The Fear of God and the Fear of Man

8/8/2019 The Fear of God and the Fear of Man

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When we first use the word 'fear,' we most often think of different circumstances that induce fear in man. The scriptures speak in m

Here, however, we focus on the 'fear of God' along with its practical application of 'fear of man.' There is no doubt that the 'fear of m

y The scriptures often present them in this light.y Secondly, the first step to overcoming the fear of man is to understand this difference.

We hope this month's theme series provides relevant and biblical support in our determination to live godly lives. We are concerned

FUNCTIONAL DEFINITION OF FEAR OF GODThe fear of God is that awesome reverence of the LORD deriving from being sensitive to His glorious, holy and majestic Person re

Here is a short index. Click the blue circle . They follow in order or just click here for next page.

Other resources on the fear of God:

See how the fear of God is developed in a child.#1 Righteousness, not Compromise

#2 Overcoming the Fear of Man (Mark 11:27-33)

Job, a man who feared the Lord


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The lack of the fear of God is a big problem among non-Ch

that they should fear God either. There are at least two reas

1) They have a distorted view of the fear of God.

Many think the 'fear of God' means that they are

rong view: For some, the 'fear of God' an unbiblical viewpoint of God who cares

"Therefore having been justified "Let us therefore draw nearwit

Summary: By the fear of God we do not mloving God's presence.

2) They have a distorted view of the love of God

Others believe the love of God has eliminated the need for

potential of His love. They would state that the love of God

This problem partly stems from problems below.

They interpret the fear of God to mean b Their concept of the love of God is this o

being like a warm Mom rather than a me

They use I John 4:17-18 to support the in"There is no fear in love." John had some

They quote 2 Timothy 1:7 in support for "For God hath not given us the spirit of f


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However, this spirit of fear is not the 'fea

o Actually, this word quoted from"For God has not given us a spir

"For God did not give us a spirit

It is unfortunate that the NKJV s

o The Greek word used here for 'fo The translation 'cowardice' rath

Although many relegate the 'fear of God' as an OT concept


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If many Christians are saying that they no longer should or

believe the Old Testament teaches about the fear of God. S

in this brief word study of the fear of God (1).

We separated the NT references of the fear of God into fou

NO FEAR OF GOD

This state of not fearing God is not at all

looked well upon.

Dif

Lu 18:2* saying, "There was in a certain city a judge who did

not fear God, and did not respect man.

Ro 3:18 "THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES."

Re 15:4 "Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? For

Thou alone art holy; For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND

WORSHIP BEFORE THEE, For Thy righteous acts have been

revealed."

1Pe 2

king.

Mt 10

kill th

body

Lu 12

after

Fear h

Re 14

becau

made

1) NO FEAR OF GODOur first category describes those who did not fear God. Th

fear God?

2) COMMAND TO FEAR GOD

We see four clear commands in the NT to fear God. This is

being of our Christian lives.

3) GOD-FEARERS

These are the people we are to imitate: the God-fearers. The

are they more like decorations?

4) FEARING GODEven if we didn't have these commands to fear God, we cer

the fear of God is linked to obedience and holiness. We are

o "Work out your own salvation with fear and tremo "Perfecting holiness in the fear of God."


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In summary, we find that not only is the fear of God taugh

making a major and serious loophole for unholiness. We m

Let's go on and discuss the key passage from 1 John 4:17 th

Notes:

(1) We have tried to locate all the NT phrases having this sense of fear of God.

Fear God Lu 18:2* saying, "There was in

Lu 18:4 "And for a while he wa

Lu 23:40 But the other answe

Ac 10:2* a devout man, and o

Ac 13:16* And Paul stood up,

Ac 13:26* "Brethren, sons of A

1Pe 2:17* Honor all men; love

Re 14:7* and he said with a lo

Fear of God Ro 3:18 "THERE IS NO FEAR O

2Co 7:1* Therefore, having th

Miscellaneous Mt 10:28* "And do not fear th

Lu 12:5* But I will forewarn yo

Ac 9:31* Then had the church

2Co 5:11* Therefore knowing


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2Co 7:1* Having therefore the

Eph 5:21* Submitting yourselv

Eph 6:5* Servants, be obedien

Php 2:12* Wherefore, my belo

Col 3:22* Servants, obey in all

Heb 4:1 Let us therefore fear,

1Pe 1:17* And if ye call on the1Pe 2:17* Honour all [men]. L

Re 15:4 "Who will not fear, O


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FEAR OF GOD

Living in the Awe

of the

Holiness of God

Fear not man

THE SHAP

The words for 'fear' and 'tremble' number well over 1000 times in the Bible (1). origin and calling by a majestic and holy God. God's closeness to His people ha

physical sensations and spiritual apprehensions. Some of these words highlightiwhat happens when a people meet God close up.

