Week 13: March 26, 2017
Topic: Fear of God – Part 1
Bible Reading: Romans 3: 9-18
Introduction
Brothers and sisters in the Lord, do you fear God? I know that everyone of us will say that we fear God; but there is none of us that fear God, it is grace that is being used to save us. The reason is that, in as much as we humans are sinners and evildoers, then we do not fear God. Though, in the world today, many people are making efforts to fear God. It is not that they fear God, but they are making efforts to fear God.
Every one of us will clearly see during this study where we are lacking, but I advise us to rectify wherever we are lacking because “He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed without remedy” Proverbs 29: 1. Once you have partaken in this study and you refuse to take steps of rectification, then you will not be guiltless in the presence of God.
People Have Lost the Fear of God
Brethren it is the fear of God that is lost today which make the world to be in disarray with moral standard at its lowest level. Because there is no fear of God, children do not honour or respect their parents while the parents are utilizing their children as sources of money through child labour, child-abuse and child slavery.
Fear of God is lost among husband and wife: which is the reason why many marriages end in divorce. The wife does not honour her husband while the husband will allow Satan to use him to cause heart-ache and downfall of his wife.
Fear of God is lost among friends to the extent that people now say this parable “there is no true friend again, just get somebody to chat with”. Friends envy and jealous one another with evil intents.
Fear of God is not in many churches, that is why their leaders put the parishioners in financial and spiritual bondage so that they can progress. Even among the parishioners there is no fear of God. Whatever they are doing is eye-service.
Among the Nations of the world, the fear of God is lost, that is why Nations are using deceit to deal with one another and it is difficult for them to be truthful, frank and “call a spade a spade”.
The Bible confirmed that there is no fear of God before people’s eyes. People have no fear of God at all Romans 3: 18, Psalm 36: 1. Brethren why is it that we do not permit the fear of God to be established in our hearts? Since God had pronounced that “we are the chosen generation, a royal priesthood a holy nation and His special people…” 1 Peter 2: 9. Let people notice the difference in our actions, reactions and utterances in the world through the fear of God, so that everyone will glorify God through us.
Meaning of the fear of God
When we talk about the fear of God, people always says it is the beginning of wisdom, knowledge and understanding, but we will do a detail analysis today.
The beginning of knowledge: Many among us today will say since the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge. If I do not fear God, the penalty is that I will not gain knowledge, but such people are wrong. Fool, your life is at risk. It is the lack of the fear of God that put many Christians in bondage today Proverbs 1: 7. Such people are fools who despise wisdom and instructions; they will perish according to the scripture which stated that “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest/special person for Me, because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” Hosea 4: 6. If you don’t want the Lord to forget you, if you don’t want the darkness to triumph over you, fear God today.
The beginning of wisdom: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, a good understanding have all those who do His commandments, His praise endures forever Psalm 111: 10. Therefore fear the Lord and obey His commandments. If you don’t fear the Lord you will lack wisdom and when this happens it means you are a fool Ecclesiastes 10: 3.
The fear of the Lord is wisdom and to depart from evil is understanding Job 28: 28. If you intend to fear God you have to forsake Satan and wicked ways. Abstain from evil ways, turn to God and reconcile with Him. Make a resolution that henceforth you will be doing things that pleases God, so that you will be admitted into the glorious Home.
The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom and before honour is humility Proverbs 15: 33. It is only those who fear God that are wise; anyone that does not fear God is a fool. Such foolish people are described by the Bible saying in their hearts that “there is no God” Psalm 14: 1. Even if you believe that there is God and you don’t fear Him, then you are a fool. You are under the spiritual shadow of death, and you can die at anytime prematurely, so fear God.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is the understanding Proverbs 9: 10. Every soul that does not fear God does not have His knowledge, such people are just deceiving themselves because the knowledge of God is not just reading the Bible or quoting from the Bible passages. Such people will also lack divine wisdom and they can die due to lack of wisdom, says the Bible Proverbs 10: 21.
Hate evil, pride and arrogance: The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate Proverbs 8: 13. Every Christian that does not hate evil does not fear God, and their service/worship is in vain. If you think evil in your heart or condone evil, you do not fear God. No matter how many times you pray, no matter how many days you fast, unless you abandon pride and arrogance, you do not fear God. Remember that it is pride that made Lucifer to lose his position Isaiah 14: 12. The only way to depart from evil and avoid it is to fear the Lord Proverbs 16: 6. Inasmuch as it is the fear of the Lord that can keep you away from sin and evil, then fear the Lord. The following are the conditions you need to fear God:
· Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit
· Depart from evil and do good. Seek and pursue it.
