The Devils Tool Box - The Hammer of Fear

The next tool the devil likes to use to distract us from moving forward in life is the hammer of fear. 

Fear can come in many different forms. 

It can come in the obvious form of worry, anxiety, paranoia or even the not so obvious little worries we get about the smaller things.

I'm not going to say too much about this one because if I got into this topic to deeply, I don't think I would know where to stop, so rather then going into detail about how fear works and what we can do about it.

I'm just going to state the 3 main lessons I have learnt about fear and then give a source list so that if you want to do further study you are aware of some of the resources available.

Please note these lessons are about fear in a negative sense.

I know that fear can still be good and even protect us sometimes, but I am talking about the unhelpful side of fear in these lessons.

 Lesson 1 - If you give fear space to grow it will.

Fear usually starts out as a thought in your head, the more you think on it the more it grows, before you know it a small worry has turned into something much bigger and in some cases, it can leave you paranoid and terrified, even sometimes for your very life.

 Lesson 2- The best way to get over your fear is to face it.

Fear is a tricky one, if you don't deal with it then it holds power over you.

There is that age-old decision between fight or flight, and in most cases, the flight is the best option.

If you are in danger then yes you should get out of that situation and in that regard, yes flight is the best option.

However if you're not in danger and the fear is of something else like for example, fear of being rejected for the job so you just don't try in the first place, then that is not helping you in the long run.

The main fear that most people have to deal with is the fear of the unknown.I'm not going to elaborate on this point any more but once again, I do suggest Susan Jefers Book, Feel The Fear and Do it anyway.

 Lesson 3- Fear is usually just a shadow.

Joyce Meyer, a New York Times bestseller and excellent teacher, has a very tragic story. She has suffered abuse and in many cases, had the right to be afraid, but she had learnt that Fear is only a shadow and often states that Fear is easily explained by this False Evidence Appearing Real.

The fact is, half the things we are afraid of will never actually happen. Our minds are battle Fields and if the devil can get us to be paralysed by fear then he can get us to accept his lies as we looked at in the previous post.

 Lesson 4- Fear never works alone.

Fear has a little brother that it likes to take everywhere it goes.

This little brother's name is doubt.

Together with fear and doubt, climb into your mind and batter your brain with the constant chatter of "what if" and "why you can't" they sit there to hit your head, just like a hammer hitting a nail.

 Recommended  Resources ( Doubles as the source material for the last few posts)

Joyce Meyer - Battlefield of the Mind

http://www.joycemeyer.org/ProductDetail.aspx?id=000159

Susan Jeffers - Feel the Fear and do it Anyway

http://www.susanjeffers.com/home/detailtemplate.cfm?catID=2234

John 14 : 27 "I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid". - Jesus Christ ( NLT) 

The Devils Tool Box - The Nails of Acceptance

It may seem strange that I'm starting this series by talking about acceptance as a tool used in the devil's toolbox but it does have a good reason for being the first topic looked at in this teaching. 

Accepting things, in general, is not a bad thing, in fact, it is important to accept certain things in order to move forward in personal growth and there are things the devil will try to stop us from accepting. 

However, there are things that if we accept too easily, they will actually stunt our personal growth.

We are going to look at 2 of those things that can cause us to stay stuck by accepting them.

In order to explain this, I'm going to start out by looking at it from the viewpoint of the thoughts attached to each of these things, then explain why and how it is dangerous to think this way and how to move from a negative viewpoint to a positive.

What is important to remember is that the devil is a liar and so each of these thoughts is a lie.

Let's now look at the evidence for that statement, in each of the thoughts we have that keep us nailed where we are in a negative way. 

Let's begin,

Thought that is a Lie 1. Things will never change. - Hopelessness

When things have been the same way for a long time, we often get it stuck in our head that things will never change. 

This is because it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you're in the middle of it. 

It is very easy to lose hope and just accept that this is our lot in life and nothing is ever going to change so we may as well accept it and deal with it. 

Why is this dangerous? 

This is a dangerous thing to think because it completely limits your mind in terms of thinking of options to getting out of a situation, this can and usually does lead to worry and depression. 

Depression is like quicksand, it will just suck you in further and further if you allow it to do so.

The result of thinking a situation is hopeless is despair. 

As soon as you hit that lower level of despair, it opens the door for the devil to start whispering more lies to you and you are far more likely to believe them. 

It is a long journey to get out of depression and despair and one that often involves a roller-coaster of emotions that are very hard to deal with alone. 

Please don't try to do this alone. If you are struggling, click here. 

How can we change this thought into a positive?

We can change this thought of things will never change into a positive by refusing to believe that this is all life has to offer.

The fact is no matter how hopeless a situation may seem, there are always choices even if the only choice you have is to change your attitude towards the situation your in. 

By choosing to believe that life has more to offer and then committing to doing whatever you can in order to make your life better, one small step at a time, you will start to see little changes. 

