The Fear of the Lord

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7).
Successfully becoming a man of God cannot transpire without the fear of the Lord. We must fear the Lord before we receive one bit of knowledge from Him. David acknowledged: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.” (Psalms 111:10).
When we hold God in holy awe, revere and respect Him, we will seek His will for our lives. We will submit our will to His will and pursue His wisdom and knowledge. We will take seriously His command to: “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” (Jeremiah 33:3). Solomon’s final words of wisdom in Ecclesiastes 12:13 were: “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” It is impossible for men to obey God if they do not have a healthy fear of him. As born again believers, we can grieve and quench the Holy Spirit within us through disobedience and sinful behavior. A holy fear of the Lord causes us to want to straighten out our relationship with Him expeditiously. God is a loving God, and He acts in grace and mercy toward us. He is also a God of justice and holiness: He will chastise us as sons, if we do not repent. A holy fear of God will keep us close to Him, give us a desire to please Him and cause us to seek His wisdom and plan for our lives. Without this fear, we will go our own way and lean on our own understanding. Ask God to restore in you a holy fear of Him today.