People at Mount Sinai

God's confrontation with Israel at Mount Sinai goes far beyond what a typical soIsrael lived in great fear and trembling. This instilled great fear in their lives.

"And all the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the soundistance. Then they said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but

Even Moses greatly feared God's presence.

"And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, "I AM FULL OF FEAR AND T

Other peoples and cultures have concerns with fears of gods and supernatural poSuperstitions can greatly influence a people. However, we note that a real meeti

God.

y "So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thuwho [were] in the camp trembled. (Exodus 19:16 6*

y Then the king's (Belshazzar) face grew pale, and his thoughts alarmed him; any "It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your

God's purpose for meeting close with His people is to instill in them a long lasti

y "And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid; for God has come in order ty "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear

all your soul" (Deuteronomy 10:12)

y "Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put a25 See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escwho warns from heaven. 26 And His voice shook the earth then, but now He ha


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HEAVEN." 27 And this expression, "Yet once more," denotes the removing of remain. 28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, l

for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:25-29).

Great fearshould exist if we need to meet God on our own apart from Christ. Onand the New Covenant, we find that God is approachable. God did not change, b

use a proper (4) fear of God to lead us to faith and keep us faithful to Him. Fear people of great danger that now can be avoidable or to say nothing now so they

God has and will use fear to rule His world. But the facts are contrary to what w

not to fear Him. Instead He patiently puts up with those that boast that God doeholy self, this fear will bring only good to our lives. (Next page)

Fearing God|Problems with Fea

Benefits of Fearing God| Socie

Evaluating Our Fear of Go

Other relevant articles: Ov

Ot

Pure Heart|Humble | Graciou

B

Notes:

1)The search included fear* | tremb* | terrif* | marvel* | afraid | shak* | quak* | terror* | revere*

trembling, etc.

2) Several major OT Hebrew synonyms with yare plus a number of words referring to shaking o

(3) I John 2:2 says, "And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but aour sins.

(4) A proper fear is one based on reality. One does not imagine or increase the real situation.


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FEAR

GO

Living in th

of thHoliness o

Fear not

THE FEAR

The fear of the Lord brings benefits to whole cultures as well as to individuals. We will focus on the individual first. Later on we w

The fear of God brings good results rather than bad. Those who are scared of the fear of God (they fear the fear of God) should cont

impacted at the revelation of God. Even into his later life, these thoughts stayed with him. Note the perspectives of the fear of the Lo

Proverbs 1:7Ways of those who Fea

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge

Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil

Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is und

Proverbs 10:27 The fear of the LORD prolongs life,

Proverbs14:26 In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And his children will have refuge.

Proverbs 14:27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, That one may avoid the snares of death.

Proverbs 15:16 Better is a little with the fear of the LORD,


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Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor [comes] humility.

Proverbs 16:6 By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for, And by the fear of the LORD one keeps aw

Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the LORD [leads] to life, So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.

Proverbs 22:4 The reward of humility [and] the fear of the LORD Are riches, honor and life.

Proverbs 23:17 But [live] in the fear of the LORD always.

Proverbs 24:21 My son, fear the LORD and the king;

Proverbs 29:25 But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted.

A good sleep. Extra long life. Riches. Wisdom. Confidence. Do these things sound good to you?! Of course. Solomon says they only

When a people fear God, they listen to what He says. When they listen to what God says, their minds and decisions are influenced b

over others who depend solely on the charts. He knows, for example, that a company is coming out with a new product or is going t'advice' for our daily lives.

The fear of the Lord keeps us humble and listening. We dread His displeasure and the fear of the consequences of disobeying HimWe can begin to forget what we learned and had agreed upon. When this occurs, we begin to make confident decisions based mo


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God knows that only when man is restrained from evil will his fullest potential be developed. Man needs to be limited in certain a

observant of His rules. A recent incident illustrates this to us.

