As I heard the words leave my mouth, I paid attention; “teach me to fear you. Teach me what it means to fear God.” I’d had questions about the fear of the Lord and I had heard everything from, fear is love to being afraid, before praying about this. Now I know that to fear the Lord means to fear the Lord in every aspect of the word. The fear of the Lord is a pure and enduring fear that can wizen us up to avoid certain things, according to the testimony of Psalms 19:9; a fact I discovered when Jehovah, the Great God answered what I thought at the time was a prayer in passing.
I can testify, under grace, the words, “ask and you will receive” is the truth. God grants us a favor and answers our questions just like he said He would when we have faith and ask those questions in prayer. Have faith and ask God anything in prayer, even if it seems wrong to you and the Lord will answer in ways you can never learn anywhere else.
Have you read the Proverb that says, “The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding”? The evidence is in the lives of those who seek the Lord with all of their hearts and have been welcomed near, just as it is written in James 4:8. Faith and prayer, even in our “imperfections” and our falling short is time spent with God. Time spent with God in prayer leads to knowledge, increased faith, and strength in the inner man as the Bible tells us.
Because I wanted to understand what was happening after those words left my mouth, I paid attention for months and years following. I came face to face with everything I thought was a problem in my life and the things I thought were great. Here the Lord helped me overcome fear, fear of failure, anxiety and I are now divorced, and I now understand why King David was so willing to go into battle. When you come near God and He strengthens your faith you understand who is fighting your battles, that the fear of God is greater than any fear. To fear God is a blessing upon a blessing. In Jesus, the fear of God is the key that opens every wisdom to the gentle leading of Christ.
But what does it mean to fear the Lord? Does it mean I should be afraid of the same God who says He loves me? Does it mean I should love the God who loves me? The answer is as complex as God really is and includes both answers. Isaiah 8:13 Let Him be your dread; We should hold God as King and look at His word against those who do evil and learn from it because God loves us and wants us to avoid His wrath, which is why He sent Jesus Christ to suffer in our place. Jesus explains in the book of Luke 12 verse 5 “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has the power to throw you into hell.” In Christ, the fear of God gives us perfect understanding as we study the Bible. Also, anyone who has experienced the character of God does not want to do wrong, because we know how pure His thoughts toward us are.
That is the fear of the Lord; To love the Lord and to dread doing wrong because we believe God about every word He has spoken. That includes what He is going to do on the day of judgment. He sent Jesus to live and die to overcome sin and death so that those of us who believe in Jesus would live and not die. The fear of God keeps us accountable because when we come to know God we want to keep His word because we see how pure and loving His actions are. The fear of God gives us confidence that we will overcome by the Blood of Jesus. And if we fall short; our God is Faithful and True to help us!
The same God, the same Jesus says to you come. Don’t let fear of punishment keep you from salvation. If you fear death, come to Jesus and receive life, even eternal life. If you are suffering anxiety and trauma, come to Jesus and receive his peace. If you read the Bible and are convicted of your sins, come to Jesus and be forgiven. Just believe. If you fear that you will do wrong, come to Jesus Christ, and receive freedom from your fear. The forgiving love of Jehovah the Almighty is for you. I have this testimony because God did not turn me away. I am one who fell away and was welcomed back because of the grace I have in Jesus Christ. God will redeem you if you believe in Jesus and repent, and turn to God.
The fear of God leads to the righteousness in Jesus Christ for those who choose to believe. In the fear of the Lord, I’ve learned to lay aside being right & being strong, for the gentle leading of Jesus Christ. In Christ is peace and love that is unreasonably faithful. It has led me to a pure way of thinking, a pure way of responding, a pure way of living that is beyond anything I have experienced before.
The Lord is gracious to everyone who turns to Him in repentance. He forgives everything and gives us a fresh start and does the work inside to remake us in His image. His message is always come. We only need to open our hearts to Him.
The Fear of the Lord is beautiful, compelling me to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and of the Kingdom He has prepared for us. All of this is real. While I don’t share the gospel to scare anyone, the reality is the day of judgment is coming and it is a terrible day for those who refuse Jesus Christ, the grace of God. It is written that it will be a day so terrible people will look for anywhere to hide when we finally see the truth, but there will be nowhere to hide. While you are alive you are called to come to Jesus to receive forgiveness from sin and eternal life.
The fear of the Lord led me to boldly claim the promise of salvation and every promise God has given us in Jesus Christ. The fear of the Lord has removed my fears about life and given me full faith in the power of Jesus Christ. If you open your heart today to Him, there is a testimony waiting for you as well.
The Spirit and the Lord say come.
[…] fear that tells you that God will not answer you is a liar and a thief. Seek God with your heart. In fact, seek God within your heart, your whole heart (Jeremiah 29:13). Pray to him in Jesus’ name. Believe that He will answer […]