Unafraid

Reading "Unafraid" was a lot like a pep talk from a dear friend. Carey Scott encourages the reader face life with grit, grace, and to live authentically. She suggests 3 areas of our lives that we need to focus on in order to truly live authentically.

1. This is how we are to be with others. Real and genuine.

2. This is how we are to be with ourselves. True and honest.

3. This is how we are to be with God. Believing we are who He says we are.

I also liked that Scott included relevant scripture throughout the book that went along with the points that she was making. For example, when she was talking about how our past does not define us, and we can be strong in the Lord, she included Philippians 4:13, Romans 8:31, and Proverbs 3:26. She tends to use the Voice or TLB translations, which are not my top choices, but they got her point across.

Some of my favorite quotes from the book were:

"God doesn't call the equipped; he equips the called."

"Struggling with identity is a core reason we struggle to live in authentic ways. You see, we can't be real unless we know who we really are."

"Life circumstances ebb and flow. They are unpredictable, and life seasons change. But with God we can remain steadfast."

"Since God loved us sacrificially (Christ's death on the cross), we need to honor Him by loving others - even the hard-to-love others."

Overall, I enjoyed the message of the book, and would recommend it to other readers who are looking for some tips on how to face life unafraid, by finding strength in God. I would give it 4 stars because I do feel that the book was a little wordy at times, and the message could have been delivered in a more concise way.

This book was provided to me by the publisher, Barbour Publishing, Inc. through NetGalley.

Each book I read by Carey Scott is filled with insight, wisdom and promise for the future. In Unafraid, we are encouraged to think how our lives would be different if we stopped hiding behind excuses or the fears of the unknown. What if we shared our life with close friends and family? Instead of putting on a "happy" face and saying "everything is good with me", what if we choose to trust and share? We can help others by sharing our concerns and our joys. This is a book I will read over and over. I will definitely be sharing with everyone. I received an ARC of the book and this is my honest, personal opinion. No review was required.

Thank you to Barbour Publishing for the free review copy. All opinions are my own.

Have you ever read a book that makes you feel like you’re sitting down and having coffee with the author? That was this book for me. Scott is fantastic at taking the word of God and showing how to apply it to be our most authentic self. This book is laced with wisdom and grace. She shares her own personal struggles within the pages, which helps add transparency with the reader. As a reader, I love the books that genuinely show the author’s heart. It helps me feel like I can relate and can use what is being taught. It helps me to know that I’m not alone in my struggles.

Scott never condemns, but gracefully points the reader back to Jesus. I was convicted by this book, and it really spoke to me because this book came into my life during a season where I desperately needed to hear what Scott had to say in these pages. It really helped me to reflect with Jesus and see where I need to let Him work in me.

actually are, exactly as God created us, and not conform to the world? We can be our truest selves in every sense of the word – a clarion call to be perfectly genuine every day. Be yourself, be authentic, with the grit and grace to shine.

God,the Master Potter, creatively molds us on His Potter’s Wheel, to shape us for the anointed calling upon our lives. We must not allow this world to mold us into its own image but be transformed by renewing our minds with God’s life-giving Word. We will discern what God wills and whatever God finds good, acceptable and perfect. We must love others with a genuine and authentic love that transcends all barriers.

God gave Carey the courage and confidence to be at peace, comfortable with herself, and to accept who she really is in Christ. It is a new way of living that takes extraordinary grit and amazing grace. God permits us to see the beauty of imperfection. He gives us the courage and determination to try to conform to His image.

God wants us to stand in His truth. We must not conform to the world’s unreasonable standards. Be comforted. We are not alone. We are all in this together. The Lord is our shield, our glory and our only hope. He alone can lift our spirits up and give us His peace.

We struggle bitterly, at loggerheads with a most unreasonable and irrational world, that ruthlessly commands us to blend into the crowd, to live a certain lifestyle and to fit into a certain mold.

We don’t excel in our God-given life. Instead, we create a false life to impress others. As a result, we spiral steadily downwards on an emotional roller-coaster, struggling on an impossible, nerve-wracking threadmill, battling to cope with forces of discontent and sheer lack of joy.