An airport worker was not very attentive to the rules and as a result got too close to a plane's propellor. He was hacked to death. Grewhat he was supposed to do. Now he is gone. His colleagues' 'fear' for the power of the rules is now heightened and gives them that

Our fear is of the Lord Himself and not His laws. Once we step away from the fear of Him, then the Laws become important bec

However, if we obey because He is the keeper of the Laws, then we need to be much more careful. He knows when our hearts are n

Search me, OTry me and k

And see if therAnd lead m

We have many people that state the cultivation of fear is wrong or even harmful. We will discuss this soon. But first, we need to ad

Fearing GodBenefits of

Evalu

Pure Heart


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FEAR OF

GOD

Living in the Awe

of the

Holiness of God

Fear not man

FE

The fear of God can have a great impact on a society as well as an individual. Numerous places in the scripture (1)

present and great conviction came upon the people.

Revivals were times God's presence became very clearly aware to His people. Actually, people all around became cduration.

Psalm 78 gives us an overview of how a society falls away from the Lord.

The pattern is repeated so often in this Psalm that by the time one has read the whole Psalm, one knows what is goi

generation. Judgment is used to bring a hardened people back to Himself.

"When He killed them, then they sought Him, And returned and searched diligently for God." (Psalms 78:34)

Below is a chart that helps map out the difference between the group of people that warmly respond to God becaus

Chart:

With

grace

People revere God

When God reveals Himself to a people, they are greatly shaken. This is how t

If God's grace attends His revelation, then the people respond to God byhardened. Once the danger is gone, they resort to their old ways (see rig

When man gains a fear of God, however, a faith is instilled in that man'


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and saved

Culture changed

to reflect

God's principles

People comfortable

and forget God

People reject

principles

Culture reflects

world

again in different revivals, both local and worldwide. It is also outlined

Without a constant refreshing of God's grace, moral decay starts to take

When a culture begins to reject the rules associated with the will of God

the previously blessed people reject the God who has been so good to th

Think of our modern society today. God has been stripped from people's thinking. They might be religious or even

society's behavior. Today the culture is less and less affected by God. The people might be religious but not at all aback without judgment, but it seems we have an insufficient amount of that.

Below is a quotation of certain characteristics of revival.

12. The Decline of an Awakening

a. A revival will crest to a high point and then decrease.b. After a revival crests, offenses will come.

c. Many people will feel ill will instead of good will towardthe leaders of a revival.

d. They will begin to disapprove of what they formerly

approved.

e. They will fasten upon bad reports, true or false, in order

to justify their changes in attitude.f. Many of those who were more or less convinced will be afraid or ashamed to acknowledge their conviction of faith.

If the beginning of wisdom begins with the fear of God, any society should ought to tremble when the erosion of th


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Shape the Fear of God into the next generation. ext

Fearing God|ProblemBenefits of Fearing

Evaluating Our

Other releva

Pure Heart|Humble

Notes:

The historical Biblical books, both OT and NT (Acts) are partial pictures of communities and societies that experience the presence of God. Judges for example shows us how God influ

(2) There are many good books out describing local and worldwide revivals. They are very refreshing to read. Try to get the books that describe historic revivals to protect oneself from

FEAR OF

GOD

Living in the Awe

of the

Holiness of God

Fear not man

THE FEAR O

The Christian family has been greatly influenced by popular secular philosophies which hold to definite unbiblical perspectives. They

Christians might go back to God and His ways. How would the fear of God help families?

y Fathers would teach the scriptures as we are instructed in Deuteronomy 6.Fathers would take personal responsibility to inculcate the Word of God into their children's lives.


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"Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the LORD your God has commanded me to teach you

keep all His statutes and His commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be pro

y Fathers are to be convinced a wholehearted following of God will bring the greatest blessings to his family.Fathers tend to seek material wealth and indulge in self-comfort. They tend to get excited about sports rather than the Lord

"O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the

y Fathers would take the lead in godly living and so model a great love for God and His ways.We do not realize how much resentment piles up because wives and children see the inconsistencies of their Dads. This doe

humble our hearts and seek reconciliation with others."Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! 5 "And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with

y Fathers would spend quality time with their children and so help them in their interpretation of the world and life.Children, especially sons, are looking for 'neat' friends to make up for the loss and disappointment of not being able to shar

"And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; 7 and you shall teach them diligently to your s

NASB).

