“Why is all this happening?” People today are filled with different fears, but so many lack the one healthy fear they really need to have.
Perhaps you’ve heard them voice those questions like I have?
People ask, “What's happened to our nation?” and, “What’s happened with the many churches in our Land ..that have gone cold and dead?” and, “What's happened with some of the Christians I know.. and what’s happened with many church leaders even.. that have stumbled, or fallen, or totally gone spiritually lame?” and, “What has happened to the sound doctrine with some of them, the good teachings that have gone away?”
“Why have so many governments, world leaders, news networks, big tech folk, elections, social media platforms with their leaders and other people gone sideways?”
Answer: Well, we've lost our fear of God!.. I mean our sense of respect and reverence of Him. For many people this lack is due to unforgiveness inside, to church-hurts, to besetting sins like unbelief and prayerlessness.
Lord, please pour out all You want to pour out of your Spirit. Have mercy on us, do it again!
Let's earnestly pray for an authentic (biblical) revival in the Church that really impacts lives via the Gospel, and a fifth Great awakening that.. far and wide spawns the Holy fear of God in hearts!
You know even smart politics, or new ingenuity with our minds put together.. can come close to fixing all that is broken here.
The Bible instructs us to fear the Lord because of who He is, because of what He has said (it’s all true), because of what he has done, and is currently doing.
Do you fear God today? The Bible says..
For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:30-31
Come on! Using fear and God in the same sentence, Kurt, really now? Yes. Think about it. Back in the day why did the money changers fear Jesus entering the temple? They were before the presence of Almighty God! He cleansed the temple on these two occasions to make his feelings about ripping off people very clear. To many false teachers today I say: Fear! Take heed and be warned!
"In the temple courts He found men selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and money changers seated at their tables. So He made a whip out of cords and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle. He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those selling doves He said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn My Father’s house into a marketplace!” John 2:14-16
Remember, the second cleansing was three years later after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It was the last week before he hung on the cross (as is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke but not in John).
Isaiah 19:16 - In that day the Egyptians will be like women. They will tremble with fear beneath the uplifted hand of the LORD of Hosts, when He brandishes it against them.
Matthew 10:28 - Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 16:16 - Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Luke 12:5 - But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear the One who, after you have been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!
Acts 13:11 - Now look, the hand of the Lord is against you, and for a time you will be blind and unable to see the light of the sun." Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
2 Corinthians 5:11 - Therefore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is clear to God, and I hope it is clear to your conscience as well.
Hebrews 3:12 - See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God.
Are there people in your life that you still need to forgive? That’s doesn’t mean you always need to approach them and tell them that you forgive them (many believe and insist that they never did anyone any wrong?). You can choose to forgive them inside your heart.
Forgiving the wicked, the wrong-doer, the mean hypocritical blind religious “guide”, the one who has ripped off your family.. doesn’t mean that you need to stay best friends with them, or that the consequences for lawlessness, ongoing hate-speech, or their evil deeds.. need to go away. It doesn’t mean that we free them from accountability, but a freely forgiven people needs to be a freely forgiving people really. We each can choose to get bitter or better in the Lord.
You know there is a fear that is far from helpful for your relationship with God, and a fear that is very helpful in your relationship with God!
I’m talking about a positive fear -- that proper inner awe, respect, reverence and holy fear that’s so needed in our world today. Think vertical first with Him -- live on-fire for Jesus! When we properly fear God we can then grow spiritually healthy in the Word and there’s a new found candor and intimacy of blessing as we walk closely with Christ. When we don’t have this fear, it even ill effects our horizontal relationships here on earth. Why grow lukewarm, carnal, worldly, religious and cold spiritually? The Bible says..
"For who in the heavens can be compared to the Lord? Who among the divine beings is like the Lord, a God greatly feared and reverently worshiped in the council of the holy [angelic] ones, and awesome above all those who are around Him?" Psalm 89:6-7
"If You, Lord, should keep an account of our sins and treat us accordingly, O Lord, who could stand [before you in judgment and claim innocence]? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared and worshiped with submissive wonder." Psalm 130:3-4
"The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow; let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread." Isa. 8:13
Living with fear in your mind hinders your life. Fears are like that, that’s what they do.. except for the holy fear of God.
Ditch all your negative fears and choose to fear God. You'll never regret walking with Jesus.
Let’s fear Him, praise Him, dance in the Spirit, and worship the Lord.
You were made to fear and worship the Lord. He who is to be feared spoke and the whole world came into existence. From nothing to something. The Scriptures use two interesting words for create Bara and Asa. It teaches us that man (a.k.a. people here) can act creatively and “make” (man assembles from already created things), but God creates something from zip.. by simply speaking it into existence.. yep, out of nothing. He’s way creative.
Do your own study on it. See and understand Genesis 1 in the Bible.
Hebrew: Create (Bara) and Make (Asah). Did God Create (Bara) or Make (Asah) in Genesis 1? Bara -- this word is in the masculine singular form, so that "he" is implied; a peculiarity of this verb is that it used only with God.
