Fear—we all know what it is. It is one of the most debilitating emotions known to the human race. As a matter of fact, it is fascinating to see just what it is that people fear most. Here are the three greatest fears people have in America: Fear number one: Going to a party where they will be surrounded by strangers. Fear number two: Having to speak before a crowd. Fear number three: Being asked a personal question in public.1

Fear is unbelievably powerful. It penetrates the heart, it poisons the spirit, and it paralyzes the soul. It can affect you not only emotionally, mentally, spiritually; it can even affect you physically.

The late great Louis Armstrong, the trumpet player, recalled that when he was a boy in Louisiana, an old woman asked him to get her a bucket of water. He said, “I …