It is then that you will live a fulfilled life, with prosperity and longevity Psalm 34: 11-14.
Fountain of Life: The fear of the Lord is a fountain of Life, to turn one away from the snares of death Proverbs 14: 27. Any soul that does fear the Lord, their life is not precious to them, whereas if you fear the Lord you have pass over death unto life. If you don’t want to die untimely death, if you want to become old, then it is time to reconcile with Your Creator and fear Him.
The fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; He will not be visited with evil Proverbs 19: 23. Fear God who has been with you since the day of conception till today, God that did not allow the spiritual river of the world to sweep you away must be feared. If you want security and protection from harm, then fear the Lord.
The fear of God is pure and eternal: The fear of the Lord is pure and it endures forever. The fear of the Lord is divine, unadulterated and incorruptible therefore be motivated to fear the Lord because the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous Psalm 19: 9.
Week 14: April 2, 2017
Topic: Fear of God – Part 2
Bible Reading: Romans 3: 9-18
We shall continue the study by mentioning that whatever God does shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing can be taken from it. God does it, so that people will fear Him Ecclesiastes 3: 14. God in His infinite glory demonstrated His superiority to mankind so that we can fear Him because everything He does is final and humans can never tamper with them. Why not fear God for this reason?
Learn How to Fear God
Humans must learn how to fear God and they must practice what they learnt in order to please God.
Charm is deceptive: I want people to know that their charm is deceptive and their beauty will fade away, so do not depend on them but fear God in order to be praised and glorified Proverbs 31: 30. From this passage we can deduce that though charm can fool people briefly, charm and beauty are in vain because neither charm nor beauty will last. Therefore, fear God and be praised.
Holy assembly: People must be taught how to fear God at every holy assembly: in the church, prayer grounds and mountains. There must be no gossiping, trading, fornication/adultery and show off activities. The atmosphere must be conducive for learning how to fear God and the sacred place must be used in manners acceptable to the Lord Deuteronomy 31: 12-13. Remember what Jesus Christ did at the temple in Jerusalem, how He drove out all those trading in the temple and overturned the tables of the money changers saying “My house shall be called a house of prayer but you have made it a den of thieves” Matthew 21: 12-13.
Worship and Fear God: The proclamation of the angel that had the eternal gospel to preach to the inhabitant of the earth – to every nation, tribe, language and people was “fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water Revelation 14: 6-7. Worship the Lord and serve Him with reverent fear. Rejoice with trembling in His presence Psalm 2: 11. If you want to learn how to fear God, it is inevitable for you to worship the Lord with pure heart and a clear conscience.
Fear of God is Christ-like Characters
The following are the Christ-like characters stated in the Bible that will prompt you to fear God: If
· The Spirit of the Lord is upon you
· The Spirit of wisdom and understanding
· The Spirit of Counsel and might
· The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord
· Your delight is in the fear of the Lord
· You do not judge by the sight of your eyes nor decide with equity for the meek of the earth
· You judge the poor with righteousness and decide with equity for the meek of the earth
· You chasten humans with the Word of God and correct the wicked people with the words of your lips
· Righteousness is the belt of your loins and faithfulness is the belt of your waist.
It is then that you will fear God with all your heart Isaiah 11: 2-5.
Leaders and Rulers must Fear God
Everybody in position of authority must fear God, because it is not their might or power that put them in that exalted position, but the grace they received from God.
Leaders must learn to fear God: The Leaders of Christianity must not acquire great wealth or materialistic things for themselves and they must not cause their congregation to return into spiritual slavery/bondage. The politicians and people in position of authority must not embezzle the funds of their country or marry several wives. The rulers must read the Bible and practice what was read so that they will learn to fear the Lord their God by obeying all the terms of this law and statutes/ decrees Deuteronomy 17: 15-19.
Rulers must rule with fear of God: During King David’s last days on earth. The Spirit of the Lord spoke through him; His words were on his tongue, saying anyone who rule over men must be just. They must rule righteously with the fear of God, so that they will be like the light of the morning when the sun rises… 2 Samuel 23: 2-4. Any ruler that rule with unrighteousness and afflict his/her subjects has violated the exalted position. Such ruler does not fear God.
