Where did our fear God

WHERE DID OUR FEAR GO? (A Must Read) 

It's just amazing how much God has made spiritual things more accessible for the believer. If you've studied the Old Testament, then you must have seen how much importance God places on fearing Him, and how He distinguishes those who fear Him. When He told Satan about Job, asides the fact that job was blameless and upright, God clearly mentioned that Job feared Him. Because of this fear of God in Job, he had access to divine secrets that made him the richest man in the East, as at that time. 

David wasn't blameless and upright like Job, but his fear of the Lord gave him a special place in God's heart. I read something in Ecclesiastes 8:12-13 that touched me. That scripture says, "Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God". Just look at that! God may endure the sins of a sinner even hundred times, because He can still sense the fear of God in that Sinner. The only time He cuts off a sinner is if that sinner no longer fears Him, a state the scripture calls "wickedness". In God's eyes, a sinner who does evil is not necessarily a wicked person.

When we say "fear", I don't mean to be afraid; rather, I mean to be in awe of God, or have reverence for Him. It's that feeling of being privileged, or being at His mercy everyday. It's that feeling of not being or having anything special yet being mended or managed by God. I have a broken pen on my office table which I could have disposed a long time ago, but I decided to hold it together with a cellotape - so that I can continue using it. I have other pens, the same color, even on the same table, but I still kept that mended pen. If that pen had feelings, wouldn't it be in awe of me? I can afford a thousand new ones, even better ones, yet I chose to manage a broken one. 

It might surprise you to know that many people who live in sin have this fear in them. And as long as they have that fear in them, God may decide to keep managing or enduring them. Just as that scripture says, the only time God cuts them off is when the fear of Him can no longer be found in them. It means they've become wicked. 

The fear of the Lord was a big deal in the Old Testament. God could literally entrust great things into your hands just because you fear Him. Another instance would be how He made a covenant of life and peace with Levi. Let's see how scriptures put it:

Malachi 2:

4. And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. 

5. My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. 

6. The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. 

7. For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. 8. But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts.  

Did you notice verse 5? God gave Levi a covenant of life and peace because he feared Him. If God could enter such a covenant with a man, then what can God not do for those that fear Him? Painfully, in verse 8, God reveals that the same covenant of peace had been corrupted because the people no longer feared God. 

Fast forward to Jesus's earthly ministry, Prophet Isaiah prophesied that one of the 7 Spirits that would be upon Jesus would be the Spirit of the fear of the Lord. Let's see how scriptures put it:

Isaiah 11:

1. And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 

2. And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 

3. And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD... 

Look at that! How is it that 7 Spirits joins forces to amplify the fear of God in one person's life. Can you see how powerful the fear of God is? King Solomon captured the power of fearing the Lord in his proverbs. Let's see two of them:

Proverbs 9:

10. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom... 

Proverbs 15:

33. The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom... 

No wonder Jesus was so full of wisdom and truth. The fear of the Lord had a voice, and that voice is wisdom. Those who fear God supernaturally operate in unusual wisdom in this world. And according to scriptures, wisdom is measured by creative works. Think of all the bible characters that had the fear of the Lord in them, all of them did amazing things in this world. 

Painfully, we live in a generation where the fear of God is scarce. A generation that treats God as though they created Him. Even among Christians, you'd hardly sense that fear. Where is our fear for God? When last did you shiver when the thought of God crossed your mind? When last did you feel reverence when the name of Jesus was mentioned?

The good news is, God is so intentional about us, that He gave us the Holy Spirit, whom also is an embodiment of all the 7 Spirits of God that Jesus carried. This means that we can ask the Holy Spirit for the Spirit of the fear of the Lord, and He'd lavishly pour that Spirit in us. According to scriptures, God will always give the Holy Spirit to those that ask Him. 

I got to the office this morning and I just found myself asking Jesus to put the Spirit of the fear of the Lord upon me. Suddenly, I began to worship in new songs, making utterances I never would have imagined. The thoughts of His awesomeness just filled my heart, and I was just in awe. One of the things that the Spirit of the fear of the Lord does is to make you more conscious of your nothingness before God. That's exactly how I started feeling as I worshipped with those words, nothing! This feeling of nothingness before Him will help you build a better relationship with Him and ofcourse, elimate the risk of ending up like Nebuchadnezzar or even Herod.

As you wake up everyday, remind yourself that you're nothing before Him. Even if you're the king in your community, you're still nothing before Him. Don't ever let what you are in this world compete with what you are before Him; that's a very unhealthy competition. Wear your crown outside, but when you come before the Lord Most High, you take off your crown and bow, as nothing. 😭😭 (I'm honestly weeping as I write this). 

I hope this has brought enlightenment to someone.

Remain ever blessed, in Jesus precious name!