The Bible tells us that the healthiest thing we can do is to fear God. And not only is this fear healthy but it is our duty. (Ecclesiastes 12:13) tells us: “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.” (Proverbs 16:6) also shares: “…And by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.” My friends having a holy reverence or fear of God is the best way I know of to do His will and avoid sinning. For the more we fall in love with Jesus the more we will reverence Him and hold Him in holy awe. And the last thing we will want to do is to do anything that brings reproach to His name.
I love what Oswald Chambers said about fear: “The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.”1 When we don’t fear God we are outside of His protective shield and basically we are on our own to live our lives. And I can tell you from experience that before I came to Jesus, my life was full of fears and uncertainty. Living without divine guidance meant I had to use my own wisdom and resources to journey through life and as a result I ran my life into the ground. I had no real joy or peace, no real purpose, and as a result I was deathly afraid of the future. Thus without God I basically lived a life of fear.
But praise God once I gave my heart to Jesus and began to develop a holy fear of the Lord everything changed in my life. As I have matured in my walk with Jesus and my fear and reverence for my Savior has increased, my fears of the uncertainty of life have dramatically decreased. God now floods my soul with deep joy, peace, and meaning. Even when my enemies attack me I know that with Jesus at my side I need not fear because He has my back! My Christian walk is now one of excitement knowing that no matter what negative circumstances come my way I need not fear because my heavenly Father will work them out for ultimate good.
I now look at having a healthy fear of the Lord as a friend and not a foe. And with God at my side, I need not fear anything for not only is He is my rock, my shield, and my mighty fortress, but most of all He is the one who will never leave me nor forsake me!
1 Quote by Oswald Chambers: “The remarkable thing about God is that when you…” (goodreads.com)