Fear Is The Real 4 Letter F Word
The keywords “Fear” and “Lord” are used 101 times together. It is my impression that the phrase “Fear The Lord” or “Fear God” is the most often used phrase or term in the entire Bible. And without a doubt, the least understood. But since when has the Bible been correctly understood by what is said on the surface?
Of course the image that is brought up with our natural mind is that of cowering, or of being “in fear” of the person or object. This thought, as it applies to God our Father, can be dismissed outright.
Matthew 6:10 – your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
The reason we know this beyond any doubt is that being terrorized by a parent here on earth is almost beyond our imagination. Much less a parent who truely and honestly LOVES the child.. A loving parent on the earth would NEVER engender fear, trembling or cowering. No, a loving parent brings out exactly the opposite reaction. The terms that come to mind in a loving relationship include trust, confidence, enablement, etc. So if we see that a loving earthly parent would act or react one way in a given situation, then we also know that a loving heavenly parent would act or react basically the same.
Matthew 6:25 – do not worry
The damage done to the human body by constant exposure to a fearful lifestyle or mindset has been well documented in the field of human health. Fear would seem to be the least desirable of human conditions. I have personally made FEAR my “enemy # 1” – and it should be yours too!! This is why I say that FEARis THE REAL 4 LETTER F WORD!!
If there is anything that our politicians SHOULD make laws about, it should be to BAN FEAR IN THE USA!!! Since we (USA) are to fulfill such a great role in the soon coming return of our Lord Jesus as the “great eagle” of Revelation 12:14. Parents**Listen**Quick*** Your children need to learn this principle as soon as possilbe!!! Of course our society is “surface”, so the current “F word” is the word itself. The real and greater problem however is this, the real 4 letter F word – FEAR ITSELF being present in their lives.
Can I put it in a nutshell for you? As simply as I can boil it down, the key to understanding the term “the fear of The Lord” is to realize for yourself that it is theABSENCE OF ALL EARTHLY FEAR. Your earthly fears are what are keeping you from God and His perfect will for your life.
Prov 3:5,6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
If you fear something or someone here on earth, then you are robbing the Lord of your “fear” of Him. You are to FEAR THE LORD, and none other. And how much “fear” did we agree earlier was there in a normal, loving parent/child relationship? 0. nada. none The exact opposite. So if you carry fear around here on earth, you are defeating the plans and purpose of the Lord in your life HERE AND NOW!!
So you can use fear as a gauge in your walk with the Lord and the world. When you feel fear creeping into your mind (or stomach), when you feel those negative, depressive, condemning thoughts invade your mind, that is when you need to step back, recognize what is trying to happen, and stand against it. That is your signal that a test has commenced and that NOW is the time to “trust in the Lord”.
You will know when you have succeeded in trusting the Lord by the fact that the fear is all gone. If the fear does not go away immediately, then you have not put it TOTALLY into the Lords hands yet.. Here is a suggestion: Take “the problem” and write it down, every angle, pros and cons, then ask the Lord to solve this problem. Then every time you feel worry or fear creeking or flooding in, just refer the fear to the piece of paper. You can tell the fear to leave as you pat the piece of paper and remember that you have turned the whole situation over to the Lord already.. I hope this works for you as well as it does for me.
A Balanced View
To be sure to give a balanced view, I do need to point out one other view or aspect of the “fear of the Lord” which must temper our fearless living. That is the fear of the consequences of disobedience of the Lord’s known will and principles, as outlined in His Word. For instance:Exodus 34:7 – …He will not let the guilty go without being punished…
A Spiritual View
Luke 12:5 I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.
Interesting, eh? According to Jesus, fear is as real and important as any topic upon which He elucidated. And what did He say about it? Fear the one who can kill your body and your soul. Of course your spirit was begotten by it’s Father and can never be killed. It is deathless and eternal and in the process of being brought to maturity…
A true Chrisian, following the lamb wherever he leads (Rev 14: 1-4) , is a fearless warrior in these important days winding down this work week. If you too find that fearless living is one of the missing “keys” to the kingdom (Luke 11:52), then I say “live fearlessly my friend”.
By Russell Dibird
Written 2002
