach the readers of two kinds of
fear. The first kind of fear, motivating fear, can be a powerful motivator, activating ones’ sense of
self-preservation and survival as it pumps adrenaline into the bloodstream, allowing one to face
impending danger with courage and confidence. The second kind of fear is manipulating fear.
This fear can cause a person’s present to become paralyzed in the fear-drenched emotion
preoccupied with the past and paranoid about the future, experience post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) because a certain fear program in the memory repeats or keeps running and
caught up in the “what if?” game.
In the second part of the book, Dr. Nicholas demonstrates with examples how “fear
knots” can affect our thoughts, our emotions causing disorders, cause damage to our bodies and
health, even the possible cause of terminal illnesses.
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As Dr. Nicholas brings the book to a close, he lays the foundation of how fear and faith
are connected to God’s faithfulness. He introduces the reader the third kind of fear,
“consecrated fear.” This fear is the foundation of a growing relationship with God. It has to
do with loyalty, love, respect, reverence, and submission to his amazing love. The reader can
only allow the help from God to untie the knots by having faith in Him first. Dr. Nicholas
reminds the reader that God loved them first. God is faithful. When we focus on his faithfulness
on our behalf, we will begin the process of untying the fear knots around our heart. The fear
knots in one’s life can help to develop a person’s faith. Within this powerful section, Dr.
Nicholas admonishes the reader, that their life will have tests and trials of faith, but God is there
in the midst of them all. He tells them to be courageous, strong in the Lord, and not afraid.
Finally, in the last chapters of the book there is an urgent plea for the reader to above all
consider the words of the Apostle Paul, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love, but
the greatest of these is love” (I Corinthians13:13). Dr. Nicholas noted it is with these three
aspects of growing spiritually when combined help transform our fear into something far more
positive. Faith, hope, and love are the spiritual hands that untie the fear knots of our hearts.
Concrete Response
There were so many parts of this book that correlated and paralleled to my life and
experiences. I believe the bottom line for me, no matter what the circumstance is trusting in
God’s faithfulness towards me. I believe in God’s protection, know he is ever present, count on
his divine power, and live daily with the mind to walk out his plan for my life. My earthly
element still falters when it comes to “fear.” There was a span of 5 years that I walked in
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disobedience and rebellion. I backslid and walked away from the “consecrated fear” of my
Heavenly Father. I made many ungodly choices, some that would later cause me to be caught up
in the judicial system and arrested. After returning home, I came to find, consequences would
soon still follow, for what I did while in sin. I have repented and turned, ask of God forgiveness,
through my Savior Jesus Christ. His mercy and grace have been extended to me, and I have
forgiven myself. Due to a root of fear that remained, I had to deal with what Dr. Nicholas calls
the “fear program,” (2010, p. 24).
I received a letter from the courts, stating I was being sued for a check that did not clear
for payment on a loan I took out. I disregarded the letter. I already sat this out in jail for 12
days, and the debt was cleared. So, why now am I getting a letter about it again? One day my
husband and I were driving in the country. He was pulled over for running a stop sign and I was
taken to jail on a warrant, in regard to case in the letter. I was cleared of the matter, but now find
myself having PTSD because of the whole ordeal. There are times I even get jumpy, while
driving and law enforcement is near. Proverbs 28:1 states the wicked flee when no man purseth:
but the righteous are bold as a lion. I know I have nothing wrong, just like then, but my system
has not gotten back to normal. Unfortunately, fear grips my heart and I start to relive the arrest
and detention in the correctional center. The “what if game” immediately starts and I have gone
through the whole ordeal in my mind, without even being pulled over. Fearful imaginations take
hold of my mind and I start to overreact to the whole situation of just the presence of law
enforcement nearby. I have learned to quiet the emotional quaking of spirit, by reminding
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myself of God’s word. “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and
of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). During these times I “cast down imaginations, and every high
thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bring into captivity every thought to
the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
As I stated before, I had already gone to jail for this so when I went for a second time, I
was dumbfounded. The officers would not listen to me explain, but continued booking me in.
