When talking about fear, we understand that there is a right way and wrong. We can fear God and be victorious or we can fear the enemy and loose the battle. All through scripture we are told do not be afraid so that means we don’t have to be afraid. Deuteronomy 31:8 “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Matthew 10:28 “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” The only way for this fearlessness to happen is to have a fear of God, which is the right way. If we want to be victorious, we must fear God.
Unfortunately we have been brought up with those who neither fear God nor satan. People just seem to go through their lives unaware of the spiritual forces around us. We have been raised with those who have no fear of modifying scriptures as almost everyone does this so that their beliefs can remain intact even if they contradict scripture. There is no fear of God when they do this. The obvious answer is that if they feared God they would not think their own words were more important than God’s word. We were told Deuteronomy 4:2 “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.” Revelation 22:18 “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.” They change his words to suit themselves. Not only do the leaders do this, the listeners do this also. 2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”
Learning to fear God means to live by his word. Most people have never even tested the spirits to see if the words they hear are God’s words or satan’s word. 1 John 4:1 “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” If the church would have tested the spirits we would have turned back long ago but instead the church has bought into the lies of satan and has agreed to disagree with each group doing their own thing and going in their own direction. Our leaders should have followed the scriptures as Deuteronomy tells us. Deuteronomy 31:12 “Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. 13 Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.” When we talked about Josiah he heard the words of the Lord, realized they were not following and then turned back with everything that he had. He admitted that those who went before did not adhere to the truth. Another example of a king was king Uzziah also know as Azariah. 2 Chronicles 26:5 “He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.” King Uzziah had some pretty amazing accomplishments as listed in this passage. 15 “His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.”16 But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. 19 Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the Lord’s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead. 20 When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the Lord had afflicted him. 21 King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house—leprous, and banned from the temple of the Lord. Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.
The problem was not his success but his pride because of his success. His pride made him think he could burn incense. This is similar to King Saul’s downfall. He did not wait for Samuel and took it upon himself to off the burnt offering. Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. 8 He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. 9 So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering. 10 Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.” 11 “What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, 12 I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.” 13 “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”
They both lost out big time because they disobeyed and did not fear God. As we wait on the Lord to fulfill His promise to us, fear God and do not turn away to your own devices. Fearing God is obeying and trusting God’s word. When we do not fear God, we do not trust. 2 Kings 17:14 “But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God.” Deuteronomy 9:23 “And when the Lord sent you out from Kadesh Barnea, he said, “Go up and take possession of the land I have given you.” But you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. You did not trust him or obey him.” God said we would take the land and we will, but we must fear and trust God enough to honour Him as holy.
As we fear God we do not fear anything else. 2 Timothy 1:7 “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” God will give us victory if we fear him. Acts 9:31 “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.” As the Spirit is poured out on us once again, Isaiah 11:2 “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.”
As we fear God we do not fear anything else. 2 Timothy 1:7 “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” God will give us victory if we fear him. Acts 9:31 “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.” As the Spirit is poured out on us once again, Isaiah 11:2 “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.”
The conclusion of this matter is to fear God. Ecclesiastes 12:13 “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.”
