Fear has gotten a bad rap because of the many dangers associated with it. There is a fear that you do need. A child needs to fear a hot stove, electricity and traffic. The most important fear is in this verse – it is the fear of the Lord. It is dangerous to not fear the Lord. Our God is a consuming fire. Deut 4:24. How can you not fear Him?

1 – Envisioning the fear of God

It is the continual awareness that there is a Holy, Almighty, Righteous and Just God who sees everything we do and judges us accordingly. Imagine every thought being on public display! Imagine your life if you lived in the fear of the Lord. See Psalm 25:12 & 34:7 & Proverbs 16:6. It is the fear of the Lord keeps you from evil. People aren’t seeking the Lord today for the same reason that thieves don’t seek a police officer. It is when you fear God that you take a second thought about sin. See Proverbs 22:4. The fear of the Lord brings blessings upon your life. See Proverbs 10:27. The fear of the Lord prolongs your days. The days of the wicked are shortened.

2 – Experiencing the fear of God

You don’t know anything about God unless you fear Him. That is where it starts. You cannot experience God unless you know Him. You cannot know God unless you fear Him. It is fools who despise wisdom and understanding. There are plenty of hard-heartened teenagers in these verses. The fear of the Lord leads to knowledge and from that we experience God. Today there is many who have no fear. The Bible says that they are foolish and have no wisdom. See Psalm 85:9 & Psalm 36:1. The problem with sinners is that there is no fear of the Lord. See Psalm 33:18 & Psalm 25:14. We are to fear the Lord. We need this more than anything else in our lives. We need to fear God more and more. This is the education that we need most. If there is a real fear of God then I will be all that I need to be. See Proverbs 2:1. Every one of us can fear God more in our lives. These verses are saying, “If you hear me you will fear me” and “If you fear the Lord you will hear the Lord”. We are to humble ourselves in the sight of God and He will lift us up. We need to realise that we are nothing and God s everything. Yet God wants to use us for His glory. He can’t use us if we are proud. The fear of the Lord will give balance and joy to your life.

We need the fear of God so that we don’t try to do things for ourselves. When Moses and the people of Israel saw the power of God, do you think they had any questions?! They were experiencing the fear of God.

3 – Expressing the fear of God

Cornelius was a just man who feared God. See Acts 10. This is the greatest thing that anyone can say about you. A man who fears God knows how to treat his wife and children. He will have balance in his life. This applies to woman also. The woman who fears God will not gossip and have strength and humility. See 1 Peter 3. She has a meek and quiet spirit. Put a man and a woman together, who both fear the Lord, and then look out! If you don’t have a man, then find one who has a fear of God. Don’t just look for broad shoulders and pretty eyes.

• It will show in your walk. See Proverbs 3:7. You don’t have to shout it out. You don’t have to tape a Bible verse to your unsaved man’s beer can! You don’t need to get a Jesus bumper sticker. See Exodus 20:20. We need the fear of the Lord to change our walk.
• It will show in your worship. We are supposed to worship with other Christians. You can’t worship God on the golf course! You need to be in Church. See Psalm 33:1-13 & Psalm 34:1-10. It is enough to make you want to worship the Lord.
• It will show in your witness. When you fear the Lord you can’t help but tell others. See 2 Corinthians 5:11. When was the last time you told someone about Jesus? See Proverbs 3:5-6 & Ecclesiastes 12:15. It is our duty to fear God and be a witness.

It is not all about you. It is all about Him. When you have a fear of God you don’t have to fear anything else. It is the fear that you need.

Categories: Proverbs