THE FEAR OF THE LORD | THE MERCIES OF GOD

The Bible urges us to fear God. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge …” (Proverbs 1:7). Having an appropriate reverence and holy respect for God is the beginning point for all true knowledge about spiritual realities. “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

What is the gift of fear of the Lord?

Fear of the Lord (Wonder and Awe): With the gift of fear of the Lord we are aware of the glory and majesty of God. ... He describes the gift as a "filial fear," like a child's fear of offending his father, rather than a "servile fear," that is, a fear of punishment.

Who is the man who fears the Lord?

Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.

The Scripture says the fear of God is the the beginning of wisdom, and wisdom is to depart from evil. That means we must avoid evil, or anything that lures us to do evil or wickedness. Stay completely away from sin as a child of God.

Proverbs 1:7 The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence];

But arrogant fools despise [skillful and godly] wisdom and instruction and self-discipline. (AMP)

The fear of the Lord: Expressed in many ways, this is the theme repeated throughout the book as the key, the means, the secret of obtaining genuine wisdom. It is not the terror of a tyrant, but the kind of awe and respect which will lead to obedience to Him who is the wisest of all. 

In Proverbs various kinds of fools are discussed including those who are closed-minded, over-confident, and reject instruction and correction—the unteachable; those who lack spiritual insight—the spiritually blind; and those who are flippant, hardened, and who deliberately choose to reject God and wisdom—the arrogant.

What does it mean to walk in the fear of the Lord?

He simply meant that Christians should never want to offend God with their lives. Working out our salvation with fear and trembling implies a heightened sense of reverence for God by living our lives in ways that testifies to the fact that we are saved. ... Proverbs 8:13: “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.”

Psalm 147:11 The Lord favors those who fear and worship Him [with awe-inspired reverence and obedience], Those who wait for His mercy and lovingkindness.

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.” When we “fear” God, His divine and unfathomable wisdom becomes available to us.

Psalm 34:8-14 AMP | O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good; How blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who takes refuge in Him.  O [reverently] fear the Lord, you His saints (believers, holy ones); For to those who fear Him there is no want.  The young lions lack [food] and grow hungry, But they who seek the Lord will not lack any good thing. Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you to fear the Lord [with awe-inspired reverence and worship Him with obedience].  Who is the man who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.

The New Testament apostles frequently used references from the Book of Psalms as texts for teaching Christian doctrine. The forgiveness of sins by grace, the faithfulness of God, the sinfulness of all men (Jew and Gentile), the inclusion of Gentiles in the church, the existence of angels, and the appropriate conduct of saints, are all doctrines reinforced by quotations from the Psalms.

Lamentations 3:20–23  It is because of the Lord’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, Because His [tender] compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; Great and beyond measure is Your faithfulness.

Jeremiah had almost given up hope (v. 20). Then he remembered something that restored his hope again (v. 21). This was the mercies of God (v. 22). Mercies (Hebrew hesed) can be translated “covenant love” or “steadfast love.” It is linked with compassion (Ps. 103:4), truth and faithfulness (Ex. 34:6), and goodness (Ps. 23:6). The ability to offer sacrifices was gone and everything seemed hopeless, but God’s hesed remained.

How do I start loving God? I find my love for God growing as I do the following: 

1. Think about Him. The more I think about Him, the more I fall in love with Him. 2. Tell Him I love Him. When I tell God I love him, I find the words are very true. 3. Spend time in His presence. 4. Choose to do everything out of love for Him.

Is the fear of the Lord a gift of the Holy Spirit?

Fear of the Lord is the last of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit enumerated in Isaiah 11:2-3.  We often think of hope and fear as mutually exclusive, but the fear of the Lord is the desire not to offend Him, and the certainty that He will give us the grace necessary to keep from doing so.

Prayer: Father, I think that the more we know you, the more we experience a wide range of emotions when we think about you and spend time with you. You are the sovereign God of the Universe, all-powerful in every way. You are the Creator and you have awesome power to destroy if you chose to do so! You know every little facet of my personality and character. You know my thoughts! You know every sin I have every committed and will commit in the future- Yet you love me! 

