Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but
whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.
Proverbs 29:25
The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble. Proverbs 19:23
Introduction
I know there are so many scriptures in the Bible that tell us not to be afraid but yet there are also scriptures that tell you about fearing God. Obviously this implies that there is a difference. The fear of God involves doing what is right according to the word of God. The other fear involves being afraid of man or your circumstances.
I believe who we fear will determine how we live. Many of us were afraid of our parents because we knew if we did something wrong, we will get chastise heavily and so we live our best to avoid punishment. On the other hand, some of us were not afraid of our parents so we didn’t care how we live and so we did what we wanted to do and suffer the consequences in the end.
Today, more than ever, the world is encouraging people to live how they feel without any fear and as a result the world is full of Chaos.
Someone mentioned to me on Monday that the biggest problem we have in our country is that many of us do not fear God. That statement resonated with me and I pondered on those words and hence this article.
Fear God
If we fear God, we will live to honour and please him. Too many of us are hypocrites, quoting scriptures, telling people you will pray for them but our hearts are far from God. In fact, some of us are planning the downfall of others, some of us are not speaking to others, and some of us are rejoicing at the fall of others. If we fear God, this will not be our actions. Rather than tearing each other down, we will be lifting each other up.
Some of us are married and are in relationship with others at the same time. Do you not fear God? If you fear God, you will not be in multiple relationships at the same time.
Some of us are very dishonest. If we fear God, we will tell the truth.
Some of us are in positions of authority and are blocking appointments and recommendations. If you fear God, you will do the right thing.
If we fear God, we can alleviate or eliminate premarital sex, gangs, the use of drugs, guns and alcohol because God forbids us to live like this.
If we fear God, we will not mistreat or take advantage of others.
Do not fear Man
Many of us fear Man and so we live our life either being afraid of man or trying to please man. Do not fear man for the word said that the fear of man is like a snare. The fear of Man is not the solution to our problems.
There are too many issues in the World that are not being addressed especially by Christians. One of the primary reasons is the fact that we are afraid of man. We are afraid that we will not get any support, we are afraid that if we speak out, we may lose an opportunity for a contract or job. With God on your side, there is no need to fear Man, after all promotion comes from God.
Some individuals have elevated themselves so high that they think they are untouchable and they intimidate others. They may have a lot of money, power, influence, but do not be fearful of them, otherwise you will be living your life being afraid of man or you will live a life pleasing Man.
Conclusion
We can have a better environment if we choose to fear God. Each day of our lives, we are faced with temptations that are contrary to the word of God but if we fear God, we will resist the temptations. Sometimes we fall for the temptations, and we think about the consequences afterwards. Even if you fall, get up and try not to make the same mistake twice. Always have the fear of God in your life. In fact, each time you are about to do something or say something, be fearful of God. If you are fearful of God, you would do the right thing and say the right thing.