If these statements seems archaic or totally inappropriate in your family culture, then you can be assured there remains little fear of Go

aggravate the problem by believing as the culture teaches us that excellence in school education is the key to success. This is totally de

the hearts of our children. Although we would not say that we do not accept the lack of instruction in morals, we do virtually nothing a

The fear of God will produce a lifestyle which is contrary to the world. Will we listen to God or man? Are we fearful that our children w

success, then your decisions will be built on this ungodly goal.

The fear of God trains us to prioritize God's priority. Although God is not against promotions and wealth, we are not to seek it. We are

Either you will fear God by saying "No" and risking your job or you will fear man and do what all the others are doing. When your co

y Fear God and share your faithYou can share the difficulty with your family and state how you are risking your job (and their security). You express how yo

Through this, the whole family is oriented around God and His will. They see their Dad seeking God. God is real. Wonderful

y Fear Man and hide your guiltIf you lie on your report, you have announced to God and self that you are seeking recognition, fame, wealth or acceptance

hard on your children when they don't perfectly obey you (this is your sin). The whole family is acting wrong. No leadership

When we make a decision to fear God as fathers, we are seeking God for a godly family. Anything short of this leads to phony religios

family.

We need to next look at the fear of God and children before turning how to increase our fear of God. (Next)

F

Fearing God|Problems with Fearing Benefits of Fearing God| Society an

Evaluating Our Fear of God|D

Other relevant articles: Overcomi

See h

Other T


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Pure Heart|Humble | Gracious |Lo

BFF

Biblic

FEAR OF GOD

Living in the Awe

of the

Holiness of God

Fear not man

THE FEAR OF GOD ANDBy openly speaking of the fear of God, we might bring some emotional confusion to people, even to Christians. W

NT. However, without proper teaching (1), many Christians have inserted worldly thinking into their minds which

felt itself necessary to strip children of the fear of God.

y Hatred of God's waysThe secular society wants to protect its own decisions. They hate God and His ways. When God's commandments

the mention of God and His ways.

y Moral relativityThe theory ofmoral relativity, the absence of an absolute right or wrong, supports the pursuit of self. This of cou

speed of moral degeneration.

y Choice without consequenceThe world protects their sensitive guilt areas by using philosophies to keep God's invasion of truth out. One of the

under the umbrella of democracy.

y Self-expression without constraintAnother concept is the psychological attempt to bring about a child's fullest potential. They believe this potential


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and kept from restraints including religious and parental teaching. Religious and moral concepts, they believe, int

y Children naturally goodIn order to support the above thought, they clearly believe that the child is inherently good and only turns out ba

The fear of God is the conscious presence of Go

The love of self attempts to shut God out of his lif

#1 Love for self produces a defensive hatred for the things of

God


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#2 Moral relativity shuts the door to God.

#3 Locks on their minds keep the door shut.

1. Choice without consequence2. Self-expression without constraint3. Children naturally good

At this point we will not discuss the contributing philosophers to each of these philosophies, but instead we will p

points. All the points above are totally unbiblical but are to different degrees accepted by professing Christians lidifferently than the non-Christian. There no longer is a fear of God.

If one notices each of the above categories, one will see that freedom of self-expression, thought and choice are d

ways. They know that if children hear the Word of God, then this will shape their perspectives and interfere in w

Fear and DisciplineFurthermore, they 'guck' up the word 'love.' They seem of good intent when they only want to affirm and don't da

is at all. The basis for this thinking is again that we are born innocent and will grow fine on ourselves if others juquickly that the teaching of the fear of God stomps on this sloppy version of love. Here are some biblical support

y Jesus commonly reproved his disciples (Mark 4:40; Mark 8:17-18).y We are commanded to reprove others (Matthew 18:15).y Jesus reproved hypocrites from their false lives (Mark 7:6-13).y Jesus warned us of impending judgment (Matthew 11:22-24).y We are commanded to repent (Mark 1:15; Acts 8:22)y The beatitudes start with being poor in spirit and grieving rather than thinking one has everything altogether (May God chastises us good and hard if necessary (Hebrews 12:5-11 and I Corinthians 11:27-32).