Sometimes people “try to defend the acceptance of millions of years by saying that bara refers to supernatural creation ex nihilo (Latin for “out of nothing”) but that asah means to make out of pre-existing material and therefore allows for creation over a long period of time.
Such people say that the only supernatural creation events were in relation to the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1), sea creatures and birds (1:21), and Adam and Eve (1:27). Since asah is used for all other creative acts in Genesis 1, those acts could have been creative processes over the course of millions of years. But this argument will not stand when we look carefully at the use of these words in Genesis 1 and in other biblical passages related to creation.” Compare these two lists below:
Promises of Protection, Presence (His), Prayer, Prolonged Productivity, Purity, Perpetuity, Progress.
Also.. as you study this God we are to fear, prayerfully check out all the great Bible promises that go along with fearing the Lord. Exciting stuff to see. Here are a small handful for ya..
In Proverbs 10:27 we see prolonged and productive days connected to fearing God. He blesses those who fear Him.
In Psalm 34:9-10 we see that there’s no want for those who fear the Lord. Need God’s blessing of provision in your life?
In Psalm 33:18-19 God promises His protection to those who fear Him.
"..as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him." Psalm 103:12-13 esv
"As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our wrongdoings from us." (nasb) Yes, there are promises for sanctification and purity.
We all can grow in the word with godly fear and saving faith. The Bible challenges us..
"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." 2 Cor. 7:1
Go through proverbs, in a generals sense there are verses clearly dealing with wise labor, holy fear, and prosperity. Now lots of people like this one below -- God actually promises prosperity from smart work to those who fear Him.
“His soul will dwell in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land. The LORD confides in those who fear Him, and reveals His covenant to them. My eyes are always on the LORD, for He will free my feet from the mesh.” Psalm 25:13-15
There is perpetuity with the fear of God, the continuation of the blessing of life for the righteous. Will all believers live real long? No. And this side of the rapture so many of them have lived long.
Those of the world keep looking to add years to their lives, but Christ adds life to my years! He has abundant life ..even eternal life for you too!
"The Lord bless you out of Zion, and may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life. Yes, may you see your children's children." Ps. 128:5-6 nkjv
When young in So Cal, I learned to fear God, and also taught my three boys to fear Him. Am I the best teacher? No, but Liney and I did our best. Yes, kids can if they choose.. learn to fear God. I mean in their our attitude towards Him. Parents can live as good examples with Christ's loving attitude, and they might win their kids, relatives, friends to Christ.
Parents are responsible to glorify God at home and elsewhere, to nurture their children up with grace and truth, to raise them right according to the word, to teach them to worship and fear God. They are not responsible for the outcome.
"But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children," Ps. 103:17
"..you stood before the LORD your God in Horeb, when the LORD said to me, ‘Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’" Deut. 4:10 nkjv
"‘Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!" Deut. 5:29
How can we bring all God is into all we as a people need, have messed up.. into all our brokenness? We can with holy fear expressed in humble, candid believing prayer!
"Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name." Ps. 86:11 nkjv
You recall how King Solomon tried out lots of stuff in his search for fulfillment, but check out his final words...
"The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil." Ecclesiastes 12:13-16 amp
Final words tend to be important words. Check out King David's final words too.
"The God of Israel, The Rock of Israel spoke to me, ‘He who rules over men righteously, Who rules in the fear of God.'" 2 Sam. 23:3 amp
And see the words of Joshua who also wisely chose to fear the Lord.
"To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau, and to Esau I gave the hill country of Mount Seir to possess; but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt." Joshua 24:4 amp
What's the wise application? Choose now to know, to worship, to hold this awesome God in reverence 24/7/365. We have a fearful God that really loves us!
Perfect love casts out the bad kind of fear. So live without that fear every day.. yet in the fear of God daily. Do real love and fear can go together, Kurt? Yup, and by fearing God daily we can learned to love him.
What does it even mean to “Fear God”?
“The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant.” (v. 13)
Far too often we fear the wrong things in life—things like dental work, tax audits, or public speaking—and we don’t fear what’s most important. We don’t fear living dangerously or fear God!
The Bible tells us “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10).
To “fear God” does not mean that you cower in terror before Him. It has been properly defined as “a wholesome dread of displeasing Him.” If I have sinned, it is not the fear of what He will do to me, but rather what I have done to Him.
The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear Him, you fear nothing else in this life—whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else. Have you known some people like that?
King David once said, “The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).
Only the person who can say, “The Lord is the strength of my life,” can then say, “Of whom shall I be afraid?”
You can know God well, and make Him well known! Have you ever turned, trusted and asked Christ to come inside of you? What kind of fear do you live with? Now is good -- yes today! Is there anything that would prevent you from doing this. Let Him in right now, let Him lead and give you the holy fear of God. fish4souls.org
I want to be more about mercy, grace, praying in faith, and holy fear -- God, let our lives reflect You here while we can.
"I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my (negative) fears." Ps. 34:4 (emphasis mine).