Judges must fear the Lord: The judges must take heed in whatever they are doing, they must think carefully before pronouncing judgment, because they are not judging for mortals, but for the Lord. Therefore, they must not judge to please people, but to please God and He will be with them when they render the verdict in each case. Furthermore, they must fear the Lord and judge with integrity, because the Lord our God does not tolerate or condone injustice, partiality or taking of bribes 2 Chronicles 19: 6-7. For this reason, the judges must always act in the fear of the Lord, with faithfulness, loyal and blameless heart 2 Chronicles 19: 9.
Fear God and Not Mortals
Only God is to be feared; you must not fear mortals, but honour and respect them. Give honour to those that honour is due, but give fear to the Lord; fear Him in all your ways and it shall be well with you.
Fear no being except God: The Bible stated that “The Lord is my light and salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid” Psalm 27: 1. Do not fear humans, but honour them; do not be afraid of mortals, but respect them. Only the Supreme Being call God must be feared. In as much as you put your trust in God and fear Him, you must not fear any human because mortals can do nothing to you Psalm 56: 4, 118: 6. Remember the passage that says “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear God who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell Matthew 10: 28. For this reason do not fear; because man cannot do anything to you without the approval of the Lord. Nevertheless, fear the Lord who is capable of visiting the iniquity of parents on their children and descendants Exodus 20: 5. Do the will of God at all times and fear Him alone.
Do not fear the gods/deities: Brethren do not fear the gods of the people in whose land you dwell but obey the voice of the Lord and fear Him Judges 6: 10. Put your confidence in the word of God which says “the gods that have not made the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens Jeremiah 10: 11.
Do not please humans to displease God: It will not be well with the wicked people and they will not prolong their days like a shadow because they do not fear God Ecclesiastes 8: 13. Do not be among the wicked who do not fear God but fear mortals, who please humans to displease God so that it will be well with you throughout your existence.
Week 15: April 9, 2017
Topic: Fear of God – Part 3
Bible Reading: Romans 3: 9-18
We shall continue with the commandments of the Lord concerning the fear of God.
Commandments of the Lord
It is the duty of the Christians to observe the commandments of the Lord most importantly the ones concerning the fear of God, so that they will live a peaceful life.
Do not oppress: Fear the Lord your God; do not wrong one another. Do not cheat one another, but fear God. You must not oppress one another but you shall fear your God, says the scripture Leviticus 25: 17. Show your fear of God by not taking advantage of each other. Therefore, you must neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress aliens/foreigners in any way Exodus 22: 21. Harken to the voice of the Lord by not oppressing anybody, but fear God.
Do not rule with harshness: Do not be cruel to people or rule over people with rigor but you must fear God. Anyone who is ruling with harshness does not fear God and such people have disobeyed the commandment of God Leviticus 25: 43. Therefore, rule with kindness and niceness so that you will continue to keep the commandment of the Lord your God.
Do not take usury: You must not charge excessive interest on any loan, but you must fear the Lord. The Bible says, you shall take no usury or interest from your brethren but you must fear your God Leviticus 25: 36. Fear God and do not lend people your money for usury or lend them your food at a profit Leviticus 25: 37. Remember it is better to have little, with the fear of the Lord, than to have great treasure with trouble and inner turmoil Proverbs 15: 16.
Do not rebel against God: The best thing that can happen to human is to fear the Lord, obey His voice and do not rebel against His commandment. It is then it shall be well with you 1 Samuel 12: 14. The Israelites rebelled against the Lord in the wilderness despite the warning of Joshua and Caleb Numbers 14: 6-9. Forty days journey turned to forty years. Every adult of twenty years old and above with the exception of Joshua and Caleb died in the wilderness Numbers 14: 26-35. God will laugh at the calamity of the rebels and mock the disobedient when terror comes upon them because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord Proverbs 1: 24-27.
Love your neighbor and shun evil: Love your neighbor like yourself. Do not be the cause of the downfall of other people or instigate their bodily injury(ies). Be fair in all your ways according to the passage that stated that “You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God. I am the Lord” Leviticus 19: 14. You must not insult, assault, or cause other people to stumble. If God can vouch for Job that he is blameless and upright; that Job feared Him and abstained from evil. You too must love your neighbor, treat people with equity and impartiality, so that God will affirm that you fear Him Job 1: 8. Brethren what story will the heavens relate concerning us, therefore love your neighbor and fear God before it is too late.