Love undoubtedly has a wonderful affirming character that we need to grow in (see I Corinthians 13). However,

said of Him that He was full of grace and truth. We are to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:5).

Behind the fear of the Lord stand three attributes of God. God is a just, holy and mighty being tolerating no sourselves He is awesome in glory causing us to fear Him (a good example are the angels covering themselves be

fearing God when exposed to His presence. Christians do have the covering of Christ and so this fear is modifiedand the potential chastisement upon our lives, the more we will fear Him more.

The world is attempting to make all forms of punishment and chastisement wrong. For example, the people are ta

it. We are intimidated by the society to stand against discipline because it imposes ones judgment upon another. Tnot chastise, then we do not love. Affirming words without discipline is not love because it does not build the fea


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will come to them.

Much can be said about the need for proper discipline both in children as well as Christians. Only by fearing the of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7).

Fear God and Fear not Man

Fearing God|Problems with Fearing God|Fear of God in NT|FearBenefits of Fearing God| Society and the Fear of God|Fathers Fe

Evaluating Our Fear of God|Developing a Fear for God| Tes

Other relevant articles: Overcoming the Fear of Man (Mark 11:27-33) |Job

See how the fear of God is developed in a child

Other Titles in 'The Godly Man' Ser

Pure Heart|Humble | Gracious |Loving| Truthful|Faithful| Wait

BFF Home|Topics|Top|Nex

Biblical Foundations for Freedo

By Paul J. Bucknell

Notes:

(1) We are not only concerned with not receiving enough good teaching but also the amount of bad materials bro

FEAR OF GOD

Living in the Awe

of the

Holiness of God

Fear not man


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EVALUATING OUR FEAR OF GOD

We can get a better perspective of our fear of God if we answer a few questions:

y Let's first rate our fear of God.From a scale to 0 (none/dangerous) to 10 (high/wonderful), how do you rate your fear of God?

- 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -

y List the last three times you did or did not do something because you knew that God would not be pleased.1)

2)

3)

yThink of the last two times you at first were timid about obeying the Lord but then because you sensed God wantingsomething, you still went ahead and did it.

1)

2)

n order to evaluate yourself, notice how long ago these events have taken place. How sensitive are you now? Whatyou more senstive? What has caused you to be less sensitive to God's will?

The secular mindset has greatly influenced the Christian church. Secular stands for the absence of God's influen

fear of God' on the other hand represents having sensitivities to the person and ways of God. We discover the great on when we are pressured into living as if God is not living. When we live without the consciousness of God shapin

decisions, we then are 'practical atheists.' (1) We might say we believe in God, but we don't actually live as if He exevaluate three areas of tension to see how secularism has pressured you.

y Secular represents that framework of mind and lifestyle that is devoid of God's influence. They prize their independefreedom. They do not want to hear of God or His commands because it threatens their secularism. Do you share the


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with others or merely use 'friendship evangelism'?

y 'Fear of God' represents the life which is totally influenced by God and His wishes. His commands are so important towe obey them even if it means less money (pay full taxes), threaten job security (confess stealing), lose a boyfriend (

standards). We do these things because we know God expects them. We are fearful of repercussions if we do not ob

y "Everybody else does it." "I look like an idiot if I obeyed the law." Obedience to driving laws are important. Indeed themergencies, but regularly do we have our neighbor dictate our speed and parking habits or do we allow the fear of

regulate our speed, observation of stop signs and other motor vehicle laws?

How did you do on your evaluation? Were you able to notice any patterns? For example, have you been living as a p

atheist? Or do you find that in all but one situation you find that you do well? What is that situation? When did it stakeeps you from giving that area to the Lord? We should not totally trust our evaluation because of our deceitful hea

his is the reason we look at what we did rather than what we say we do.

On the next page we will look at how to develop the fear of God. (Next page))


Fearing God|Problems with Fearing God|Fear of God in NT|Fear and Love of God| A Shaping FearBenefits of Fearing God| Society and the Fear of God|Fathers Fear the Lord| Children Fear God

Evaluating Our Fear of God|Developing a Fear for God| Testimonies of the Fear of God

Other relevant articles: Overcoming the Fear of Man (Mark 11:27-33) |Job, a man who feared the Lord

See how the fear of God is developed in a child.

