CONTROLLING FEAR THROUGH FAITH!

THE USE OF FEAR!
   I have decided to update and amend this essay on fear.  My reason for this was how fear was used during the very ugly election we just experienced. Fear is used being used in the fight over gun control, and in the battle of the budget in Washington.
   We all have experienced fear at some point in our lives so we can personally identify with the concept.  Lisa Fritcher says, "fear is a powerful and primitive human emotion.  It alerts us to the presence of danger and was critical in keeping our ancestors alive.  Fear can actually be divided into two stages, biochemical and emotional.  The biochemical response is universal, while the emotional response is highly individualized."
     When one is faced with danger the body reacts in a fight or flight reaction.  This means there is a increase in heartbeat, rapid breathing, increase in blood pressure, and a increase in  the flow of adrenaline.  We have all heard stories of people accomplishing superhuman feats when faced with the fight or flight situation.  Mothers have lifted heavy objects off of loved ones, soldiers have done heroic feats in the mist of a deadly battle.  However, in some cases when confronted with dangerous fear, some have become paralyzed and unable to act or react.
     The emotional component of fear is a more subtle unconsciousness feeling of unpleasantness , or an unconscious sense of pending doom that hinders action and progress.
     The spirit of fear can be passed on to our children if we are not careful!  How?  Its how we relate to our children when they want to be involved with those things that we fear.  When we allow our fear to interfere with the exploration, growth and experiences.  There will a tendency, by the parent, to be smothering and over protective of the child.
     We who are Christians must look to the scriptures, not psychology, for a true discussion of fear. A essay written by a writer for "Gotquestions.org states: "In the Bible there are two types of fear that is mentioned.  The first type is beneficial and is to be encouraged.  The second type is a detriment and is to be overcome.  The first type is to have a fear of the Lord.  This type of fear does not necessarily mean to be afraid of something.  Rather, it is a reverential awe of God; a reverence for His power and glory.  However, it is also a proper respect for His wrath and anger.  In other words, the fear of the Lord is a total acknowledgement of all that God is, which comes through knowing Him and His attributes."
     In Psalms 111:10 we are told that the beginning of wisdom start with our fear of the Lord.  This same thought is reinforced in Proverbs 1:7-9.  These scriptures give the responsibility of teaching wisdom to parents.  This dispels the notion that wisdom is something one can only gain from attendance at a major university, or seminary.  Proverbs 19:23, 14:27 and Proverbs 14:26 share other promises for those who reverence the Lord.
     In 2 Timothy 1:7 we see Timothy coming up against tremendous opposition, and intimidation, and doubt from Christian's and non Christians regarding his message.  Paul reminds Timothy that any fears that he may be experiencing did not come from God, because God has given all believers the spiritual resources needed to overcome any trial, temptation, or threats. A good example of this is Peter who, because of fear denied his relationship with Christ when confronted with physical harm.  Yet this same Peter, who was filled with the Holy Spirit during Pentecost, became a brave and bold minister of the gospel in the face of death and imprisonment. We see the Deacon Stephen, full of the Spirit, showed no fear as he was stoned to death by the angry crowd.
     In Psalms 56:11 we are told that if we put our trust in God, we shall not be afraid.  Then we are asked the question, "what can man do to you?  John 14:27 says, "Peace I leave with you;  My peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid." In Romans 8:15 we are told that we did not receive a spirit that makes us a slave to fear, but we received the Spirit of Sonship and by Him we cry Abba, Father."


COMMON FEARS:    
     Many of us have fears such as heights, spiders, snakes, the dark, flying, death, public speaking, being alone, going to dentist, earthquakes, cancer, success, failure, violence, safety of a child. Many of these fears had their genesis in our childhood and have continued to be part of our unconscious psyche well into our adult lives.  How has your fears shaped and influenced your decision making?


