THOSE THAT FEAR HIM - PART 1

TUESDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2024

Those that fear the Lord and those who do not fear the Lord can enjoy wealth and material blessings. However, when we talk about being blessed with every true spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ, the blessings that we receive as the blessed, come in many different ways, than that of the ungodly. Such blessings stem from the standpoint of purity, faith, joy, peace and the mindfulness of heavenly realities, and it empower us for true Christian service; in sum, all of these describe the principle of functioning in the fear of the Lord.

Reference: Psalm 33:18 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

"Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who wait for His faithfulness."

Beloved, the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Interestingly, you can't fear the Lord without being born again. "The eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him" implies the saved who have received eternal life that is in Christ Jesus; the saints who live by loving God and functioning in accordance with His purpose.

In 1st Timothy 6:12, Paul said to Timothy, "Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses" (NLT). One of the surest ways to hold tightly to the eternal life and inheritance to which God has called us is: by having the fear of the Lord. Without it, we can never attain the realisation of the ultimate purpose of the Father, which is to be filled with all the fullness of Godhead. So we lay hold on eternal life by fearing the Lord.

Did you know that God looked at wisdom and appraised it? He also confirmed it and tested it. After testing it, God Himself said to the human race, "The fear of the Lord - that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding" (See Job 28:27-28). When you read both verses with a cogitative sense, you'll observe that we are not told in a direct manner, what happens to us in the course of walking in the fear of the Lord. But if we refer back to the wordings of the prior verse, they will put us on the right track for answering the question, "What is it that we get?" True wisdom! To shun evil? Understanding!

The Greek Grammar for the word, "shun" signifies "periistémi": which means to stand around, turn around (to avoid). In other words, I deliberately avoid and shun evil properly; I turn myself about, as for the purpose of avoiding something wrong. To instantiate this verity, a story was told about a born again Christian (sister), who was invited to a hotel for a rewarding business proposal and contract. On reaching there, she was lured to have an intimate sexual relationship with the director of operations, in order to fulfil all the requirements. After soaking herself in the Spirit, she addressed the director with a wise voice, turned aside and left, thereby feeling a sense of godly relief, having avoided the misdeed. Beloved, this is a proper and practical example of shunning evil.

Until we understand the fear of the Lord, and develop an intimate relationship with His person, which is the Holy Spirit, we cannot function or manifest fully in the fear of the Lord in our "every day" reality. Those who engage the Holy Spirit in relation to His manifestation as the fear of the Lord, follow His discipline and listen to His voice. To that effect, Psalm 111:10 reads, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!" (NKJV).

To live in the fear of the Lord always is to make God to be very proud of you. "Is not your fear of God your confidence, And [is not] the integrity and uprightness of your ways your hope?" (Job 4:6 AMP). Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who wait for His faithfulness. Stay tuned for part 2. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Proverbs 1:7; Psalm 112:1; Proverbs 15:33; Psalm 128:4.

Guided Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for Christ Jesus who dwells in my heart by faith. Through the greatness of His strength, I walk in the fear of the Lord, and in the sweetness of His love, I function in the clearness of the illuminating wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, in Jesus' Name, Amen.