That’s practically a swear world in the Christian community it seems like.
“Don’t be afraid in Jesus’ name!” “Fear? Heck nahh!”
And it’s not like we cast out fear with bad intentions. 1 John 4:18 says:
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
So we’re just trying to coincide with the Bible, right?
Well, what about Proverbs 1:7? Doesn’t it say fear the LORD?
We can’t fear!! We’re Christians!!!
The Bible doesn’t contradict itself, so we gotta be something missing, right?!
We are.
In order for us to Fear the LORD but not be afraid, we must understand what fear is; we must identify why we are afraid.
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines fear as:
- to have a reverential awe of
- to be afraid of : expect with alarm
- filled with fear or apprehension
- filled with concern or regret over an unwanted situation
So how do we cast away fear but fear the LORD? You’re cray….
Ahhh, well first, we must recognize that when we fear God, we should be showing reverence towards Him and His holiness, greatness, and over-all perfect-awesome-almighty self that He is.
When we fear whatever we may be facing, we’re giving reverence to those situations and placing them as the same level as God.
So is that like an idol or something?
If you’re an extremist, like me, most definitely! Nothing should ever come close to the same level that God is (or should be) in our hearts and minds.
That may not be your conviction though. It’s up to the Holy Spirit to convict us as needed, not me.
What I’m trying to get at though is that it is OKAY to be afraid of God!
Actually, it’s encouraged!
I mentioned Proverbs 1:7 earlier:
Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
I’ve done a LOT of foolish things in my day, and recently I realized I have avoided some foolish things because I was afraid.
I was afraid of God.
I knew He was/does see me and pay attention to my every move.
I know He has set a standard of life for me that ultimately brings Him the glory He deserves!
And I also knew that I was spitting in Jesus’ face whenever I ignored the fear and conviction to do whatever foolish thing I wanted to do.
Fear of God has blessed me more than hurt me because He loves me so much that He has extended undeserved grace upon me and is teaching me discipline through the fear.
Fearing God doesn’t have to look like an elementary school bullying scene when the kid who hit his or her growth spurt early and decides to pick on the scrawny kid who wears overalls and glasses.
(Am I the only one who pictures fear like this? Anyways….)
Fearing God could be as simple as avoiding doing a foolish action, sin let’s say, because God said no.
So no, don’t be afraid of man-made ideas, concepts, objects, words, or actions.
If we are to fear, fear the almighty God, because He’s the only one that’ll use that fear for good.
