Focus: Godly Fear

Text: Heb.12:28.

"Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear."

Yesterday we looked at negative fear. Today we'll look at GODLY FEAR.

Abraham demonstrates godly fear. God says to him after completing his act of obedience, "For now I know that thou FEAREST God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me" - Gen.22:12.

It takes knowing, seeing and believing in the awesome greatness of God to obey him. Just think of a man raising his hand to kill his own son only because God said! There must be something he knows of God beyond the shadow of a doubt.

Faith produces conviction in us. Godly fear is connected to faith in God. It is being aware of who God is and of what he can do. It implies the acknowledgment of God as the Lord of one's life. God is not just present, but prominent and preeminent in one's life.

Those who fear God obey Him from the heart.

Noah is another great example. Hebrews 11 says, "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house" - Heb.11:7. Remember that godly fear is always connected to faith. It is a product of faith in God. Noah builds a gigantic ark without having seen rain for the first time in his life, and the only sea close to him was too far away. He was ridiculed by the young and old as being out of his mind for embarking on such a senseless and meaningless project. But Noah persevered because he knew he had met with God. He had seen God. He had received orders from the Lord, and nothing could dissuade him from obeying God's voice.

He was moved by godly fear and faith in God, whom he had personally encountered.

Where is your fear of God? Do you fear God enough? How well do you honor God? Is God preeminent in your life?

Godly fear is essential to serving Him acceptably. I sense in my spirit that you started obeying God about something and suddenly stopped. Negative fear from the pit of hell is the problem. Finish up your act of obedience and trust God enough to do what he has promised. Amen.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter