Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Fear: It's All in Your Mind

Fear is a physical reaction. In the face of physical danger, physical fear is not only natural, but desireable; it energizes our bodies to respond. That's ok, until the point of panic. However, fear is not only physical. It is also mental, cognitive and perceptual. Fear is in our minds. Blindfold me, take me unknowing to the top of the Empire State Building. Move me to the very edge and let me stand there. I'll be fine... until you remove my blindfold!

At that moment, my eyes will send a signal to my brain. My brain will send an e-mail through my central nervous system instantly informing my entire body that I am in danger. Let's not say what happens next! Just know that it involves a trip to the dry cleaners!!

Your brain tells your body when to be afraid. Thoughts trigger fears. At least part of the deliverance from a fear-based life is to change your thinking.

This is one aspect of the Biblical command that believers experience a renewing of their minds. Otherwise, fear will dominate your life and you will not find your destiny.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Top 10 Fears

Failure is not the only thing that people fear. A recent on-line publication published a list of the TEN MOST COMMON HUMAN FEARS. The results were compiled from a number of sources. The list was not necessarily scientific, but here it is:

TOP 10 MOST COMMON HUMAN FEARS

10. Elevators

9. Driving

8. Flying

7. Death

6. Deep water

5. Sickness

4. Financial problems

3. Insects

2. Heights

1. And the ever-popular even scarier than death #1 top fear:
public speaking!


Here's a very personal, pertinent, and powerful question. It is a question that some people may have difficulty answering honestly. Privately, you may have difficulty even admitting that there is an answer to this question. The question is simply, "What are you afraid of?"

Have you noticed these "No Fear" t-shirts that seem to be everywhere? I just wonder why the culture we live in has such a need to make that statement. I don't know. I do know that, regardless of our posturing, fear is a fundamental facet of human nature.

Do you remember the Muppets: Miss Piggy, Kermit the Frog? Back in the 1980's, there was a Muppet movie. The opening scene was of the Muppets riding bicycles in a park. One shot showed a muppet riding by, hands in the air, saying, "Look, Ma, no hands!" The next show shows another muppet coasting by on his bike. Only, he is sitting backward on the bike with his hands in the air, not looking where he is going. He says, "Look, Ma, no brains!" There are some things that you will be afraid of if you have any brains!

However, there are fears that can cause a person not to move toward his or her destiny.

So, again, what are you afraid of?