Fear of the Lord

Night after night on the evening news, I cringe as I watch in horror all of the violent rioting, shooting, burning, looting, and blasphemous words on the lips of large masses of crowds that have congregated in major cities within the United States (and other countries too). These people THINK they are JUSTIFIED in their violent actions. In-fact, the Mainstream Media, along with many LIBERAL Democratic lawmakers and educators, have been encouraging and supporting this violence, creating a false legitimacy for this type of behavior. Just today, a Rhode Island Professor declared that the Portland activist who murdered a member of a Patriot prayer group last week was “morally justified”. In this man’s mind, and in the minds of countless others, it is morally justified to KILL, STEAL, and DESTROY as long as the victim has been labeled a “fascist” by the far left. Immediately, I felt God’s Holy Spirit within me recoil. How can SO MANY people, even those who are deemed to be “highly educated”, be SO DECEIVED?

They are DECEIVED because they DO NOT FEAR GOD! Where there is no fear of God in the land, there is DECEPTION, chaos, anarchy, killing, looting, and burning.

There has always been evil on planet earth; however, there has also been a basic fear or reverence for God Almighty. In the United States, our LAWS and CUSTOMS are BASED on Judeo-Christian values. Historically, this reverence for God is also reflected in science, literature, and even in many older movies. The Church has always been a place of refuge for people, one in which even villains showed some respect. Remember the movie “Home Alone”? In this movie the evil villains refused to enter the Church to pursue the frightened boy. Although they were evil, they still had some idea that God is Holy, and they were afraid of God! This attitude is a reflection of the culture in which we USED to live. No more. The Church USED to be a restraining force against evil. But in today’s world, the Church has lost her light, and evil is beginning to show signs of being unrestrained, especially in some locations. When Govenors and community leaders OPENLY CRITICIZE and REJECT law enforcement and EMBRACE lawlessness, we know that evil has permeated the very fabric of our society. Honestly, how long can this continue before everything unravels? Not long.

Have you heard of Pastor Dana Coverstone? He is a Pastor in the United States who has been having dreams and visions about the chaos and upcoming destruction of America. He has been desperately calling as many to prayer as he can, in hopes that the destruction can be postponed or averted…but it’s not looking too good.

In his latest video (SEE BELOW), he described his most recent dream in great detail, a vicious, merciless attack on the statue of Liberty. A group of masked people in boats rode in during a violent storm with the intention of killing her. In his dream, Lady Liberty is a personification of the United States, Freedom and democracy. This group of masked people bound her arms and feet, tying one of her hands behind her back. She clung to the light she was holding as well as the declaration of Independence as though her life depended on it. But, they overpowered her. They cut off her hand that was holding the light, and wrapped chains around her neck. They drug her off her pedestal, and into the cold, stormy seas. They pulled her across the seas, chained to the back of their boats. She rolled and rocked violently, and eventually, she succumbed to their violent attack. Lady Liberty was dead. This is happpening now to America, and once America goes down, you can best believe the entire world will be shaken. This is all in preparation for the antichrist kingdom that is soon to come. What is their motto…”out of ashes rises the phoenix.” What we’re now seeing on the evening news every night is very well planned and orchestrated. The poor pawns in the street, rioting, looting, swearing and cursing, sometimes beating passers-by, have no idea that the very ones they serve will eventually destroy them. These PAWNS are being USED to DESTROY the current “world order”, SO THE ELITE CAN ESTABLISH THE NEW WORLD ORDER (The beast kingdom in Daniel and Revelation).

Why is God allowing all of this? Because there is NO fear of GOD in the land. The Lord placed this on my heart today. Let’s dig in deeper to gain a better understanding of the Fear of the Lord. Though the vast majority of people (EVEN CHURCHES) in the 21st century LACK the fear of the Lord, our Father God is RAISING UP a REMNANT of BELIEVERS AROUND THE WORLD in these last days, who WILL DESPLAY the FEAR OF THE LORD.

The Bible tells us that the Fear of the Lord is the BEGINNING of WISDOM.

Proverbs 8:13 states that to Fear God is to HATE evil, pride, arrogance and the perverted mouth.

Proverbs 8:13: “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverted mouth, I hate.
¹⁴ “Counsel is mine and sound wisdom;
I am understanding, power is mine.

