Power of Fear

Fear can be an incredibly strong emotion.

Everyone has a fear of something. Some people fear spiders, some people fear storms, some fear silence. Still others fear large groups of people. Even the person who says they fear nothing reveals that his fear is being seen as weak.

Some fear is understandable. It’s not uncommon for a child to be afraid of the dark. I was once afraid of ladders. But then I got a job that required me to be on ladders. I had to beat that fear if I wanted to get paid! These days, I don’t have a fear of heights but I certainly have a healthy respect for them.

There is an ever growing list of phobias. There are scientists and psychologists who study fear. They look into the deepest parts of the brain and look for patterns, triggers and anomalies to understand how and why we experience fear. These folks are way smarter than I will ever be.

However, I would submit that fear is not inherently a bad thing. Fear can be a tool for maintaining personal safety. See a bear in the wild, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!! Fear is also an experience that has fueled innovation. When handled appropriately, fear has been the impetus for creation of life changing, life improving inventions. One could argue that fear of death was harnessed to explore and create cures for diseases.

I would submit that fear is experienced in this way. The object of your fear will be magnified in your life. If you ascribe your fear to heights, you will be much more cognizant of your elevation than any other person. Fear will cause you to submit a part (or even all) of yourself to it when confronted by its presence. For something to have so much power, it better be worthy of that authority.

Look at it this way. You’re going to place your fear into something. There are essentially two places that you can put your fear into. God or the World. Remember, whatever you place your fear in will be magnified in your life. When we place our fear in the world, we give whatever that is authority and weight in our lives. We essentially say, “I cannot handle this. It is impossible. This thing is insurmountable. I submit my mind, will, and emotions to this thing.”

There is absolutely nothing in all of creation that isn’t subject to the Almighty God. That being said, why would we give more authority to something that is under the authority of God? When we give in to the fear of the World we elevate the things around us to a position of power and truth that should only be reserved for God. That circumstance suggests that God’s power and truth are, at best, equal to the world only needed to offset the effects of the world. More than likely we give God less authority than the object of our worldly fear.

Why should I fear the Lord?

Just to be clear, I’m not just taking about a reverence or respect of the Lord although those are important. I’m talking full, real fear.

Life and death are under God’s authority. (1 Samuel 2:6) God, in His perfect holiness, stands in judgement over all of creation. On top of that, it says in Romans that ”all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God“. The Book of Revelation says,

“From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.” Revelation‬ ‭19:15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

That seems worthy of fear.

Scripture is full of references to the Fear of The Lord. Almighty God spoke all of creation into existence. He holds righteous judgment over all of that creation. Many other religions stop here. “Fear God or he will smite you into oblivion.” They seem to toss of the rest of the character of God.

He is not a cruel or angry God. In His great power and supreme authority over all things He created you. He created you because He loves. Then sin entered our lives. Sin is not allowed in His presence BUT He loves so much that He made a way for you to be in His presence.

He poured out all of His terror and wrath against sin on Jesus, His only son, who was totally perfect so that you might be able to have relationship with Him. That wrath was meant for you and for me.

This is good news.

Fear of the Lord cannot be separated from the Love of the Lord. When you place your fear in the Lord, He will magnify His wholeness in your life. The Fear of the Lord brings a whole lot of amazing things.

Psalm 111:10 says, “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. From cover to cover the Bible speaks about fearing God and it is followed by promises. A very short list includes:

-The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Knowledge. (Proverbs 1)

-The Fear of the Lord brings long life. (Deuteronomy 6, Proverbs 10)

-The Fear of the Lord keeps one from evil. (Proverbs 16)

-The Fear of the Lord brings blessing. (Psalms 112, 115, 128...)

When we place our fear in the Lord we admit that He is almighty and powerful. We submit our mind, will and emotions to the power and authority of the Creator of the Universe. It is then that He will magnify Himself in us. He will give understanding, wisdom, knowledge, blessing, abundant life, gifts, healing, power and fruit. It is when our hearts are surrendered to His unspeakable greatness and power that He will draw close and give life to the fruits of the Spirit. Many of those amazing promises of blessing come out of the Fear of the Lord.

What if we feared the Lord and allowed Him to magnify and manifest Himself in us? How have you experienced or understood the Fear of the Lord in your life?

BriceEugene