THE FEAR OF THE LORD. The next few dailies will discuss the fear of the Lord and how fearing God is paramount to foundational doctrine and faith. “Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the LORD your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, that you may fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.” Deuteronomy 6:1-2
From the beginning of God’s holy people, the fear of the Lord is good and wholesome, the fountainhead of true wisdom, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”Proverbs 9:10 In the Bible, there are four main categories of fear: (1) slavish or demonic fear; (2) fear of man; (3) normal fear of danger in the physical realm; (4) holy fear. The fear of the Lord is the latter.
The Bible presents the fear of the Lord as both a choice and a gift of God imparted by His Spirit (Isaiah 11:1-3). The fear of God is a choice in that it involves the decision of our will to respond to God’s Word, all of God’s Word, with an obedient heart. Only as we truly fear the Lord will we be delivered from bondage to all abnormal and demonic fears. Picking and choosing which Scriptures we are allowed to obey shows a lack of the fear of God. To fear the Lord encompasses different aspects of our relationship with God. (1) Essential to fearing God is knowledge of His holiness, justice and righteousness as a counterpart of His love and mercy.
Godly fear is based on the conviction that God is a holy God whose very nature leads Him to judge sin and punish disobedience. (2) The fear of the Lord requires a knowledge of the Holy One that regards Him with holy awe and reverence, and honors Him as God because of His great glory, holiness, majesty and power. “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;”Philippians 2:12 (3) True fear of the Lord causes us to place our faith and trust in Him alone.
(4) Finally, to fear God involves recognizing that sin and disobedience has serious consequences and that both in time and in eternity God has the power to punish those who break His laws. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:31 I will unequivocally say that if you lack the fear of the Lord, you are not in a saving relationship with Him.
The fear of God is accompanied by assurance and unspeakable spiritual comfort, “Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.” Acts 9:31 NKJVThose who live without fearing the Lord have no promise of His presence, favor and protection; on the other hand, those who fear God and obey Him from the heart experience security and the enabling grace and power of the Holy Spirit. The person who fears God need not fear ANYTHING else; but the person who does not fear God is vulnerable to fearing everything else. #runyourrace
To Learn More About Pastor Crystal please visit the Leadership Page