Do not think you are wise: Many people in the world today think that they are smart and it is their wisdom that made them to accomplish their objectives/goals. There is a Yoruba adage that says “If the wise pretends as if he is a fool, his wisdom will last” and it is in agreement with the statement of the scripture that “Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and depart from evil” Proverbs 3: 7. Let your fear of God be sincere with no conditionality attached. Many people in the world today have motive for fearing God, it is either because of what God had done in their lives or because of what they are expecting from God. Satan was proved wrong when he said “Did Job fear God for nothing? Have you not made a hedge around him, around his household and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land” Job 1: 9-10. Let your fear of God be candid and genuine. Fear Him not because of the carnal or materialistic things but because of where you will spend your eternal rest.
Be submissive: The Bible says “Submit to one another in the fear of God” Ephesians 5: 21. Wives must honestly submit to their husbands as to the Lord. Younger people must honestly submit themselves to their elders. The employees must genuinely submit to their employer and the subjects must submit wholeheartedly in the fear of God to the authority that is in conformity with the statutes of the Lord Ephesians 5: 22, 1 Peter 5: 5, 2: 13. You must bear in your mind that God is not the author of confusion but cleanliness and orderliness are the laws in heaven. Therefore, let all things be done decently and in orderly manner with fear of God 1 Corinthians 14: 40.
Honour the elderly people: The Bible says “Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you” Exodus 20: 12, Deuteronomy 5: 16. The honour must not be limited to your parents alone but you have to honour and respect all the elderly people. It is written that “You shall rise before the gray headed and honour the presence of an old man, fear your God: I am the Lord” Leviticus 19: 32. Whenever you are honouring the gray headed people you are indirectly honouring the Lord you God, the Ancient of Days, the aged that surpasses all aged people. When you disrespect any elderly person, then you are indirectly disrespecting your God. Therefore honour and fear God so that He will honour you 1 Samuel 2: 30. Make sure that you do not forget to honour and fear God at every occasion during your lifetime. In conformity to the Bible passage which says, “Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour” Romans 13: 7. Render fear and honour to God so that it will be well with you. For this reason, honour all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God and honour the ruler/authority 1 Peter 2: 17.
Never compromise when you are comfortable: Surely God will be merciful and gracious to you, when you are comfortable and you realize your dreams/ambitions, do not compromise but continue to fear the Lord. Be cautious so that the glittering and the vanity of this world do not make you to compromise Joshua 24: 13-14. Make sure the fear of God does not depart from you when you realize your goals. It is then that you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God which will sustain you throughout your existence Proverbs 2: 5.
Fear and serve God: “Fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things he has done for you”. Do not forget all His goodness in your life till this moment 1 Samuel 12: 24. Let it be in your mind that the fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe Proverbs 29: 25. Since the fear of man has been proven to be a trap, then fear and worship God.
Earthlings must fear God: It is written that God must be greatly praised and He must be feared above all gods. Great is the Lord and He is most worthy of praise. He must be feared and honoured above everything in heaven and on earth Psalm 96: 4. God must be greatly feared in the assembly of the saints. He is more awesome than all who surround Him and must be held in reverence by all those around Him Psalm 89: 7. All the earth must fear the Lord and all the inhabitants of the world must stand in awe of Him Psalm 33: 8.
Week 16: April 16, 2017
Topic: Fear of God – Part 4
Bible Reading: Romans 3: 9-18
We shall continue the discussion with the rewards that are available to the people that fear God.
Rewards of Fear of God
Your fear of God will not be in futility because God will reward you bountifully for your reverence. Some of the benefits of the fear of God are: God Himself will teach you through His word so that you will be knowledgeable enough to choose the righteous path that leads to life rather than the destructive path that leads to death Psalm 25: 12. If you want God’s guidance in your decision making, then fear Him sincerely.
