It’s important for us, as children of God, to know and understand what it means to fear God. When we understand the Fear of God, there will be a turnaround in our lives and a greater manifestation of the favour and blessings of God. The Bible says it is the duty of man to fear God, to fear God is to give reverence and honour to him.
Ecclesiastes 12:13
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man
What is it to Fear God?
1. To Fear God is to keep His Commandments (subscribing to his will)
The Commandments of God shed light and give direction on how man can walk and function in the perfect will of God. A person who fears God is addicted to the will of God, and they make it a point to accomplish his will no matter what. The commandments of God are found in the Word of God (Joshua 1:8), and the commands of God should be put to work daily in talk and in action.
2. To Fear God is to live to give pleasure to God
It is to live beyond people’s wants. A man was created to have constant communion with God, and in this communion, he gives pleasure to God. In Genesis, God said “Let us create man in our own image after our own likeness”. This was because he wanted to have relations with his creation.
3. To Fear of God is to hate evil
Evil is anything and everything that doesn’t fall in line with the will of God (Proverbs 8:13, Ephesians 5:11). To fear God is to be addicted to righteousness and allergic to unrighteousness. When men Fear God, they reject evil and they don’t compromise.
4. To Fear God is to live in consideration of others
When men serve God, they serve people. The Bible says, Let your light shine before men (Matthew 5:13–14). When men fear God, they treat others in a way that draws them to God.
Fruits Of Fearing God
1. A Secure Future
Nothing secures the future of men more than the fear of God. When you walk in the fear of God, the future will stop being black and unattainable because the God you fear will preserve your future. The young man Joseph in the book of Genesis walked in the Fear of God, and he had a secured future. He rose from his jail cell to become the prime minister of Egypt at the age of 30. (Genesis 39:9, Genesis 42:18)
2. Destiny Is Secure
When you walk in the Fear of God, your destiny will be secure; you will walk in the preordained pathways of God and become the very person God made you to be. Walking on preordained pathways means walking in the perfect will of God (Romans 12:2). Men and Women whose destinies were secure were neither afraid nor ashamed to do the will of God, even if it was the opposite of what everyone else was doing. Joseph was given the coat of many colours by his father because he was obedient enough to report all the evil his brothers did. He went on to become prime minister and save Pharaoh and the whole of Egypt from hunger.
3. A life full of Impact and Results
Daniel walked in the Fear of God, and his life was one of impact (Daniel 1:8, Daniel 6:10). He narrated the danger that was going to befall Babylon, and he also brought the solution to the problem. Daniel was a man of results, and it all emanated from his fear of God; what otherwise men failed to interpret, he would interpret as he found his solutions and answers in his creator. Daniel’s life was full of impact; he served four Kings of Babylon; he actually saw different phases of the nation, and at each time he played a vital role in the development of the nation. Daniel served King Cyrus, King Nebuchadnezzar, King Belshazzar, and King Darius.
How does the Fear of God Secure the Future?
1. The Fear of God provides a hedge of divine protection around the people and their works. (Job 1:9, Psalms 33:18–19; 2Kings 17:39)
2. The Fear of God provokes the help of God. (Psalms 115:11) You cannot fear God and be abandoned by God. The help of God is the secret of continuity. (Acts 26:22)
3. The Fear of God gives access to the secrets of God. (Psalms 25:14) When you fear God you know what others don’t know. Reverence to God is the doorway to the revelation of God.
4. The Fear of God equals wisdom. (Job 28:28, Proverbs 9:10, Proverbs 24:3, 1 Corinthians 3:10)
5. The Fear of God guarantees the blessings of God. (Job 1:9-10)
Implications of Failing to Fear God.
When men fail to Fear God, they will become slaves to the very things they are supposed to rule over. This is evidenced in Genesis when Adam failed to walk in the Fear of God and ate the fruit that God forbade him to eat. Adam was cast out of the garden because he was no longer the master in the Garden of Eden.
When men fail to walk in the Fear of God, they will abort their destiny. This is what we see in the book of Judges when a man called Samson married a woman who was not of the family of Israel. He submitted to his wife where his strength was, and she sold him to his enemies. Samson died in chains in the hands of his enemies before his time.
When men fail to walk in the Fear of God, they become cursed. This we see in the gospels; Judas Iscariot became cursed when he sold Jesus to the Pharisees. Judas knew that Jesus was the Son of God and that he was innocent, but he still sold him for 30 pieces of silver, and for that, he was cursed.