Other Titles in 'The Godly Man' Series

Pure Heart|Humble | Gracious |Loving| Truthful|Faithful| Waiting upon God| Good|Righteous

BFF Home |Topics|Top|Next

Biblical Foundations for Freedom

By Paul J. Bucknell

Notes

1) From Stephen Charnoc's excellent two volumes "The Existence and Attributes of God." (One needs concentratioead).


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FEAR OF GOD

Living in the Awe

of the

Holiness of God

Fear not man

DEVELOPING A FEAR OF GOD

Joshua 1:10

The fear of man leads to poor leadership.

No matter what our good intention, we are in the end intimidated and give in towhat other people want or expect of us. Fear of man leads to a life weakened with

hidden sin. Along with any attempt to break this yoke, the evil one comes and tauntsus saying that we have already shown ourselves to be a 'good for nothing.' Proverbs

is right when it says that "the fear of man brings a snare." Once caught, it is hard toget out. One becomes like a perpetual weak boy running for the one who shouts the

loudest whether it be his wife, boss or another.

A godly man needs to stand firm in his decisions which affect home, business andchurch life. If we regularly accommodate others, then we need to examine ourselvesto see whether we have a lack of the fear of God. We need a greater awareness of God's holiness, justice and migh

in us a greater fear for disobeying God's command. This fear must rise greater than the fear of man.

God was training Joshua for a long time under the mentorship of Moses. Even still, the command to listen to God than the people was the big issue he needed to confront. We remember God's words to Joshua,

"Have I not commanded you?

Be strong and courageous!Do not tremble or be dismayed,

for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:10)

God promised to give Joshua everything that he would need. However, if he let circumstances or people's opinionhim to be distracted from God's ways, then everything would be unfolded into a sea of chaos. Moses found out tha

people could intimidate him. He didn't capitulate into submission; however, he would get mad. One incident whenmad led him to disobey God at one strategic point and that resulted in him not being able to go into the Promised

Weakness comes from being intimidated by man because the wishes of others dominate our lives. Strength comes


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fear of God because God's own standards and preferences shape our lives. We need a clear break with any fear of Each time we fear man, we are actually preferring our own safety, respect and security over the Lord's will.

We can develop this fear by

y standing amazed at God's mighty worky humbling ourselves and getting a better picture of God's grace in our lives.y reading about others who feared God.

But we first must reject our own sinful inclination to follow man's expectations over ours. The pattern of confessio

is the same here as in other places.

Dear Father, I have made compromise the way of life. I am not seeking you but my self. I keep making excuses fordecisions. I need you now to come and reveal your holiness to me. I confess my sins (name them one by one). I ha

wrong. I have disobeyed you. It is not the fault of others but my own fault.

I further know that you want to remake me into a godly man. I cannot do it on my own. I have already tried that. Iforward to how you will be dealing with my soul. I realize I might lose my job and make others mad at me. This w

better than for you to be mad at me. Help me be loving and truthful like Jesus. Give me wisdom to know what to sa

I can give a good testimony for you. In Christ's blood, grace and mercy I pray. Amen.

After this prayer, we will need to pay constant attention to the advice God gave to Joshua in Joshua 1.

o Be strong and courageousWe need to be ready for a fight. Being strong and courageous will help us face confrontation. That is okay and to b

expected. However, we must muster together our inward determination into clear cut decisions. This will be much

after facing our weaknesses and pleading for strength in the prayer above.

o Accept God's strengthGod told Joshua "for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them."

the task itself is intimidating and the people's voices will often complain and tell him to give up, he must keep faithpromise of success if he obeys. God will help him.

o Focus again on our determination to be strong and courageous.Again the Lord tells him, "Only be strong and very courageous." We need to face our willingness to confront and fi

focus on the strength of the opposition. It seems that a special strength fills us when we put our mind to do what G

desires.

o Careful obedienceThe Lord then told him, "To be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do

from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go."The fear of the Lord is present w

obey Him. If not, we will l isten to other voices. We must not slip in one or two 'little' areas. There are no 'little' are

compromise. Whenever we break the law once, we break the whole law. Whenever we accommodate someone, have given in to the evil one.

o Regular meditation and obedience to God's Law"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you ma

careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will ha

success." In order to develop this fear of God, we must have our minds be on the things of God. We must submerg

minds and hearts in thinking through God's Word. When God speaks, we must obey. When we obey the Lord in sm

then we will see a special strength and guidance come into our lives.


