A Life AblazeSample

Day 9: Ablaze With the Fear of the Lord

Just as people have lost sight of the importance of holiness, many people fail to understand the importance of the fear of the Lord, but we must have this fuel in our spiritual fire if we want it to last.

In Scripture, we are commanded 300 times to have a fear of the Lord, so clearly, it is important, but many people struggle with this concept. Since pastors want people to draw near to the Lord instead of running from Him, many have changed the word “fear” to “respect,” but this word just doesn’t encompass the whole meaning.

In our attempt to make God approachable, we have unfortunately moved away from healthy fear of the Lord. People have become very casual with God, using their own methods of approaching Him instead of the biblically prescribed ways. They live in sin without conviction or concern about retribution. They put so much emphasis on the mercy of God that they forget that they belong to Him and are accountable to Him for the way they live.

In their confusion on this subject, people often reference 1 John 4:18 KJV, which says, “...perfect love casteth out fear....” This is a wonderful verse, but one that people use out of context when they try to apply it to the fear of the Lord. His perfect, personal love casts out tormenting, torturing fear, but it was never meant to cast out the healthy, reverential fear of the Lord.

When people lose their fear of God, His power inside them begins to diminish, and the fire of the Holy Spirit dwindles. Where there is an active fear of the Lord, however, there is power and passion. Having a healthy respect for God and a reverential fear of mishandling holy things ensures that we don’t treat His presence and power flippantly. When we fear the Lord, we live more responsibly because we understand there are consequences if we do what is wrong.

We never have to be afraid of our loving heavenly Father, but He is a holy God, and we can’t lose sight of that. Fortunately, He has given us His Word to teach us how to obey Him, enjoy Him, and to stay on fire for spiritual things. He has given us all the appropriate instructions, and aligning ourselves with Him and His Word on these matters will bring us spiritual fire for years and years to come.

For Your Consideration:

• Take a moment to reflect on your attitudes towards God, His Word, and the Church. Have you allowed yourself to forget your fear of the Lord?
• Proverbs 9:10 KJV tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. What are some of the many blessings, noted in Scripture, that we receive when we walk in the reverential fear of God?