Fear God

[tericl2]

Fearing God


And they shall be My people, and I will be their God; and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good, and for the good of their children after them. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.

Jeremiah 32:38-40

Why do you think God wants us to fear Him? Perhaps because there are benefits to us for fearing Him.

Just look at the verse above. Here we see that God wants to do us good, and promises He will not turn away from us. But He also does not want us to turn away from Him. Let's look at a few reasons why:

First, the fear of God is the fountain of life for the believer. Proverbs 22:4 says the fear of God, along with humility, leads us to wealth and honor and life. And Psalm 111:10 says that it gives us skill in life and provides wisdom. A healthy respect and fear of God is the key to life.

Second, the fear of God builds faithfulness in the believer. That passage in Jeremiah tells me that the fear of God has been riveted into our souls by the Holy Spirit to keep us faithful. The true test of a man or woman is not what you do when everyone is looking. The real test of a man or woman is what you would do if you knew no one would find out.

Fearing God means I practice His presence in my life daily-nothing is hidden from Him. He sees everything. He knows everything. I can't hide in the darkness and sin. I can't sneak away from His all-seeing eyes or omnipotent mind. And, yes, that does keep me faithful.

Third, God fulfills the desires of those who fear Him. Psalm 145:19 says, "He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them." Fearing God doesn't just keep me from sin, it leads me out of trouble.

May God etch the fear of Him on my heart so that I may not turn away from Him.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Discuss: What have you done (said or thought) recently that you knew no one else would find out about? How does it make you feel to know that the righteous God of the universe saw or heard you?
Pray: Bow in prayer and confess any of those unseen and unheard thoughts, attitudes and actions now.

familylife.com

 

[solo66 man]

I like it.
Amen!

 

[tericl2]

Glad you liked it Solo!

I feel like folks all too often misunderstand what it is to "fear" God. I just pray that if anyone is struggling with this in their lives then this will in some way help.

 

[Blackwing]

Good post sis.

Fearing God is a good thing that will give blessings and it's not a weakness.

 

[solo66 man]

Isaiah 29

15 Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the LORD,
And their works are in the dark;
They say, "Who sees us?" and, "Who knows us?"

16 Surely you have things turned around!
Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay;
For shall the thing made say of him who made it,
"He did not make me"?
Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it,
"He has no understanding"?

 

[JohnR7]

That really is a good scripture, to show how God wants to always do us good, all the days of our lives. But inorder for Him to always do good toward us, we can not turn away from Him.

I was thinking yesterday, that with God it is sort of a push pull. We are pulled in God's direction, because He is good, and because of His love. But we are also pushed in His direction out of fear of the consequences of what happens to us, when we rebellion against God and His love for us.

>>that they may fear Me always, for their own good

God really does want what is best for us. Jesus said in the world the leaders lord it over people and look for their own gain and personal profit. But in the Kingdom of God, those who want to be great, must be a servant of all. They must always look for the good and the benifit of others, even if that means sacrifice. As Jesus gave of Himself to go to the cross for us. Thanks, JohnR7

 

[tericl2]

Good post sis.

Ok, blackwing.....I love you, man. But if you will look to the left there you can see that I am a guy.

Oh, and i am husband to Misty. See my sig

no sweat, everyone makes that mistake with this username. I really should change it but i have had it for forever.

 

[brinny]

EXCELLENT study on the "fear of the Lord", and yes, it is unfortunately mis-understood what it means exactly.