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Turn to the testimonies for extra strength and share about your victories and failures. (Next page)








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By Paul J. Bucknell


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FEAR OF GOD

Living in the Awe

of the

Holiness of God

Fear not man

Testimonies of the Fear of God

Regarding the fear of God, here are three questions you can possibly respond to:

1) Share an illustration of what happens when a person fears man.

2) What does it practically mean for you to fear God?

3) What are some of the tough decisions that you need to make so that you continue to fear God?

1) Share an illustration of what happens when a person fears man.

On Speaking Out

One of my problems is my silence. I do not speak up my opinion and

as a result that opinion which should be heard is not voiced. I am notsuggesting that I always should speak up. From early on I think I

remember cringing into silence. I continue to see this pattern emergeat important times. Another part of my problem was that I was a

middle child and liked fitting in. I like to work with those of differingopinions and help create a common ground. However, the Lord doesinterrupt my natural inclinations and asks me to be firm and speak

out.

I remember one early Monday morning the Lord had put the burdenofgambling on my heart. The gambling crowd was trying to move

river gambling into my city. As the Lord spoke to my heart, I knewHe wanted to write an article to the local newspaper on this issue. I


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was fine praying against the invasion of gambling, but when asked to

stick my head into the secular world and write on gambling I beganto quiver. However, the Lord pushed on my heart letting me know

that this was what He desired. I praise the Lord for not only havingthe article published but also a couple of months later, they were

denied that access into our city. God be praised.

I regularly must battle with my pride in order to do what the Lordwishes. A good example is personal evangelism. Each time I ready

to evangelize I must focus on what the Lord wants and as He said toJoshua, "Be strong and courageous." No matter what I feel, I must

obey. I must again go through the process of being willing to berejected, ignored, scoffed at -- but then after I go, my heart is so

filled with joy at the opportunities to speak to people about Jesus.

Conflict on the Lord's Day

The Lord has recently been convicting me of the need to keep the

Lord's Day holy. In one particular matter I remember being asked to

attend a certain class. If I didn't attend the class, my wife would notbe able to have a homebirth. We didn't want to give the birth in the

hospital for several reasons. The only time they offered the class wason a Sunday. I fought so hard in my heart about what I should do. On

the one hand I really knew there was so much extra stress on my wifebecause of the baby. On the other hand, the Lord was reminding me

about my promise to keep that day for Him. The dilemma created

great tension in my life. I was sweating. I cried out to the Lord.

Somehow when I looked at the problem, I seemed blinded to asolution that seemed so obvious. I just didn't realize that the Lord

could help out so easily. However, I risked it. I called and let themknow of my problem. The Lord helped me out for the nurse agreed to

come and give the lesson privately at our home for a bit more money.My heart cried out in joy for I could please both my Lord and my

wife.

On a more practical point, I realized that I can avoid some of these

problems if I work out the Lord's standards ahead of time.

2) What does it practically mean for you to fear God?


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Fear of Intimacy

"Where was his sovereignty when I needed it? Why did some of my

most desperate prayers fall from my lips to the ground unanswered?My heart was filled with fear of God -not the biblical fear of God, but

a fear of intimacy with him. I wanted a personal relationship withGod, but I didn't want an intimate one. An intimate relationship would

give him total control, and a voice out of some dark unexplored regionof my heart told me that his control would bring me pain again, more

pain than I could bear."

Jack Deere in Surprised by the Voice of God, p. 255

3) What are some of the tough decisions that you need to make so that

you continue to fear God?

I find that there are certain periods the Lord does more pruning or shaping of

my life. He asks more and more from me. I remember one time that the Lord

put it on my heart to give a good amount to a brother in need. I didn't have

much extra. But the Lord still wanted me to give. I feared what would happen if

I didn't give. I wanted to grow more than have the money. So I gave.

I need to keep being honest with taxes. This seems to be an annual testing!

There are so many taxes nowadays. I don't agree with how most of it is spent

or collected. But the Lord wants me to be faithful to pay my taxes even as He

did.

I am sure you have other experiences. Please send them in, either on this topic or others. Makesure you send the question you are answering. We can help edit if necessary.

Please e-mail your name, this topic and address [email protected]





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The Fear of God and the Fear of Man

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