The way of the wise is the way of wisdom, and the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. In other words, we can say a wise man is a man that fears the Lord (proverbs 9:10).
Now, there are two kinds of fear; a fear that stems out of love, reverence and honour and represents good. The other type of fear stems from hate, fright and unbelief and represents evil. The Bible refers to a person that fears God as one who loves, seeks and is constantly in awe of Him: Psalm 34:8 says “Let all the earth fear the Lord, let all inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.” Loving God means giving your all to Him and choosing Him above all. Choosing God means choosing life over death, which we would agree is a very wise thing to do (John 14:6; I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me).
Wisdom is the understanding of heart that enables you to discern between good and evil so that you are able to react wisely to situations and circumstances in life. In 1 Kings 3:10, Solomon asked the Lord for “The understanding of heart to judge your People that I may discern between good and evil.” He didn’t ask for the understanding of mind… why? Because the heart is the centre of our soul, it is where Christ dwells- Ephesians 3:17-19. Sometimes we hear different voices, the voice of the mind, which is worldlier and flesh indulgent. Then we hear the voice of the Heart, which is more likely to express the nature of God. But the good news is that when Christ dwells in your heart, the voice of the mind would have to bow in submission to the voice of the heart, to the fulfilment of Gods will! Proverbs 4:23 says “Guide your heart with diligence for out for it springs the issues of life.” What better ways to guide your heart, than to give it to the Lord!
Now you might be wondering and asking yourself “But how do I get wisdom?” The answer is very simple- ASK THE LORD. James 1:5 “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives generally to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
A lot of us live in the fear of one thing or another. It could be the fear of trying again, rejections, judgement and condemnation, disappointment’s, not knowing who you really are, fear of thinking about the past, failures, vulnerabilities, fear of what people might say or think about us, or we might just be afraid of the unknown. These are the tricks of the enemy in making us live in denial of whom we really are in Christ Jesus. It is written in 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us the spirit of fear but that of love, boldness and a sound mind.”
HOW TO BREAKLOSE FROM YOUR FEARS
The first step of breaking loose from your fears is to:
- Search deep inside of you, look inside and identify your fears.
- Acknowledge that fear is your enemy, it’s not from God.
- Understand that God has called you to serve Him without fear; Luke 1: 74 says “To grant us that we being delivered from the hand of the enemy, might serve Him without fear.”
- Do not dwell on your fears but take it to the Lord in prayers as He alone is able to deliver you from all your fears; it is written in Psalm 34:4 “I sought the Lord and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”
- Proclaim Gods word over your life, focus on Jesus and the sacrifice paid for you on the cross. Let your love for Christ rise above everything else in your life, and fear will disappear. 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in Love, but perfect Love cast out fear, because fear involves torment. But He who fears has not been made perfect in Love.”
BENEFITS OF LIVING IN THE FEAR OF GOD
- You walk in the wisdom of God.
- Divine protection and deliverance; psalm 34:7 “the angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him and delivers them:”
- Divine provision: Psalm 34:9-10 “Oh fear the lord you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger, but those who seek the Lord shall not lack anything good.”
- Victory above the enemy; Psalm 34:5 “They looked to Him and were radiant, their faces were not ashamed.”
- Prosperity; 2 Chronicles 26:4 “He sought the Lord in the days of Zachariah who had understanding in the visions of God, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.”
There are countless blessings bestowed upon those who fear the Lord! So, make living in the fear of God a priority in your life, so that you are able to abide in wisdom and partake of all the promises God has for you.
PRAYER
Lord, at this very moment, in all humility, we lay all our fears and weaknesses at your feet. We’ve come to realise that we want no portion in fear, but that You Lord are our portion. Let the power of Your Holy Spirit break every yoke of Fear from our lives and let your light shine upon all our dark corners, that we may flourish in Your love and liberty. We also ask that you give us wisdom, that we may please you all the days of our lives. Amen!
WordCosmos 