FEAR BY CONDITIONING: THE MANIPULATION OF FEAR
     In 1920 the psychologist John Watson set out to teach a 11 month old infant to be fearful of white rats.  The infant, Little Albert, had no fear of the rats at birth.  He enjoyed playing with them without any fear. To instill fear the researchers began to create a loud terrifying noise every time Albert would reach for the rats.  Over a period of time, of this conditioning, Albert would no longer touch the rats but would cry when confronted with them.  This skill of conditioning has found its way into every fabric of society.
     Have you every noticed that when the media has a story of poverty, crime, illiteracy, welfare, it is always followed by images of African Americans? Fear conditioning can easily cross into the manipulation of fear. In the history of African Americans Whites have controlled all aspects of our existence by the use and manipulation of fear.  We were powerless and at the mercy of those in power.  The tools of fear were lynchings, castration, and beatings. Now the fear tools are threats to stop funding Head Start, and other forms of early education.  We are again experiencing the last hired first fired phenomena,
     In a 2008 article in the Harvard Crimson Alex Castelanos a Republican media consultant( often seen on TV) is quoted: "Fear is a key strategic instrument in political campaigns."  Castelanos says such fear is both important and necessary part of politics. "We need more fear in politics," he said.  He said every time the Republicans lead people back to 9/11 in N.Y. it plays on the security threat in which Democrats are perceived as weak.  Every time the Democrats talk about Katrina, Bushes numbers would fall.
     When Obama was elected President (both term) the right created fear by saying He is a secret Muslim, He was not born here, he is a socialist, he will destroy the foundation of America.  This fear created the "Tea Party", and increased the sales of guns!
     Then there is the issue of abortions and gay marriage.  Yes I know what scriptures say, but is this what is really fueling these issues, or it something more diabolical.  The Republicans know that they can't get the Black and Hispanic vote, but they can get a few minority Christians to cross over with these issues.  These people are only interested in these babies while they are in the womb, once they are born they vote down all programs to help that may help the same children and mothers. Is it because they know that one of the leading causes of poverty, and its results, are teenage mothers, and divorced women.  Why would this part of the Bible be so important to them while they ignore love, care for the poor, morality, and honesty.  The party who says they are the party of Christ(Republicans) have shown themselves to be hypocrites. The ones who preach against homosexuality are secret homosexuals, and those who preach family values are guilty of adultery and fornication.
CONSERVATIVE RELIGIOUS LEADERS USE OF FEAR
     Jim Wallis writes in the HuffPost article about Dr. James Dobson and his disdain for Obama.  In 2008 Focus on the Family published a letter called, "Letter From 2011 in Obama's America. This was an effort to make Obama someone to fear, and frighten Christians. How this guy is supported by many African-American with donations to Focus On The Family is a puzzle to me. The letter, says Wallis, " depicts terrorist attacks in American cities, churches loosing their tax exempt status for not allowing gay marriages, restrictive religious speech, liberal censorship of conservative talk shows, Israel nuked,power blackouts because of environmental restrictions, liberal supreme court, and finally good Christians families would migrate to Australia and New Zealand.  What happened to Ephesians 4:29-31, Titus 3:2, and Col 3:8.  In other word if you elect Obama this will happen."
     Then you have Billy Graham's son Franklin saying that Obama is not really a Christian because he has the seed of Islam in him because of his father.  You have Rev. Jack Van Impe telling his followers that Obama is the "Anti Christ!  You have Pat Robertson a rubber stamp for the GOP, and Ron Parsley speaking in subtle code language such a " they are trying to destroy Christian values, we need a reformation to save America. 
     Why should one be surprised, because this is nothing new.  All one has to do is pick up your scriptures and read about the Sadducee's, and Pharisees of Jesus time. These two groups were so different, but they had in common their hatred for Christ.  There is a old saying that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. So politicians and evangelicals may not have much in common, but they have in common the hatred for Obama and the Democratic Party. We saw this evident, in the 2012 election, with the Evangelical Christians putting on hold their disdain and belief that Mormons were not real Christians. These men like the Sadducee's love the access to power, and the powerful.  They are willing to turn the other way so not to acknowledge the sin of those who philosophy of life they agree, even if  it's contrary to scriptures.
     These conservative religious leaders pay more attention to Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, and the pundits at Fox News Network than to the scriptures. The chief goals of Limbaugh, Beck, and the rest of Fox News is to feed the fears of conservative white men 60-80 years of age. The we have the conservative evangelical right leaning preachers who turn and bend the scriptures to meet their ideology. They turn and twist scriptures to frighten their followers.  Their Christianity is no longer religious but Theo/Political full of partisan propaganda.  Vote for my man or you will end up poor, vote for my man or you will end up dead, vote for my man or the Mexicans will take over, vote for my man or we will have one of those inferior, affirmative action Blacks in the White House. The standard code statements, is that want thing to go back to the way they were 20-30 years ago.  If you are Black or Latino you know what that means!
     The use of fear by the GOP seems to have back fired on the issue of social security and medicare. The elderly who mainly vote Republican are upset, angry, and frighten that they may loose their benefits under the Ryan Plan.  I always wondered why these folks voted the way they did, because I knew some of them were unemployed,  had no health insurance, and limited income.  They had allowed lies and fear to cause them to vote against their own best interest.

