God wants us to grow up. (Ephesians 4:15 MSG)
Our mission statement at EKKO addresses a problem we face as Christians: that most people feel weak in their faith.
We often feel defeated or weak.
We’ve lost sensitivity to the Spirit.
We indulge in impure actions (like anger or fornication…)
We live lives of greed and are unwilling or unprepared to give of ourselves to others in our world.
We’ve been controlled by deceitful desires, instead of shaped by godly disciplines, rituals or habits.
Our feelings and attitudes dictate our days.
How did this happen? Why is our faith weak?
Our hearts have become hardened. So, how do we stop our hearts from getting hardened against God? The secret ingredient
What does it mean to Fear the Lord?
“It means to have God’s attitude toward sin, and to have a deep and healthy respect for his character and holiness.”
– Joy Dawson
The first ingredient to making sure our hearts don’t get hardened is the fear of the Lord, not love… nor obedience.
“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul.” (Deut. 10:12 NLT)
The Fear of the Lord includes reverence and respect, but it also includes actual fear and trembling. Yes, God is our loving God and Savior, but He’s also our Judge.
This isn’t just Old Testament or Old Covenant teaching. Jesus says this in the Gospel of Matthew, “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
God cares enough to bless and reward us (Hebrews 11:6), but he also cares enough to discipline us like a father to a child (Prov. 3:12).
In the book of Acts, we read about the first church that grew not only because of miracles but also because of the fear-of-the-Lord. It tells of a couple who drop dead because they lied to the Holy Spirit. Ananias and Sapphira claimed to have given all of their profits to the church.
“You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!” As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died.” (Acts 5:3-5 NLT)
As followers of God, we want miraculous healings and for God to intervene, but we do not want miraculous disciplines or God judging us.
If we desire His miracles, we must be open to judgment as well.
We cannot pick and choose God’s intervention.
The Word for this Year: For us to become God-Fearing Men and Women.
Before we become God-fearing people, our tendencies are selfish. We often ask questions like, “How does this make me feel? Look?” “How does this affect relationships with those I like?” “How do I benefit?”
But as we become God-fearing people, our questions turn toward God’s heart and His desires. We begin to ask questions like, “How does this make God feel? How does this make Him look?” “How does this affect my relationship with God?” “How can I use this to benefit others?”
“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14 NIV)
While the non-fearing person is conscious of self and man, the God-Fearing person is conscious of God.
Their biggest concern is grieving the Holy Spirit.
So how do we soften our hearts?
We must have a correct vision of Christ. We must cast away our false idol of Jesus. We must get into the Word of God.
The Lion & The Lamb
We often place too much emphasis on the loving, gracious and gentle side of our Savior. We focus too much on our Savior as the Lamb. But, Jesus is also wholly righteous and Holy. He is decisive and confrontational. We must see the dual nature of Jesus. To focus on one at the expense of the other gives an incomplete, and ultimately heretical, view of him.
This year, let’s ask God for the fear of the Lord.
“Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.” (Psalm 86:11 ESV)
Pray this with us:
I love and fear You.
You hold eternity in Your palms.
And my life is like dust.
I love and fear You.
It is You who weighs the breath in my lungs.
And yet, You care for me.
I love and fear You.
For You are wholly both.
You are the Lion
and the Lamb.
I love and fear you.
You are God.
And I am not.
You are my God.
Let’s get into the Word this year. Below you’ll find a number of resources and devotionals you can use to help you dive into God’s Word.
Devotionals:
- The Message Solo New Testament: An Uncommon Devotional
- The Ignatian Adventure: Experiencing the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius in Daily Life
- ESV Devotional Psalter
- New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional
Tools to Read the Bible Daily:
Books:
- Intimate Friendship with God: Through Understanding the Fear of the Lord
Joy of Fearing God- What is the Bible? How an Ancient Library of Poems, Letters, and Stories Can Transform the Way You Think and Feel About Everything
- Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again
You can listen to the sermon The Secret Ingredient from the Ephesians series that inspired this post here.
All images and materials are copyright protected and are the property of EKKO Church unless otherwise noted and credited to their maker. Please do not copy or distribute without permission.