This is the whole duty of man. Fear God and keep His commandments. Is that a great verse or what?! After all his exasperated venting in Ecclesiastes, Solomon summed it up with the sane unbiased truth. Our duty as human beings is simply to fear the Lord. If we do this, we will experience God’s best all the days of our lives. We’ll have heaven on earth (Deuteronomy 11:21). This fear fuels our faith. I want to take you on a journey through the Word and show you some of the benefits offered to Christians for doing their duty of fearing the Lord. Some you will be familiar with, and some you may learn for the first time. Take hold of them all and renew your mind; reject the fear that attempts to hold you captive and cling to the fear that makes you free!

The fear of the Lord gives men wisdom and causes them to prosper. No lack is a result of possessing it. Godly fear provides protection for your children and lengthens your days. So why are so many people, Christians in particular, living with the debilitating tormenting fear caused by the evil one? I answered that question in part one of this series, Fear’s Worst Enemy,—they do not trust God. Furthermore, Christians lack the proper form of Godly reverence and awe (fear) required to successfully live the Christian life. Coupled with complete trust in God, the fear of the Lord will bring you to a perfect place.

This is what God has always wanted for His people. Study the Old Testament and note the instances where people actually confessed they were afraid of men because God was with them. The following chapters are references of individuals and/or nations fearing God’s people: Genesis 20, 26 and 50; Exodus 1; Joshua 2; 2 Chronicles 17. Micah wrote, “they shall be afraid of the Lord our God, and shall fear because of thee (v. 17:7).”

It is our duty to fear the Lord. If I fear the Lord I automatically follow His commands. In my mind, the two can’t be separated. Disobedience is an indication that I do not fear God. Dread and anxiety in my life imply that I doubt the truth of God’s Word—I don’t trust Him or fear (stand in awe and revere) Him. It’s a tough pill to swallow. Fearing God means that I obey Him. When I obey Him, He is OBLIGATED (yes, you can obligate God) to perform all the good things He promised (Deuteronomy 28). It’s a chain reaction. Fear God. Obey His commands. Live in the Blessing. Fuel my faith.

Below I’ve listed 21 benefits of fearing the Lord. Each promise is accompanied by its verse. Meditate on these and confess them over your life. This fear will not only fuel your faith, but it will eradicate anxiety and dread from your life.

1. Length of Days (Deuteronomy 6:2)
2. Helps you lead and make godly decisions (2 Chronicles 19:7)
3. Brings honor from the Lord (Psalm 15:4)
4. Causes you to worship (Psalm 33:8)
5. You will lack nothing (Psalm 34:9)
6. Releases you from the fear of man (Psalm 56:4)
7. You will be Blessed by God (Psalm 115:13)
8. Is Clean (Psalm 19:9)
9. You will be blessed in your labor (Psalm 128:2)
10. Your spouse and children will be blessed (Psalm 128:3)
11. Is the Beginning of Wisdom (Psalm 111:10) *wisdom is the proper application of knowledge
12. Is the Beginning of Knowledge (Proverbs 1:7) *knowledge is the information you know
13. Causes hate for evil (Proverbs 8:13)
14. Brings confidence (Proverbs 14:26)
15. Is a fountain of life (Proverbs 14:27)
16. Delivers from evil (Proverbs 16:6)
17. Brings riches, honor and life (Proverbs 22:4)
18. It will be well with you (Ecc 8:12)
19. Is the key to your treasure (Isaiah 33:6)
20. The Lord hears and remembers you (Malachi 3:16)
21. Causes you to witness (2 Corinthians 5:11)

Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.—Psalm 33:8

What a list! Now go on in faith and do your duty! Fear God. Obey His commands. Live in the Blessing. Fuel your faith.

Be blessed friends, and have the perfect day everyday!

Shontta

Throughout the Bible human beings were always fascinated with the experience of seeing God. This may have been one of the reasons for manmade gods. I suppose that the people who made these idols wanted to be able to see and touch the beings they worshiped. When all along, God Almighty had given man a picture of Himself—man was the image of God. All that needed to be done to see God was to see a human being. In Genesis 1:26 God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Despite this fact being rehearsed through generations, Jesus disciples still wanted to see the Lord.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.

—John 14:6-11

OK, so how can you not love this passage of Scripture! Focus on the way Jesus spoke. The surety of His words is so powerful. He had no doubt about who He was or what He was saying. We are supposed to behave the same way. The first blessing God ever gave us was to create us in His image! Why? So we could do the same works and greater! I am excited as I write this—it’s a true revelation. Jesus told the disciples that by seeing Him they had seen the Father. And as a part of the Acts generation, not only are we made in the image of God, we also have the Christ in us! Are you feeling me?! This is why I can say that everyday I see the Lord. Jesus lives in me and my physical body is in the likeness of the Father.

This is another reason why we cannot focus on what we see on the outside of people. No matter what they may be doing with their bodies, they were not originally created for or by evil. Psalm 100:3 tells us, “Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” And in Psalm 139:13-16 David continues, “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.”

People were created by God. So whenever we look at someone, we should be looking through the eyes of God. By giving you and me His image, He was able to give us His power. The Blessing can flow through us because we’ve been made the righteousness of God in Christ. We were made a little lower than Elohim! You have to get this. Let’s close with Hebrews.

“You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet.” In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.

—Hebrews 2:7-11 NIV

You look just like your Father. You have His eyes and you possess His power. You’ve been blessed in His image. Don’t go around wishing you could see God or touch Him. As you read His word and pray, you will see more of Him in you and all around you. You will be just as confident as Jesus was when He told the disciples that they had seen the Father by seeing Him. When you witness and work for the Lord you will be able to tell others, “When you look at me, you are looking at the Lord.”

Be blessed friends, and have the perfect day everyday!

Psalm 138:8

—Shontta