The Fear of The Lord

THE FEAR OF THE LORD:

  There was a time, not that long ago in fact, when people had a natural feeling regarding God, His ministers and things related to God. There was a natural inbred fear where people knew there was a clear line between what was right, and what was wrong. People had a conscience and should they do anything wrong it bothered them; they became acutely aware that they had said or done something that, in the eyes of God, was wrong. It seems that this nation has lost that. The closer we get to the Rapture of the Church, and the Tribulation period that will follow, the more the world creates a “grey” area. It seems the line between right and wrong is becoming more and more foggy or unclear.

  In your Holy Bible we find a phrase that many have no real idea what it means. A phrase and a philosophy that many parents have not taught their children about and, it is something that needs to be addressed more in the pulpits of this nation, and around the world. The phrase for which I’m speaking is “The fear of the Lord.” Do you have any idea what those words really mean?

  What is the simple meaning of those words? I could bore you with a very long and in-depth study on this and quoted dozens of verses and many stories, but for the sake of time I won’t. The simple meaning of “the fear of the Lord” is this: having such a deep respect and love for God that one is afraid of saying or doing anything that might offend Him or bring a reproach to Him or His Kingdom. Now that’s about as simple as it can get.

  You and I are to have such a deep abiding love for God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, that we’re afraid of saying or doing anything that would offend Him, bring shame or a bad mark against Him in any way shape or form. We should have so much love and respect for our God that we walk each step of this life, speak each word we speak with the knowledge that we need to be careful not to bring Him any shame. We need to live each day as though He were our constant companion, walking every step we take with us: because in reality, He does.

  Not too many years ago we’d very rarely ever hear of a burglar targeting a church for his crime. A few years ago, and I’m talking fifty years at the most, even the majority of the criminal element in this country would not break into a church to steal anything because they were afraid that God would strike them dead if they did. In the year 2012, churches have become a target of burglars who want to break in and take sound equipment, musical instruments, computers, money and anything else of value they can find in a short amount of time.  They’ve lost that respect and fear for the things of God and, for God Himself.

  Just a few years ago, a pastor stood in the pulpit of his church delivering a power packed, Holy Ghost anointed message to his congregation. As he preached, a man walked into the church and began walking down the center of the church. When he reached a point, only a few feet from where the pastor was speaking, he pulled a gun, pointed it at the preacher and began to fire. He unloaded his weapon at point blank range in an attempt to silence this man of God. By the grace of God, not a single bullet touched this pastor and the man was subdued and arrested for this crime.

  As you’re watching many pastors and ministers teach these days, you’ll notice two or more men close by him facing the congregation as he ministers. These are not ushers or elders in the church: these are armed off duty law enforcement officers hired by the church to protect the ministers as they preach. Who would ever have thought that such drastic measures would ever be needed in the house of God? Who would’ve ever believed that anyone who have the guts to walk into a church with the intent of killing the minister, or anyone else for that matter? Who would’ve thought the day would ever come when church burglary and arson were so prevalent, that churches would feel the need to install alarm systems and hire security patrol services? When I was growing up, that thought never entered my mind.

  People have lost the fear of the Lord and seemingly don’t care about anything that has to do with God or the Church. It is becoming more and more the norm for there to be children in our society who have never been to a church service except for a funeral or wedding. Parents are not teaching their children about God, about the Bible or the importance of having a healthy respect for God and His ministers. We’ve all but lost an entire generation of young people because of abortion and because of them not being taught about God. This is so sad that it makes my heart ache inside of me. This is so horrible that it makes me want to weep for the millions of children and young adults who have no concept of who God is, or who Christ the Savior is either.

  As Born Again Christians, we’ve got to bring back the concept of the fear of the Lord into our churches, our work places and into our homes. We’ve got to be ever mindful that our lives are the only Bible that some people will ever read. We have got to develop such Godlike character that our private lives are a godly reflection of what people see when we’re in church or in public. We have got to live our lives in the fear of the Lord to the point, that we’re ever mindful of our actions, our words and how people will perceive them.

  Folks, you and I need to live like Christ is watching every single word we speak, every gesture we make, every action we take and every other aspect of our loves. We need to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. The world can see right through a smoke screen, they can tell if a person is really a God loving person or, if that person is just another hypocrite. They can tell, they can absolutely tell if you and I are the real deal, or just another phony.

I’m asking each of you to do what I’ve been doing for the past several days: I’d like for you to stop and take inventory on your life. Do you live each day with such love and respect for your Father that you’re watching how you conduct yourself all the time? Do you love God so much, that you don’t ever want to be guilty of saying or doing something that will bring a reproach or bad mark against the name of your God? Do you love God so much that you’re doing all you can to ensure that you’re actually walking the walk, rather than just being another talking head? We should all take a careful inventory of our lives and make certain that we actually are living in fear of the Lord.

  Thank you for reading this blog and please, take time today to make sure that you and God are on good terms. Take the time to make sure that you’re living a life that reflects your love, respect and fear of the Lord. Pray more, study your Bible more and do your absolute best to show forth the love of Christ in your private and public life. Also keep in mind that ole saying: “Your life is the only Bible some people will ever read: what does yours say?”

God bless you and keep you.

Pastor Dave