GREAT QUOTES ABOUT FEAR:
" The crowd neither wants nor sees knowledge, and leaders of the crowd in their own interest, try to strengthen its fear and dislike of everything new and unknown.  The slavery in which mankind lives is based upon this fear."
                                                                           Georges Gurdjieff
                                                                                                                                           
" The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers fear."
                                                               
                                                                              Nelson Mandela   

" The only thing we have to fear is fear itself--nameless, unreasoning, unjust terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."
                                                                       Franklin D. Roosevelt

"The concessions of the weak are the concessions of fear."

                                                                                   Edmund Burk

"Father O father! What do we here.  In this land of unbelief and fear."                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
                                                               William Blake

"How sweet the name of Jesus sounds In a believers ear!  It soothes his sorrow, heals his wounds, and drives away his fear."
                                                                               John Newton


"You are frighten of everything.  You call it caution.  You call it common sense. You call it practically.  You call it playing the odds, but that is only because you are afraid to call it by its real name, and its real name is fear."
                                                                                 Mike Farren


"Fear breeds upon itself because it is a hermaphrodite capable of endless reproduction.  Fear is a contagious disease, spreading from its first victim to others in the vicinity until it becomes panic.  Fear is the afterbirth of reason and calculation.  It takes time to recuperate from fear."
                                                                         
                                                    Ernest K. Gann, Fate is the Hunter


"Fear is a great poseur. Men especially are loath to admit that they are scared, even to themselves. Instead they convert anxiety into more acceptable feelings( anger usually )."
                              
                                                   Ralph Keys, The Courage to Write
"Fear is an acid which is pumped into one's atmosphere. It causes mental,moral and spiritual asphyxiation, and sometimes death; death to energy and all growth."
                                                                                 Horace Fletcher


"Fear is like a fire.  If we control it will help you; if uncontrolled, it will rise up and destroy you. Men's action depend to a great extent upon fear.  We do things either because we enjoy doing them, or because we are afraid not to do them."      
                                                                                    John Milburn


"All men are afraid in battle. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty.  Duty is the essence of manhood."
                                                                       General George Patton

"We are largely the playthings of our fears.  To one, fear of the dark, to another, of physical pain, to a third, public ridicule; to a fourth, of poverty; to a fifth, of loneliness...for all of us, our particular creature waits in ambush."
                                                                            Horace Walpole

" Fear sells.  Fear makes money. The countless companies an consultants in the business of protecting the fearful from whatever they may fear know it only too well.  The more fear, the better the sales."
                                                Daniel Gardner, The Science of Fear


"Inaction breeds doubt and fear.  Action breeds confidence and courage.  If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it.  Go out and get busy."                                                             Dale Carnegie


SUMMARY:


     In this short essay, I attempted to bring  attention to the many faces of fear, and how they can affect our lives.  We are confronted with self-imposed fear as well as those fears used by others to manipulate our behavior.  Some fear serves a noble purpose such as teaching a child to be cautious of strangers, or the dangers of playing in the streets.  The fear of loosing a job, or failing a class can be a motivating factor in meeting time lines and completing task.  I accepted Christ, as my Savior, because of my fear of going to hell!  Over time I realized that my salvation was more than, a get out of hell free card, it was a life of love, obedience and faithfulness.
     I can remember when I was a freshman in college and attending my first political science class.  The instructor walks in, introduces himself, and says," there are 18 people in this class I need to tell you that 10 of you will probably flunk this class." After those statements 8 people dropped the class.  This instructor turned out to be a big Teddy Bear, and most received A's and B's in the class.
     There are people who won't invest in the stock market because they are afraid that they will loose their money!  This reminds me of the servant described in Matthew 25 and Luke 19 when Jesus discussed the Parable of the "Talents and the Minas.  In both of these parables the master was displeased and angry that the servant allowed fear to win over faith and wisdom. The master in both cases takes from the fearful servant and gives his portion to the obedient faithful servants.  Do you sometimes wonder why you can't get ahead financially?
      Some people are afraid of failure, so they are unwilling to try anything they don't consider a sure thing. I have heard some say I want to be a teacher, but I heard that its very difficult to pass the CBST. Then there are those who are, for some reason, afraid of success. If you are not careful your fears can become a self-fulfilling prophecy!
      We who are Christians are to live by faith, for we know we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!  As I tell my children, " In spite of what you hear, read, think, or feel, rely only on the word of the Lord for your direction and comfort.  Do not allow fear to keep you from reaching your calling, and your God given potential.  Do not allow politicians, clergy, television, radio, newspapers, books, pundits or anyone else manipulate you with fear.
     I would like to thank you who take time out of your busy lives to read these short essays.  If you enjoy please share with 2 other people.  If you feel that I am off base, please let me know.