He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.             Isaiah 33:6, NIV (1978)

Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul.          Matthew 10:28, NASB (1995)

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.          I John 4:8, NASB (1995)

 

On this fourth day of our 30 days to change your life, we get to the heart of the matter. The reason most people want to change their life in the first place is because we are afraid of something - often many somethings!

 

We are afraid of losing our jobs, of having our financial house collapse, and of becoming homeless. We are afraid of losing our health, or our loved ones, or our most treasured relationships. We are afraid of being robbed, or having our homes invaded, or of being killed. We are afraid to turn on the news sometimes, and at the same time we are afraid not to watch the news for fear of missing something we need to know about. We are afraid and we turn to substance abuse, then we become addicted and afraid that we won't be able to get that substance to continue that abuse.

 

Is it no wonder then that one of the most popular product slogans ever dreamed up was "Ne fear"? We all like the idea of getting to that point so we buy the product and put the slogan on signs in our offices and bumper stickers affixed to our cars.

 

We hate our fear and are often shamed by it, but it still has a subtle way of creeping in and ruling our lives.

 

It seems the only thing that men do not have a fear of these days is God - of this fact many will proudly admit to. The irony, however, is just this: If we fear God, we don't have to fear anything else, but if we don't fear God. then we will indeed fear just about everything.

 

The solution, then, is simple. I say simple in the fact that it is not hard to understand, but it will be anything but simple to implement: In order to get rid of all these very human fears that we possess, we are going to have to learn to fear God! But what do we mean by this phrase, "Fear God"?

 

As we read the Bible, we will find a number of aspects that go into this fear. First, we must respect God and honor His holiness. In other words, there must be a reverence in the way we view and approach God. Second, we must understand that the fear of God, despite what modern men may claim, does involve a certain amount of terror! Not a terror that He will indiscriminately look for ways to punish you every time you make a mistake or fall into sin, but a healthy terror of knowing that He does indeed punish those who transgress His commandments and who have no sorrow or repentance for having done so. These are the people who need not only to fear everything, but especially God's punishment, for He has promised an eternity in a very real Hell for those who refuse to walk in His ways. That is the terror side of the fear we must have for God!

 

Let's face it - those of us who had good parents loved them, but we also feared what they would do to us if we broke their rules.

 

But there needs to be a quick explanation for this type of fear: God loves us and has made provisions for every man and woman to have a chance to escape this punishment. The same God who created Hell is the same God who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to die for our sins. And speaking of this sacrifice and love, Jesus loved us so much that He went through the pain and humiliation of the cross because He loved us so much the He was willing to take our punishment for our sins.

 

So, the fear of God can only be properly understood with a clear view of His love. The wages of sin is indeed death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). Furthermore, all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God but still have the opportunity to be justified by His grace that is made available by the redemption of Jesus our Savior (Romans 3:23-24). 

 

Now, let's get to the crux of the matter: If you fear God, you do not need to fear anything or anyone else. This of course does not mean that we are bullet=proof and now insulated from the consequences of natural occurrences or bad decisions or the sins of other people, but it does mean that we don't have to worry about our lives because God will take care of those who love Him and who walk in obedience to His commandments. The fact is that we could die tomorrow (some people will) but if we are saved, our lives will never know any more pain or suffering or death ever again! God has us covered in the big thing, so we no longer have to worry about the little ones.

 

Now I realize that the things we go through in life seem big, now, but think about this: If you truly are saved, what bad things that happen to you in this life, no matter how distressing or painful they are at the time, could possibly affect your eternity? Do those who by God's grace make it to heaven really believe that heaven will be spoiled somehow because of something that happened to them while on earth? I suspect there is nothing that could happen to us in our physical lives that will in any way mess up or joy in heaven.

 

But in order to enjoy this wonderful prospect, we are going to have to turn our lives over to God and Christ. This means that we are going to have to trust them, even when things seem dismal here on earth. Never forget, we are going to heaven! We don't deserve such a blessing, to be sure, but God has made a covenant, and agreement if you will, for all who will be faithful to Him. And for those who have already "blown" their faithfulness? All they have to do is come back to God on His terms. Easy to say and hard to do, I know, but there it is!

 

If you want to be freed from fear in this life, you are going to have to start fearing God! But if you will do this, there is no room in your heart for fear of anything else, because perfect love casts away fear. It always has, and it always will!