The Bible is our authoritative source of God’s view on Good and evil. Deciding for ourselves what WE THINK is good and evil WITHOUT GOD is what got us into this mess in the first place….and will look TOTALLY DIFFERENT to each individual. Thankfully, GOD offers us the ULTIMATE INSTRUCTION on these UNCHANGING TRUTHS in HIS HOLY WORD. God is CRYSTAL CLEAR in what HE DEFINES as GOOD and EVIL. The question is, are we LISTENING? Those who FEAR GOD will hate what God hates and will love what God loves. Why? Because to FEAR GOD is to have a strong reverence and affection for God, as CHILDREN of God. Contrary to popular culture, God is the ONLY ONE who can ACCURATELY DETERMINE what is GOOD and EVIL….NOT US! All sin is evil. Sin steals, kills and destroys. Those who LOVE AND FEAR GOD will HATE SIN, even and especially their own sin! Blessed are those who mourn (their own sin), for they shall be comforted.

The fear of the LORD is the greatest duty and goal of life. Israel’s King Solomon had SAMPLED everything that this earthly life has to offer…riches, lust, luxury, decadent living. The world was his “oyster”. He denied himself NOTHING, and in whatever was his heart’s desire, he indulged himself. Here was a man, GIFTED by GOD with GREAT WISDOM, and yet turning from God and CHOOSING a LIFE of DEBAUCHERY. What was the end result? Solomon was left EMPTY. In the end, King Solomon came to the FINAL CONCLUSION that the primary purpose of man on this earth is to FEAR GOD and to KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS.

Ecclesiastes 12:13: The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. . ¹⁴ For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

The ultimate purpose for mankind is to fear God, and yet no man FEARS GOD by nature. The natural condition of mankind is to be at ENMITY with GOD.

Romans 8:7: Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

Psalm 36:1: Transgression (sin) speaks to the ungodly within his heart;
There is no fear of God before his eyes.

Romans 3: 10 “There is none righteous, not even one; ¹¹ There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; ¹² All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.” ¹³ “Their throat is an open grave, With their tongues they keep deceiving,” “The poison of asps is under their lips”; ¹⁴ “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”; ¹⁵ “Their feet are swift to shed blood, ¹⁶ Destruction and misery are in their paths, ¹⁷ And the path of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.

If mankind’s unregenerate, natural heart is an ENEMY of GOD, then HOW do we gain the FEAR OF THE LORD? The Fear of the Lord is the gift of God. When we RECEIVE the Lord Jesus Christ into our hearts…BELIEVING that JESUS took the PUNISHMENT THAT WE ALL OWE FOR OUR SINS, BURIED OUR SINS when HE DIED on the CROSS, and ROSE UP on the 3rd day Victorious, and when we CONFESS JESUS AS LORD…then we RECEIVE a very special GIFT…the GIFT of the HOLY SPIRIT. Holy Spirit will literally come and take up residence within the heart of the believer in Jesus. This is a GIFT of GOD and CANNOT be earned! Once a person REPENTS of SIN, and BELIEVES in JESUS CHRIST, they RECEIVE the GIFT of the HOLY SPIRIT.

Acts 2:37: Now when they heard this (Gospel message), they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” ³⁸ Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

Isaiah 11 verses 1-2 describe the Holy Spirit of God in some detail. These “7 spirits” are also seen in Revelation 4:5. Seven is the Biblical number of completion and perfection. Notice that in Isaiah 11:1, the Fear of the Lord is one of the 7 Spirits of God (Holy Spirit) that RESTS on JESUS. .…When we BELIEVE in JESUS CHRIST, we RECEIVE the GIFT of the HOLY SPIRIT. The GIFT of the Holy Spirit includes these SEVEN GIFTS also…and one of them is THE FEAR OF THE LORD! All True Believers in YAHshua (Jesus) should have the FEAR OF THE LORD.

Isaiah 11:1: Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse (JESUS CHRIST),
And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
² The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

Psalm 111:10: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments;
His praise endures forever.

In the Bible, God does not sugarcoat His attitude toward SIN. Sin is described as putrefying sores, (Isaiah 1:6,), a heavy burden (Psalm 38:4), defiling filth (Titus 1:15; 2 Corinthians 7:1), a binding debt (Matthew 6:12-15), darkness (1 John 1:6) and a scarlet stain (Isaiah 1:18). The Believer in Jesus, who FEARS the LORD, should see ALL SIN in the same light…disgusting, evil, loathsome, putrid. Our sin put Jesus on the Cross. Because of our sin, Jesus DIED a very painful and horrifying death SO THAT we could have ETERNAL LIFE. We need to consider that whenever we think about our own sin. We should LOATHE it.

Isaiah 1:6: From the sole of the foot even to the head
There is nothing sound in it,
Only bruises, welts and raw wounds,
Not pressed out or bandaged,
Nor softened with oil.

Psalm 38:4: For my iniquities (sins) are gone over my head; As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.

Titus 1:15: To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.

1 John 1:6: If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth

God hates sin because sin separates us from Him. It was sin that caused Adam and Eve to run away from God and hide “among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8). Sin always brings separation, and the fact that God hates sin means that He hates being separated from us. God is the source of life. Being separated from the source of LIFE will bring DEATH – ETERNAL DEATH and SEPARATION.

