Life Lessons: The Fear of God

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Life Lessons

The Fear of God

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King Solomon spent his entire life pursuing happiness in every form.  In the end he concluded that the most important principles of life were to, "Fear God, and keep His commandments..." (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

What does it mean to fear God? Does it mean that God wants us to cower in terror when we come before Him in prayer? Does it mean that we are to live in constant anxiety that God is waiting for us to slip up so that He can punish us?

Points to build on

As human beings, we naturally fear anything that is physically or emotionally threatening. We also tend to fear anything that is greater than us or different from ourselves.

Human beings can develop irrational fears. Irrational fear can grow until it controls your life with unreasonable thoughts and emotions. Psychologists call these fears phobias. Some common phobias are: acrophobia--fear of high places; claustrophobia--fear of closed places; fear of crowds; xenophobia--fear of strangers and fear of animals.

There are literally hundreds of phobias people suffer from including "school phobia", fear of water, fear of the dark, etc. These aren't emotions based on normal respect for danger, but overwhelming emotions of anxiety and irrational fear. Some people have become so overwhelmed by a fear of the dangers and challenges of everyday life that they lock themselves in their homes and refuse to leave.

Some have a phobic fear of God. They feel that God is vengeful, just waiting for them to sin so He can punish them. Although the proper fear of God is predicated on His great majesty and power, it isn't an irrational phobia.

In Matthew 15:14-30 Jesus told the Parable of the Talents. He told the story of a master who gave different responsibilities to three servants and then went away for a period of time. When the master returned, he found that two of the servants had done well but the third had hidden his talent because of fear and laziness. The master rewarded the two profitable servants but punished the unprofitable one.

If fear of punishment is your only motivation for obedience, then you will fail to develop a healthy relationship with God as your loving Father. The proper fear of God is based upon an overwhelming awe and reverence of His righteousness, holiness, creative genius, love, mercy, and His eternity. We should be in wonder of His transcendent qualities to possess all power and knowledge, and His ability to interact with His creation.

It is also a realization of the destructive results of sin, which is defined by God's law. Solomon sums up this understanding in Proverbs 8:13:; "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil..."

Application

The proper fear of God is almost non-existent in today's society. Because of this lack of awe and respect for our Creator, people's lives are filled with all kinds of fears, anxieties, and phobias. God desires us to experience a life of peace, not one filled with irrational fear.

Various proverbs stress the importance of the proper fear of God:

Proverbs 15:33: The fear of God is the foundation of wisdom.

Proverbs 22:4: Through the fear of God a person receives riches, honor, and life.

Proverbs 1:7; 9:10: It is the beginning of knowledge.

Proverbs 10:27; 14:27: It prolongs life.

Proverbs 19:23: It makes life more abundant.

Proverbs 16:6: By it men depart from evil.

Proverbs 14:26: It is strong confidence.

Dedicate your life to learning a proper fear of God. Study His word, explore His creation, meditate on His instructions, learn to hate evil, and live a life founded on the reverence, awe, and respect for the Creator.

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Comments

  • Charlie Smith

    First off to fear "God" One must know or believe in "him".I have come to know that God does exist and thru my love for him and believing that he is the Älmighty Creator of the heavens and earth, the fear I have is not being afraid of him but of me not being able to stand up to the tests the Devil throws at me. I pray every day and thank the Lord for all the blessings I have received. Sometimes I catch myself slipping backwards when I'm with old friends and family members who have not recieved Christ. Knowing I have a teaching job to do I pray for guidance.

  • beyondthesky

    I enjoy your this site. It is very imformative. I am GLAD that I ound your program. I hope all of us will truly do what GOD wants us to do. If we do, our lives will be so PLEASANT.

  • Depenney

    I like this. Its such a balanced and proper view of the Fear we should have of God.

    Thank you again.

  • jledbetter07

    Well put message, thank you! Shortly after baptism I felt really overwhelmed with a lack of knowledge and didn't know where to focus. I started praying that God would show me what to pray for.

    A short list of about 4 or so critical topics came very clear to me right away. One of those was that God help me understand how to fear Him properly, to understand what that even meant. He began the process of opening my mind and helping me to understand what it means to fear Him. Proverbs 15:33 definitely proved out in my life and I'm so grateful to God for that!

  • RUSTY

    hi how is evryone hope fine god is a goood god and he love us sooo much .................y still we don't keep his ten commanments if we say we love him we have to try our best to keep it ......he siad it

  • Judy Erickson

    Mr. Petty, this is a good study. I recall your Bible study on this back awhile ago here in Austin. Taking each scripture like you have done puts them all together to get the whole package. It really shows how God wants us to fear Him in the proper way. Thanks!

  • Ursula

    Awesome!

  • vielgervise

    Again... I'm thanking you for this another Life Lessons, Mr. Petty...

    still looking for another one! :)
    Take care.

    ~ viel

  • stuart 46

    Hello Mr Petty

    Thank you for this article highlighting the need to fear our father in heaven by keeping his laws and keeping our hearts and minds focused on God at all times.

    Stuart

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