You are the ultimate Lover of my soul. No matter how many times I screw up, you don’t give up on me and put me on a shelf. You call me precious. You have taken your righteousness and put it in place of my unrighteousness, calling me righteous. Thanks to you, Jesus, on Judgement Day, I will be called blameless and will have the privilege of living forever with you!

And yet, I so easily forget to you include you in my daily life. That seems pretty bold and bull-headed considering all that you’ve done for me and all that you are. It’s downright foolish, actually. The author of the Universe wants to walk side-by-side with me daily, and I’m like, “Nah, I’m good. I got this.” God, save me from my own stupidity and pride! I need you. I need you today and every day.

Your power is awesome. Your knowledge is endless. I’m afraid to go through life without seeking you daily and without checking in with you as often as I can think to do so throughout the day (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). I respect you God, sure, and I know that I would never want to be your enemy. I’m not afraid of that though. I fear my own foolish pride that would make me try to go it on my own.

I don’t fear the world, Lord. Fear would love to overcome me and have me tied up in knots; useless. That’s not who I am! That’s not who you created me to be. In you, Jesus, my Lord, I am more than a conqueror. You’ve got this. The enemy would love for me to believe that I can’t do this and I’m doomed to fail. I will not buy into that half truth! I can’t do this, but in you, Jesus, I can do this and a whole lot more! I trust you, Lord. I fear you as the Lord of my life, and I know that you are on my side.

I thank you for showing me mercy in the name of Jesus. I come against any power that wants me to be an enemy of God in the name of Jesus. Lord, today, I receive grace to walk in Your fear, in the name of Jesus.

How Can Good Come from Something So Bad?

When we experience tragedy and loss, it seems impossible that anything good can come out of it. It may be hard to imagine ever feeling true happiness again. And even though God promises that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purposes" (Romans 8:28), in disastrous situations we may wonder how in the world God can actually do that for us. The truth is He can, no matter how bad our situation. How He does it, only He knows. But it doesn't happen automatically. There are conditions that have to be met.

Most importantly of all, we must love God. If we don't love God, or if we're mad at Him and have an angry, resentful, bitter, unforgiving, or hateful attitude, then this promise will not be fulfilled in our life. God knows what is in our hearts, so we can't hide it from Him. He works all things together for good to those who love Him, and He knows if we really love Him or not.

Loving God doesn't mean we just pray when we want something, as if God were a spiritual Santa Claus, a Sugar Daddy, or our fairy Godfather. Of course He wants us to ask for things in accordance with His will. In fact, He says we don't have certain blessings because we don't ask for them. But He wants us to love Him enough to not just tell Him what we want without asking what He wants. In other words, we can't just ignore His laws or reject His ways and then run to Him demanding that He protect us and give us everything we long for. The Bible does not say that all things work together for good to those who deny God's existence until disaster strikes and then run to Him and demand that He fix everything that's wrong. That is not loving God.

Loving God is a way of life that does not depend on circumstances. It depends on our knowledge of who God is. When we know who He is, we can't help but love Him. It means trusting Him with all our heart and walking with Him through each day, no matter how difficult it may be. It means always knowing that God is on our side, whether it feels like it at the moment or not. It means praying with the leading of the Holy Spirit and refusing to give in to fear and doubt.

PRAYER POWER 

Lord, I draw close to You and proclaim You to be Lord and King over all heaven and earth. I thank You that Your goodness, mercy, and righteousness endure forever (1 Chronicles 16:34). I praise You according to Your righteousness, and I sing praises to Your name, O Lord most high (Psalm 7:17). Your name is excellent over all the earth (Psalm 8:1). I praise You for Your mighty acts according to Your excellent greatness (Psalm 150:2). I worship You and I love You, Lord.

May my prayers be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice (Psalm 141:2). I give glory to Your name. To You, O Lord, I lift my soul, and the soul of my nation. Let us not be put to shame. Do not permit our enemies to triumph over us (Psalm 25:1-2).

Lord, as the body of Christ we are weary of watching the enemy, whom You defeated on the cross, run roughshod over people and destroy their lives. We are disgusted by our own compromised prayers. We confess that we haven't been willing to lay down enough of our lives to see them break through the darkness with power. Renew us and revive us, Lord. Fill us afresh with Your Holy Spirit. Break down the strongholds in our lives that stand in opposition to You and Your ways. Help us to be doers of the Word and not just hearers only. Work a profound spiritual awakening in Your people all over this land.

