Fear of God
Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he will become a SANCTUARy…
Isaiah 8:12–14a
Fear is the most basic of all natural instincts, and we're afraid when we sense our physical or physchological safety is threatened. Fear always has an object, and for it to be threatening it must be perceived as both imminent and potent. We don't fear poisonous snakes when none are present, and we don't fear them when they're dead either. Remove one of the attributes, and the object is no longer feared.
God is the ultimate fear object because He is omnipresent and omnipotent. That is why "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding" (Psalm 111:10). The fear of God is the one fear that can expel all other fears. "There is no fear in love but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love" (1 John 4:18). The punishment we deserved has fallen on Christ. However, we live to please God, because we will appear before Him and give an account for everything we have done. "Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others" (2 Corinthians 5:11).
This devotional is an excerpt from The Bondage Breaker Devotional by Neil T. Anderson.
Neil T. Anderson is the founder of Freedom in Christ Ministries. He began the ministry in 1989 and continues to spread the message of freedom to this day.