The Results of Fear Part 2
“And there are several reasons for why people wait for the sure-thing boat; most however can be found in fear of the poverty, fear of criticism, fear of ill health, fear of the loss of love, fear of old age and the fear of death…” — Dale Carnegie & Napoleon Hill
Part 2
Napoleon Hill believed there were six basic fears, which if not mastered or overcome, would wind up choking one’s ability to achieve anything of significance with their life. These six most effective fears are:
• The Fear of Poverty
• The Fear of Criticism
• The Fear of Ill Health
• The Fear of Loss of Love
• The Fear of Old Age
• The Fear of Death
Napoleon also believed the first and last, poverty and death, had the most potential for wreaking havoc in one’s life. Though fearing any of them can be damaging, it is poverty and death that seem to be the two that people fear most, no pun intended. It is as if all fears find their roots in these six.
Before we get into the six fears, allow me to share an interesting fact about fear: what you fear will come to you in the same manner that in which you have faith will come to you. We, as humans, are made such that once we imprint, through emotion and belief, on the screen of our subconscious that for which we have faith or that which we truly fear, the wheels are set in motion to bring that thought to its physical equivalent. It is vitally important you understand fear works the same as faith. If you have faith something is going to happen, the wheels are set in motion to bring about its physical equivalent. BOTH ARE BELIEFS. One belief attracts the negative and one belief attracts the positive.
Many of us have heard of the trials and travails of Job. Even those who know little to nothing of the Bible have in most cases heard of the horrible plight of Job. For the ones that have read the Bible or have at the very least read the book of Job or heard of it in Sunday school, the question we have all asked ourselves is, how could a loving God allow this to happen? The answer however, has been right in front of us for in Job 3:25 he says, “The thing I so greatly feared is come upon me.” In the original Hebrew it basically says, “I feared a fear and IT (that fear) has come upon me.” That which Job feared came to him in the same manner that iron filings are attracted to a magnet. When you think negative thoughts and expect negative things to happen, they are going to happen. This is why Job wound up losing it all. He feared he would lose it and he did. What Job didn’t lose however, was his ability to think and reason. By keeping his attitude right he once again exercised faith in the same manner he had in the past. The results of this exercise of faith brought all that he had lost and more back to him.
Solomon confirmed what Job said in Proverbs 10:24 where he wrote, “The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him, but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.” The wicked man here is the one who is a drifter and is not thinking for himself, but is leaving his future in the hands of those who do think. The righteous person is a thinker for he is one that has taken his own future into his own hands and is doing something about it by believing the answer to his fears rests in his own heart and not outside of him. Solomon confirms this once again in Proverbs 29:25 where it is written, “The fear of a man brings a snare…” Truly, fear does snare you. Fear is not healthy and should not be entertained for any length of time. Fear of any type should be confronted, analyzed, and then dealt with appropriately.
What is most unfortunate is the vast majority would have thrown in the towel after going through even half of what Job endured, but fortunately for us Job did not and his story becomes our example by goading us to stand our ground and do the same. Among the many lessons to be learned through the story of Job, one of the most important is to never quit, never give up. Always stand your ground. Believe in yourself and hold yourself up to that which you see and believe in your heart. This is what Job did and as a matter of fact this is what David (the King of Israel) did. Neither man was perfect, but each believed they could obtain the desire of their heart in spite of their faults.
Like most, Job believed in God, but after becoming affluent he feared losing that which he had gained or was fortunate enough to acquire. Did you see how it happened? As what he acquired through faith continued to grow, he began to pick up the fear of losing it all. It always starts small, but grows a little bit each day to a place where the fear is soon larger and stronger than one’s faith. The inevitable result is fear took away all of that which his faith at one time had brought to him. This has happened to almost everyone that has ever drawn a breath on this planet.
The challenge is to get back on the horse and keep riding. The good thing is many do get back on the horse and ride, doing so until the next setback or bucking off comes along, and then they call it quits. Usually after the second fall this is quits for good, deciding to take the easier route of waiting for it, (whatever they can get) to come to them. This has its own fears and to me they are worse. Though a large majority quit after the second hit, there are some that will pick up and go further, but usually after the third hit they too decide to quit trying. What you wind up with is a small handful that will keep at it until they make life pay what they want. They face their fears and overcome them. Sadly, it is only a few that do this. It is only a few that will not release their grip on what they want. It is only a few that will force life to pay.
Best of LUCK as you
Labor Under Correct Knowledge…
Respectfully,
Rick Cox