Isaiah 59:2: “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear”

God also hates sin because of its subtle deceitfulness which entices us to focus on worldly pleasure to the exclusion of God’s blessings. God hates sin because it blinds us to the truth. Sin has consequences which we often FORGET or DISREGARD. However, let’s remember…

Galatians 6:7: Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.…

God hates sin because it enslaves us and will eventually destroy us.

Romans 6:16: Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?

The Fear of the Lord is an awareness that we are in the presence of a holy, just, and almighty God and that He will hold us accountable for our motives, thoughts, words, and actions. To fear God is to desire to live in harmony with His righteous standards and to honor Him in all that we do. Does this mean that we need to attain to sinless perfection? No, nor can we while in this human flesh. But it does mean that we should DESIRE to love what God loves and hate what God hates. We should DESIRE to walk in HIS WAYS, forsaking our own. We should DESIRE to follow Jesus, no matter the cost. Those with God’s Holy Spirit should, at some point in their lives, show FRUIT.

God HATES sin, so we should ALSO hate sin. How do we know what sin is? The ONLY WAY we can UNDERSTAND SIN is to read God’s Word, the Bible. If a Bible is not available to us (because we live in certain countries with severe Christian persecution), then we should PRAY and SEEK GOD. God will make allowances for those who cannot obtain His Word. How? We don’t know, but we serve a Creative God. If someone is hungering and thirsting for the Word of God, they shall be filled..somehow, some way, God will provide. Even this one small blog contains alot of Scripture.

Proverbs 13 gives us a list of 4 SINS that God hates and that those who FEAR THE LORD will also HATE.

GOD HATES EVIL. The Hebrew word for evil is ‘Ra, which describes wickedness, causing grief or harm, hurtful, unkind, vicious, causing injury, calamity, misery, distress or wrong. Interesting that the “sun god” of ancient Egypt was named Ra. The ancient Egyptians worshiped Ra more than any other “god” and pharaohs often connected themselves with Ra in their efforts to be seen as the earthly embodiment of the “sun god”.

Ra is another name for satan, the father of lies. Jesus is the SON OF GOD. Jesus is PURE TRUE LIGHT. Ra is a false light…EVIL. The devil masquerades as an angel of light. Those who are rioting in the streets, stealing, burning, destroying..think that they are children of light, but in reality, they are IN DARKNESS, committing wicked acts of EVIL. They do not fear the LORD (YHWH, YESHUA, RUACH HAKODESH) because if they did, they would not in any way JUSTIFY breaking GOD’S COMMANDMENTS. God tells us to LOVE GOD and to LOVE NEIGHBOR as ourself. Would we burn down our own business? Would we throw bricks at ourself? No. This is an antichrist spirit.

The next sin listed in Proverbs 13 is PRIDE and arrogance. Adam and Eve fell for the temptation to believe they could be like God. Ever since, people have an innate problem relinquishing control of life and circumstance into the capable hands of God, our Creator and Father…this is PRIDE.

Psalm 10:4: “In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.”

This kind of haughty pride is the opposite of the spirit of humility that God seeks. Pride has kept many people from accepting Jesus Christ as Savior. Admitting sin and acknowledging that in our own strength we can do nothing to inherit eternal life is a constant stumbling block for prideful people.

Why is pride so sinful? Pride is giving ourselves the credit for something that God has accomplished. Pride is taking the glory that belongs to God alone and keeping it for ourselves. Pride is essentially self-worship. Anything we accomplish in this world would not have been possible were it not for God enabling and sustaining us.

1 Corinthians 4:7: “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”

That is why we give God the glory—He alone deserves it. Pride can come in the form of a RELIGIOUS PERSON or even an athiest. Pride is an equal opportunity offender, common to mankind, with some serious consequences.

Dangers of pride…

1. Not Seeking God (“No Room for God”) (Psalm 10:4)
2. Argument,s strife, conflict (Proverbs 13:10)
3. Disgrace, humiliation (Isaiah 2:12, Proverbs 11:2)
4. Putting our Trust in “self” (Luke 18:9)
5. Dangers of Spiritual Pride – Idolatry, feeling infallible, self-righteousness
6. Being resisted and punished by the Lord (James 4:6, Proverbs 16:18)

Those who fear the Lord should also hate all of these things, both in themselves and in others. God does not HATE PEOPLE…God LOVES PEOPLE, but GOD HATES SIN. This is where the Church gets that old adage “hate the sin, love the sinner”. This is what Christ followers are called to do. Fear the Lord, hate the sin, but love the sinner. The problem with today’s world is that the world tells us that the only way a sinner can be loved is by embracing their sin.

