139. THE FEAR OF THE LORD. Proverbs 14:26.

Yes, you might say, But what is it? How do I get it? And when I do, What do I do with it? Well I will try,... with God’s help... to explain and answer these question as much for my own clarification as yours. In the book of Proverbs (1:7. it tells us,”The fear of The Lord is the foundation of true knowledge”. So that’s what it is, and that’s where we’ll start. We all know, that God is the perfection of all things, there is nothing in all creation that He doesn’t fully know and fully understand, from lightness to darkness, from hot to cold, from the height to the depth of any sea, river or ocean. He knows the answer to all questions and mysteries. He is perfection itself in every area and aspect of creation; physical, natural, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Why? Because He existed eternally; That is before creation, and in fact He is The Only Creator, maker and sustainer of all that exists and and ever has existed. And He will not tolerate any revels. As we can see by looking at Biblical history which is daily becoming more and more the only true source of history which we can trust. We need to understand, this world is God’s story “HIS STORY,” not ours and it will work out HIS WAY. We all have to play our part, as William Shakespeare says,”All the world’s a stage...” and hold our creator in awe and reverence. Not in fear as we know it, but in the knowledge of who He is, how much He loves us and the power of His mercy, grace and justice which is His alone to distribute to whom and where he chooses. No one else can get you to heaven or condemn you to hell. He has done His part by giving His Son to pay our debt, now it’s up to us to accept or reject that offer of payment (Salvation) for our sins. Don’t allow Satan to convince you otherwise, you know he is a liar, in fact the father of lies. Now is the time to turn your back on him and face our Creator, Our Loving Father of Truth an integrity. This is done by a simple act of Faith and submission to Jesus Christ the Son of God. `When you submit to God you don’t have to be afraid of anything. In (Psalm 46:1) we read He becomes your ‘refuge and strength’ Fearing God doesn’t mean being afraid that He is going to hurt or be angry or reprimand you in any way. No He is a good God who will gently show and guide you along the right path as you yield to His leading. The fear of The Lord just means that you follow His directions and recognise His authority in all things. You have probably noticed, there is not a lot of respect for authority these days. We have developed the kind of mentality that says ’Nobody’s going to tell me what to do.” But the Bible says in (Proverbs 14;26) “In the fear of The Lord there is strong confidence “ Why does it say that? Because a reverent and worshipful fear means to be respectful and obedient, It means you will do what God says to do... Only when you do that; will your confidence and trust in Him begin to grow. Remember this... every time you put you own Mind, Ideas and Will aside to do what God asks you to do, you are growing and moving one step closer and deeper towards your confidence and trust in Him. Think about it.!! And you will notice something else that will happen. The more reverential fear and awe you have for God, the more careful, courteous and thankful you will be in your dealings with others,That is because you know that you are accountable to God for your actions and you recognise that other people are just as valuable to Him as you are. Solomon writes in (Ecclesiastes 12;13) Fear God and keep His commandments for this is the duty of all mankind.” also, in (Deuteronomy 10:12) Moses told the children of Israel “What does the Lord your God require of you but to fear the Lord your God. To walk in obedience to Him. Love Him. serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” It’s not complicated unless we make it that way by trying to split straws and manipulate God’s Word. That’s what some people do. Don’t let that be you. God says exactly what He means and means exactly what He says. There are no shortcuts or loopholes in God’s Word. There’s only one way to get to Our Father in Heaven and that is through Jesus.”Nobody comes to The Father except through Me “ said Jesus He has made a way narrow though the gate might be, it’s well lit by the Holy Spirit who also directs and straightens it for us. So, “taste and see that The Lord is Good.” Thank you for reading my thoughts on the “Fear of the Lord” I truly hope you accept and understand what I have attempted to bring to you this week. The full significance of this mystery is in the hands of our Creator, no one here on earth has all the answers, but God will give you more enlightment as you grow in faith trust and obedience to Him. God bless us all in Jesus name. Phaline. ------------------------