The best way to get unstuck when your in a rut, (which is basically another way of staying stuck in the mud or stuck going through the motions) is to change something. 

Even if the something you change is only small, if the routine is really that much of a pain to you, then even a small change will be welcomed.

As you start to make small changes you will start empowering yourself to create the life you want, which in turn will help with convincing yourself that the next statement the devil loves to whisper to you to keep you stuck, is also a lie. 

Thought that is a lie 2. I can't do this because of _______ - Lack of confidence 

If we believe the lie that nothing will ever change, we often also believe that we will never change. This then gives way for this second lie to come in to play.

We magnify all the bad points about ourselves and decide that because of all these negative traits, habits or attributes in us, or any number of external circumstances or factors that somehow we are not going to be able to cope with the situation.

The truth is, under it all. Fear has us under the thumb. 

Why this is dangerous?

Our natural instinct when it comes to feeling uncomfortable is to avoid the thing making us feel that way and so we stay stuck.

Fear keeps us paralyzed and so we wind up overthinking everything and worrying excessively, which has a negative effect on many areas of our lives including our health.

In other words, staying stuck can cause so much destruction that is can actually put your life at risk. 

How can we turn this into a positive? 

In my own life, I can honestly say the only way to deal with fear is to face it. I am sure you have heard that before. It is a tried and tested fact that works in a whole host of situations.

The best thing to do when it comes to dealing with fear is to educate yourself and then face it. 

When you educate yourself on something you don't understand or are afraid of it can make you feel more confident to actually face the fear. Sometimes educating yourself is enough, but that is very rare. 

 An amazing, life-changing book I would recommend if you are wanting to learn how to deal with fear is Feel the Fear and do it anyway, by Susan Jeffers. 

There are plenty of resources out there, you need only do your research, however, no amount of research is going to compensate for the freedom that can only come through facing your fear.

Of course, there are things that you don't have face if you don't want to, not all fear is bad and not all fears need to be addressed immediately.

The question to ask when deciding if this certain fear needs to be addressed is simply how is this fear impacting my life? 

If it is affecting you in a negative way and you could actually say that the fear in one way or another is controlling your life or how you feel about yourself then it is probably best to face it and sort it out. 

Disclaimer- Don't be stupid, use your head, don't break the law to face a fear and always remember to stay safe. Remember that professional help is available if you're dealing with an irrational fear that controls you and it never makes you weak to get help if you need it. 

There is a positive side to acceptance that can actually help with moving forward and the devil will do everything to keep you from accepting 5 simple truths because he knows that if you accept them, you will empower yourself to move forward. 

If you don't accept these three simple truths, you will be equally as stuck as you will be by accepting the negative thoughts already explained. 

5 Truths that we need to accept in order to move forward in life 

1. I may not like where I am now, but I don't have to stay stuck, things can change.

2. I am responsible for my own happiness. Even if I don't have control over my situation, I can still have control over how I react to it. 

3. I am worthy of good things to happen to me. 

4. I don't have to do/face this alone. 

5. My attitude has a direct effect on my result. 

Recap 

• The two thoughts that the devil likes to get us to accept in order to keep us from moving forward in life are Things will never change and that you can't do this. 
• Both of these are not true because of it down to choice. Even if the only thing you have control over is your attitude towards a situation. The devil is a liar. 
• By making small changes, you will start to gain the confidence you need to believe that you can do anything you need to do and begin to see that you don't have to stay stuck. 

For those of you wanting to know where I get my information to write this, a source list will be available at the end of this series. 

The Devils Tool Box - Introduction

Back in January, my new years' resolution this year was to raise the standard. 

I felt like my life really needed an upgrade. 

Life was okay, but I was fed up of never having time, feeling down and just not being as organised and productive as I would like.

Seven months into 2013 and I'm still not where I want to be, but I am content with starting right where I am at and taking the next step to continue to raise the standard. 

I made a point of really applying myself to learn as much as I could in order to help with the rising standard thing.

By far the most important lesson I have learnt this year is that that other guy, Satan, the devil, the force of evil, or whatever else you want to call it..exists and he loves to play games!

I personally, choose to call him the devil, and so that is what I am going to refer to him as for the duration of these posts. 

I'm not going to preach here, you may see the odd scripture in this series, but even if your not of  a religious background, you know that evil exists. 

That age-old battle between good and evil is everywhere. Films, games, books, music..you name it, it's there.

In the next few posts, I am going to unpack some of the more subtle tools that the devil likes to use. 

Raising the standard of your life is difficult when you don't even know where you have set the bar for what you will and won't accept in your life.

This one is about personal growth.

They say that the best way to learn something is to teach it and so I'm going to put myself out there a bit and actually set this whole series up as teaching.

One of the things in the raise, the standard new years' resolution was to build confidence and try new things..so here goes. I'm not even sure I can do this but I will give it a shot.

The first teaching will start on a slightly lighter subject, but something that still needs to be addressed if you are serious about personal growth.

Acceptance.