How to use the Laws of Mind, Chapter Thirteen, You can Control your Fears

How to use the Laws of Mind, Chapter Thirteen, You can Control your Fears

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fear is the cause of great misery, and untold suffering and fear come to all of us. Many are afraid of the future, old age, insecurity, some illness or incurable condition, or the verdict of the doctors. Many are full of fear regarding their families, newspaper reports and the media in general, all of which project fear propaganda of all kinds. Fear of nuclear warfare, inflation and crime disturbs the masses.

Great numbers of individuals are afraid of death and loneliness in their old age. There are countless thousands who face death with equanimity and serenity, because they know that there is no death, only life, and that they will live forever in the many mansions (dimensions) of our Father's house.

There is a limitless catalogue of fears that afflict the human mind. The answer to all fear is to turn to the God-Presence within. Faith in God casts out fear. . . . Fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love (I John 4:18). You begin to think and speak in a new tongue when you turn to God within and mentally dwell on the promises of the Bible. As you continue to dwell on these great Truths, you will experience a sense of peace and security. Examine some of your fears and you will discover that many of them are groundless.

While speaking in a club here in Leisure World, a man said to me that for the greater part of his life he had been a chronic worrier. His greatest worries were those that never came to pass, but these worries depleted his vitality and brought on ulcers and high blood pressure. On the advice of a spiritual practitioner, he began to study and apply the teachings of the 23rd and 27th Psalms, which brought about a remarkable healing. He began to control and discipline his thinking. When worry thoughts came to his mind he would recite a verse or two of one of the Psalms, and in time he overcame his worries. He had discovered that all of his worries were unfounded and groundless.

The Secret Place

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1). The secret place is your own mind. Turn within and realize that the Presence of God indwells you. You can communicate with this Divine Presence through your thought, and a definite response will come.

The word shadow means protection, somewhat similar to a woman's use of an umbrella to protect herself from the penetrating rays of the sun. When fear thoughts come to you, repeat a few verses of the 91st Psalm many, many times. Do this quietly, feelingly and knowingly, and you will discover that a sense of peace and security will come quietly and gently into your mind and heart. When your mind is at peace, you are in the secret place, for God is absolute peace and harmony.

Fear may come to your mind again and again because of habit; but persist in supplanting the fear thoughts with a few verses of the 91st Psalm, such as the first and second verses, and you will find that you will gradually become the master of your fears. Every time you enthrone constructive thoughts, such as "God's love fills my mind and heart" or "God's peace fills my soul," you are wiping out your fear and strengthening your faith and confidence in God and His love. Your abnormal fear will then gradually diminish and vanish.

Bible Techniques

There are marvelous texts in the Bible for overcoming fear. Become a habitual peruser of the 91st, 27th, 46th and 23rd Psalms, and you will gradually saturate your subconscious with the eternal verities and be free. The following verse will work wonders in your life: There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love (I John 4:18).

Love is an emotional attachment. It is an outpouring of goodwill. Spiritually, it means that you recognize the Presence of God in all His creatures. A woman who was terrified of dogs (probably dating back to her childhood when she was bitten by a dog, since she had a faint memory of the incident) began to affirm: "I radiate love to all dogs. They love their masters and they save lives. The Presence of God is in all of his creatures. I love dogs. They are loving, kind and cooperative."

She kept affirming these truths and after a period of time she was at peace with dogs. She no longer feared them. You will lose fear as you grow in understanding that there is only One Power. Dwell also on these wonderful words: The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1). When fearful, reiterate these truths over and over again, and you will sense an inner peace and security. In the Bible it also says: Fear not, for I am with thee. . . (Isaiah 43:5). He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord (Psalm 112:7). Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed: for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with thy right hand of my righteousness. For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee (Isaiah 41:10,13).

Select some of these verses or all of them and recite them slowly, quietly and reverently, knowing that as you repeat these truths, they will sink down into your subconscious mind, eradicating and neutralizing all of the fear patterns. You will feel strengthened and enlightened.

Who Is Your Lord?

For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me: he shall set me up upon a rock (Psalm 27:5).Who is your Lord and master this very moment? Your Lord is your predominant mental attitude; it is your conviction or belief about yourself, people and things. This Lord can be a tyrant. For example, if your mood is now one of resentment, that is your Lord or tyrant that governs all of your actions and all phases of your life. If you want to invest some money, buy a new home or buy some property while in this attitude, you will do and say the wrong thing because your predominant mood is negative. The law is: "As within, so without." You are fearing your good, and you would react negatively. Fear is a lack of faith or trust in God, which is a denial of His Omnipotence.

