The fear of the Lord is a powerful spiritual force. It can keep us on the right path in life, and it can keep us out of trouble. The fear of the Lord is so important for our well-being, and yet it seems to be lacking in the church world today.
What is the fear of the Lord? It is a reverence for God and the things of the Lord. It’s a deep
respect for the holiness of God and a godly fear of displeasing our Heavenly Father.
It is not the kind of fear some people have experienced because they believe God is waiting to punish them when they make a mistake. A genuine reverence for the Lord should be motivated by our love for our Heavenly Father. We love God so much, and we’re so deeply grateful for everything He’s done for us that we desperately want to please Him. And we don’t want to do anything that would hurt or displease our Father.
I thank God that the fear of the Lord was instilled in me from the time I was a child. Growing up, we were taught to have a godly respect for the things of God. We were taught that you should show reverence for the house of God because it is sacred. I believe we would experience more of God’s power and presence if we would reverence Him more and get back to that godly fear of the Lord!
God Is Always With You
When I was a little girl, my daddy told me, “Honey, God is with you every moment of the day. You may hide something from your dad, but you’re never going to hide it from the Lord.” So I developed the guideline early in life: if God were here with me, would I be doing what I’m doing right now?
We would all be more careful about our words and actions if we had the attitude that our Heavenly Father is with us at all times, and He sees and hears everything we do and say.
When you think about the Lord seeing everything you do, it might cause you to wonder if He would be pleased with what you’ve been doing today. Knowing that He hears everything you say might make you examine the words that come out of your mouth when you get upset.
Guard yourself continually. Always keep in mind that God is looking at you. It’s not worth engaging in activities that are displeasing to Him. The cost is too high, and it could damage your relationship with your Heavenly Father.
The more we honor and reverence the Lord, the more we’ll experience His presence and miracle-working power!Lynette Hagin
Keep Your Conscience Tender
Every day I make an effort to keep my conscience tender to the Lord. I want it to prick me immediately if I stray from the things God desires me to do. Why? Because it’s the convicting power of God that leads, guides, and directs me throughout my life.
Growing up, I remember how the preachers would deliver, fiery sermons about Heaven and hell and the consequences of sin. By the time they had finished preaching, the entire congregation was ready to flock to the altar and repent. We knew we were already right with God, but we wanted to get right with Him again to be on the safe side!
I don’t sense the fear of the Lord in our services the way I did during my early years. In some cases, I believe people’s consciences have become hardened, which may be one of the reasons why their prayers aren’t being answered.
You may have realized that your conscience has become seared. You may be so hardened in certain areas that it doesn’t bother you when you do something wrong. That’s a dangerous state to be in. God has placed your conscience within you as a guideline. If you’re not sensitive to your conscience and the leading of the Holy Spirit, you are going to miss out!
God is always trying to lead and guide you. If you want to experience all the good things He has prepared for you, you must keep your heart tender to Him.
“Go and Sin No More”
Some people have trampled on their conscience for so long they don’t have any idea how to have a godly, holy fear of their Heavenly Father. But thank God, our conscience can be restored!
There are several things we can do if we want our conscience to become more tender to the Lord. First, as we continually obey God’s Word, our conscience will become more sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Also, the more time we spend in prayer and communing with our Heavenly Father, the more receptive our spirits will be to hearing His voice.
God is a God of grace and mercy. When we miss the mark, all we have to do is ask Him to forgive us. But we do need to repent and be truly sorry for the things we’ve done wrong. We also need to be deeply grateful for the grace of God that sets us free from our sins.
If you’ve asked God to forgive you, know that He has. However, always remember the words of Jesus—go and sin no more (John 8:11).
No matter what you’ve been delivered from, the enemy will always try to make you slip back into sin. But don’t let Satan bring the things of the world back into your life. Don’t entertain those temptations again.
Stay Close to the Savior
There are many reasons why we should desire to have a fear of the Lord operating in our lives. The most important reason is that we love our Heavenly Father and want to stay close to Him. Our relationship with Him should be the most precious thing in the world to us. It should be so important that we wouldn’t want anything to come between our Savior and us.
As we maintain a conscience that is tender towards God, it will strengthen our relationship with Him. And the more we honor and reverence the Lord, the more we’ll experience His presence and miracle-working power!
Want to Learn More?
Go to bit.do/freedom-from-sin to watch Lynette Hagin’s WBS 2018 message, “Living Free From Sin’s Power.”
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Lynette Hagin
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