We do not naturally seek to honor God, because our sinful natures lead us to pursue selfish pleasures instead of delighting in God and discovering the joy of knowing and loving Him. Even after receiving the Holy Spirit, we must CHOOSE to WALK in the fear of the Lord.

King David PRAYED….

Psalm 86:11; “Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name” 

The following disciplines help us comprehend more of God’s greatness and more of our dependence on Him, thereby DEVELOPING and GROWING IN THE FEAR OF THE LORD.

1. CONSIDER GOD’S CREATION: When we look around at God’s creation—the majesty of towering mountains, the expanse of oceans with their high tides and low tides, the intricacy of delicate flowers, the brilliance of the sun, and the glory of our galaxy—we can catch a glimpse of how awesome our God is!
2. RESPECT GOD’S WORD: Having a high regard for the Bible, the Word of God, is an essential part of growing in the fear of the Lord. When we take time to read Scripture and commit to applying its universal, non-optional truths, we learn more about the nature of God, His ways, and our role as His people.
3. LEARN from BIBLICAL EXAMPLES: God’s glory and holiness call for our worship and submission. When people in the Bible encountered God, they instinctively demonstrated a deep reverence for Him. We can learn from these examples in our quest to fear God as we should.

The Prophet Isaiah responded with fear when he saw a vision of God.

Isaiah 6:5: Then I (Isaiah the prophet) said,

“Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

The Apostle Paul fell down in fear and trembling when he first encountered the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus.

Acts 9:3; As he (Saul/Paul) was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; ⁴ and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

When the Apostle John received the revelation about the end of the world and saw Jesus on the Isle of Patmos, he was filled with the holy fear of God: 

Revelation 1:12^:  Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 

Rev. 1:17: When I saw Him (Jesus), I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, ¹⁸ and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

• 4. The thought of God’s judgments on sin should strike fear into every heart:

Rev. 14:6:  And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; ⁷ and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.”

Finally, God ofers SPECIAL BLESSINGS and PROMISES to those who FEAR HIM…

• Strength to turn away from evil🕊️: “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil” (Proverbs 16:6).
• Knowledge“: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7).
• Wisdom: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10).
• Prolonged life: “The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened” (Proverbs 10:27).
• fountain of life:⛲ “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death” (Proverbs 14:27).
• contentment“:😊 Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith” (Proverbs 15:16).
• Healing and refreshment“:⚕️ Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones” (Proverbs 3:7–8).
• Worship: 🙌“But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple” (Psalm 5:7).
• God’s faithful provision: 🍇“O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him” (Psalm 34:9). “He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant” (Psalm 111:5).
• salvation: ✝️“Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land” (Psalm 85:9).
• Strong confidence and refuge: “In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge” (Proverbs 14:26).
• A satisfying life: “😊The fear of the Lord tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil” (Proverbs 19:23).
• The secrets of the Lord: 🤔“The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant” (Psalm 25:14).
• Experiences of God’s goodness:💕 “Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!” (Psalm 31:19).
• Deliverance from trouble: “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them” (Psalm 34:7).
• God’s mercy:✝️ “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him” (Psalm 103:11).
• The Lord’s fatherly pity: “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him” (Psalm 103:13).
• Bringing pleasure to God: 💕“The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy” (Psalm 147:11).
• Becoming God’s special treasure🪙: “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels . . .” (Malachi 3:16–17).
• To be taught the wayS of the Lord: 🏫“What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose” (Psalm 25:12).
• Holiness: “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (II Corinthians 7:1).
• submission to one another: “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God” (Ephesians 5:21).
• The fulfillment of desires: “He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them” (Psalm 145:19).

To fear the Lord is to show God Reverent affection, to love what He loves and hate what He hates. God hates pride, a nasty tongue, LIES, evil plans for harm and pretty much ALL SIN. To fear the Lord is to HATE SIN…ALL SIN! But this does NOT mean that we hate SINNERS!! Christians are called to LOVE ALL PEOPLE! (LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS AS OURSELVES). ALL People are prone to sin and are not capable of truly fearing / REVERING the Lord without God’s Holy Spirit. Sadly, even sinners (unsaved) used to have some fear of God in that they knew that there would someday be a judgment in which their sins would be judged. They might not have feared God enough to modify their behavior, but at least they had some understanding or fear of God. But in these last days, people no longer have ANY fear or respect for God. This is why we are seeing such chaos around the world. For Christians, God’s Holy Spirit will TEACH us the Fear of the Lord. We need to REMEMBER that God is not like us..HE is HOLY. When we fear the Lord, we need not fear all of the MESS that is constantly increasing in the world around us. God will HEAR, PROTECT, PROVIDE, COMFORT, and RESCUE those who FEAR HIM! Hallelujah!