It is very important to know what the act of fearing God entails. This is because many of us may claim to give God a profound reverence or awe, meanwhile we do not. We are in most sense trying to balance two equations at the same time. And mind you, you cannot sit on a fence and capture the events going on in both sides at once. You will have to focus on one and forgo the other.
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As stated in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. For either he wil hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other…”
Therefore, you should ponder on these questions: Do you really fear God? Do you love him or hate him? Are you focusing on him or you have forsaken him? Whom do you fear? To whom are you giving a profound reverence or awe?
Now, we will go through the scriptures to see, know and understand what fearing God means.
1. Fearing God means loving God.
In Deuteronomy 6:5, the scripture says: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” To love God is to adore him, to worship him, to put him first, to exalt him, to serve HIM ONLY. Do you love God? Remember, fearing God means loving him. Therefore, YOU SHOULD LOVE GOD.
2. Fearing God means hating evil.
Proverbs 8:13a says: "The fear of the lord is to hate evil." Some of us may ask: what is evil? Dictionary says the meaning of evil is “morally reprehensible”. It also gives us synonyms of evil such as sinful, wicked, abominable, distasteful, dreadful, pernicious, horrendous, and many others. Sin is evil. God hates evil which is sin. We should hate evil. We should hate sin.
3. Fearing God is to observe his ways.
Proverbs 23:26 says: "My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways." This passage reveals to us that God sought us first. He longs for our heart. He wants us. The only means to knowing who God is is through HIS WORD. To fear God is to observe his ways. You can only observe the ways of the Lord through rigorous and meditative study of his word. His word is life, and you have to live it by studying it.
4. Fearing God is faith and trust in him.
Proverbs 29:25 says: “The fear of man brings a snare, but whosoever puts his trust in the Lord will be safe.” Faith and trust in God Almighty is very important in the journey of knowing who God is. God instruct us to trust in him and lean not on our own understanding. Just like Abraham, you become a friend of God when you trust in him. God loves those who trust in him.
Now that you've learnt what it means to fear God, check yourself and ask yourself: DO I TRULY FEAR GOD?
Talk to Jesus, he is right there with you. Tell him that you want to fear him and love him more and more. Tell him to help you act according to his will and commandments.
Thanks for reading. ❤️