God will watch over you: God will fix His eyes on you for good. He will guard you in every possible manner during your existence, until His will come to pass in your life Psalm 33: 18. As long as you continue to fear God, He will watch over you. When trouble arises, God will be there for you. He will help and shield you, so that the trouble will not have lasting impact on your life, if and only if you fear Him Psalm 115: 11. If you want the assistance and the safe-covering of the Lord, fear Him: because in the fear of the Lord you will have strong confidence and your children will have a refuge. Anyone who fears the Lord has a strong tower and it will be a safe place or shelter for their descendants Proverbs 14: 26. Fear God, if you want security for yourself and protection for you children.
God will deliver you: You are lucky if you are among those who fear God, because He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies. God will save you from the powerful hand of all your adversaries and rescue you from the darkness 2 Kings 17: 39. He will instruct His angel to encamp around you and deliver you from your foes. The angel of the Lord will guard, surround and defend anyone who fears the Lord Psalm 34: 7. For the angel of the Lord to stay close to you, save you from your distress and rescue you from your troubles, you need to fear God.
God will give you daily bread and establish His covenant in your life: The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant. The counsel of the Lord belongs to those who fear Him, because He will confide and share His plans with them Psalm 25: 14. Intimate fellowship with God is for those who fear Him and He will establish His covenant in their lives. He will also provide “daily bread” for them with ease in manners that will never make His glorious name to be blasphemed Psalm 111: 5. Make sure you fear God so that He will establish His eternal covenant in your life.
You will never lack: The Bible says “fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him”. Anyone who fears the Lord will lack nothing, but they will be satisfied with goodness Psalm 34: 9. If you want God to meet your every need and take care of your necessities, then fear God. It is then that God will supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus Philippians 4: 19.
God will pity and be merciful to you: As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. The Lord is a Father to his children; He is tender and compassionate to those who fear Him Psalm 103: 13. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him. His loving kindness and unfailing love for those who fear Him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth Psalm 103: 11.
God will be delighted in you and fulfill your desire: The Lord is pleased with those who fear Him. He will be delighted in anyone that fears Him. In fact He takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy Psalm 147: 11. Fear the Lord so that He will favour you. The conditionality for you to realize your desire is to fear God. The scripture stated that God will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and save them Psalm 145: 19. If you want God to grant your desire and satisfy you with goodness of life, you need to fear Him.
Salvation and glory: The saving power of God is near those who fear Him and His shining-greatness will live in their land. People who fear the Lord have the assurance that salvation is near them and His glory will dwell in their land Psalm 85: 9. Fear God, so that His salvation will be revealed in your life and your land/Nation will be filled with His glory.
God will bestow goodness on you: God had reserved many wonderful things that He will bestow on those who fear Him. God has abundance of goodness that is being stored up for those who fear Him. He will lavish them on those who come to Him for protection and bless them in the sight of everyone/the world. It is written “Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men” Psalm 31: 19. Fear God, for His great goodness.
Longevity: The only antidote to short life is the fear of God. The fear of the Lord lengthens one’s life. Fear of God that leads to a longer life. The fear of the Lord prolongs days, but the years of the wicked will be shortened Proverbs 10: 27. You and your descendants must fear the Lord all the days of your lives by keeping His statues and commands, so that you will have long life. If you and your descendants fear the Lord your God as long as you live; if you obey all His decrees and commandments, then you will enjoy a long life Deuteronomy 6: 1-2. If you want your days to be prolonged, then you have to fear God.
God will bless you with riches, honour and life: The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord are: wealth, honour and life. Humility and the fear of the Lord lead to riches, honour and long life Proverbs 22: 4. For this reason the Lord our God commanded us to obey all His decrees and fear Him, so that He will continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as He has done to this day. It is our duty to observe His statues and fear Him, for our lasting good, so that He will preserve/keep us alive, as it is this day Deuteronomy 6: 24. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, his descendants will be mighty on earth. The descendants of anyone who fears the Lord and delights greatly in His commandments will be successful everywhere and they will be powerful in their land Psalm 112: 1-2. Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways. If you fear God, then you are blessed Psalm 128: 1. God will bless those who fear Him, both small and great with unlimited blessings Psalm 115: 13. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord Psalm 128: 4.
It will be well with you: Whatever the circumstance I know that those who fear God will be better off. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him Ecclesiastes 8: 12. Fear God so that it will be well with you throughout your existence.