The Lord is my light and my salvation . . . (Psalm 27:1). The Lord referred to is the Lord God, or the law of God or good. To put the law of good into operation—thereby banishing fear once and for all—enthrone in your mind the thoughts of power, courage and confidence. These thoughts will generate a corresponding mood or feeling, which will banish the arch enemy of your success and health.

Fear, this self-made enemy of yours, must be completely destroyed before the Lord God can shine through you. Your fear is the cloud that hides the sunshine of God. Men have made personal devils out of fear of the past, the present and the future.

It is our attitude toward life that determines the experience we are to meet. If we expect misfortune, we shall have it. Knowing the law of God or good, the truth student expects only good fortune. The world is not harsh; it may seem to be, because we fail to affirm or claim the Presence of God. Men fear criticism so much that many of their most beautiful thoughts never see the light of day. To the man who believes that God is the only Presence and the only Power, there is no past; he knows that if he believes in the power of the past, he is disbelieving in God. God is the Eternal Now; there is no future and no past in God.

This is the Gospel—the good tidings. There is no such thing as past karma; there is only man's foolish, false belief in it. . . . Now is the day of salvation (II Corinthians 6:2). The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Your good, your health and your success are here now; feel the reality of them; thrill to them. Enter into the conviction that you are now the being you long to be.

Guilt and What It Means

The only guilt there is is the consciousness of guilt.. . . Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool (Isaiah 1:18). This is the good news. The only moment that matters is the present. You can live only in the now, experience in the now, plan in the now and think in the now. Whatever you are planning or dreading, you are planning it now. When you realize that every form of lack and limitation is the result of your wrong thinking and feeling, you shall know the Truth that sets you free. The mountains will be removed.

Aboriginal tribes and primitive man feared nature. Modern man fears his fellow man. To a great extent we have dispelled the ghosts of ancient days. We have combatted the plagues, and we will soon control the elements. Man is doped by modern propaganda. Some men are afraid to live and afraid to speak. Mothers fear for their children. All this is due to superstitious belief that there is another power to challenge God.

The only evil there is is due to a lack of knowledge of the laws of life. If we put our hand on an open wire we get a shock, but if it is insulated properly we do not. The evil or shock was due to our ignorance; yet any man will admit that electricity is not evil. It blesses man in countless ways. Electricity is used to play music, drive trains, fry eggs, vacuum the floors and light the world. Evil or fear is our misapplication and incomplete comprehension of the Omnipresence of God, or good. Where fear is, love cannot be; for error cannot dwell with understanding.

The wealthy fear they are going to lose; the poor fear they will not gain. The only wealth and the only security are found in the consciousness in which we abide. If we are conscious of being wealthy, nothing in all the world can stop us from being prosperous in our bodies and affairs. The things men fear are unreal. Only the One alone is real; only the One alone is Law; only the One alone is Truth.

The jungle doctor of old has passed on many of his superstitions; consequently, countless cults today instill fear into the minds of many individuals. Let us face the facts. The cause of most fear is man's fear of his fellow man. Many men pray together on Sunday and prey on each other on Monday.

The answer to the fear problem is understanding. All fear is due to ignorance. In order to express harmony, we must think and feel harmonious thoughts. When we enter into the mood of success, confidence and happiness, we will express similar results in all phases of our life. When man knows that every form of discord, sickness and lack is due to wrong thinking, he will know the Truth which sets him free.

Use Your Imagination

Learn to imagine the thing desired, then feel the reality of the state sought. This is the easiest and quickest way to get results. Some get results by convincing themselves of the Truth that God is the only Presence and the only Power. This is one of the most wonderful things in all of the world to know.

Regardless of the cause of the fear, you have no one to treat or heal but yourself. You have to convince yourself that you are now expressing life, love and truth. Let us not fear anything or anybody; let us be busy radiating courage, confidence and power. In this way we will crush all obstacles in our path, and the mountains will be cast into the sea.

We are one with Infinite Power. If we say we are weak or infirm, we are telling a falsehood about God. Fear turns the love of God or good away from us in the same way that a poverty consciousness attracts poverty in health, money, business and love relationships. Man must stop preaching fear to his fellow man and unite in teaching all of the Truth.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How to use the Laws of Mind, Chapter Thirteen, You can Control your Fears

Dr. Joseph Murphy