Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence;” -Jer 5:22 (KJV)
Do you fear God? The Hebrew for the word fear is yir’ah and the meaning is respect, reverence and terror. In Acts 9:31, the Greek word for fear is phobos meaning fear, dread, or respect for one’s husband. From these verses and many others in the OT and NT the fear of God meant great reverence and respect, but also carried a very significant degree of dread and terror that strikes great fear in our hearts – Heb 10:31. For a moment examine yourself to see what things fill you with great fear, reverence and respect. Is it people, money, your home, car, spouse, boss, etc? Does Almighty God have a place on your list and if so, is He at the very top, middle or bottom? This is a very important question that we all must answer and your answer will dictate where you are in your faith in Almighty God.
“Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” – Prov 3:7 (KJV)
Do you as a Christian depart from evil? What does that mean, you may ask? It is not just a wordsmith exercise. Nor is it a meaningless array of “religious” thought. This is a command from Almighty God to those that choose to follow Him. It means turning away from vain and profane talk and conversation, it means turning away from vile and filthy TV shows and movies, it means staying away from the R-rated moves, it means turning away from reading worthless and lifeless books that will not draw you closer into the Lord’s presence, etc. What do you do when someone at work or elsewhere tells an dirty joke or makes obscene gestures or comments? Do you just go along with them and/or the crowd or do you express disdain at what they are saying? Look at what Jesus said in Matt 10:28…
“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” -Matt 10:28 (KJV)
Do you think He was just kidding?
Today, I am convinced that we see or hear little of the fear of the Lord in our society, in our families, in our churches or even in our conversations. Combined with this is the lack of the knowledge of God (Hos 4:1), which I am persuaded we see much of these days, with a decrease of even professing Christians that do not know their God and His word. If there should be any place on earth that should carry the importance and fear of the Lord it should be in our churches.
But do they … NO!
They are far from knowing, teaching or instructing what the fear of the Lord is!
Years ago, when I grew up, Sunday was a time of attending church, worshiping God, fellow-shipping in our family and the stores/businesses were closed. It was a reverent and sacred time – a time of relaxing and a time to focus on the Lord. I can remember my father reading us Bible stories as a regular part of our family life.
These days, we need to turn the cell phones off, the computers off, silence the video games, turn off the TVs and radios and spend some “alone” time with God – individually and as a family. Do you do these things? Do you really seek Him or do you just pretend … and seeking God is far from your mind?
Nowadays, Sunday is just another day of the week filled people working more and thinking of God less and less. Many churches focus on fast-paced, powerless, rocking-out music (bringing you not even close to God) diluted Gospel sermonettes laced with an unspoken agenda to get people out in time so they can watch sports, go shopping, eat out, or just have fun. Most churches have become social clubs with little teaching on the Doctrine of God. In fact, even from the pulpit, God is far from their thoughts. What have we become in the eyes of God? Where is the reverence for the Lord, the fear, the desire to worship, praise, talk about Him instead of the regular nit-noid worldly meaningless chatter?
We come before Almighty God for a [whole] whopping hour or so each week to try and keep our eyes propped open and ears keen to hear even the faintest whisper of His Holy Spirit. While in reality our minds haven’t yet ceased from the whirlwind lifestyle we’ve been living throughout the week. So we dose and yawn, eyes drooping, with our hearts and minds fighting to maintain some degree of attention on the services we attend. How pathetic! Wake up people! This is Almighty God we are talking about – the Creator of everything you see and of you and me!
Jesus Christ is not our homey. He is not our “buddy”. He is not even a beloved family member. He is God! And as such He deserves great honor, respect, reverence and Glory through our praise and fear of Him with holy living everyday. Yes, it’s a reverent fear but also the fear of His wrath – a trembling before Him. Please try and keep these things at the forefront of your mind in whatever you say and do – daily.
Everyday we should get on our knees in fear, respect, and yes trembling before the Lord. Read His word people, get to know the God who created you and is coming again!
“The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way,” -Prov 8:13 (KJV)
Do you hate and shun evil? Did you know that God requires this of all of us, a life 100% dedicated, committed and fully surrendered to Him (Rom 12:1)? This means in thought, word and deed. And in our everyday affairs. In how we think and in the words we choose to speak. If you are a person given over to swearing and unclean talk then your religion is worthless – James 1:26 (I know several of these kind of people, one even a self-proclaimed “pastor”). Many people watch some pretty nasty stuff on the TV and they read books and magazines that can set their minds against the teachings and commandments of God. But who takes these thing to heart?
Allowing the filth of evil in whatever media form it takes friends is in opposition to will of the God for your life (1 Th 4:1-8; Eph 5:17). When you fill your minds with worldly stuff – cares, concerns, worries, guilt – or flirt with the things not of God? For as you continue to compromise on the things of God, you can take on the nature of those things and open your spirit and soul to evil, wickedness and lawlessness [yes, even demonic] spirits -1 Cor 6:19-20; Rom 8:5, 13:14; Col 3:2, 3:5; Eph 6:12.
If you allow evil into your life/home/family watch out for a serious decline or change in your life and home. It will happen in the spirit first and then start to manifest in changing what you believe and compromise with the things of this world. Peace may start to elude you both in the spiritual and physical realms. Set your mind on the things above, not on the stuff of this world – Col 3:2.
“Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” -Psa 2:11 (KJV)
Where are you at with the lord right now … saved or not? Do you fear Him? Do you tremble at His word? Do you shun evil? Or do you drag His precious and Holy name through the toxic poison of your speech and the worldly manner in which you live? Remember, there is absolutely no middle of the road or lukewarmness with Almighty God. You must seek the Lord Jesus Christ for only in Him is found eternal life and the saving power to forgive your sins. If you have backslid into a sinful lifestyle or you are not living for Him at all, see the Salvation page at the top of this post to get your life turned around and to seek the free gift of forgiveness of your sins and reap eternal life with Him forever.
Fear God!
-BPWatcher, Internet Preacher and Bible Prophecy Watchman
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” -Heb 10:31 (KJV)
