Fear...of God or World?

Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. 

That scripture says it all. It's wise and a warning both. I don't claim to have all wisdom but I do believe I have a fear of the Lord. If we do not fear God...well, the Word tells us the truth. 

King Solomon was wise. He wrote Proverbs. He wrote Ecclesiastes which I have written occasionally about...how all is vanity and a grasping for the wind...without God. He was not so wise later in life when he seemed to have let the things of God and all that wisdom go along the wayside. But he wizened up!

We are told to fear God. This is reverent fear, not fearful fear! If we can grasp how big our God is, the power, control and love He has, fearing Him is easier. If we do not fear Him the fear of life's circumstances will overcome.

I think we can still be anxious when circumstances first present themselves, although to be honest we are not to be anxious for anything either. But I t's then we go to God and trust in Him. He does have all things under control. He knows what we go through and will face. But if we remember He's in control, that He has our life in His hands, whatever the outcome, if we know Him and reverently fear Him, we have nothing to fear...even death. 

How many fear death? It's because they do not know what lies ahead. Even if they believe heaven is theirs, they will fear death. But not all go to heaven. Not even those supposed to be good...claimed by family, friends, even selves. We need a relationship, wisdom, knowledge and reverent fear of God for that to happen. Nothing we can do on our own...no works, no thinking we're better than the next guy. We must take our focus off ourselves and put it squarely on God. 

Days are coming where some (in the world) may begin to fear. We don't know if/when the financial market might drop, jobs will be lost, illness comes, deaths occur, terrorism strikes or life's situations become too great. But we, as believers, are called not to fear. If we do not fear Him it might said of us: He [Jesus] was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. (‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭10‬)  Here the word know means: to come to know, get a knowledge of; Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man and a woman. It means intimate knowledge of Him (and I'm not speaking something kinky). Not head knowledge but of the heart. It must come from the heart. And just to make it very clear, this is knowing Jesus, receiving Him as Lord and Savior, confessing our sins to Him, trusting in Him and believing He will forgive...not one of those points but all. 

Our pastor was saying the other day that most of those who have come into this relationship, this knowledge, know it happened. The Holy Spirit of God caused a change to take place in hearts, minds, spirits. We can't explain it very well other than to say we know that we know that we know something occurred that changed us. Do you know that? 

If we do not have the fear of the Lord, we have fear of the world. There are plenty of scriptures that show us examples of this. Here are just two. Perfect love casts out fear (1John 4:18)...I used to think I needed that perfect love for God; it's not about me but about a God, Jesus, whose love is the only perfect love. If we know that...wow. We are not to fear he (or what) who can kill the body because if we know Jesus he cannot kill our soul! (Matthew 10:28) It's all about knowing Jesus. If we have no fear of God, we are in sin. Ouch.

Solomon later in life once again understood the value of fearing and knowing God above all else. He wrote the difficult words of Ecclesiastes after having strayed from God and realizing his mistake. All the riches of the world, accomplishments, were nothing apart from God. Job was another man who understood this fear of the Lord and exercised it when he lost all he had and maintained trust in his God. They both had the same conclusion. Know the Lord, fear Him, know that He is to be our all in all. Wise words. 

“From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of all living, and concealed from the birds of the air. God understands its way, and He knows its place. And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.’” (‭Job‬ ‭28‬:‭20-21,23,28‬)

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. (‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭12‬:‭13‬)

What Have You to Fear?

Hebrews 13:6 - So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"

As I listened to Our pastor, Rory Grooters, talking one Sunday about how it is imperative we overcome our fears by facing our giants, I began to think again about how I constantly believe I am much better at writing than speaking about Jesus. I know deep inside this is a lie...one that trips me up every time. 

What is our greatest fear? This is a question we should all ask ourselves and set aside some time to talk to God about and ask for His strength and guidance.

We are to do it afraid. Whatever that fear might be. We must go through the fear to overcome it. Doing that shows our total reliance on the Lord. We all have weaknesses and a need for One greater than we who will do what is exactly necessary for any circumstance. We are only to be the vessel, the conduit, for His work through us. If that sounds like a controlling God, it isn't. He has only our best interests in mind and knows exactly what He needs to do to bring about good. On our own we are nothing.

Before I go on to explain what happened next, let me just add that in Sunday school we are, as I've mentioned, doing a study on The Power of a Whisper...Hearing God. Having the Guts to Respond by Bill Hybels.

We listened as several people on a video shared how they heard God speak to them with assurance, admonition or action. As they spoke it reminded me of occasions when that familiar "voice" spoke to me in similar ways. I'm sure everyone in class could have shared many instances themselves. Hearing about these circumstances was a joy to listen to, even when the word God spoke to these individuals might have been difficult to hear. Even the words God chooses to speak to us can bring about the, "Oh, no, not that God!"  However, it was confirmation that God really does speak to His people. It's always good to hear others' stories because you can no doubt relate to some of them. 

Well, as I listened to Pastor speak, I heard that still small voice right there in church. He interrupted with a sort of admonishment to me! What I heard was, You like being alone so why fear what anyone thinks of you? You are in My hands, not theirs. I am all you need. Well...put - me - in - my - place!!

I am comfortable on my own. What do I care what someone might think? And then the thought zipped through that it's the possibility of rejection I fear. Of course it is! No one wants to be rejected by those around them, especially if they call themselves your friend(s). 

We are to be in the world but not of it. When I first came to Christ there was one particular friend I had to let go of because I was no longer like her. It wasn't my choice; it was God's. I began to realize that conversations no longer uplifted me and her actions no longer interested me. It's all about the change that takes place when you receive Christ. Changes for the better.

So...fear! There is a scripture I have taped to our computer that should define exactly what I should fear the most: But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 10:33). What do I fear most? Being denied by Jesus or my friends? Isn't this the will of our Father for our lives? To proclaim Him? Glorify Him? Acknowledge Him? Be obedient to His call?

Perhaps my solitude will come because of my quest to be "out there" for Christ. Perhaps the Lord has been preparing me for that. Oh, I would prefer it the other way around, that when I do talk of the Lord, my words would draw these individuals to Him as well...and I would have the best of both worlds...friends who come to know Jesus and become life-long friends of my own. But the important question is: Do we want friends or Jesus? Which will bring us eternal life?

If God is for us, who can be against us? Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (Romans 8:31,37, 1John 4:4)