Week 17: April 23, 2017
Topic: Fear of God – Part 5
Bible Reading: Romans 3: 9-18
Since we have all the previously mentioned benefits and the promises of God for those who fear Him, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Therefore, it is our duty brethren, to cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And work toward complete holiness in the fear of God 2 Corinthians 7: 1. God in His generosity is ready to forgive anyone who genuinely repents so that humans will fear Him. God offer forgiveness to mankind, in order to learn to fear Him. It is written “But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared” Psalm 130: 4. Fear the Lord since He is willing to forgive your sins. Is there any person without sin? If there is none, then the earthlings must fear God. Who will not fear the Lord, the King of kings and the King of the nations? It is what You deserve. For among all the wise people of the nations and all their kingdoms, there is none like You. The Bible stated that who would not fear You, O King of the nations? For this is Your rightful due and that title belongs to You alone. Among all the wise leaders of the earth and in all the Kingdoms of the world, there is no one like You Jeremiah 10: 7.
The Reasons To Fear God
We will examine some examples in the Bible which will prompt people to fear God with their whole hearts.
You will be tested to ascertain that you fear God: God has to test you to ascertain that you fear Him; at times He might permit the Devil to tempt you in order to establish the fact that you fear Him and you will neither betray nor deny Him. You may be tested in various ways, which is different from the people around you. Your test might be different from how He tested the Israelites in the Bible, when He descended on Mount Sinai. The people were afraid and Moses said “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin Exodus 20: 18-20. Are you ready to be tested? Either you like or not, you will be tested in order to prove that you fear God and you will depart from sin.
Fear God to avoid calamity: When the king of Assyria resettled foreigners in the land of Samaria, when they began to live there, they did not fear the Lord or worship Him. Therefore, the Lord sent lion into their midst which killed some of them. They reported the incidents to the king who sent a priest that was among the captives brought from Samaria to teach them how to fear the Lord. It is then that the killings ceased 2 Kings 17: 24-28. If you don’t want disaster to befall you, learn how to fear God and fear Him from this moment.
Fear God and do not turn against Him, so that the Lord that has been nice and kind to you will not wreck havoc in your life. God that provided food Exodus 16: 6-15 and water Exodus 17: 1-7 for the Israelites during their journey in the wilderness. He was angry with them because they did not fear Him but misbehaved. When the people spoke against God and Moses, He sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit them; and many of the people of Israel died Numbers 21: 5-6. If you don’t want the same fate to befall you, do not speak against God and His saints but conduct yourself throughout the time of your stay in this world in fear of God 1 Peter 1: 17. Conduct yourself throughout your existence in fear of God, so that the Lord that has been merciful and compassionate to you will not turn against you.
Prove you fear God through your works: Every living soul must prove that they fear God before they can receive good things from the Lord. Abraham proved that he feared God, when he was asked to sacrifice Isaac his son Genesis 22: 1-2.
· He was blessed with authority of multiplication “blessing I will bless you, and multiplying, I will multiply your descendant as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore”.
· His descendants became conquerors “your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies”
· He inherited everlasting covenant “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” Genesis 22: 15-18.
If you fear the Lord you too will receive goodness that is beyond human comprehension.
The midwives received goodness: The midwives refused to kill every male baby delivered by the Hebrew women as instructed by Pharaoh the King of Egypt because they fear God Exodus 1: 15-17. For this reason, God dealt well with the midwives and gave them families of their own because they fear God Exodus 1: 20-21. If you want God to be good to you, if you want Him to bless you with fruit of the womb and a settled home, fear Him now.
Fear of God will resolve your troubles: It is only the fear of God that can resolve your troubles. Learn from the widow who was in debt, but because she feared God, her situation was changed from a debtor to a creditor 2 Kings 4: 1-7. If you want great transformation in your life, do not doubt, but fear God so that your problems will be resolved quickly.
Job received uncommon favour and blessing: The Bible testified that Job was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil Job 1: 1. The Devil tested and tempted him, but he did not compromise. He was blessed with longevity and double portion of his formal possession Job 42: 10-16. If you want uncommon favour and special blessing, then do not compromise but fear God.
Finally, then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened to what they said. So a Book of remembrance was written in His presence to record the names of those who feared Him and always thought about the honour of His name Malachi 3: 16. Is your name in the Book of Remembrance? If not, reconcile with your Creator quickly and take steps to fear the Lord.
The Seal: Deuteronomy 10: 12: And now, Christians, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul?