Fear Factor

What does it mean to fear the Lord? As we look at the Scriptures, we will find that the fear of the Lord is a very important subject. David, a man after God’s own heart and one of the greatest leaders in the Old Testament, talked about it a lot. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, was a man who feared the Lord. The fear of the Lord was a primary theme in the whole book of Proverbs. These two great men regarded the fear of the Lord as something that was so important to them. In the same way, the fear of the Lord should also be something of utmost significance to us.

To fear the Lord is to have a deep sense of reverence for Him. Whatever we do, we must always recognize God’s holiness. To fear Him is to live in a continuous state of holy awe before Him.

To fear the Lord is to sincerely care for what He says. In human relationships, if you don’t respect someone, you don’t care what he says about you. The same thing goes with our relationship with the Lord. If we don’t care what God says, then we’re not going to do what He wants us to do.

To fear the Lord is to be aware of who He is. When we see God as He is: holy, righteous, sovereign, all powerful, all knowing, everywhere present, Lord of Lords, and King of Kings, we develop in our hearts a sense of fear in knowing that He is God.

To fear the Lord is to desire to do what He tells us to do. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you’ll do what I say.” The one who fears the Lord will do what the Lord says for there’s a sincere desire to do what God wants him to do.

To fear the Lord is to put Him first above all else. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” As we humble ourselves under God’s person and power, giving Him control over everything in our lives, and allowing Him to be first, we demonstrate fear in the Lord.

To fear the Lord is to recognize that He is the Creator and we are His creatures, that He is the Master and we are His servants, that He is Father and we are His children. John Piper said that someone who fears the Lord will recognize that God is so powerful, so holy and awesome that one would never even think of running away from Him or going against Him.

To fear the Lord means to dread God’s displeasure, to desire His favor, to revere His holiness, to submit cheerfully to His will, to be grateful for His benefits, to sincerely worship Him and to conscientiously obey his commands through the power of the Holy Spirit. The fear of the Lord is a good thing.

How do we develop the fear of the Lord in our hearts and make it part of our lives? One should start by choosing it. Proverbs 1:29 says, “Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD”. We cannot follow God, do what He wants us to do, nor live for Him if we do not know Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior.

Once we have come to know Christ and start walking with Him, how then can we foster the idea of the fear of the Lord in our lives? If we want to develop the fear of the Lord in our hearts, we should:

Face the truth. A constant and close connection to the Word of God will foster in our hearts a tremendous respect for the Lord, a tremendous and balanced perspective on who God is and what God is like. Stay in the Word. Study it. Read it. Learn it. Be teachable. Be open to it.

Exalt Him. Get to know God as He really is. A weak and faulty concept of God will lead to a weak and faulty spiritual condition. We best understand the grace of God when we’re fully aware of how great God is. Humbling ourselves before the Lord, taking Him very seriously, and exalting Him in His power and in His grace will develop fear and respect for the Lord in our lives.

Act in obedience. Paul tells the Philippians, “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”(Philippians 2:12) We are to work out our salvation by living it out and being what Christ wants us to be.

Rehearse Consequences. We have a choice to either give our lives to things that really matter and will last forever, or to give our lives to the pleasures and temporal things of this life, that we will eventually lose and will breed, reap and produce corruption in our lives. The Bible tells us, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”(Galatians 6:7-9) The fear of God compels us to sow seeds that lead to life and give ourselves to things that matter to His eyes.

Instilling the fear of the Lord also has its dividends – which include Wisdom (Proverbs 9:10), Holiness (Proverbs 16:6), Life (Proverbs 10:27, Proverbs 14:27), Security (Proverbs 14:26), Satisfaction (Proverbs 15:16, Proverbs 22:4), among other things. When we faithfully factor in the fear of the Lord in our faith and life, we will find dividends such as these and more.

To fear the Lord is to stand in awe of Him, to trust and to love Him so much that we refuse to go against Him and His will. May we all instill in our faith and our lives the fear of the Lord!

The 4W's, Podcast and Audio of the above Sunday Worship Service are now available.

Thank you and God bless!