hey there!!
People often ask what it means to fear God. Does it mean we believe in him because we are afraid of what he might do if we don't? Does it mean we believe in him out of fear for our eternity?
The answer to both is NO.
When the Bible talks about fearing God- it means to be in awe of God, to have respect, reverence, and trust in God. When you fear God, you should feel liberated- not bondage or obligation. In which case, when you fear God- you should be at peace, knowing he's got your back.
What happens many times though, is we tend to fear people more than we fear God. This brings on bondage and sometimes sin. How? Let me elaborate.
Let's say you are feeling pressure from your parents, or guidance counselor, or friends about your future plans after high school. You decide to please them out of fear you may let them down- so, instead of waiting on God, you take things into your own hands. This could lead you down a path of unwanted twists and turns that you would've avoided if you had feared God more than people.
How could fearing people more than God bring on sin?
Let's look at the story of Peter in John 18. Peter, one of Jesus' disciples- a very outspoken follower, denied knowing Jesus three different times- because he was more fearful of what people would think of him, let's face it he may have been arrested.
A lack of trust in God means you are trusting more in yourself and others. If you are not in awe of God, you are in awe of yourself or others- and in doing so, you desire to be recognized more by others than by God.
Human recognition is temporal and could lead to harm, but God's recognition is eternal and leads to safety.
Do you have hopes and dreams? Give them up to God in prayer and sit back in his safety, trusting him enough to bring those hopes and dreams to pass for you as you walk in his guidance. This is not to say you can't take advice from people you trust or that you can't trust your own intuition- but the questions you need to ask yourself are:
Am I trusting people first and foremost?
Am I willing do anything it takes to please myself or others?
Am I more worried about honoring the expectations of others than I am of God's expectations of me?
Do I look for self gratification more than God's affirmation?
Is my success dependent on what people say about me?
If you answered yes to all or most of these, then you fear people more than you fear God.
You need to pray for God's liberating power to take over in your life- you need to read into the Bible about how awesome and amazing God is- be reminded why you chose to live for him. Capture the kind of fear in God that says, "I don't care what other people say, my hope and trust is in the Lord!!"
I love you guys dearly,
Pam S.
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