They told me, “Tell it to the judge in the morning.” I did not have an attorney, but I remembered
the Word telling me, my God was a Wonderful Counselor, and the Holy Ghost would word my
mouth what to say in that same hour. So, in peace, I rested, remembering the victories already
won by my God for me. I remembered the wonders he had shown me, as my deliverer. I relied
in the hope of my future, and this too would be part of my testimony of who God is, and my faith
that overcame my fear. The Word of God resonated in my spirit, “For I know the plans I have for
you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future” (Jeremiah 29:11)
That evening I attended the jail bible study meeting and was able to minister to the ladies
about some other triumphs through Christ Jesus. Upon my release, I contacted some family
members for the women incarcerated. They were looking at some long sentence times, and their
family had no idea where they were being held.
I thank God for explaining to me through the book how “manipulating fear” will cause
anxiety and even keep our lives reliving traumatic experiences, if we do not become untied from
the “fear knots” by remembering in God we are to “fear not.”
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Reflection
There are no parts of the book that actually bother me, but I am in question to parts of the
section titled, “Body Damage: Physical Effects of Fear.” There are parts within this section, I
deem seem to be a bit far reaching, with connection to fear and illness. I do agree with some of
the information, but others need more study and data to substantiate.
The illustration was that Mary’s difficulty was rooted in her psychology-it was
“psychophysiological.” Her emotional pain had been converted to a physical paralysis (Nicholas,
2010, p. 66). Nicholas notes (2010) that Mary’s case was extreme, to be sure, but it illustrates
the major effects that unresolved fears can have on the body. Here I agree with the
psychophysiology. It can bring about disorders that are physical disease that are brought about
or worsened by stress and other emotional factors. I know this to be true, because, when I am
highly stressed or my mind is reflecting on negative emotions, those emotions cause me pain in
my lower back. I have been diagnosed with degenerative disc disease and if I am overly stressed
or upset just my thoughts convert to muscle tension in my body.
O. Carl Simonton and Stephanie Matthews-Simonton, early theorists on the subject,
propose “negative emotions” eventually express themselves in the body. Considerable
controversy has aroused over the last few decades, but various studies have affirmed the basic
idea-that certain emotional traits make people more vulnerable to cancer (Nicholas, 2010). I
think is a bit far reaching to link fear and cancer, but Nicholas noted, at the very least, this
research demonstrates the connection between emotional turmoil and physical health.
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Application
So where do I go from here? The most important message for me, in accepting the
counsel and advice from Dr. Nicholas is grabbing to words “faith, hope, and love.” To share
with message with others and apply to my own life, one must first have faith to believe in who
God is to us. Faith must first be there to receive the concept of God’s faithfulness towards us
(present in every situation) and knowing he will never leave us.
This is the first step to not allowing any fear to continue having us tied and tangled up.
This is the beginning of a willingness to not stay paralyzed in fear from the past or in the present
and stepping into the hope of a future. To move forward we must believe that God truly is a
rewarder of those that diligently seek him. Calling on the Lord, trusting and believing he is with
you in the good and the bad. Nicholas (2010) notes that hope is faith in the future tense. Hope
fills us with confident expectation for a better tomorrow, and so the present challenge is merely a
bump in the road. When we possess this “confident expectation,” we have the courage to do
what we must in terrifying circumstances. This confidence is not based on our own ability, but
on our faith in God’s power to create a blessed future.
Secondly and last, we tap into God’s power. When we are weak from fear knots, we can
rely on God’s strength and power, from the Holy Spirit. We can do all things through Christ, the
anointed one. God loved us first and loves us even now. Nicholas (2010) said it best that many
times, when we are faced with fear-inducing circumstances that rob us of hope, we are tempted
to quit. But the Holy Spirit of God puts his loving arms around us and keeps whispering in our
heart this hope-generating encouragement, “Don’t quit! Don’t quit! Don’t quit!” When we begin
to grasp the implications of God’s amazing love, we realize that we don’t have to be afraid of
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anyone or anything. I will apply these three to the untying of fear knots of my heart, and give to
the counselees this same message, of knowing, believing, and applying the Word of God. Faith
conquers feat, hope gives the endurance necessary to withstand fear, and love tosses out the
remnants of any fear that is left (Nicholas, 2010).
Reference
Nichols, K. (2010). Untie the Fear Knots…of Your Heart. Liberty University Press.
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