THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM--THE FEAR OF THE LORD

THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM
IS
THE FEAR OF THE LORD

“Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come.
Worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
REVELATION 14:7NIV

“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil…”
PROVERBS 16:6

“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.”
PSALM 34:7

“The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether” (Psalm 19:9). “The fear of the Lord” includes knowing, having respect for, and obeying the Word of God. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride, arrogance, and a perverse tongue. The fear of the Lord is not a fear that danger or evil is near; but the fear of the Lord is a “healthy” respect, awe, and reverence for the person of God Almighty who has power to judge your actions. The fear of the Lord is to stand in awe of and have a deep respect for God’s holiness and His standards. He is the Judge of sin and the Justifier of righteousness. He has the power to destroy both soul and body (Luke 12:4-5).

He has given you the choice of where you spend eternity…heaven or hell. Recognizing whom God is and fearing Him can motivate a person to walk in His ways, and not give in to worldly standards. “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family” (Hebrews 11:7 NIV). When God showed Noah the approaching judgment coming upon the ungodly world, Noah ‘feared the Lord’ and was motivated to save his family by obeying Him. The writer of Hebrews says, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Judgment of sin will come upon an unbelieving world, but the righteous, those believing and fearing God, will be saved. Holy fear is the motivation that causes humans to adhere to God’s standards and reject worldly standards. And Proverbs 3:7-8 declares, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be strength to your flesh, and strength to your bones.” When a person experiences a dreadful fear of offending God’s infinitely holy character, it will cause him to depart from evil. With a deep consideration of respect, mixed with wonder, awe, and love, is how a person is to “fear the Lord” and desire to please Him. The fear of the Lord develops a conscious desire in a person to avoid anything that would displease the Lord. In the fear of the Lord, obedience is the priority. The fear of the Lord, which motivates obedience to God, is the beginning of wisdom which pays the dividends of knowledge (Proverbs 1); life (Proverbs 19:8); longevity (Proverbs 9:10-12); morality (Proverbs 2:10-22); security (Proverbs 3:21-26); and wealth (Proverbs 24:3-4). Proverbs 8:17-21 tells the person who loves the Lord that He will cause substance to fill his treasuries.

God desires to be …..”

...Excerpts from Chapter 15

MESSAGE FROM THE FATHER:

“Hearken unto me, O children: for blessed are they that keep My ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that hears Me, watching daily at My gates, waiting at the posts of My doors. For whoso finds Me finds life, and shall obtain favor of the LORD. But he that sins against Me wrongs his own soul: all they that hate me love death.”

PROVERBS 8:32-36