Lord, you have said that You are "able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" (Ephesians 3:20). I know that means You can do more than we ever dreamed. I invite You to do that in me, in Your people, and in our country. Ignite a fire in our hearts that illuminates for us the possibilities of what can happen when we pray. Move the hearts in this nation into alignment with Your will.

I ask for Your grace to be poured out upon our nation. Only You can bring good out of the evil and destruction that has been manifested here. Show me how I may be of service to You in that regard. Help me not to shrink back when you call me into the storm. Shine Your light into our darkness and evaporate it. Help those of us who believe to extend Your light to others. Thank You, Lord, that You have put gladness in our hearts once again (Psalm 4:7) and are even now making all things work together for good in our nation.

~Bits and Pieces of THE POWER OF A PRAYING NATION

Jesus Always Daily Devotions | A Hidden Treasure

“When you come looking for me, you’ll find me.  “Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” -Jeremiah 29:13 | MSG

The Light of My Presence shines on every moment of your life - past, present, and future. I knew you before the creation of the world, and I have Loved you with a Love that lasts forever.  You are never alone, so look for Me in everything that happens in your day. Search for Me as you would search for a hidden treasure. Try to "see" Me no matter what's going on. Don't let hard times, busy times, or even happy times keep you from finding Me. 

Sometimes I let you know I'm with you in great and glorious ways that can't be missed.  Other times, I show Myself in simple, quiet ways that only you can see.   Ask Me to open your eyes and your heart to notice all the time and ways I speak to you.

As you go through this day, remind yourself to look for the Light of My Presence shining in your life. Don't think only about worldly worries or the things you need to do.  Instead, think about Me; watch for the ways I'm with you in every moment.  Search for me.  And when you search for me with all your heart you will find me! ~Bits and Pieces of JESUS ALWAYS DEVOTIONS~SARAH YOUNG

More Scripture:  Ephesians 1:4; Jeremiah 31:3; Psalm 89.15

Ephesians 1:3-6 MSG | The God of Glory | How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.

Jeremiah 31:3-6 MSG | This is the way God put it | “They found grace out in the desert, these people who survived the killing. Israel, out looking for a place to rest, met God out looking for them!”  God told them, “I’ve never quit loving you and never will.  Expect love, love, and more love! And so now I’ll start over with you and build you up again, dear virgin Israel.  You’ll resume your singing,  grabbing tambourines and joining the dance.  You’ll go back to your old work of planting vineyards on the Samaritan hillsides, And sit back and enjoy the fruit—oh, how you’ll enjoy those harvests!  The time’s coming when watchmen will call out from the hilltops of Ephraim: ‘On your feet! Let’s go to Zion, go to meet our God!’”

Psalm 89:15-18 MSG | God! Let the cosmos praise your wonderful ways, the choir of holy angels sing anthems to your faithful ways!  Search high and low, scan skies and land, you’ll find nothing and no one quite like God. The holy angels are in awe before him; he looms immense and august over everyone around him.  God-of-the-Angel-Armies, who is like you, powerful and faithful from every angle?  You put the arrogant ocean in its place and calm its waves when they turn unruly. You gave that old hag Egypt the back of your hand, you brushed off your enemies with a flick of your wrist. You own the cosmos—you made everything in it, everything from atom to archangel. You positioned the North and South Poles; the mountains Tabor and Hermon sing duets to you. With your well-muscled arm and your grip of steel—nobody messes with you! The Right and Justice are the roots of your rule; Love and Truth are its fruits. Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise, who shout on parade in the bright presence of God. Delighted, they dance all day long; they know  who you are, what you do—they can’t keep it quiet! Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us—you’ve been so good to us! We’re walking on air! All we are and have we owe to God, Holy God of Israel, our King!

PRAYER: Father God, sometimes I get lost and lose sight of you. I can fall into routines where I lose track of what’s important. Help me to not be lost. I want to seek You and your glory with all my heart. Give me an eternal perspective and stay committed to serving You. Bless me with an undivided heart, one that seeks you as the first and ordering priority of my life. Forgive me, Father, for letting other things distract my focus from you and interfere with my service to your Kingdom. Fill me with a holy passion for Kingdom matters above all other concerns and interests. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.