Are You Living Fearing God?
One area where there is much misunderstanding is the concept of the fear of the Lord. Fear is an unhealthy thing when we're talking about relationships. It is a good thing to fear or respect a raging storm or a forest fire, but fear is not helpful in the context of relationships, especially where emotional intimacy is involved. Could you freely enjoy an intimate relationship with your earthly father if you feared him? It's impossible! Intimacy requires trust, which is the polar opposite of fear. Fear makes it impossible to trust, therefore it's like throwing water on a fire, it will eliminate intimacy, because intimacy is built on trust.
Many teach that the fear of the Lord is a respect and reverence of Him, but that teaching quickly turns religious and cause people to feel like God is so high and lofty that He's almost unapproachable. Again, this kind of thinking is what wages war against our intimacy with our loving heavenly Father. God is very approachable, and desires personal intimacy with us. He put His Spirit within us that cries out Abba Father! Approaching God should not feel like you're standing beside a sky scraper, it should feel more like having fellowship with a best friend.
"Well"...you may say, "what about Deuteronomy 6:13?"
“Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.” Did you know that Jesus quoted this very passage, but interpreted it much differently in Luke 4:8.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Isn't that enlightening? Yet so many teachings have been written on the importance of fearing God, all based on translation error. Satan wants God's children to fear their heavenly Father, so that they will never experience true and freeing intimacy with Him to keep them in the bondage of religion. Without that intimacy and genuine relationship in place, we won't break free from man-made philosophies to be transformed by His love.
1 John 4:18. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”
There NO FEAR in love...love expels fear...he who fears has not been made perfect in love. Knowing God's love for us which is impossible to know if we are in fear of Him, is crucial to our ability to experience the fullness of relationship with Him.
Ephesians 3:17-19 says, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”
People who fear God, see Him as a dictator. Fear is the very thing that Adam and Eve experienced once they broke fellowship with God in the garden. They knew no fear before they knew sin. So if God's plan for Adam and Eve was not for them to fear Him, then why do so many believe today that God's will for His people is to fear Him?
I would like to answer your question, Are you living fearing God? By answering yes.
ReplyDeleteThe main reason is because God`s anointed teacher said it is foolish for us to fear man or even Satan but not God. (Mat. 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.
I can give examples of where all down through history fearing God was viewed as a positive thing rather than a negative thing.
In past when people did not fear God but went their own way it brought nothing but destruction. That`s why the Scriptures say that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. (Psa.111:10)
Paul speaks of those: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
Whose feet are swift to shed blood:
Whose ways are destruction and misery
Whose ways are not the way of peace. (Rom.3:14-17)
Then he tells us why? He says in verse 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
David knew about the reverential fear of God when he said,
Psalms 103:
17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;
Psalms 25:
14 The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.
The difference between the churches in Paul`s day who were living under grace and ones today that are not living under grace is found in Acts 9:
31 Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.
The grace churches under Paul walked in fear of Lord and the comfort of Holy Ghost. They had the real grace message that brought the fear of God.