Carey Scott’s books are filled with insightful wisdom and bright promise for the future. ‘Unafraid’ explains how our lives can be different if we conquer our deep-rooted fears of the unknown future. What if we choose to trust and share? We can help others by sharing our concerns and our joys.

Unafraid
Be you. Be authentic. Find the grit and grace to shine.
by Carey Scott
Barbour Publishing, Inc.

Shiloh Run Press
Christian , Nonfiction (Adult)
Pub Date 01 Jul 2018


I am reviewing a copy of Unafraid through Shiloh Run Press and Netgalley:


In Unafraid we are reminded that shame is both real and powerful and it can tangle us.  We are encouraged to live authentically as well.  


This book goes on to remind us that grace is a beautiful mixture of kindness, compassion, favor and love, it's not something you earn or you deserve.


The author goes on to remind us it all starts with identity.   We are reminded too that you are cared for, you are forgiven, you are blameless, and free that we are a citizen of Heaven that we are bold that we are an overcomer, that we are justified that we are a Child of God, You are the Light of the World.


The author goes on to point out Hope helps you see the good, that despite the negative we can see the good too!    This book goes on to tell us that Hope reminds us that things will get better.  We are reminded too that Hope creates peace in our heart.


I give Unafraid five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Scott invites us as Christians to reflect on who we are and how authentic we are being with ourselves, others and God. This book feels like Scott is holding your hand and guiding you through to confront the areas of our lives where we find excuses and hide behind the fear of the unknown. I really enjoyed the way Scott confronted the reader as a friend rather than an accuser. It made the process feel more therapeutic and spiritual compared to some Christian stories where writers seem to take the higher moral ground. Scott admits her own difficulties and invites us to share the journey with her and walks it with the reader.

Unafraid by Carey Scott is the first book I have read by this author and I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more of her work. The author has written a book that is filled with thought-provoking nuggets of truth regarding living an authentic life rather than being a fake. Although written in an easy-to-read manner as a friend to a friend, the Biblical truths that are shared require the reader to stop and examine her own life and think about how to implement the ideas presented. Scott gives clear-cut suggestions on how to live unafraid and it begins with knowing who one is and not just one's role or responsibilities in life. Having set the foundation of who one is as God's creation, the author takes the next nine chapters to 'unpack' ways to live authentically with oneself, others, and with God, using an acrostic for the word 'authentic'. One of the takeaways for me is as women we crave validation (that is so true for me) and the importance of finding that validation in a relationship with a tender God, knowing He sees our worth. Another thought that resonated with me was the fact of the internal dialogue of lies that we often have with ourselves and how to counteract those with the truth of God's Word. At the end of each of these nine chapters, the author guides readers to personalize what she has presented with questions under the heading of Finding the Grit and a prayer under Finding the Grace heading and a reminder of the authentic acrostic under Live. Unafraid is a wonderful book, full of truths based on God's Word -- a book to be read and reflected on--a book for one's own library and for sharing with other women who want to live a confident and courageous life.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!  I am at a place where I am really enjoying books on personal and spiritual growth so this book description appealed to me.  I really enjoyed this book - I loved her messages and her honesty about her own journey in life.  I also enjoyed the bible verses that went along with whatever topic she was talking about in each chapter.  I am actually going to go buy a physical copy of this book so that I can highlight/make notes.  I would definitely pass this along to friends also!

True to other books I’ve read by Carey Scott, she writes with an authentic voice and isn’t afraid to talk about the hard things. When she shares her stories, I feel as if she’s walked in my shoes. She has hurt like me, but she’s also overcome with God’s help, just like I have. Her wise advice for accepting my flaws, digging out untruths, loving others despite hurts, and clinging to hope ministered to my heart. If you are held back by something but want to move forward, Un-Afraid is the right book for you.

Favorite quote:

“When you boil it all down, here are your two choices: believe what the Enemy says about you or believe who God says you are.”

I received a preview copy of Un-Afraid from Netgalley, and I also purchased my own copy of this great Christian book.